Careers for Mathematicians

The Institute of Maths has created an on-line quiz with the aim of explaining the types of careers you can enter using Maths qualifications. You can access it from this link. The quiz comes with the warning from the IMA: IMPORTANT NOTE! This quiz has been designed to give you a flavour of the types of careers that maths can lead to – in a fun and interactive way! It has been designed to pave the way for further thought and discussion. There are hundreds of mathematical careers to choose from – too many to be contained in this small quiz! That’s the beauty of maths – endless opportunities! For further ideas, check out the rest of the website. This quiz is not the end of your careers advice; but just the beginning! Good luck!

Working for MI5

If you've even wondered what it would actually be like to work for MI5, here's an article from The Guardian newspaper which might answer some of your questions. Read it here.

Rise in 'zero-hours' contracts

The number of people on 'zero-hours' contracts increased to 697,000 in the final quarter of last year, according to the Office of National Statistics. This represents 2.3% of all people in employment, an increase from 1.9% for the same period in 2013. More than half of the employers in accommodation and food services use zero-hours contracts.

Opportunities in the film industry

In 2012, UK films earned a worldwide gross of $5.3bn, which amounted to 15% of global box office. Inward investment in UK film has grown 40% from 2013 to 2014, with £1.4bn spent on UK film in 2014 85% (£1.2bn from inward investment). The highest-grossing UK film of 2012, Skyfall, earned over $1.1bn worldwide.

Employment has grown by 10% over the last six years to over 30,000 people. The average salary is £19,530 and 34% of staff are freelancers. The industry combines creative skills with many jobs in technical and managerial roles. See the Creative Skillset website and Film Job Roles for more details. Overall, 18% of production companies report hard to fill vacancies and 33% of companies report skills shortages in areas including Creative Development, Business Management and Audio, Sound & Music..  

Help for Job-seekers

The Government has launched a new resource on Tumblr for job-seekers called The Daily Job-Seeker. It combines videos and articles offering guidance on applications, CV writing and interview technique. There are contributions from a range of top business and employers so you know the advice provided is accurate and relevant.

Happiest students at Bath Uni

Students at the University of Bath are the happiest in Britain, according to a new survey. A Times Higher Education (THE) student survey showed while some universities had better their performance last year, overall across the UK student satisfaction - or "happiness" - had fallen. The THE survey asked students to assess campus facilities, industry connection and cheap amenities, as well as the more traditional benchmarks, such as assessed learning and teaching standards. Last year’s winner, Sheffield, dropped to third place, while Loughborough University came in second place, appearing to cement the dominance of campus-based universities in the leading positions.  [ source: The Independent ]

Apprenticeships Q & A

If you are still undecided about Apprenticeships, here are three useful sources of impartial advice and guidance from the Guardian newspaper:  

• 'Five myths about Apprenticeships'
• What do employers look for in Apprentices?
• An Apprenticeship quiz.

Did you know...?

• There is a significant skills shortage in the film animation sector with 30% of employers reporting skills gaps in their workforce.
• 41% of Oxford students come from private schools, followed by Bristol 41%, St Andrews 40% and Cambridge 37%.
• The pole dancing society at Warwick University has won its second successive title at the national university pole dancing championship.
• A report from the Sutton Trust has said that an Oxbridge education bumps up a starting salary by £7,600.
• 75% of Sports Direct staff are on zero hours contracts.
• The wages for premier league footballers rose by 6% last year, however, only one premier league club, Chelsea, guarantee to pay all their staff the living wage.

Tackling student debt

A study, the Student Sex Work Project, has said that about 1 in 20 university students are working in the sex industry, with a lack of money the biggest motivating factor. More male than female students are making money through sex-related occupations, with both genders primarily involved with “indirect” sex work. The five main activities for men were being a naked butler, stripping, selling sexual services on the internet, erotic dancing and performing in porn films. For women, the most common occupations were selling sex online, glamour modelling, erotic dancing, stripping and selling sex on phone chat lines. Some students also worked as drivers and escort managers. The study took three years and involved 6,750 students, with 4.8% of respondents saying they had worked in the sex industry. More than half just wanted to cover basic living expenses, and nearly two thirds were motivated by earning money to fund their lifestyle. However, 44% said they were motivated by sexual pleasure. Most students worked only a few hours a week, earning an average of £300, but some earned as much as £1,000.

Engineering is the path to wealth?

A study of the Forbes’ list of the world’s richest 100 people has found that 22% studied Engineering at university, the next biggest category was Business at 12%. However, almost a third of the wealthiest people do not have a degree. Bill Gates, the richest person, dropped out of Harvard, as did Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. There are 2,325 billionaires, with a combined net worth of $7.29 trillion, which is almost a tenth of global GDP and is higher than the combined market capitalisation of all the companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Of course, the Forbes' list doesn't take into account quality of life and job satisfaction ...   [ source GTAssociates ]

Do you still need convincing about Apprenticeships?

Parents still view Apprenticeships as less important for their offspring than attending university, according to new research from Demos. The study, produced for ACCA, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, has shown that although parents are becoming more supportive on the question of Apprenticeships, the perception is still very much that it’s the less academic route and therefore lesser in general.

A recent BBC article also supports the widely held view that too few young people are taking the Apprenticeship route. This is in spite of increased national funding and apparent universal support for Apprenticeships from all political parties and across the spectrum of national newspapers. Take your pick from these two examples:

Debt free at 23 and on a £30k salary in the Daily Telegraph.

Apprenticeships vs. university from the Guardian.

Finding your Apprenticeship

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has launched two new websites which aim to be "one stop shops" for young people interested in an Apprenticeship or a Traineeship:

They are: Find an Apprenticeship and Find a Traineeship. The sites explain what the courses are and guide you through the application process.

As well as these national sites, you can also visit the Hertfordshire Youth Connexions site for Apprenticeships here which collects together a range of guidance information as well as posting current Apprenticeship opportunities available locally.

Boost your CV with "soft skills"

A recent article in the Guardian newspaper argues the importance of so-called "soft skills" in making your CV stand out from the rest. 

'In an increasingly competitive job market, where there are often dozens of applicants for every vacancy, companies are looking for stand-out candidates. First impressions count, so a CV or application form is sometimes the only chance a job-seeker will have to grab an employer's interest and bag themselves an interview.

So, how do you make sure your CV excites a boss and doesn't get lost in the keep-on-file pile?'

Read the full article here.