Internships- could become a part of future degrees.

Please see article from guardian about internships.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/feb/28/students-10-week-summer-internships

The government are looking into ways of making Britain's graduates employable and having a internship as part of a young person's degree could help them get there. As I have said in my previous post on work based learning please see post dated 28th July 2011 the need for developing and gaining work experience is so vital these days!!! I really hope this potential idea follows through. It will hopefully give young graduates something to talk about in potential interviews and job application forms. It will also give them an idea of the type of work that they really want to do.As well as develop those essential empolyablity skills that potential employers are looking for.

NEET unempolyment rates

Please see this article http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/23/almost-1m-young-people-neets  about how the unemployment rates for the number of young people is still raising.

This article points out how the government have invested alot of money in apprenticeships etc so that young people are given more job opportunities however if this is the case why is the unemployment rate for 16-24 increasing and not decreasing!! If people are not in employment shouldn't they be in appropriate employment schemes or have relavnant training etc. Youth employment is affecting not only school and colleges leavers it is also affecting graduates.

As I have mentioned before in previous blog posts there seems to be the same recurring issues coming up time and time again that are affecting the increase in these numbers. Many young people don't have adequate work experience to mention on their cvs or application forms. Which causes a problem for employers who are looking for that vital work experience. When I have spoken to students about how they can approach finding a job some of them haven't the first clue where to start and as a result some are still not in employment. If someone is not motivated or inspired to do something how will they actually get there. Family support networks and influences can sometimes help certain young people but if they aren't there where else can they get that vital and essential support ??. 

Empolyablity skills and being taught how to be a worthy work candidate is so important. The importance of communication and team work skills are understood by young people but they are not necessarily shown how such skills can benefit them to an potential empolyer.. Having a degree is seen as an essential qualifaction but the education you learn from working in the real work teaches you a great deal more. If a young person isn't able to experience this how will they actually know. Voluntary work and internships are good place to start but tecnhnlogy is allowing many young people to bulid their own mini empires. From inventing ideas for social newtworks to designing phone apps. The skills and talents a young person may have are not being fed into the system. The postive energy needed to create and fuel these ambtions doesn't seem to emerging. I am not saying we should give any young person false hope as we do need to be realistc about what they can achieve and where they can work etc. However we need to support them especially at a time where the recession is affecting a great deal of people not only in the UK but also all over world. Without insipiring them with some encouragement and hope for future how will they provide that hope for future generations to come.

Vocational qualifactions taking a battering!!

There are thousands of vocational qualifications which have served as alternatives to gcses but as the article below indicates they are being taken off the gcse league tables.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/31/vocational-qualifications-stripped-league-tables?intcmp=239

As an adviser I am pleasantly surprised but happy about this decision. The amount of young people I worked with who were not pushed into doing more gcses and lead to believe the equivalent courses would add to the applications utterly confused them!! What I mean by this is that some young people didn't understand that the value of the vocational qualification just wasn't the same as an alternative gcse course. However what would annoy me is that they were led to believe it was of the same value.

Please see link for levels on the direct gov website(link below) to understand why I have only included the levels up to gcse as this post is mainly focusing on this area.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039017

Employers are looking for GCSE Maths, and English generally. The equivalent of a course like a btec level 2 which is the same level as a gcse just doesn't have the same value to a potential employer. The skills learned from a gcse which is a standard academic qualification and a level 2 qualification which is vocational and practical just isn't the same!! I am surprised the govt have let it go on for as long as it did. I am not devaluing the btec courses the level 3 childcare is an essential part of training for someone who wants to go into childcare. Institutions like City and Islington have a broad range of level 3 courses which help prepare students for the working world as well as university. However young people are not always explained why English and maths gcse are essential part of them getting through anywhere. Whether this be university, workplace etc.

Most degree and Alevel course require you to have a English and maths gcse grade C and above. Anyone who has been through the current education system will know this.

National Apprenticeships week

 Apprenticeship week started on Monday but I don't think its too late to promote it on my blog!! Please have a look at the links below. As an adviser or young person  I hope you find this post useful.

http://www.skillsactive.com/component/k2/item/4129/4129?_kk=apprenticeships%20week&_kt=d4dcc200-e742-4df3-95d3-57452e04f6d2&gclid=CK_Xo5KSka4CFcEntAodqn_KfQ - You can register on this website and find out more any industry areas you may be interested in.

 http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Awards/Apprenticeship-Week-2012.aspx - This link can connect you directly to apprenticeships.org. The main company behind apprenticeships. You can register on this website and get email updates or apply for apprenticeships directly.

If you know anyone who is interested in an apprenticeship or vocational training linked to any of the careers listed on apprenticeships.org website pass it on. Apprenticeships are a great way of building skills for not just young people but anyone who wants to do something a little bit different. There are a variety of apprenticeships on offer all over the UK. The London apprenticeships company (http://www.londonapprenticeship.co.uk/). and http://www.neet2eet.com/training-and-apprenticeships are a few other websites that could provide useful for those looking into doing an apprenticeship.

If you would like to find out more info about apprenticsehips in a more visual way visit http://www.careersbox.co.uk/. There are some really good videos about what apprenticeships involve and alot of the videos feaure young people and their take on things.

Careers Advice books do they actually help???

Please see link for career advice books.
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9023624/Careers-advice-Which-career-books-actually-work.html

Please see article above for some interesting sugguestions about career advice books that may possible be useful for those job hunting at the moment. I found it quite interesting take a look.

University applications drop

Please see the bbc news article about the recent drop in applications to university  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16787948.

This article is an interesting read and shows how the decrease in 18 year olds isn't as great as experts thought it would be. This is quite encouraging and those from disadvantaged backgrounds haven’t been off from applying. An increase of 0.2% has occurred for such applicants.

I have discussed before in my blog posts the numerous options available to young people who decide not to apply to university. However it isn't the least bit surprising that applications have dropped. As the article suggests fees may be the front runner for why some students have decided not to apply.

Websites and organisations like http://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/  offer alternatives to young people who are now beginning to realise that university isn't necessarily the answer to their potential career. Or that maybe they want to forge out some well thought out practical experience before they head off to higher education. A gap year for those deciding to go to university can provide opportunities for internships and work experience. So that individuals can work on their employability skills.. It is fair to say that no degree however great it is can teach the art of communication and time management. These are skills that can only be developed through being part of the workforce. The marriage of a good education and having these essential skills can only add to this.