Are exam grades 'worthless' ...?!

Lazlo Bock (Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google) says “Grade Point Averages are worthless as a criteria for hiring and test scores are worthless. ... We found that they don’t predict anything.”  What is he looking for?  Read the full article here.

Thinking of a Gap Year...?

Outreach International is a successful gap year organisation and has been responsible for sending young people overseas since 1998. They aim to match the needs of local communities with the skills and interests of their volunteers. Their projects are ideal for volunteers wishing to help small, grass root initiatives and immerse themselves in an interesting foreign culture. Opportunities include:

· Orphanages and street children

· Medical

· Teaching English

· Disabled children

· Sports coaching

· Animal rescue and conservation

The projects are directly related to gaining work experience which can help with future careers and CV enhancement.

Click here for videos of Gap Year activities.

 

Increase in university applications

Demand for university places has bounced back, with 35% of 18-year-olds in England applying for a university place this year (up 4% on last year), while in London this rose to 44%.  The total is just 3,500 lower than the all-time high reached in 2011, when young people scrambled to start a degree course before higher fees took effect.  Girls continue to seek university places in much higher numbers than boys: 333,700 to 246,300.  There were big increases in applications for engineering (11%), computer sciences (13%) and biological sciences (8%)  However, demand for European languages fell by 5%, and for non-European languages by 6%.  Architecture also slipped slightly by 2%; surprisingly Law also dropped, but only by 1%.  [ source:  GTassociates ]

Who earns what...?

The UK Office of National Statistics has published figures for the average earnings last year in a range of careers. Here are some examples:  Chartered Accountant, £41,500; Civil Engineer, £39,000; Nurse, £31,900; Solicitor, £48,200; Vet, £38,800; Electrician, £30,400 and Plumber, £28,400.  Just don't forget to factor in work-life balance and job satisfaction!