Apprenticeship success story.

How did a young Hertfordshire resident get from finishing her GCSEs to a £30k salary, working in IT at Harrods? Read Charlotte's story (and some other case studies on Apprenticeships) here.

What are employers looking for?

Ever wondered what exactly employers are looking for in their job applicants? Well, a national education charity, NIACE, has created a website with case studies and videos to tell you exactly that. Visit it here.

Summer reading ...

Summer is often described as "the silly season" when it comes to news but here are some articles from national newspapers about education and careers issues to provoke your interest, or make your blood boil...

• How taking part in competitions can improve your employability
• Forget university, be an entrepreneur instead!
• UK school leavers have the worst 'essential skills' in Europe
• Decline in school leavers' Maths skills
• Work on your CV not your suntan
• Traditional degrees are obsolete
• Advice for school leavers

Introducing The Medic Portal

The Medic Portal, an organisation which works with thousands of students every year, has partnered with the Royal Society of Medicine to develop a definitive resource for anyone applying to medicine. 

Features include:

• A free 100+ page guide covering every stage of the Medicine application process
• A free portfolio tool where you can manage your application and performance
• A free, one-click tool which allows you to compare all UK Medical School data
• Blogs from applicants and students, Science experts and weekly news summaries
• An online learning platform where you can practise UKCAT, BMAT and interview questions
• Access to leading, interactive courses and tutoring for Medicine

It really is the "one stop shop" for would-be Doctors ...

Which universities are most likely to get you a job?

New data released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency has revealed how university graduates from the class of 2013/14 got on when entering the world of work. The Telegraph newspaper has compiled a list of the 'Top 10' universities for employment. The "best" university, by this measure, achieved 97.4% of its graduates in employment or further study after six months. You might be interested to learn that neither Oxford or Cambridge made it into the Top 10. To find out who did, click here.

UK is home to Unicorns

The UK has 17 companies whose start up valuation, when launched on the stock market, was $1bn or more (they are known as "Unicorns"). The vast majority of these are tech companies, including AO world, ASOS, Rightmove and Zoopla. In the last 12 months the UK has had seven unicorns, including Shazam and Farfetch, compared to six from the rest of Europe, however there were 22 in the US. Tech analyst, Manish Madhvani, said, “The UK has raced ahead as the undisputed home of unicorns in Europe. Growth is accelerated because we have created an environment capable of sustaining high levels of investment across a range of tech sector”. Max Gregory, UK chief economist at Ernst & Young, said, “There is now a growing belief that the next global tech giant will come from London”.  [ source: GTAssociates ]

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,