Potential shake up to UCAS process

UCAS is to recommend changing the university admissions system so students will receive their exam results before getting offers for places. John Cope from UCAS said they were “cautiously backing” such a model. He said he wanted a system whereby students apply in the usual way during term-time but offers would only be made after results day in the summer. He said that the other option on the table, where students would apply to university and receive offers after 'A' level results day and then start degree courses in January, was a “step too far” was “not practical” and would put the country “out of sync internationally”.

Colin Hughes, AQA chief executive, said: “Post-qualification admissions (PQA) could help more young people get the university places they deserve, but schools, exam boards and higher education all need to be willing to give a little to make it happen. If schools can prepare their Year 13 students for exams that start a little earlier, exam boards can mark and award grades a little more quickly and more universities can move the start of term into October, there’s no reason why we can’t do this.”

Benefits of going to University

 [source: the i newspaper]

Decline in Graduate Employment

The latest survey by the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) found that the number of graduate jobs declined by 12% and that the majority of employers anticipated a further decline next year. Employers in the retail and consumer goods sectors made the biggest cuts, slashing 45% of graduate jobs. The ISE, which surveyed mostly large employers, also said that employers reported a 29% decrease in internships and a 25% decrease in placements in 2019-20 with further falls expected next year. Stephen Isherwood, chief executive of the ISE, said, “Employers have had to make significant adjustments. As a result, graduate jobs do not appear to be collapsing and school and college leaver recruitment is holding up, but the decline in internships and placements is more worrying. Around half of placement students get rehired, so diminishing these roles damages the talent pipeline.”

Increase in Job Vacancies reported

A survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation has found there were 1.36 million job adverts across the UK in the first week of November, the largest number since early March. However, the research shows the recovery has not been evenly distributed across the different regions and sectors. Half of the UK's major regions now have higher numbers of job adverts than in March, while some still have fewer. The bounce back has been led by North-West England and Wales, which last month respectively had 37% and 33% more vacancies than in March, but London is lagging behind with 18.7% fewer posts on offer. The study also shows roles in construction, logistics and food and drink have recovered strongly, while hospitality and leisure remain at significantly lower levels than in March. However, there were 48.7% fewer adverts for bar staff than in March, despite a recovery during the summer months. Vacancies for chefs were down by 46% and for fitness instructors by 37%, significantly lower than before the pandemic hit.

What is PGA?

PQA stands for Post Qualification Admissions. UCAS has warned that a major overhaul of the admissions system, which would mean places being offered on the basis of grades rather than predictions, could open up a “devolution divide” without an agreement with the devolved nations. Pressure for a PQA has been growing, forcing UCAS into a review, which has led to two proposals, both of which advocate PQA. The first keeps applications ahead of results day in August, with offers based on actual results. The second proposes moving the whole applications process beyond results day and pushing back university start dates until January. However, this is likely to be less popular with the sector and government because it would put the UK system out of sync with the rest of the world.

Universities UK has given its backing to a PQA system after an 18-month review. Under their proposed system offers will only be made once the university has received an applicant’s grades in August. Providers will then have a one-week window before ‘offer day’, and students a one-week window afterwards to respond, followed by a clearing process for unplaced applicants.

Extra funding for Apprenticeships

Employers are being invited to apply for cash incentives to help them take on new apprentices and get more people into work, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Gillian Keegan has announced. As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, employers are being offered £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire, aged under 25, and £1,500 for each newly recruited apprentice aged 25 and over. This includes taking on an apprentice who has been made redundant.

Working during Furlough

A study by economists from Oxford and Cambridge universities has concluded that the majority of people who were furloughed have carried on working during lock-down, with men significantly more likely than women to flout the rules. It also found that women were significantly more likely to be furloughed than men doing the same type of job. It found that 75% of furloughed men had their wages topped up beyond the 80% provided by the government, but only 65% of women. 87% men and 77% of women who received a salary top up continued to work for their employer while on furlough, even though this was forbidden. Among those workers who didn’t receive a top up, 69% of men and 52% of women routinely worked.