Abstract

The study explores the employment experiences in the initial months after graduating of four cohorts of BA (Hons) Business Studies (BABS) graduates. Two of the four cohorts graduated with a BABS ‘sandwich’ degree which is a 4-year full-time degree programme during the third year of which students are employed full-time on a placement in industry or commerce. The remaining two cohorts obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business and Finance through 2 years of full-time study and then followed a 1-year conversion programme leading to the award of BA (Hons) Business Studies. The cohorts graduated in the years 1994 or 1995. Results of a questionnaire survey indicate differences in the experiences of the two types of graduates, depending on the route taken to achieve the degree of BA (Hons) Business Studies. Those taking the four-year BA (Hons) Business Studies ‘sandwich’ degree are more successful in both securing employment and obtaining a higher average starting salary. The research suggests that it is not so much having an HND background, but more the lack of industrial/commercial benefits gained from a ‘sandwich’ year as part of the degree programme, combined with lower ‘A’ level achievements, which placed those taking an HND and 1-year conversion programme leading to the award of a BABS degree at a disadvantage vis-à-vis BABS ‘sandwich’ degree graduates.