Degree or Apprenticeship...?

Do graduates always earn more than non-graduates?  Figures obtained by Labour MP Frank Field show that, between April and June last year, 27% of graduate employees were paid a gross hourly wage that was lower than the average £11.10 earned by non-graduates with an Apprenticeship. [ However, Office for National Statistics figures do show the average gross pay for graduates in the period was £15.18 an hour, and they were also slightly more likely to be in work. ]  Of the 12 million graduates, 10.5 million (87%) were in employment, compared with 2 million (83%) of the 2.5 million non-graduates in Apprenticeships. ‘Successive generations of young people have been shoe-horned into universities on the promise of improving their lifetime earnings', Field stated. ‘But, as well as being saddled with eye-watering levels of debt, more than a quarter of them now work in part-time roles earning lower wages than workers with an Apprenticeship under their belt…  We need to encourage more young people to think hard about the best ways of achieving their goals in life.’

[ source:  SSAT Policy & Curriculum Radar ]

Year 9 Options Evening

The PowerPoint for last night's Parent Information Evening is available here.  Further details and resources, including the Options Booklet, are available on the school website.  Remember that you can get additional Impartial Advice and Guidance from Jackie Duffy, our Youth Connexions Personal Adviser and from the 'quick links' on the left of this page.

Advice on uni courses, training & Apprenticeships

Getting-in.com is a useful addition to the many free websites out there, providing Impartial Advice and Guidance for your future.  You can search for Higher Education courses by type and location and it also has extensive revision notes for most GCSE and 'A' level subjects as well as a selection of past papers.  The site provides information about 'distance learning' and studying on-line; personal statements and even post-graduate opportunities.  It really is a "one-stop-shop" for advice ...

Morrisby Profiling

Last year the Vocare company ran the Morrisby Profile test in school for approximately 40 students in Years 10 to 12. They are offering to repeat the process this year. The Profile is a series of tests, lasting approximately three hours, which the Morrisby organisation uses to generate a profile of an individual’s interests, abilities and aptitudes relevant to the world of work. You can try some practice profile questions here.   

If there is sufficient interest, Vocare would run the tests in school on the morning of Tuesday 22nd April 2014, which is the INSET day before the start of Summer Term. If only a few Beaumont students wish to take the test, Vocare may offer them the opportunity to complete the profiling at another local school.  This letter and pamphlet from Vocare provide additional information about the Morrisby Profile.  

If you wish your child to undertake the profiling, please return the slip to me at school as an expression of interest.  No payment is required at this time.  The school has hosted Morrisby Profiling in previous years and students and their parents have valued the outcomes but please note that Vocare is a private company and not part of Beaumont School.  Several organisations offer free, on-line, basic skills profiling tests, some of which can be accessed through this blog.

If you want to be a Doctor or Lawyer ...

EPOC Careers Conferences organises events for students who want to become doctors or lawyers.   These events aim to help you maximise your chances of being accepted into the university and profession of your choice.  They can help you decide whether Medicine or Law is the career for you and make the very best UCAS application you can.   

At the conferences, you will:

• Understand what admissions tutors and interviewers are looking for
• Gain practical advice on getting into medical / law careers
• Find out about the realities of studying and specialising in the profession
• Speak to doctors / solicitors and barristers and university students about their experiences
• Discuss your academic options, alternative and related careers
• Experience a university environment

There are events best in London for Medicine on 8th February and 29th March and for Law on 15th March.  For more information, click here.

Easier to get into uni in 2013 ...?

Analysis of the 2013 UCAS figures shows that the pool of applicants fell from 700,000 to 677,000 but acceptances went up 7.3% in England.  Overall 9 out of 10 applicants received at least 1 offer, while a third received 5 offers.  However, the number of people entering institutions with traditional high tariff requirements with BBB or equivalent rose by 9%.  Students with predictions of BBB were 23% more likely to receive offers from all 5 choices than in the previous year.  UCAS said that the proportion of English 18 year olds enrolling with BBB or lower has increased by 70% over the last 2 years, to 17%.  [ source gtassociates.org ]

DfE announces Technical 'A' levels

The DfE has announced details on the first wave of 142 technical qualifications which are aimed to be a practical alternative to A-levels. Matthew Hancock, the Skills Minister, said: “We must be honest with our young people. For too long, too many students have been taking qualifications that do not help them get a job, into training, or to university.” Last year, the government stripped out 91% of the 3,721 vocational qualifications currently taught in England from future league tables. The new ‘Tech Levels’ will be included in league tables from 2016.

Exam boards must obtain endorsements from five companies, confirming that they provide the skills needed for particular trades, before qualifications can be registered under the Tech Level banner. Amongst companies backing the new qualifications are, Vauxhall, Npower, Volvo, Procter and Gamble, Kawasaki, Honda and Cisco. Whilst Arsenal is endorsing a diploma in sport and the Royal Ballet School is backing a qualification in performing arts. Courses must be able to lead directly to a job, Apprenticeship or further study and be equal in size to an A-level. The government has also unveiled 87 generic vocational qualifications, which provide broader study as “Applied General Qualifications”. The qualifications need the explicit backing of three universities and will be equal to half an A-level.

[ source: gtassociates.org ]

Free on-line magazine for Sixth Form students

Loud is a free, on-line magazine which is available five times per year for all Sixth formers and college students.  It contains useful information about university course opportunities, fees and finance, applying for uni and other options students might consider such as Apprenticeships.  Click here for more information and the latest edition.  There are videos on topics such as Apprenticeships and student finance too.