Morrisby Profiling

Last year the Vocare company ran the Morrisby Profile test in school for approximately 40 students in Years 10 to 12. They are offering to repeat the process this year. The Profile is a series of tests, lasting approximately three hours, which the Morrisby organisation uses to generate a profile of an individual’s interests, abilities and aptitudes relevant to the world of work. You can try some practice profile questions here.   

If there is sufficient interest, Vocare would run the tests in school on the morning of Tuesday 22nd April 2014, which is the INSET day before the start of Summer Term. If only a few Beaumont students wish to take the test, Vocare may offer them the opportunity to complete the profiling at another local school.  This letter and pamphlet from Vocare provide additional information about the Morrisby Profile.  

If you wish your child to undertake the profiling, please return the slip to me at school as an expression of interest.  No payment is required at this time.  The school has hosted Morrisby Profiling in previous years and students and their parents have valued the outcomes but please note that Vocare is a private company and not part of Beaumont School.  Several organisations offer free, on-line, basic skills profiling tests, some of which can be accessed through this blog.

If you want to be a Doctor or Lawyer ...

EPOC Careers Conferences organises events for students who want to become doctors or lawyers.   These events aim to help you maximise your chances of being accepted into the university and profession of your choice.  They can help you decide whether Medicine or Law is the career for you and make the very best UCAS application you can.   

At the conferences, you will:

• Understand what admissions tutors and interviewers are looking for
• Gain practical advice on getting into medical / law careers
• Find out about the realities of studying and specialising in the profession
• Speak to doctors / solicitors and barristers and university students about their experiences
• Discuss your academic options, alternative and related careers
• Experience a university environment

There are events best in London for Medicine on 8th February and 29th March and for Law on 15th March.  For more information, click here.

Easier to get into uni in 2013 ...?

Analysis of the 2013 UCAS figures shows that the pool of applicants fell from 700,000 to 677,000 but acceptances went up 7.3% in England.  Overall 9 out of 10 applicants received at least 1 offer, while a third received 5 offers.  However, the number of people entering institutions with traditional high tariff requirements with BBB or equivalent rose by 9%.  Students with predictions of BBB were 23% more likely to receive offers from all 5 choices than in the previous year.  UCAS said that the proportion of English 18 year olds enrolling with BBB or lower has increased by 70% over the last 2 years, to 17%.  [ source gtassociates.org ]

DfE announces Technical 'A' levels

The DfE has announced details on the first wave of 142 technical qualifications which are aimed to be a practical alternative to A-levels. Matthew Hancock, the Skills Minister, said: “We must be honest with our young people. For too long, too many students have been taking qualifications that do not help them get a job, into training, or to university.” Last year, the government stripped out 91% of the 3,721 vocational qualifications currently taught in England from future league tables. The new ‘Tech Levels’ will be included in league tables from 2016.

Exam boards must obtain endorsements from five companies, confirming that they provide the skills needed for particular trades, before qualifications can be registered under the Tech Level banner. Amongst companies backing the new qualifications are, Vauxhall, Npower, Volvo, Procter and Gamble, Kawasaki, Honda and Cisco. Whilst Arsenal is endorsing a diploma in sport and the Royal Ballet School is backing a qualification in performing arts. Courses must be able to lead directly to a job, Apprenticeship or further study and be equal in size to an A-level. The government has also unveiled 87 generic vocational qualifications, which provide broader study as “Applied General Qualifications”. The qualifications need the explicit backing of three universities and will be equal to half an A-level.

[ source: gtassociates.org ]

Free on-line magazine for Sixth Form students

Loud is a free, on-line magazine which is available five times per year for all Sixth formers and college students.  It contains useful information about university course opportunities, fees and finance, applying for uni and other options students might consider such as Apprenticeships.  Click here for more information and the latest edition.  There are videos on topics such as Apprenticeships and student finance too.

Apprenticeship Guide 2014

The 2014 Apprenticeship Guide has just been published and is available in the Reference section of the school's Careers Library.  The guide contains lots of advice about how to apply to an Apprenticeship as well as information about the range of training courses available.  Anyone considering alternatives to Further and Higher Education would be well advised to look through this guide ...

Higher Education: Face the Stats!

Going to university is a typical aim for 16-18 year olds:  49.3% of young people entered Higher Education last year (BIS, 2012) and with good reason.  More than a quarter of UK jobs are 'graduate only', up from around one in ten in the mid 1980s [ The Institute of Education Skills & Employment survey, 2012 ].  But university is expensive. According to a survey by the National Union of Students this year, the average cost of a student room has gone up by 25% over the past three years.

 

What about after university?  Currently, 22% of male graduates and 15% of female graduates move back home after completing university.  According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), there were 3.2 million 20-34 year-olds living with their parents in 2011.  This is a 20% increase on the number in 1997.  Returning "home" is often the choice of graduates entering internships.  Becoming an intern is now seen as a shortcut to employment and 60% of paid internships lead to at least one job offer ( compared to 37% of unpaid internships ).

 

According to an ONS survey, having a degree can add £12 000 to your potential salary.  However, the same organisation has recently published data showing that half of graduates are in non-graduate jobs.

 

Suffice it to say, staying in education and training is essential to maximise your choices and flexibility in employment.  Just make sure you weigh up the facts and seek out informed and impartial advice in making your choices.  The quick links top left might be a useful start ...