Go Dutch!

There are 300 degree courses taught in English in the Netherlands. They are taught at Research Universities (RU) or Universities of Applied Science (UAS). RU cover more traditional academic areas and take three years, while UAS cover more vocational areas and usually take four years, including an internship. There are also university colleges, which are small campus institutions linked to an RU who and only offer Liberal Arts and Sciences. Most Dutch universities do not offer accommodation, except for university colleges. The tuition cost is around £1500 and EU students can apply for a government loan. Useful websites include: studyinholland.nl; studyfinder.nl; duo.nl and grantfinder.nl.

Graduate vs. Apprenticeship earnings

A study by the ‘Million Jobs Campaign’ has looked into the earnings of graduates and compared them to Apprentices. It found that 39% of graduates have lifetime earnings below that of the average Higher Level Apprentice, rising to 46% for graduates from post 1992 universities. For some degrees, such as Media Studies, the figure was over 70%. However, a poll of 500 school leavers commissioned for the study found that only 6% said they were planning to do an Apprenticeship and more than half said they had no interest in Apprenticeships. The study was commissioned by Pera Training, a large provider of manufacturing Apprenticeships.  [ source: GTAssociates ]

Graduate jobs on the increase

The number of graduate vacancies is predicted to rise by 11.9% this year, according to a survey of 200 employers by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). They also found that many companies plan to offer more school leaver jobs, up from 54.7% in 2013 to 72.7%. Charlie Ball, head of HE intelligence at Prospects, said, “This year’s graduates can be confident that there are more opportunities available and that they can expect better job prospects than the previous cohort as the economy strengthens. However, they should remember that they will, as always, need to put the effort into finding these positions, make considered applications and seek careers advice from their university”.

Stephen Isherwood, Chief Executive of the AGR, said that “tensions persist” in the graduate jobs market, as 1,400 additional jobs could have been offered last year, if employers had found enough candidates with “the right mix of skills”. The AGR survey found that 44.8% of employers reported unfilled vacancies in 2013/2014, with the largest proportion occurring in the IT and telecoms sector, where 11.8% of graduate vacancies remained unfilled. Some employers cited lack of technical and professional skills as the key reasons for the unfilled positions, others point to a rising number of graduates backing out of offers. Mr Isherwood said: "Difficulties in attracting the right talent with the right mix of skills in the right location are on the increase, not since 2008 has the problem been so pronounced."  [ source GTAssociates ]

Are you Born to Build?

Born to build is an industry sponsored resource promoting careers in the construction sector with links through to the job profiles on the National Careers Service website.You can answer their 'Quirky Questions', read about the top 10 'Construction Myths' and also investigate training and employment opportunities by region. They are also organising an Open Doors Weekend, on 6 & 7 March 2015, where there are opportunities to visit a working construction site.

'What uni'?

Alongside the Which University website, there is now What Uni. It is free and student led; with over 25 000 reviews of 77 000 different courses. You can use the 'I want to be...' section to work out pathways to your chosen career or alternatively use the 'What can I do...?' section to see possible pathways from your chosen 'A' levels.  There are also details of university Open Days, prospectuses and even an 'Inspiration' section where you can browse blogs and videos to receive further advice. Use it alongside the Which University site (both are in the Useful Websites list top left) to guarantee a range of advice and guidance. Youth Connexions has prepared a useful comparison of the two sites which you can read here.

Police Apprenticeships offered locally

There are currently four job vacancies on the Apprentice Scheme offered at Hertfordshire Constabulary aimed at school leavers (aged 16-19). The roles would suit someone who is looking for an entry level position (the salary is the current national minimum wage). Full details of each vacancy are within each link below:

Vacancy:  PS/275/H Apprentice, Records Management Centre

Location:  Letchworth

Closing Date:  8 Feb 2015


Vacancy:  PS/267/H Property Apprentice

Location:  Hatfield

Closing Date:  8 Feb 2015


Vacancy:  PS/274/H Apprentice, Information Governance Office

Location:  Letchworth

Closing Date:  8 Feb 2015


Vacancy:  PS/271/H Service Desk Apprentice, ICT

Location:  Headquarters, WGC, Herts

Closing Date:  8 Feb 2015

Growth predicted in the IT sector

The number of IT specialists moving into self-employment has increased from 143,000 in 2009 to 211,000 in 2014, according to research by professional services consultancy Procorre, who said the rising demand is being driven by rapidly growing business investment in IT, which is underpinned by several factors, including:

• The explosion of the ‘app economy’, estimated to be worth £4 billion to the UK economy this year but expected by some to rise to £31billion by 2025.
• The growth of mobile commerce (transactions via mobile devices) means that businesses are investing in their web presence and e-commerce system to make them compatible with mobile devices.
• Businesses are investing in cloud computing for data storage and software to offer their employees greater flexibility and boost the productivity of a business.

[ source: GTAssociates ]