Friday 16 March 2012

The future of higher education!!



 Please see article about the higher education payment changes and those who are protesting about this.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/mar/14/students-national-day-of-action-protest

Higher education is something which was once seen as something that would help someone gain better employment or obtain more money with the qualifications they obtain. However this view may be changing!! Higher education will be more expensive from this coming year. Not only will this affect future graduates but it will affect the country's economic growth. Especially if after this graduates are not able to obtain the jobs or careers they actually want.

Some of the young people I have spoken to don't actually want to go to university because they feel a three/four year course which could potentially put them in debt isn't worth the hassle! Does this mean higher education is trouble only time will tell.  The number of overseas students studying here could fill in these financial gaps for universities but will it be enough.

Young people are aware that the economic market isn't great and that right now even getting a job is like gold dust. However the need for going to university is something that they are really questioning. They are a vast amount of opportunities for young people who don't want to go to university but it seems these are not put in focus. The obvious one is getting a job but you need vital work experience for this. If someone doesn't have this vital experience they then need to perhaps engage in voluntary work or obtain an internship!! Apprenticeships are also another thing that they could do. Also some people who have great business ideas could help our governments economy. Being self employed for a young person who has a great business vision could me a really good option.

Higher education will always be an essential asset to an individual there is so much you can learn from a degree. It really depends on the individual as I have said before the higher education route isn't always for everyone but it also doesn't mean you can't be a success without a degree either. Hard work is required whichever route you decide to take. As for the future of higher education it looks as though young people will still go university if its what they really want to do. 



Thursday 8 March 2012

Apprenticeships - What is the future for such programmes??



 
Please see article on the guardian about apprenticeships.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/feb/06/apprenticeships-under-scrutiny

This is a very interesting and somewhat controversial article about apprenticeships.Vocational education has always seemed to come under the radar for all the wrong reasons. The Government have put a lot of time and money into promoting apprenticeships.

'The Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (Sase) stipulates that every apprentice should receive up to 280 hours of guided learning (time in education and training, away from their usual duties)'  

The above quote from the guardian article outlines what Sase expects from each apprentice. Realistically this is a very long number of hours!! During a time of recession is it fair to put so much pressure on those who work for the National apprenticeships service to obtain the providers etc.

'Figures from the National Audit Office published last week suggest that while apprenticeships have grown by 140% in the last five years, the majority of jobs have gone to the over-25s, suggesting that a growing number of existing workers are being trained under the scheme'

Looking at a statistic like the one above how are apprenticeship schemes actually helping young people!! Going through the process of an apprenticeship requires a lot of will power and time. Many of the young people I worked with were not happy with how the initial application process worked and this was even before they had started on a scheme. The current system needs to be more friendly towards young people. There are many organizations that provide specific apprenticeships for young people however many of these small companies are not as advertised. Some young people only become aware of this if they actually go to a see a careers adviser or teacher and ask.

It really isn't enough for the government to just say we have ..... amount of apprenticeships come get them!! They need to help those who work in education to help advise young people about all of their options and then maybe the economic growth they are so seeking to gain will get there.