Apprenticeship TV

Apprenticeship TV is just what it says  -  it's a collection of short videos which explain all you need to know about Apprenticeships.  They tell you what Apprenticeships are, how to apply for one and there are lots of personal videos from Apprentices describing their work and training.

National Careers Service update

Last April, the National Careers Service was launched.  In the year up to March 2013 it received 33,560 phone calls, 5,384 e-mails, 1,647 text messages and took part in 26,792 web chats.  While this is impressive, there are approximately 4.5 million young people aged 13 to 18 in the UK and so there remains considerable scope for growth in this service.  The NCS website has a wide range of careers tools and advice for you to explore.  Also, Advisers are available to offer careers information, advice and support to 13-19 year olds between 8am and 10pm, seven days a week.  You can contact them by phone ( 0800 number ), text and e-mail or take part in a 1:1 web-chat.  Click 10pm, here for the contact options.

Shift towards graduate jobs in the labour market

A Skills and Employment survey by the Institute of Education has shown that the number of jobs available to graduates is at a record high, while the number of unskilled jobs on offer is at a record low.  The IoE research, funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, surveyed 3,000 adults across the jobs market and found that 26 per cent of jobs are at a graduate level while 23 per cent are classed as unskilled.  These results show a significant shift in the UK labour market, while in the mid-1980s, more than three times as many unskilled jobs were available for school-leavers without any qualifications than graduate-level jobs: the shift towards skilled jobs is now at its fastest ever rate.   [ source Youth Connexions ]

High demand for Apprenticeships

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has published details of Apprenticeship applications and vacancies, revealing that it receives an average of 11 applications for each Apprenticeship.  Between February and April of this year, there were almost 370,000 applications for 32,600 Apprenticeship vacancies.  Demand rose for Apprenticeships in the arts, media and ICT with up to 17 applicants per position. NAS figures show this is a 32 per cent increase in demand since last year  –  but demand continues to outstrip availability with the number of Apprenticeships available rising by only 15 per cent over the same period.  However, NAS confirmed that at the end of April 17,700 live vacancies were available online  –  the highest number recorded. NAS revealed the Apprenticeship with the highest number of applications is Business and Administration, while the most competitive individual subjects to apply for were Plumbing and Heating, Bus and Coach engineering / Maintenance, Animal Care, Health Pharmacy Services and Construction Specialist.  The findings also found some interesting regional differences with London seeing the most significant increase in availability of Apprenticeships:  29 per cent more vacancies than the previous year.  [ source Youth Connexions ]

Apprenticeship opportunities at Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook is currently offering an Apprenticeship in Travel Services. Applicants need five GCSE grades A* - C or equivalents, preferably including Maths and English.  The company says that, through their scheme 'you'll be gaining invaluable knowledge and experience every day, learning  about the business and how it all comes together as you put your outgoing, friendly and results-focused personality to the test. This is an amazing opportunity for those with a passion for travel and commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction to a business that will recognise and reward your hard work and contribution with incredible career progress opportunities.'  Apprentices will also receive an extensive range of discounts and travel deals, such as access to cheap late deals, employee reductions on holidays and great discounts on all the travel essentials.  Follow these links for useful information, answers to FAQs and on-line application details.

 

What is RPA?

RPA stands for 'Raising the Participation Age'.  The Government is increasing the age to which all young people in England must continue in education or training, requiring them to continue until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17 from 2013 and until their 18th birthday from 2015.  Young people currently in Year 11 and below are affected.  RPA does not mean young people must stay in school; they will able to choose one of the following options post-16:

• full-time education, such as school, college or home education
• an apprenticeship
• part-time education or training if they are employed, self-employed or volunteering full-time (which is defined as 20 hours or more a week).

Guides for young people and their parents have been published by the Government as well as an RPA "myth-buster" which can be found here.

What's a degree worth?

Research by the London School of Economics shows that students who gained a first-class degree earned £1,000 a year (3%) more than classmates who secured a 2:1. Yet while men with first-class degrees gained an income premium, women with firsts gained no extra income, the research suggested. Also, students who gained a 2:1 earned 7% more than those with a 2:2.  This premium was worth an extra £81,000 in wages over a graduate's working life, the study said.

Andy Feng and Georg Graetz analysed exam marks of 2,649 LSE undergraduates between 2005 and 2010 for their paper A Question of Degree: the effects of degree class on labour market outcomes. They state: ‘Our study is probably the best evidence available that exam results matter, but there's a lot more work to be done in understanding what drives the gender split and figuring out if the differences in pay-offs by degree result eventually go away.’

Against that rosy picture for the highly qualified, human resources magazine People Management last month stated that more than half of current graduates (52%) are either unemployed or in non-graduate jobs. A report commissioned by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) found that this is set to increase to 55% for the class of 2011, who will graduate this summer. The unemployment rate for new graduates is 20%, double the UK average of 7.8%, while 42% of graduates are in a role that does not require a degree, up from 32% in 2006.  [ Source: SSAT Policy Radar ]

Entrepreneurship on the increase?

Thirty percent of young people believe they will be self-employed in the future, according to a study by the Prince's Trust and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Indeed, 25% expect to be their own boss within the next five years.

Tellingly, a similar proportion of unemployed young people would rather try to set up their own business than continue to job-seek in today’s competitive market, the survey of 1600 16-30 year olds found. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of self-employed young people has already risen by 71,000 since the start of the economic crisis, although the actual proportion of self-employed 16-34 year olds is just over 5%.

‘This research reveals an increasingly entrepreneurial mood among young people,’ said Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust. The survey also found that a third of the young people would be more likely to consider self-employment if they had a mentor.  [ source: SSAT Policy Radar ]

Is University too expensive?

A recent report from the Sutton Trust shows that two thirds of a poll of over 2500 11-16 year olds were concerned about the costs of going to university. Nearly one in five gave cost as the most important consideration when deciding whether or not to go to university (although 67% said the main factor was exam grades).  For the full report, click here.

Discover 'plotr'

The plotr web-based platform has been developed by the Government, industry and social enterprises.  It provides tailored information and advice for 11 to 24 year-olds based on their interests, needs, age and location.  Major employers, including Barclays, Waitrose and McDonalds have sponsored this initiative and the website includes a wide range of video and interactive resources, linked with current social media.

Celebrating VQ Day

Today marks National Vocational Qualification Day.  A VQ means a recognised qualification at any level relating to a particular line of work or specific job role. These qualifications have an emphasis on the assessment of practical skills and knowledge.  Examples include BTECs, City & Guilds, NVQ/SVQ, OCR Nationals, Apprenticeships, HNC/HNDs, degrees with a largely vocational content and professional qualifications awarded through a recognised professional body. They cover subjects that range from agriculture to accountancy, business to beauty therapy, care work to construction and many more. Rather than just being based on theory, VQs are focused on helping you learn skills that will give you a head start in your career. They can give you a foot in the door to the industry you want to work in, or prepare you for further vocational study or university.  For examples of how VQ qualifications have helped young people enter the world of work, click here.  For a video about VQs from the Skills Minister, click here.