Two-year degrees to be introduced

Jo Johnson, Minister of State, has said that students in England are to be offered degrees in two years with fees 20% less than a three-year course. He said that he wanted to "break the mould" of a system in which three-year degrees have "crowded out" more flexible ways of studying. Students would take the same number of units and have the same amount of teaching and supervision. As well as reduced tuition fees, students will save on a year's living costs and be able to start working a year earlier, a package which Mr Johnson says could cut costs by £25,000.

Rise in unconditional offers

Since 2014, the number of unconditional places offered by universities has risen from 2,985 to 51,615 and of the 259,230 Sixth Form students who applied to university this year, nearly 1:5 received an unconditional offer. The latest figures also show that 10.6% of students predicted to get CCC were given an unconditional offer, compared with just 4.6% of students who were predicted to achieve three A*s. In 2014, unconditional offers were only awarded to exceptional candidates. Further analysis of the data shows that just one quarter of students actually achieved, or exceeded, their predicted grades, suggesting that thousands of guaranteed places were awarded using unreliable predictions.

Students are studying less but working more ...

A major study, involving 36,000 students at 42 universities, has found that the amount of time they give to study has fallen but the amount of time they spend on paid work has risen. The ‘UK Engagement Survey’ found that only 48% of participants spent 11 hours or more a week on independent study, a drop from 52% in 2016. The amount of time spent on timetabled classes has also fallen, with 51% saying they spent 11 hours or more, down from 55%. In contrast, 52% said that they worked during term time, up from 45% last year. The proportion of people who took part in university sports and student societies has also fallen, from 60% to 54%.

Which degree subjects lead to employment?

An Office of National Statistics survey has found that medics are the most employable graduates, with 95% of recent graduates employed, followed by engineering, at 92%. Engineering had the highest average salary, £44,980, up from £42,016 in 2013. Average pay for languages graduates fell from £30,420 in 2013 to £25,012 in 2017. Professor Alan Smithers (head of the centre for education and employment research at Buckingham University) has commented that engineering was becoming "increasingly important in its new forms within our economy.” He said that civil engineering, with the launch of HS2 and the other infrastructure projects, and electrical engineering’s role in building computers, has “moved engineering away from the image of someone in overalls with greasy hands”. The figures also show that male graduates had an average employment rate 7% higher than females. Overall, 11% of female graduates were out of the workplace because they were looking after the home or family, compared to 2% of men. Male graduates were also more likely to be in high-skilled jobs and less likely to be working part-time.

UK universities ranked for employability

The Times Higher Education Global University Employability Ranking is a table of 150 universities producing the best graduates according to employers. This year, UK universities have fallen, with only one left in the top ten, raising fears that Brexit is damaging the reputation of the sector. Edinburgh University, the only Scottish institution recorded, fell 46 places, from 32nd last year to 78th, with US-based institutions taking the top four slots and Asian universities growing in influence. Cambridge fell from 4th to 5th, Oxford fell from 7th to 15th, Imperial College fell from 16th to 17th, King’s College from 23rd to 25th and Manchester from 24th to 34th. The rankings are based on the views of 6,000 recruitment managers from large international companies. Other British universities in the top 100 included the LSE, UCL and Bristol, all of which fell one place.

Consequences of low productivity in the UK workforce

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has released figures showing that the productivity of the UK workforce fell in the three months to June. It said that low business investment, due to concerns over Brexit, was one of the main reasons for falling productivity,and predicted that this low investment outlook would persist for a number of years. 

The average German worker produces more in four days than their counterpart in the UK does in five. The result is that UK workers work longer hours for lower pay than many of their peers in other countries. In addition, the UK has a rapidly aging population which will require a much stronger tax base. With fewer young immigrants coming in, it will mean that the productive population that pays for old age care will shrink, meaning poorer services or (and) higher taxes.

The pay "Gender Gap"

This infographic from the i newspaper shows the differences between pay for women and men around the UK. Looks like recent initiatives to "narrow" the gap have a little way to go ...