There are many reasons why they might wish to continue their studies to gain higher-level qualifications. Here are a few:

• Graduates tend to earn more money over their lifetime. As an example, it has been calculated that those in engineering can earn at least £200,000 more, over their lifetime than an engineer without a degree.
• Graduates are also less likely to be unemployed later in life than those without degrees. This is partly because their higher-level skills allow them to do a range of jobs.
• Graduates tend to work at higher levels in a company so degrees certainly help in career progression.
• To enable career progression there may be a requirement for a higher-level qualification, for example to gain chartered status in subjects such as engineering or accountancy, or to do certain jobs where the higher-level qualification is a requirement.