Thinking about re-choosing your Sixth Form options?

If your GCSE results are different from what you were expecting, you might want to re-consider your choice of 'A' level courses.  The first thing to do is discuss this with Miss McCrorie.  She will be available for 1:1 discussions in the school Library between 9.00 and 12.00 on Friday 23rd.  Here is some further advice you may wish to consider ...    The three rules for choosing your 'A' level subjects are: Ability, Interest and Utility. 

1) You need to have the ablity to study the subject and achieve in it at the level you require for university or employment.  This is typically a grade B in the subject at GCSE but you'll probably need this in English and Maths too;

2) You need to have an interest in what you're studying to sustain your effort over two years;

3) If you have a particular course or career in mind, you'll need the necessary 'A' level subjects to meet the entry criteria.  If you're not sure what these are, you can get additional guidance from The Russell Group's Informed Choices booklet and from the Search UCAS website.

Get the "inside track" on UCAS Clearing

Each year, UCAS publishes a series of briefings on the Confirmation and Clearing processes for university applications.  Click here for the latest information.  The article contains links to the main UCAS website as well as two briefings released earlier this year.

More universities to charge maximum fees ...

Almost three-quarters of universities in England are planning to charge the maximum £9,000 tuition fee for some or all of their courses, according to Office for Fair Access (OfFA) figures.  The average fee level for 2014-15 will rise by about £150 to about £8,650.  However, the total amount to be spent on supporting poorer students will also rise to £708m, up from £672m.  OfFA's report says that 26% of this higher fee income will be spent on protecting fair access to university.  More money will be spent on outreach projects, where universities build links with schools and young people to encourage them to think about applying to university.  Further information and analysis by the BBC can be found here.

 

Almost 10% unemployment in university graduates

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has found that nearly one in ten students were believed to be unemployed six months after graduating from UK universities in 2012. Nearly 11% of men were unemployed, compared with 7% of new female graduates, but men's average pay was higher. According to HESA nearly two-thirds of those working in the UK were in professional roles, while the remaining third were working in sectors that did not require a degree. More than 9,500 people were working in "elementary occupations", including roles such as office juniors, hospital porters, waiters and shelf-stackers.  Click here for further information and analysis from the BBC.

BUT ... Graduate vacancies at major employers are at their highest since 2008, with the UK's 100 ‘leading employers’ having 4.6% more graduate jobs than in 2012, [ source High Fliers Research ]. However, there were still an average 46 applicants for each position. The report, The Graduate Market in 2013, acknowledged that in spite of this year's increase in recruitment, 'vacancies for university leavers at the UK's best known and most popular employers remain below the pre-recession intake seen in 2007'.

Plans for "Tech-levels" unveiled

The Government has announced a new technical qualification called 'tech-level', which will be in place from 2014.  The new tech-level is set to gain the same status as A-levels but only if they attract university or business support.  The new tech-level qualification is aimed at raising the status of vocational qualifications in England.  For comment and analysis published in The Independent, click here.

YouTube Apprenticeship channel

There is now a channel on YouTube which is devoted to promoting Apprenticeships, subtitled 'The sky's the limit'.  As you would expect, it contains a wide range of short films, made by Apprentices, Apprenticeship providers and other organisations.  For an introduction to Apprenticeships, click here.

Vets' "taster day" at Cambridge Uni

Cambridge University is inviting would-be vets in Year 13 ( next academic year ) to a Veterinary Medicine Taster Day on Wednesday 18th September, 2013.  Students attending will have the opportunity to attend a series of short talks on different aspects of the Veterinary Medicine course and the admissions process as well as visiting the Veterinary School.  The day will also include a tour of College, lunch with current students and plenty of opportunity to ask questions about the Veterinary Medicine course, or any other aspect of life at Cambridge.  A sample programme for the day can be found here.  The deadline for applications is Friday 23rd August.