This research is being conducted by Universities UK (UUK) and the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON).
Universities UK is the collective voice of 137 universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their mission is to create the conditions for UK universities to be the best in the world; maximising their positive impact locally, nationally and globally. Universities UK acts on behalf of universities, represented by their heads of institution.
NEON are an organisation which works with universities to creative projects which ensures that young people are provided with the opportunity to make informed decisions about their future in higher education.
What is this research about?
Universities UK (UUK) and National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) wish to explore how the current level of knowledge and views towards a range of various post-18 qualifications, in particular degree apprenticeships.
We have asked a series of questions within this survey to try and understand what you plan to do in the future, why you have chosen the route you have chosen, whether you feel equipped to make choices about what you want to do, and how the quality of information required to make decisions about your future can be improved. We hope this information will help to improve information on degree apprenticeships for people considering their future options.
Why have I been invited to take part in this study?
We wish to gain an understanding of factors which influence the decisions young people make at the age of 18, and therefore wish to speak to students, like yourself, in years 12 and year 10 who are representative of this group.
Do I have to take part? No. Participation is completely voluntary. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to do withdraw at any point in the study. You will not be required to give a reason. You will not be penalised in anyway for refusing to participate in this study or deciding to withdraw from it.
What will happen if I do take part? You will be required to read and understand this information sheet, and sign a consent form.
You will then complete a survey which explores a little about yourself, your experiences with education thus far, and your plans for the future.
We expect the survey will take around 20 minutes to complete. If you do not wish to answer a question, you are free to skip it.
What are the possible benefits of taking part? We hope your views will allow for us to improve the quality of information available to young people. There are no direct benefits to you, from taking part.
What are the risks of taking part?
There is a very small risk of a data breach, though we have taken several steps to ensure that the data is stored securely.
Data will be temporarily stored online on SurveyMonkey, which is a secure site. It will then be transferred to password protected files on secure servers at the London Higher offices where NEON staff members are based.
The data will be destroyed 1 year after the dissemination of the report in March 2019.