This blog is designed to keep you up-to-date with Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG) available locally, nationally and through the school. I’ll be posting information about employment and training opportunities available locally as well as details of open days and useful websites. The world of education, employment and training opportunities is changing rapidly so keep checking in for the latest information.

Mr Cross


Tuesday 2 October 2018

Aspirations in 2018

The Milkround jobs site surveyed 5,709 ‘Generation Z’ new graduates to find out their views on jobs. They found that 55% plan to stay in their first role for less than two years, 70% said they’d stay in a role for up to five years (and 27% would stay for more than that), if their needs were met. They weren’t overly ambitious, with flexible working (flexible hours and working from home) and training and mentoring, their main requirements. However, they have high expectations on their career choice, with 65% believing that they will work in their dream industry.

And what are their "dream jobs", see a list published recently in the i newspaper:


Was going to university the right choice?

A survey by Barclays Apprenticeships of 2,500 people, including current university students, graduates from the last five years, parents whose children went to university and employers, found that 48% of students and graduates said they regret their decision to go to university and 44% of graduates said they did not need a degree to do their job. It found that 65% of young people felt under pressure to go to university, with 34% citing this as coming from their parents and 19% saying it was from their friends; 70% felt their parents would have been disappointed if they had not gone to university and when asked their reasons for choosing university, 18% said they went to please their parents.

Value-for-money Universities

This infographic from the i newspaper shows ratings for "value for money" universities, using research data compiled by the Nat West Bank:


Fall in Graduate unemployment

Graduate unemployment fell to a 30-year low in 2017-18, with only 5.3% of graduates estimated to be unemployed six months after graduation. One reason for this is an increase in the number taking post graduate courses from 13% in 2103 to 16% in 2017. The most popular areas for graduate employment are still business, law, health and marketing but there has also been an increase of graduates going into nursing, graphic design, cinematography and IT. Alongside this there has been a fall in those entering teaching, medicine, web design and civil engineering.

Rise in unconditional offers

UCAS figures show that 23% of 18yr olds received an unconditional offer this year, in 2016 the proportion was 13%. The rise is attributed to the lifting of the numbers cap and the rise in tuition fees, giving universities a huge incentive to recruit more students. In response to the findings, the University and College Union repeated its call for an overhaul of university admissions to allow students to apply after receiving their exam results. Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said, “The proliferation of unconditional offers is detrimental to the interests of students and it is time the UK joined the rest of the world in basing university offers on actual achievements instead of guesswork.”