Definitions

Level of Work (as defined by IER)

From 2004, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has adopted a new classification system for the jobs undertaken by graduates as defined by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER). This replaces the previous classification of graduate, graduate track and non-graduate in favour of a new five-fold classification (four at graduate and one at non-graduate level) - see table below for more details. For simplicity, HESA has modified the classification for publication purposes into graduate versus non-graduate. This version has been adopted on this site.

IER Classification

Traditional graduate occupations	The established professions, for which, historically, the normal route has been via an undergraduate degree programme	Solicitors,  Medical practitioners, HE and secondary education teachers,  Biological scientists/biochemists
Modern graduate occupations	The newer professions, particularly in management, IT and creative vocational areas, which graduates have been entering since educational expansion in the 1960s	Directors, chief executives,  Software professionals, computer programmers, Primary school and nursery teachers, Authors/ writers/journalists
New graduate occupations	Areas of employment, many in new or expanding occupations, where the route into the professional area has recently changed such that it is now via an undergraduate degree programme	Marketing & sales managers, Physiotherapists,  Management accountants, Welfare, probation officers, Countryside/park rangers
Niche graduate occupations	Occupations where the majority of incumbents are not graduates, but within which there are stable or growing specialist niches which require higher education skills and knowledge	Leisure and sports managers, Hotel, accommodation managers, Nurses, midwives, Retail managers

For further information on the IER classification of graduate level occupations, please view the IER's Research Paper No 6 (opens a pdf file)

Type/Level of Work (pre 2004)

Traditional graduate occupations	Employees in occupations classified to this group typically have five years of additional education after the age of compulsory schooling.
Graduate track occupations	Employees in occupations classified to this group typically have three years of additional education.
Non-graduate occupations	Employees in occupations classified to this group typically have 1.5 years of additional education.

Definition of categories for type of work

(letters used correspond with those for the national figures at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/wdgd/)

a	Marketing, sales, PR & advertising occupations Includes marketing managers; sales managers; market research managers & analysts; sales advisers, consultants & planners; export managers; advertising managers; agency managers; account executives; media planners; advertisement managers; publicity & public relations agents, managers & officers; and appeals organisers.
b	Commercial, industrial & public sector managers Includes general managers & administrators in national & local government, large companies & organisations; production managers in manufacturing, construction, mining & energy industries; specialist managers; financial institution & office managers, & civil service executive officers; managers in transport & storing; protective service officers; managers in farming, horticulture, forestry & fishing; managers & proprietors in service industries; and other managers & administrators.
c	Scientific research, analysis & development occupations Includes chemists; biological scientists & biochemists; physicists, geologists & meteorologists; and other natural scientists.
d	Engineering professionals Includes civil, structural, municipal, mining & quarrying engineers; mechanical engineers; electrical engineers; electronic engineers; chemical engineers; design & development engineers; process & production engineers; planning & quality control engineers; and other engineers & technologists.
e	Architects, Town Planners and Surveyors Includes general practice surveyors; land surveyors; mining surveyors; building surveyors; building inspectors; quantity surveyors; marine, insrance and other surveyors; marine, tariff and transport advisers
f	Teaching professionals Includes university teaching professionals; further education teaching professionals; education officers, school inspectors; secondary (& middle school deemed secondary) education teaching professionals; primary (& middle school deemed primary) & nursery education teaching professionals; special education teaching professionals; and other teaching professionals.
g	Business & finance professionals Includes chartered & certified accountants; management accountants; actuaries, economists & statisticians; and management consultants & business analysts.
h	Information technology professionals Includes computer systems & data processing managers; software engineers; computer analysts & programmers; and computer & IT consultants.
i	Nursing & health associate professionals Includes nurses; midwives; medical radiographers; physiotherapists; chiropodists; dispensing opticians; medical technicians & dental auxiliaries; occupational & speech therapists, psychotherapists & other therapists; environmental health officers; and other health associate professionals.
j	Business & financial associate professionals Includes estimators & valuers; underwriters, claims assessors, brokers & investment analysts; taxation experts; personnel & industrial relations officers; organisation & methods & work study officers.
k	Media, literary, design & sports professionals Includes authors, writers & journalists; artists, commercial artists & graphic designers; industrial designers & textile designers; clothing designers; actors, entertainers, stage managers, producers & directors; musicians; photographers, camera, sound & video equipment operators; and professional athletes & sports officials.
l	Other professional, associate professional & technical occupations Includes legal professionals; librarians & related professionals; scientific technicians; draughtspersons, quantity & other surveyors; ship & aircraft officers, air traffic planners & controllers; legal associate professionals; social welfare associate professionals; and other professional, associate professional & technical occupations.
m	Numerical clerks & cashiers Includes accounts & wages clerks, book-keepers, & other financial clerks; counter clerks & cashiers; and debt, rent & other cash collectors.
n	Other clerical & secretarial occupations Includes administrative & clerical officers & assistants in civil service & local government; filing & records clerks; other clerks; stores & despatch clerks & storekeepers; secretaries, personal assistants, typists, word processor operators; receptionists, telephonists & related occupations; and other clerical & secretarial occupations.
o	Retail assistants, catering, waiting & bar staff Includes chefs & cooks, waiters & waitresses & bar staff; and sales assistants & check-out operators.
p	Health & childcare related occupations Includes assistant nurses & nursing auxiliaries; hospital ward assistants; ambulance staff; dental nurses; care assistants & attendants; nursery nurses; playgroup leaders; educational assistants; and other childcare & related occupations.
q	Armed forces & public protection service occupations Includes ncos and other ranks, armed forces; police officers (sergeant & below); fire service officers; (leading fire officer & below); prison service officers; customs & excise officers & immigration officers; traffic wardens; security guards & related occupations; and other security & protective service occupations.
r	Other occupations Includes craft & related occupations; other personal & protective occupations; other sales occupations; plant & machine operatives; and other occupations.
s	Unknown occupations