Apprenticeships latest

Youth Connexions has published the latest data on Apprenticeships in Hertfordshire:

Vacancies:

• 330 employers offering 427 Apprenticeship opportunities
• 3% are Traineeships
• 77% are Intermediate Apprenticeships
• 20% are Advanced Apprenticeships

Wages:

• Average wage, £147 per week
• Approximately 90% of Apprenticeships are paying above the National Minimum Wage
• Highest paying Apprenticeship, £327 per week  -  AA Catering Equipment Engineer

Most popular sectors:

• Business Administration and Law (33% of vacancies)
• Retail and Commercial Enterprise (24% of vacancies)

Further news:

• The new government's commitment to create 3 million more Apprenticeships by 2020 is to be enshrined in law
• Public sector bodies are to be set targets to create more Apprenticships
• For more details, click here
• The first “Articled Apprenticeship” programme, which includes a degree, postgraduate qualification and recognised training leading to qualification as a solicitor has been created. Details here

Many young people are put off the idea of an apprenticeship due to concerns about managing the workload. Check out these top pieces of advice from the apprentices from the Get In Go Far apprenticeship campaign here,

Make your Summer Holiday work for you

While it's a very good idea to take a break after your GCSE and A/S exam, you can also make use of probably the longest holiday you'll ever have by widening your experience in career-related activities. These can increase your employability and add an extra dimension to your UCAS Personal Statement. For more information and advice, read an article from the Telegraph here.

How to get into Medical School

A recent article in The Telegraph newspaper steers you through the "ins and outs" of getting yourself onto one of the country's most competitive career pathways. Read it here.

The Graduate Labour Market: key facts

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has released statistical data for the first quarter year, Q1, (January to March) this year:

• The employment rate for working age graduates of 87.5% is the highest level seen since the 88.3% recorded in Q4 2007.
• The unemployment rate of 3.9% for young graduates is the lowest Q1 rate since 2007.
• The postgraduate earnings premium over graduates has widened over the last year across both young and working age populations.

Graduates and postgraduates continue to have higher employment rates and are more likely to work in 'high skill' jobs than non-graduates. Employment rates among the working-age population of graduates and postgraduates marginally increased since last quarter with 87.5% of both groups in employment, compared to 69.3% of non-graduates.

The end of working Saturdays?

A new study suggests that teenagers are ditching old-fashioned Saturday jobs because of their fear of failure in their studies. Instead of focusing on enhancing their extra-curricular activities through part-time work, 16 and 17-year olds are solely focused on their studies, a new report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) revealed. The report showed the number of teenagers combining part-time work with studies has halved from 42% in 1996 to only 18% last year. Over half of youngsters said they want “to concentrate on their studies” instead of taking up a Saturday job. However, it should also be remembered that the research from the UKCES also found out that 66% of employers rate work experience as a critical or significant factor in recruitment.

Making the wrong choice?

The results of new research show that around a third of university students have said that if they had known what they know now about their course when they chose it, they would have made a different choice. This makes using impartial guidance sites like the ones listed on the left hand side of this page all the more important. Read the full article here.

UniStats.Gov

Just like any other product or service you might be considering "buying", there are comparison websites for universities and the courses they offer. The most popular, What Uni and Which University are included in the useful links on the left hand side of this blog. One more to consider is UniStats.Gov. Like the other sites, this includes official data for undergraduate courses on each university and college's satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey, jobs after study and other key information for prospective students.  It has a very useful comparison tool and provides data on percentage of graduates entering employment from each course and their average salary after six months. Worth a look ...