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. 

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.

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.