Gap year takers: uptake, trends and long term outcomes

a DFE Research Report (DFE-RR252) by Claire Crawford and Jonathan Cribb (Institute for Fiscal Studies through the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions (CAYT))

This report provides the first quantitative evidence on the characteristics and outcomes of gap year takers in the UK. It does so by using two rich survey datasets: the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), which follows a cohort of young people as they make decisions about whether or not to enter higher education (HE) and whether or not to take a gap year at the height of the recent recession, and the British Cohort Study (BCS), which follows the population of individuals born in Great Britain in a particular week of April 1970, who were first eligible to enter HE in September 1988.

These two datasets together enable an assessment of the intentions, activities and characteristics of a recent cohort of gap year takers and the long term consequences of the decision to delay entry into HE for a range of outcomes, with a particular focus on wages and earnings.

Includes:

• Introduction
• Data
• Methodology
• Gap year takers in the LSYPE
• Gap year takers in the BCS and the long-run effects of gap years
• Conclusions

Full text (PDF 94pp)

---

Gap Years Provide Valuable Experience

via Business: Career Advice Articles from EzineArticles.com

The idea of taking a year out to see the world before a period of study or prior to settling down in a job is a tempting one for many. However, a large number of people are put off by the worry that a gap year will be hard to explain on their CV or that, by being away from the job market for an extended period of time, they will lose the competitive edge. To the contrary, gap years are often seen as a positive experience by prospective employers.

Read full article

---