Career and Migration Pathways of Students from Orkney and Shetland

This paper will present a piece of ongoing PhD research into the career and migration pathways of higher education students from Orkney and Shetland. Using evidence from the literature and initial findings from the project the paper will explore two key choice points: the decision to enter higher education, and the career decisions of students at the point of graduation. The paper will draw some tentative conclusions surrounding the common pathways of students from the islands and identify some key areas for further research which the full project aims to address.