The Degree Generation: The Making of Unequal Graduate Lives

What are the challenges for the current generation of graduate millennials? The role of universities and the changing nature of the graduate labour market are constantly in the news, but less is known about the experiences of those going through it. This book traces the transition to the graduate labour market of a cohort of middle-class and working-class young people who were tracked through seven years of their undergraduate and post-graduation lives. Using personal stories and voices, the book provides fascinating insights into the group’s experience of graduate employment and how their life-course transitions are shaped by their social backgrounds and education. Critically evaluating current government and university policies, it shows the attitudes and values of this generation towards their hopes and aspirations on employment, political attitudes and cultural practices.

Nicola Ingram is Professor of Sociology of Education and Director of the Education and Social Research Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University. Jessie Abrahams is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Bristol. Ann-Marie Bathmaker is Professor Emerita of Vocational and Higher Education at the University of Birmingham. Laura Bentley is an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham Harriet Bradley is an Emerita Professor at the universities of Bristol and the West of England Tony Hoare is a Consultant at the University of Bristol, after retirement from its Research Director in Widening Participation. Vanda Papafilippou is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resources Management at the University of the West of England, Bristol Richard Waller is Professor of Education and Social Justice at the University of the West of England, Bristol.