Animation accolade for Herts Uni

Hertfordshire University has been crowned the UK’s top animation and games school for the second year running by The Rookies. The community for non-professional digital artists announced their list of the top 50 creative media and entertainment schools and colleges in the world, with Hertfordshire ranking 22nd on the list, higher than any other British institution. It also ranked as best 2D animation school in the UK, 2nd in the world; best in the UK for production excellence in 2D animation, 7th in the world and second best game design and development school in the UK, 12th in the world. 

Current shortage occupations

The list of the 10 occupations where, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and industry data, worker shortages are among the most acute are

• HGV drivers - 100,000+

• Nurses - 79,123

• Programmers and software development professionals - 68,929

• Care workers and home carers - 49,751

• Primary and nursery education teaching professionals - 30,574

• Chefs - 29,996

• Sales and retail assistants - 26,183

• Cleaners & domestics - 24,148

• Metal working production and maintenance fitters - 19,748

• Carpenters and joiners - 6,364

The jobs covered by the government's approved list currently include all health professionals, vets, architects, engineers, scientists and orchestral musicians.

Don't underestimate the earning power of technical qualifications

A review of post-18 education and funding showed that only 66% of graduates were in high-skilled employment in 2019 and we have a smaller proportion of people with higher-level technical qualifications in this country compared to competitors like Germany and Canada, for example. Research shows that in the UK men with a higher technical (level 4) qualification earn on average £5,100 more at age 30 than those with a degree (level 6). For women achieving a higher technical (level 5) qualification, the difference is £2,700. [ source DfE ]

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.