News

Pupils with top vocational qualifications earn more, study finds

Pupils with the most prestigious vocational qualifications earn more later in life than those with top A-levels, a new study has found.

Analysis by the Department for Education found that pupils who achieved level 3 qualifications in subjects like economics or engineering had higher average earnings six years later than those who got A-levels in further maths or physics.

Other L3 qualifications click to expand

The government looked at the median salaries in 2016-17 of pupils who took certain qualifications in 2010-11.

The average salary of a pupil with a level 3 qualification in economics was £27,700, while those with a level 3 in engineering earned on average £26,000 six years after achieving their qualification.

Those with an A-level in further maths, on the other hand, earned an average salary of between £25,500 and £25,600, depending on which type of A-level they studied, and pupils who took physics averaged a salary of between £24,000 and £24,100, depending on the course type.

The DfE’s research found that other level 3 qualifications that led to higher salaries included architecture, geography, history and manufacturing technologies.

Other A-levels that attracted larger earnings later in life included single-award engineering, economics, systems and control technology and pure maths.

The vocational qualifications associated with the lowest average earnings were child development and wellbeing (£14,700), service enterprises (£14,700), direct learning support (£15,000) and animal care and veterinary science (£15,000).

Most of the 10 A-levels associated with the lowest average salaries later in life were languages or arts subjects.

Urdu had the lowest, at £13,900, closely followed by Arabic (£14,600), Greek (£14,700) and Turkish (£15,000).

Those with a double award A-level in art and design, or A-levels in dance or performing arts reached an average salary of £16,300.

Latest education roles from

Group Head of School Creative Media

Group Head of School Creative Media

Capital City College Group

Independent Non- Executive Director (INED)

Independent Non- Executive Director (INED)

League Football Education

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

Wigston Academies Trust

Initial Teacher Training Programme Lead

Initial Teacher Training Programme Lead

Scarborough Sixth Form College

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *