Oxbridge and Cambridge admissions to be investigated

OFT inquiry could cause university admission chaos

Oxford asks most applicants to sit aptitude tests related to their chosen degree subject

Times photographer, David Bebber

• 
  1 of 1

  Oxford asks most applicants to sit aptitude tests related to their chosen degree subject Times photographer, David Bebber

Greg Hurst Education Editor

Published at 12:01AM, November 14 2013

Oxford and Cambridge universities fear that admissions arrangements will “grind to a halt” if the competition watchdog orders changes.
The universities believe that they could be forced to abandon their interviews of applicants and detailed scrutiny of candidates’ exam marks and backgrounds. It follows a preliminary inquiry into university admissions announced last month by the Office of Fair Trading.
The Times has been told that civil servants have been informed by officials that the OFT wants to examine a rule that candidates cannot apply to Oxford and Cambridge to see whether it is anti-competitive. They also want to look at the system of applying for degree courses via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), which restricts applicants to five choices.
The rule that candidates can apply to Oxford or Cambridge but not both, known as the “rule of combination”, was introduced by Ucas in the late 1980s to limit the volume of applications to manageable levels.
A senior administrator at Cambridge said it would be unable to cope if the number of applications doubled and said the same principle applied to medical schools. Candidates applying to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science are restricted to four choices of medical or dental schools and, as with Oxbridge applications, must apply earlier.
Jon Beard, director of undergraduate recruitment at Cambridge, told a conference yesterday: “We receive 15,000 applications a year, Oxford receives 17,500. In term of interviewing that number of students the process would grind to a halt.
“If our rate of application doubled, it would be very hard to look at the range of data that we currently apply to each application.”
The University of Oxford would not comment but is understood to be preparing a detailed submission to the OFT raising identical concerns.
Cambridge invites around 80 per cent of applicants for one-to-one interviews with academics, whose off-the-wall questions are the stuff of student legend. It also looks at raw marks achieved by candidates in AS levels, the academic performance of their school and a range of other data.
Oxford goes further by asking most applicants to sit aptitude tests related to their chosen degree subject.
Some experts in competition law have suggested that the agreement with Oxford and Cambridge may amount to uncompetitive practice and that university admissions may come under competition law as higher fees could be seen as the sale of services.
However, arrangements deemed to have anti-competitive elements may be justified if they are shown to benefit consumers.
Mr Beard told the conference: “There are similar rules in place for medicine for very, very similar reasons and all students are restricted to five choices. So this rule of combination, although the focus is always on Oxford and Cambridge, actually there are a number of other restrictions in place on students applying to higher education, so if that rule is one that is deemed to be unsuitable it raises issues in relation to the whole process.”
The OFT has invited submissions of evidence by the end of the year and, once it has analysed these, will decide whether to launch a formal investigation

Oxford disputes claim that Harvard is cheaper

 

 

• 
  1 of 1

  The poorest Oxford students would pay £3,500 towards their fees and living costs Image Source

Greg Hurst Education Editor

Last updated at 12:01AM, November 13 2013

Oxford university has clashed with a leading education charity over research claiming that its degrees are much more expensive for poor students than studying at Harvard.
It accused the Sutton Trust of using data based on small samples out of context and said it risked confusing parents and students.
The dispute broke out after the trust published a study comparing the costs of studying at elite universities in Britain with similar colleges in the United States.
The Sutton Trust has criticised the higher fees levied by English universities and last year began running summer schools at Ivy League universities for poor bright British teenagers to encourage them to consider studying in the US instead.
Ahead of a two day summit on access to leading universities, which starts in London today, it published research analysing the costs to poor students of studying at elite universities in Britain, the US and Australia.
While Harvard has much higher tuition fees, of £24,200 a year plus living costs of £13,133, the actual costs were much lower for students from poor and middle-income families due to generous means tested grants, the report said.
This mean that the very poorest students would pay only £865 a year, students from lower income families would pay just £2,019 a year. Even students whose parents were higher tax rate payers, earning up to £41,000, would pay only £3,155 while those whose family income was up to £65,000 would pay £8,243, it said.
In contrast, the study said the poorest Oxford students would pay £3,500 towards their fees and living costs, undergraduates from lower income families would pay £11,300 and those from wealthier families £16,000 a year, it said.
The research, led by a respected academic Dr John Jerrim of the Institute of Education at the University of London, prompted an unusually robust counter-attack from Oxford.
“Unfortunately in this material the Sutton Trust is in danger of confusing students and parents by reaching some large conclusions on small samples without the relevant context,” a statement by the University of Oxford said.
The lower costs cited for Harvard were from a work-study programme, it said.
“It fails to acknowledge that students can also work here during their vacations, or to make any distinction between a US system where fees have to be paid up-front, and the loan-based system here that requires no tuition fees in advance and repayment is only according to income after graduation. Simply, like is not being compared with like,” an Oxford spokesman said.
Directors of admissions from both Oxford and Harvard are due to attend today’s conference, which should make it a lively event. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary who is responsible for universities, will make an opening speech.
The London School of Economics, for which costs of studying were cited in the report, also said the comparison with Harvard did not take into account how England’s student loan repayments work.
The Sutton Trust rejected the criticisms saying that, by finding term-time work for poor students, top US universities such as Harvard helped them minimise or avoid student debt.
Its report found a similar pattern in Britain, the US and Australia with teenagers from middle class families around three times as likely to attend a leading university as those with working class parents.
While most of the difference was due to children of professionals achieving higher exam grades, a significant amount or so-called “access gap” was due to other factors that discouraged poor teenagers with good grades from applying to highly selective universities.
In Britain 27 per cent of the “access gap” between poor and better off students was not related to exam grades. But figures were much worse for elite private US universities, with middle class teenagers six times more likely to attend that working clas students and an access gap of 52 per cent.

Apprenticeships- are they the way forward?

Top head Hilary French urges schoolgirls to jet into a job

 

Amina Tagari turned down an offer from Manchester University for a BAE Systems apprenticeship

PARENTS and teachers of privately educated pupils should stop being “sniffy” about the world of work and realise that in the future going straight into a job will be a better career option for high-flying children than university, a leading headmistress will warn next week.
At the annual conference of the Girls’ Schools Association, which represents 180 private schools, president Hilary French will predict “a shift of focus away from university as the automatic first choice next step for sixthformers and a turn instead to employment”.
“I’d like to challenge independent school heads to embrace this,” she will say. “Parents too. There is huge potential in employer training courses and the new calibre of apprenticeships emerging. We must not be sniffy about them.
“Yes, at the moment we may associate apprenticeships with lower level vocational training, but this need not and should not be the case.”
French, headmistress of Central Newcastle High School, where old girls include Miriam Stoppard, has started inviting employers to her school to publicise their job opportunities for 18-year-olds.
Her comments follow similar remarks by Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, who called on Friday for an increase in work-based training to match the numbers going to university.
“University is not always the best route to a fulfilling job or maximising your job prospects,” said Lenon, former head of Harrow School.
Such remarks add to the evidence that teenagers, faced with £27,000 tuition fees for a three-year degree, may be better off with the kind of employer-sponsored schemes that are coming back into fashion.
Amina Tagari, 18, from Preston, is certain she made the right decision. The teenager, who scored AAB at A level at Cardinal Newman College in Preston, turned down Manchester University to become a a management apprentice working on aircraft projects with BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire. Salaries start at more than £20,000. More than 20 people apply for each place.
“Most of my friends went to university — they sit in classes taking notes whereas I feel I am getting experience as well as learning. I will be more employable as a result,” she said.
The number of high-level apprenticeships is small but growing: up from 1,500 in 2009 to an estimated 5,300 this year. Firms offering such openings include Accenture, GlaxoSmithKline and National Grid. They made up 2% of the half a million apprenticeships last year.
Employers still have a job to convince parents of the merits of apprenticeships. Bob Paton, of Accenture, which is taking on more apprentices at the expense of graduates, said: “We are looking to invite parents to apprenticeship open days because they remain a big influence on youngsters.”
Nikki Cusworth, 23, from Glasgow, turned down offers to study for a degree in product design at the universities of Dundee and Strathclyde to become an advanced apprentice at Rolls-Royce. She has since progressed to its leadership development scheme.
“At the interview, the practical experience I would gain blew me away. I decided I was willing to do a HND through the scheme rather than an honours degree because the skills would be such an asset in my career,” she says. She is now working towards an MSc in engineering business management at Warwick University through the programme.
The government hopes to encourage people to follow Cusworth’s lead. “Apprenticeships are a crucial part of addressing Britain’s skills gap — concentrating only on academic training to the exclusion of technical training was a big mistake,” said Matthew Hancock, the skills minister.

Students off to Cheap US

Students off to cheap US

Sian Griffiths, Education Editor Published: 10 November 2013

 

Lucinda Denney picked Yale instead of Cambridge (Paul Cooper)

BRITAIN’S brightest students are being lured to America in greater numbers than before as degrees at top US universities become more affordable than those offered in the UK, according to new research.
The so-called brain drain will be illustrated this week by figures from the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational exchanges between America and Britain, showing that the record number of UK undergraduates who went to US universities in 2011-12 — 4,330 — was exceeded in 2012-13.
Although many of those crossing the Atlantic to study are from fee-paying schools, a significant number — including almost a dozen who rejected Oxbridge places for scholarships at Harvard and Yale — are from state schools.
This year 150 students attended summer schools at Yale and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with more than half now intending to apply for degrees at Ivy League institutions. In an effort to attract applications from the UK, Harvard will host 50 British sixth-formers at its first summer school next year.
Research by John Jerrim, a lecturer in economics and social statistics at the Institute of Education in London, will this week show that some Ivy League universities are now more affordable than those in Britain.
According to Jerrim’s calculations, a student with a full bursary at Oxford from a family with an annual household income of £27,500 would be left with a bill for fees and living costs of £11,300 a year.
By contrast, he says, a British student with a full scholarship to Harvard would need to find only £2,000 a year to cover fees and living expenses.
For a student from a family with an annual income of £65,000 Harvard’s fee would be £8,243 a year — less than half of the £16,600 at Oxford.
Jerrim’s paper will be presented at a conference attended by Vince Cable, the business secretary, David Willetts, the higher education minister, and admissions officers from top British and US universities.
They will use the event to discuss if universities such as Oxford and Cambridge should follow the model of some US institutions by arranging part-time jobs for undergraduates to help them to deal with the cost of higher education.
Nick Bonstow began an interdisciplinary social studies degree at Harvard in September. One of triplets, the 18-year-old, who secured three A*s and one A grade at A-level from his grammar school in Torbay, Devon, said he expected to be financially better off than his siblings when he graduates.
“At Harvard, the university offered me a selection of jobs to help pay my way. I work in the finance office and earn £144 a week for 12 hours. I think British universities should bring this kind of system in.”
Lucinda Denney, from Blackpool, who has five As at A level, turned down Cambridge to go to Yale when it said it would cover almost her entire annual costs of $65,000 (£41,000).
Lauren Welch, director of advising and marketing at the Fulbright Commission, said: “The cost of completing an undergraduate degree in America has traditionally been higher than studying in the UK, but this gap has closed with the increase of tuition and fees at UK universities.
“In fact, over 900 US universities offer funding to international students. While full funding opportunities are competitive, a significant amount of funding is up for grabs.”
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust think tank, said: “The broader study and generous aid packages at leading US universities makes them a hugely attractive option for British students.”

A job may be better than going to university - says the former headmaster of Harrow

‘A job may be better than going to university’

Barnaby Lenon called for a big increase in vocational and work-based training

Times photographer, Tom Pilston

 

• 
  1 of 1

  Barnaby Lenon called for a big increase in vocational and work-based training Times photographer, Tom Pilston

Greg Hurst Education Editor

Last updated at 12:01AM, November 9 2013

Some students would be better off getting a job than going to university, the former head master of Harrow has said.
Barnaby Lenon called for a big increase in vocational and work-based training to match the expansion in numbers going to university.
“There are more than 200,000 undergraduates studying communications, marketing, art and design and business, and it is hard to believe that some of those — not all of those — would not actually have been better prepared for the job market doing vocational on-the-job training,” he said.
“University is not always the best route to a fulfilling job or maximising your job prospects. I come out of the independent sector and I would say the same thing to any student from any school or any walk of life: don’t go blindly down any one alley, but think carefully about the merits and limitations of each route to success.”
Mr Lenon, who is chairman of the Independent Schools Council, said: “The expansion of university education has been an incredibly good thing. I hope that it continues.
“Equally, I hope that the opportunity for good vocational education and apprenticeships grows as rapidly as university education grew in the 2000s, because for some people a more vocational course allied to work experience is a better preparation for the career they want to do than a university degree only remotely linked to their main interest in life.”
He was speaking after taking part in a student debate at the Oxford Union in which he opposed a motion that a university education was a right rather than a privilege. He said: “Taking it in the usual way people interpret rights and privilege, of course going to university is not a right and of course going to a university like Oxford is a privilege, and all the students knew it, and that’s why we won the debate.”
Mr Lenon’s comments came as it emerged that universities had built up record cash piles since their fees trebled to £9,000 a year. They accumulated cash surpluses of almost 6 per cent, about twice the norm, after the Government’s decision to raise the cap on undergraduate fees.
The figure was revealed by Steve Egan, acting chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, who said that building up large war chests enabled universities to benefit from cheap access to borrowing as banks were willing to lend them money at historically low interest rates.
The admission comes at a sensitive time as leading vice-chancellors have begun to lobby for the right to charge even higher fees.
The higher-education sector is also bracing itself for budget cuts after the general election and had to fend off claims from the Treasury during this year’s spending round that universities were “awash with cash”.
Mr Egan, who was addressing the funding council’s annual meeting in London yesterday, said that universities had faced claims that some might go bust as the Government ushered in market-style reforms to their funding and admissions. He displayed a series of slides that showed that universities had actually built up bigger cash piles than at any point in their history.
“We should be pleased that the sector has produced strong financial results when there was a concern that that would not happen,” Mr Egan said. “Most parts of the economy have accumulated cash — it is a sensible thing to do, it is how you manage risk, and with the increases in volatility of income, it is entirely to be expected.”
Vice-chancellors are urging the Government to raise the cap on fees again after the election. Professor Andrew Hamilton, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, called last month for the ability to charge fees closer to the £16,000-a-year cost of teaching an undergraduate at Oxford.

How to make your UCAS Application stand out - Advice for IB students.

IB uni application basics

• As an IB student, you apply to university courses through UCAS like anyone else – the only difference is the qualifications you list. 
• You'll usually be expected to have taken a higher level in a subject related to the course you're applying for.
• Universities will often ask for specific results in your higher level subjects as well as giving you a total points target.
• While there isn’t a direct parallel between higher level standards / A-level, and standard level / AS-level, it’s safe to assume that if a university asks for a particular subject at A2 level in its entry requirements, they’re likely to require it at higher level as part of the IB.
   

IB and UCAS points 

Like other qualifications, the IB is worth a different number of UCAS points depending on your final result, starting at 260 UCAS points for an IB score of 24. However, universities almost always make offers in terms of IB points rather than UCAS points so the UCAS tariff isn’t always helpful when comparing offers.

As an approximate guide, you can expect 36-38 points to be required for a course that asks for AAA at A-level, an AAB course is likely to require 34 points, ABB will usually require about 32 points and so on. The most competitive courses are likely to ask for 38 or 39 points.

Will my application be treated differently? 

Your application will go through the same process whatever your qualifications, and admissions tutors will be familiar enough with the IB to judge your application fairly.

Course offers given to IB students may sometimes appear more challenging than offers made to A-level candidates, but that’s usually down to how the IB and A-levels are graded – the points scale allows competitive universities to more keenly differentiate between very able IB candidates.

IB results are released to students on 5 July, so if you’ve got the results you hoped for you’ll receive confirmation of your university place well in advance of A-level students. ‘Near miss’ applicants can face a tense wait until A-level results come out for a final decision to be made about their place - but if you need to go through Clearing, you’ve got the extra time to plan in advance and be first on the phone.

Making the most of the IB

So how can your IB qualifications help when it comes to making your university application?

1. The IB is good preparation for university-level study

'The things you do - the extended essay, CAS [the Creativity, Action, Service programme], studying a wide range of subjects and so on – give you distinguishing features to push in your personal statement, as well as better prepare you for university study. Simply being an English student studying the IB may be enough to make you stand out from the pile of applications with A-levels.’ Daniel Penman | Ib Student Now Studying History At University Of Cambridge

2. It gives you a broad study base

The structure of the IB means you study a broad range of subject options. It’s compulsory to take English, maths, a science, a language and an ‘individuals and societies’ subject (such as history, geography or economics), plus a sixth subject of your choice.
This should set you in good stead when it comes to making your university choices, especially if you’re not sure what course you want to take, as you’ll be keeping your options open (nearly always better than opting for a narrower combination of subjects).

The IB is also particularly well-suited to subjects like law because of its breadth and rigour.

3. You've got lots of experience to shout about

Stress the extra experience your IB course has given you and how different elements of the course have helped to shape your skills, both on your UCAS form and during a university entry interview.

Picking your subjects

The subjects you choose will make a big difference to your application - and in particular your combination of higher level subjects – as these will usually determine what you go on to study at degree level. You’ll need to make sure you fulfil the requirements of the degree course you want, but also play to your strengths to ensure you get a good result.

‘Find where the gaps are and fill them in by taking extra modules (or offering to take extra modules) where necessary, and don't make life harder than you have to by taking the hardest optional sections.’ Emily Hale | Ib Student Now Studying Civil Engineering At University Of Edinburgh

When it comes to degrees that require maths qualifications, for instance  - such as maths, some economics and many engineering courses - you're likely to need higher level maths as opposed to standard level or maths studies. If you've got an idea of what you want to study at university, check the entry requirements of specific courses to find out what's expected.

Is it easier to study abroad with the IB?

As the name suggests, the IB is recognised internationally, and you should be able to use it to apply to university outside the UK.

However, other qualifications, including A-levels, are also recognised by universities around the world, so the IB may not be an advantage in itself. More important for studying abroad are good results and being able to speak the language.


Busy making your university application? Don't miss our expert advice on personal statements, admissions interviews and entry tests.

Which? University provides guest spots to external contributors. Brightside is an education charity which creates, develops and manages online mentoring projects, and other online tools and resources for students, including the Bright Knowledge website.

Next:

• Find the course that's right for you - try our personalised course search (we feature 30,000+ undergrad courses listed on Ucas)
• Explore universities and colleges - find out what students are saying about accommodation, facilities and cost of living

Careers in Aerospace Live.

FOUR WEEKS TO GO! CAREERS IN AEROSPACE LIVE 2013 8 November 2013 10.30 - 15.30 Royal Aeronautical Society No.4 Hamilton Place London W1J 7BQ THIS YEAR’S CLUB CLASS SPONSOR:  AND MORE EXHIBITORS CONFIRMED We are delighted to announce that Rolls-Royce are the 2013 Club Class sponsors of Careers in Aerospace LIVE. Other exhibitors recently confirmed include Safran Group, LORD Corporation, Strongfield Aviation, Danube University Krems and the Aviation Skills Partnership.  With now even more exhibitors now than in 2012, and this will be our most exciting event yet! Visitors: Book your FREE visitor place now - CLICK HERE •    Meet employers and training organisations from across the aerospace and aviation industry for information on their recruitment opportunities. •    Take part in bite-sized CV workshops from the Royal Aeronautical Society and a programme of talks about the different aspects of the aerospace and aviation industries, from engineering and flying, to business and operations. •    Company seminars confirmed include Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Astrium, CTC Wings and the Talent Retention Solution. •    Gapan will be running FREE pilot aptitude tests throughout the day and there will be speedy careers 1-2-1s available for long-distance visitors. Entrance is FREE to visitors and the event is open to members and non-members alike.  It will appeal to  students, recent graduates, experienced professionals and those interested in apprenticeships. Visitor registration 2012 was our biggest event yet and although not compulsory, pre-booking is strongly advised for 2013. Visit our Events pages to pre-register. If you have any questions about visitor registration please contact: careers@aerosociety.com  or 020 7670 4326 or 07585 806492 Exhibitors WE HAVE NEARLY SOLD OUT! If you are interested in the last available packages, you can download the Exhibitor Packages brochure from the  Careers in Aerospace LIVE webpage. To make a booking please contact Ros Azouzi: E: rosalind.azouzi@aerosociety.com T: 020 7670 4325 M: 07824 512941 NEWSFLASH! Calling aviation employers – if you are currently recruiting, ensure you don’t miss out on this event! We have lots of air transport, aircraft maintenance and budding pilot visitors signed up who may be snapped up by the many aerospace employers already attending – and we only have a few spaces left! Links •    Careers in Aerospace LIVE webpage - click here •    Club Class sponsor link: http://www.rolls-royce.com/careers  Confirmed exhibitors for 2013 include: Club Class: ROLLS-ROYCE Business Class: CTC WINGS AIRBUS ASTRIUM Premium Economy: AEROPEOPLE (new for 2013!) AIRCRAFT RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (ARA) ATKINS AGUSTAWESTLAND AVIATION SKILLS PARTNERSHIP BOEING COBHAM CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DSTL DANUBE UNIVERSITY KREMS MBA PROGRAMME (new for 2013!) GAPAN GKN AEROSPACE LOCKHEED MARTIN LORD CORPORATION (new for 2013!) MARSHALL AEROSPACE & DEFENCE GROUP MBDA (new for 2013!) MINISTRY OF DEFENCE - DESG RAYTHEON UK ROYAL NAVY SAFRAN GROUP STOP-CHOC STRONGFIELD AVIATION (new for 2013!) TALENT RETENTION SOLUTION

Copyright © 2013 The Royal Aeronautical Society, All rights reserved. Your contact details were received and confirmed via the Royal Aeronautical Society's subscriber list. If you no longer wish to receive communications from the Royal Aeronautical Society, please follow the instructions to adjust your email preferences or unsubscribe. Our mailing address is: The Royal Aeronautical Society No.4 Hamilton Place London, England W1J 7BQ United Kingdom

University of Law - Scholarships available

Slug it out over costs

The Sunday Times and a unique university are launching a contest for would-be lawyers to win a dozen scholarships

Sian Griffiths Published: 6 October 2013

• Comment (1)
• Print

Isabella Sharpley, pictured with her dog, Doodle, chose to study law because she sees it as a ‘rock solid’ career (BNPS)

At school Isabella Sharpley dreamt of becoming a vet. On the day of her exam results, though, the Dorset schoolgirl had a change of heart. Instead of using her three science A-levels to enrol for a degree in veterinary studies, she decided to take a gap year and think about alternatives.
After working for several law firms during her gap year — “doing everything from helping draft contracts to an awful lot of photocopying” — the 19-year-old made a different choice. “I decided to try to become a lawyer. It seemed realistic and a rock solid career,” she explains.
Today Sharpley is in the second year of a two-year undergraduate degree course at the University of Law. She has also secured a training contract with Dechert, an international law firm, which will pay her fees for the postgraduate law course she needs to complete as the next step in becoming a solicitor. The final step to qualification will be a two-year on-the-job training period with Dechert.
Sharpley was offered a place to study for an undergraduate law degree at several leading universities, including Exeter, Cardiff and Nottingham. She chose the University of Law course — a relatively new degree — because she believes it offers her a better chance of a job in the profession and she plans to stay at the university to complete the postgraduate legal practice course (LPC).
“I like the degree here because it’s a very practical rather than an academic course: you get taught by practising lawyers and quite a few work for the top London firms,” says Sharpley.
It’s a point reiterated by Nigel Savage, the unversity’s chief executive, who says: “My version of a law school is like a medical school: you come here to train to be a lawyer from day one. It’s not like some other universities, which offer a traditional liberal education. In your very first week you do a moot [a mock court case] to give you confidence.”
Today The Sunday Times is teaming up with the University of Law to offer 12 scholarships for its undergraduate law degree courses starting in 2014. (For details of how to enter the competition, see below.) Eleven of the awards are worth £6,000 towards the first-year fee of £9,000, and the twelfth is for the same amount in the second year. They include a work placement with one of six leading law firms: Irwin Mitchell, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Ogier, White & Case and Clifford Chance. Each is funding one scholarship, with the university paying for the other six. In addition, up to 14 runners-up will win a work experience placement with a law firm.
“We want to find students who can think laterally, think creatively and find solutions to problems. That is the primary motive behind this scheme,” says Savage.
Laura Yeates, graduate recruitment manager at Clifford Chance, which is offering a scholarship and several work placements, says the company is keen to recruit from a wider pool of talent. “This is a non-traditional university and a new degree. A scholarship geared around getting people to demonstrate different types of thinking is very exciting to us,” she says.
In tough economic times, there’s always a rush to professions such as law and medicine as graduates jostle to find a secure, well-paid job. At £39,000, median graduate starting salaries in law are the second-highest across all industry sectors — second only to investment banking.
Savage is bullish about the future of graduates from his university, which has 7,000 students in eight UK centres. Nine out of ten of the full-time LPC students who graduated last year secured work in the legal profession, he says, up from 83% in 2011. “A third of the 2012/13 LPC students are set to earn a minimum of £61,500 upon qualification,” he says.
However, earlier this year Des Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society, warned that thousands of graduates who spent years trying to qualify as solicitors would never secure jobs in the legal profession and would instead end up saddled with thousands of pounds of debt. He said young people were not being warned about the shortage of legal jobs on offer.
“We think there is an oversupply of graduates and that inadequate information is being provided to parents and students,” he said. “Many young people do not understand the risks they face in trying to become a trainee solicitor. After doing a first degree, youngsters are spending £10,000 on postgraduate law courses.
“We estimate 2,000-3,000 people a year are emerging from those courses with no immediate prospect of a training contract with a law firm and becoming a solicitor.”
Beth Williams was a case in point. Despite applying to 10 law firms for a training contract, the 22-year-old said earlier this year that she had been rejected by all of them. Competition was so fierce that some firms were requesting applications even to attend open days.
“We had to fill in an online application for the open day of one Bristol law firm and it was like a job application. Three of us got turned down,” says Williams, who gained a 2:2 in history and architecture from Cardiff University before embarking on a one-year law conversion course.
Nevertheless, Savage insists: “The best students will always have a choice and the other sectors are working hard to sell their professions.” He believes that the University of Law, with its emphasis on learning how to be a lawyer from the very first day and its close links with law firms, has the recipe for success.
“We are trying to establish an alternative route into the legal profession and so far we are doing just fine,” he says.
Chris Kenny, chief executive of the Legal Services Board, the independent body that oversees the regulation of lawyers, says: “There may be a shortage of training contracts but there is no shortage of need. All the research shows that one third of the public and half of small businesses, when they have legal problems, don’t know how to address them and don’t use lawyers. There is a massive unmet demand.”
Win a £6,000 law scholarship and a top work placement

• Comment (1)
• Print

10 well paid jobs of the future

Futurologists predict the lucrative careers for 2030 that your children should be aiming for today.

Roles of the future could include body part makers and child designers. Photo: Alamy

Find out if anything is affecting your credit rating. Check your credit score with Experian here.

Advertisement

By Jessica Winch

9:34AM GMT 25 Feb 2013

98 Comments

Grandparents and parents are being advised to radically update the careers advice they give to children on the jobs that will earn the most money in future.

Experts warn that it would be wrong to assume that today’s money-spinning vocations – such as banking, law or stockbroking – will remain the best paid jobs of the future.

In 10 to 20 years’ time the chances are that our jobs – and the way we work – will be very different, if predictions by leading futurologists are any guide.

Job titles that do not exist now, such as a “vertical farmer” or a “body part maker”, could be mainstream professions, in much the same way that social media consultants have emerged in the past five years.

“All of these [ideas] spring from trends,” said James Bellini, a leading futurologist. “Britain’s population is ageing, and an older population will need different health care, for example.”

Related Articles

• Cash or card? Soon we'll be paying by handshake
  19 Mar 2013
• Best paid jobs in the UK
  14 Feb 2013
• Computer programmer 'outsourced his own job to China'
  16 Jan 2013
• Top 10 universities for getting a job
  19 Jul 2012
• 'Crumbling' confidence hits jobs
  14 Jan 2013
• Sponsored Ve Interactive: smart ideas for online shopping

Mr Bellini posited the idea of an elderly well-being consultant, who specialises in personalised care for older patients, or a memory augmentation surgeon who helps counter memory loss.
He also saw big changes in farming as food resources became scarce, with genetically modified crops becoming common and crops grown vertically in areas resembling multi-storey car parks to save space.
Ian Pearson, a futurologist who wrote You Tomorrow, sees job growth in the field of augmented reality, where the real world is overlaid with computer-generated images.
“When you look at a building it’s constrained by planning laws, but in cyberspace you can make it look however you want,” he said.
“A company with a high street presence could make their shop look like Downton Abbey, or set it in a post-nuclear apocalypse environment.”
Mr Pearson also argued that the better technology gets, the more people will have to focus on their “human skills” to survive in the workforce.
“As computers get more intelligent, the work that will take over will require human skills like leadership, motivation and compassion,” he said.
Karen Moloney, a futurologist and business psychologist, agreed. “The world will divide into those who understand technology and those who don’t,” she said.
“Those who can program will create the world we live in, so I would say get yourself into that field. If you can’t, find yourself something to do that is hyper-human, which computers can’t do, such as entertainment, sport, caring and personal services industries.”
Ms Moloney suggested job titles such as a haptic programmer, who uses the science of touch to develop products and services, and, more controversially, a child programmer. “If we continue to avail ourselves of what science makes possible, in 30 years’ time you could sit down and in theory design the child you want,” she said. “It is biologically feasible, if ethically abhorrent.
“We spot weak signals on the horizon that may or may not grow into something. You’ve got to have a bit of imagination to create a future for yourself.”
Whatever professions may emerge in future, economists, recruitment specialists and futurologists agree that the way we work will change considerably.
James Callander, managing director of recruiter FreshMinds, said the current trend of moving jobs more frequently would only gather pace.
“If you wind back 20 years, people had a job for life,” he said. “Nowadays, most graduates leave their first job within three years. People are moving more, and that will accelerate in future.”
Even the notion of a job might sound fixed in future, according to Mark Beatson, chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.
“You’ll still see people working for one company their whole life, but others will move around more often,” he said. “People will move between assignments and it will be about how these blend together in a sequence of roles.”
Mr Beatson said people with good levels of education were still likely “to be best placed in the workplace”.
However, education should be more about how you learn, rather than for knowledge itself.
“If your child’s career is derailed for whatever reason and people do need to re-skill themselves, it will be easier if you have a good education and are in the habit of learning,” he said.
• Digital architect Designs a selection of virtual buildings for advertisers and retailers to market their products
• Home carer Helps care for elderly people in their own homes
• Elderly well-being consultant Specialises in holistic and personalised care for the elderly
• Body part maker Creates living body parts for athletes and soldiers
• Nano-medic Creates very small implants for health monitoring and self-medication
• Vertical farmer Farms crops upwards rather than across flat fields to save space
• Waste data handler Disposes of your data waste in a responsible way
• Climate controller Manages and modifies weather patterns
• Avatar manager Designs and manages holograms of virtual people
• Memory augmentation surgeon Helps preserve and improve memory in an ageing population
• Time broker Handles time banked by customers in lieu of money for goods or services
• Personal branding manager Develops and manages your personal brand
• Child designer Designs offspring that fit parental requirements
• Omnipotence delimiter Reins in our belief that anything is possible and we are all-powerful
• Personal medical apothecary Provides a bespoke range alternative therapies.
• Haptic programmer Develops technology around the science of touch, such as gloves that make your hand feel warm, or wrapped in velvet.
Best paid jobs of today
Source: Office for National Statistics

Job title	Salary	2011-2012 change
1. Chief executives and senior officials	£120,830	-3.8%
2 Brokers	£98,924	-15.2%
3. Marketing and sales director	£82,866	-3.2%
4. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	£77,906	12%
5. Financial managers and directors	£74,709	-10.2%
6. Production managers and directors in mining and energy	£72,587	27.3%
7. Legal professionals	£70,731	-0.2%
8. Information technology and telecommunications directors	£70,393	6.4%
9. Financial institution managers and directors	£69,890	3.3%
10. Functional managers and directors	£69,879	-5.6%

Business Leaders opt for 'facilitating' subjects when choosing their degree

Ucas researchers find a degree of diversity at the top of business

Angela Arhendts was one one of the few who chose a degree linked closely to her business career

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

 

• 
  1 of 1

  Angela Arhendts was one one of the few who chose a degree linked closely to her business career Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Greg Hurst Education Editor

Published at 12:01AM, September 12 2013

Their ranks include a psychologist, a geographer, several linguists and a surprising number of geologists. There is even a veterinary medic.
An analysis of the university degrees studied by the leaders of Britain’s biggest companies shows that a large number opted for a broad “facilitating” subject not linked directly to the sector in which they built their career.
Economics was the most popular undergraduate degree, which was taken by 28 chief executives and chairmen of companies in the FTSE100 index.
Close behind came engineering, studied by 26 company chiefs, followed by more vocationally focused degrees: 21 studied business, 18 took a degree in accountancy or finance while 13 studied law.
However, broader “facilitating” degree subjects were well represented too: 11 took degrees in maths, seven in physics, and seven in politics, philosophy and economics, all of them at Oxford.
Several, however, took less conventional routes. Paul Pindar, chief executive of Capita, studied psychology at Swansea University, while Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, the pharmaceuticals group, studied veterinary medicine in Paris.
The analysis was conducted by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) to demonstrate the diversity of routes through higher education taken by business leaders.
It found that 73 chairmen and chief executives of big British companies chose an degree linked closely to their business career, which exactly matched the number who opted for broader subject choices.
For example Angela Arhendts, chief executive of Burberry, took a tightly focused degree in merchandising and marketing at Ball State University in her native Indiana, while five leaders of mining, oil and gas or utility companies studied degrees in geology.
However, 25 business leaders took degrees with no link to their sector, including four who studied languages, two who opted for architecture, two who took history, and two who studied English or Classics. Only four did not go to university, including Sir Roy Gardner, chairman of Compass Group, who began as an apprentice at British Aircraft Corporation, and Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, who started as a cadet pilot with Aer Lingus.
Cambridge was the best represented university, with 20 graduates among the heads of FTSE 100 companies, followed by Oxford with 16, Manchester with five and Edinburgh with four.
Mary Curnock Cook, Ucas chief executive, who has urged pupils to follow their hearts when chosing a degree, said: “This study shows that a number of our business leaders chose degrees that did not link to a specific career,” she said.
“Students should be encouraged that opting for a subject they really care about is no barrier to success.”

0 comments

Medical Work Experience at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow. Applications now open.

Work Experience 

Princess Alexandra Hospital has always had a reputation for being at the forefront when it comes to giving young people a helping hand on the road to a career in the NHS.
The Trust is committed to offering work experience placements to young people and this academic year there have been over 100 placements in wards and departments throughout the hospital. None of this would be possible of course without the dedication and commitment of staff working in these areas and a very big thank you goes out to all departments and staff who have helped and continue to contribute to the success of the programme.

The Trust offers two main types of work experience. The first is the General Work Experience programme offering placements of up to 1 week in the following areas:

• Ward Assistant (1 week only placement)
• Eye Unit (1 week only placement)
• CSSD
• Radiology (over 18 only and 1 day only placement)
• Theatres (over 18 only and 1 day only placement)
• Mortuary (over 18 only and 1 day only placement)

These placements are intended for students who are considering the possibility of a future career in a specifically related area.
Please note all general work experience placements are now full for the current academic year and no further applications can be taken before September 2013
The second is the Medical Shadowing Programme, a week long programme aimed at 17-18 year olds who are applying to medical school. The programme will include shadowing Doctors and Consultants in the following areas:

• Theatres
• Pathology
• Outpatients
• Wards
• Mortuary

We will be accepting applications 1st September - 30th September 2013.
To apply for one of the block work experience placements or a medical shadowing placement please contact Karen Kingsmill via e-mail: Karen.Kingsmill@pah.nhs.uk.
NB: Due to the high volume of applicants for a very limited number of work experience and medical shadowing placements priority is given to applicants from Harlow and the surrounding areas served by the Trust.

• Contact Details:
• Contact:Karen Kingsmill
• Email:Karen.Kingsmill@pah.nhs.uk
• Location:Kalmer House, The Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, CM20 1DR

Go Campus - Scholarships for the USA

EMBRACING NORTH AMERICA. CAMPUS CALLS.

Scholarship Awaits

Want to study in the U.S, but find financing is a hurdle? Vira International has joined hands with one of America’s most

renowned campus scholarship assistance companies, Go Campus is here to offer you scholarship solutions. You have

the opportunity to combine the life changing experience of studying at a US campus and the professional benefits of

having a globally recognized degree. The added bonus is that your talent and opportunity may help you add international

work experience to your CV.

Our selective network of partner colleges and universities allows us to locate suitable university options and scholarship

opportunities for our participants, traditionally limited to North American residents. We screen, select and prepare

international students for admissions into North American colleges and universities.

Expertise and Experience

Vira International, a Go Campus associate, has offices in India and the U.K and has business interests in International

Recruitment, Training, in the Hospitality and Healthcare domain and our clients include some of the best and

biggest names in their industry.

Vira International founded in 1970 in India, is registered with the Ministry of

Overseas Indian Affairs. The Company’s success in recruitment and consultancy for

over four decades with global majors in health care, hospitality, restaurant and food

chains and construction has given it a leading edge in human resources.

Vira International’s office in London, offers specialized recruitment and immigration

advisory services to the hospitality industry throughout the UK and sources talent

globally for their international clientele.

Our association with Go Campus will prepare students from India and the U.K

to face the challenges in an increasingly borderless world. And as greater

numbers of students come out of schools and aspire to be among the

best talent in their chosen fields, Vira International is there to hold

their hands and guide them to their goal.

The Go Campus

We select university options based on each candidate's personal preference for field of study, geographic region, social

factors, size, prestige, campus life, career goals, religious affiliation and yearly costs.

We work closely with colleges and universities located across the United States and Canada in the development of their

international student body. North American universities understand the value that a multi-cultural student body adds to the

campus community and classroom experience and are, therefore, willing to offer special scholarships to attract Go Campus

candidates.

We select, screen and secure international students for admissions to North American colleges and universities. Our

scholarship opportunities for international students of varying academic and standards are unmatched in the field.

SCHOLARSHIPS – EVERYTHING WE DO IS DRIVEN BY YOU

We guarantee that every Go Campus student will receive nine (9) scholarships. Because of our partnerships we are able to

secure and negotiate the maximum scholarship available.

We appreciate that the admission process is complex and are committed to providing guidance and support to students to

help you make that crucial decision that will have an impact on your future.

Fluency in English is not essential, but we recommend you to prepare for a test on the use of English as a Second Language

(ESL). If you are familiar with the language you need to take a test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

We will try our best to offer you a choice of location, but this cannot be guaranteed.

There is absolutely no financial risk to students who apply through us for the Go Campus program. If we cannot provide nine

options, a full refund is provided.

When you apply through Go Campus, we ensure help at every stage of the scholarship application process, saving you

costs and time. We track your application and ensure that you are informed in advance of each development.

THINK SMART THINK U.S. CAMPUS

Want to study down under?

Your invitation to the QS Advance Study Down Under Info Session

23 September - Manchester 25 September - London

Dear Student, Interested in studying Down Under? Come to one of our FREE events for more information. Australia and New Zealand are the ideal destinations for anyone interested in studying in a country with    ·   an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research    ·   a vibrant, multicultural, safe community    ·   a mesmerising natural environment including beaches, national parks and World Heritage sites. On Monday, September 23 and Wednesday, September 25, representatives from a number of leading universities in Australia and New Zealand will be touring the UK to meet with students interested in applying for a degree or study abroad semester Down Under. Come along to find out more about programmes on offer, scholarship opportunities and the admissions process.   Monday, 23 September Manchester 17:30 – 20:00 The Midland Hotel Peter Street, M60 2DS Wednesday, 25 September London 17:30 – 20:00 The Holiday Inn, Camden Lock 30 Jamestown Road, NW1 7BY Agenda: 17:30–18:00 - Doors Open/Registration 18:00–18:30 - Overview of studying in NZ and Australia 18:30–20:00 - One-to-one discussions with university reps   This event is FREE for everyone to attend. Please register online here to secure your place.   QS Advance represents: ·         Massey University ·         RMIT University ·         University of Canterbury ·         University of New South Wales ·         University of South Australia ·         James Cook University ·         University of Technology, Sydney ·         Swinburne University of Technology ·         Central Queensland University ·         Queensland University of Technology ·         Monash University     University application fees will be waived for any student who wants to apply on the day. You’ll receive a checklist of documents to bring upon registration if you wish to complete an application. Please contact us for any further information at Jamie@qs.com or 020 7428 1829. We look forward to seeing you there! -The QS Advance Team