The role of higher education skills and support in graduate self-employment

This article examines the career progression of self-employed graduates immediately following graduation and four years subsequently. Using a career socialization theory specific to entrepreneurial settings, it links the role of skills acquired in UK higher education courses and the use of support with self-employment outcomes. Using a wide range of controls (e.g. individual background, prior education, career orientations), the article finds that higher education is initially important in supporting graduate self-employment, but that this support decays in value.