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YOU ARE IN » Home page > News and information main menu > Labour Market Information > June 2007

June 2007

Education

• Admissions podcast for Oxford
• Principal calls for graduate tax
• Islam at universities in England
• Employers and colleges in alliance to improve workforce skills
• Use of an aptitude test in university entrance
• Imperial unveils medical training course for science graduates
• Employers, quality and standards in higher education: Shared values and vocabularies or elitism and inequalities?
• College of law unveils alumni networking site
• More careers information for science and engineering
• Trade in ideas and knowledge
• Edinburgh launches postgraduate medical course
• Scottish graduate fee to be abolished
• Higher education performance indicators review published
• Scottish students more likely to go to university than English counterparts
• Scots higher education student numbers 2005/06
• Demand for higher education to 2020 and beyond
• New HECSU research on part-time higher education students
• Variable tuition fees in England
• Matched-funding scheme for HE unveiled

Student issues

• £377 million lent to students for fees
• Freemasons recruiting students
• RBS develops new graduate account
• Gap year students urged to plan finances

Employment

• Graduate employment and SMEs
• Law firm develops innovative graduate recruitment tool
• CIMA unveils degree opportunities for students and graduates
• Addleshaw raises trainee solicitors’ pay
• Universum Graduate Survey 2007
• Poor returns: Winners and losers in the job market

This bulletin summarise reports and surveys, press releases and newspaper articles under the following headings: education; student issues; and employment. In higher education, studies examining the provision of Islamic Studies at English universities, use of aptitude tests in university entrance, higher education demand, and variable tuition fees in England, were all published. The Student Loan Company also published figures were also published this month, while the Royal Bank of Scotland unveiled a new account for graduates. Various surveys examining the graduate labour market were also published; they include research looking at graduates in SMEs, and Universum’s annual graduate survey, while law firm Addleshaw Goddard unveiled an innovative graduate recruitment tool.

Education

Oxford University has unveiled a series of podcasts designed to help sixth-formers discover more about the university, its courses and advice on making an application. PodOxford will address questions on how to select a college, provide guidance on what students can do to improve their chances of making a successful application, tips on filling in the application form and how to prepare for subsequent stages of the admissions process.

(Oxford launches admissions podcast, Oxford University press release, 25 May 2007. )

Dr Brian Lang, Principal of St Andrews University, has called for the introduction of a graduate tax to help fund Scottish higher education. Speaking at the Higher Education and the Economy conference in Edinburgh, Dr Lang argued that funds for Scottish universities are significantly lower than English and US institutions. While acknowledging the contentious area of student finance, he went on to say that the introduction of a graduate tax would be equitable for all students regardless of economic background.

(Principal calls for graduate tax, BBC Scotland, 29 May 2007.)

This paper recommends that universities’ provision of Islamic Studies be linked with job opportunities and openings in the job market. It also argues that Islamic Studies currently being offered at English universities should focus more on Islam’s theological and civilisational aspects, posits that universities should consider employing Muslim chaplains, and that student Islamic Societies are key providers of peer-led support. Key findings surround information about Islam, student community relationships and Muslim student care needs.

(Dr A Saddiqui, Islam at universities in England: Meeting the needs and investing in the future, 4 June 2007.)

The Association of Colleges (AoC) and Skills for Business Network are joining forces to deliver skills training for the UK workforce. The alliance will see employers, college principals and representatives from the AoC, Sector Skills Councils and Sector Skills Development Agency collaborate to design and deliver qualifications for specific industries. The alliance aims to develop and promote flexible learning and full qualifications, and also plans to offer a modular, credit-based system and adaptable qualifications framework.

(Employers and colleges unite to drive up UK skills, FE News, 1 June 2007. )

This study discusses and analyses relationships between scores on the SAT Reasoning Test and background characteristics of a sample of students. It concludes that high A-level scores were generally associated with high scores on the SAT. Female students achieved significantly higher scores on the SAT Writing component than their male peers. Students in independent schools did better than expected on the SAT, while students in FE colleges performed worse, when A-level results alone were taken into account. Future phases of research are also outlined.

(Use of an aptitude test in university entrance - a validity study, C Kirkup, I Schagen, R Wheater, J Morrison and C Whetton, May 2007.)

Imperial College London has developed a Graduate Entry Medicine course that will train science graduates to become medical doctors over four years. Each year, the programme will take 50 graduates with a minimum upper-second degree or PhD in a biological sciences area and the first cohort will start the course in 2008. Students will supplement their existing knowledge and complete a clinical foundation courses and introductory clinical attachment, before joining medical students for their three clinical years.

(New medicine course aims to train clinical researchers of the future, Imperial College press release, 5 June 2007. )

This paper investigates employers’ needs for information on higher education quality and standards, with particular reference to types of knowledge that employers use in graduate recruitment. It suggests that some employers reinforce hierarchies within higher education by authority that they place on league tables, personal, regional and professional networks, performance of past graduates and perceptions of reputation. Employers’ perceptions are often based on personal knowledge rather than systematic engagement with codified data. Increased competition between universities, and the effects on educational opportunity and widening participation, is also discussed.

(Employers, quality and standards in higher education: Shared values and vocabularies or elitism and inequalities? L Morley and S Aynsley, Higher Education Quarterly, 61,3, pp. 229-249.)

The College of Law has launched a new alumni association that will allow former students access to a network of personal and professional contacts and career development opportunities. Over 2,000 alumni have joined the network, colegeoflawalumni.co.uk. The site allows alumni to create a personal profile, contact old friends and colleagues, develop personal and professional contacts, post news items for other members, and create alumni events and book places at planned occasions. It is also anticipated that the site will provide mentoring and advanced career development courses.

(College of Law launches alumni networking site, Legal Week, 7 June 2007. )

The Government has unveiled plans to improve the provision of careers information available to young people, parents and teachers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. Among the main measures are: supporting the appointment of a National STEM coordinator; encouraging schools to build information about STEM opportunities into their teaching of STEM subjects by showing them schemes such as the science and engineering ambassadors scheme; and developing a national campaign to promote STEM careers in partnership with stakeholders.

(Government action to increase science and engineering careers -Rammell, Department for Education and Skills press release, 16 May 2007.)

The paper notes that the UK exported £75.5 billion in knowledge services in 2005. It suggests that thespread of higher education, among other factors, is a contributory factor. The study analyses knowledge exports in different industries and notes that foreign students contributed just over £3 billion to the UK economy in 2005. The report recommends that policy must focus on strengthening and supporting the UK’s strengths in knowledge-based services and calls for investment in higher education, as well as enhancing non-graduates’ skills base development.

(I Brinkley, Trade in ideas and knowledge, Work Foundation, June 2007. )

Edinburgh University has launched an innovative postgraduate certificate in translational medicine. The course, which will be delivered online and lasts for nine months, is aimed at professionals working in biotechnology, pharmacology or clinical medicine, in companies, health services, regulatory bodies or academia. It aims to examine new scientific methods in the laboratory, regulation, ethics, design of clinical trials, and patient needs. It will be delivered via video podcasts, web-based discussion forums and expert tuition and is aimed at both UK and audiences.

(Online learning course launched in translational medicine, Medical News Today, 12 June 2007.)

The Scottish Executive has announced plans to abolish the graduate endowment fee, the one-off payment graduates from Scottish institutions make on successful completion of courses lasting three years or more. The plans, announced by Education and Lifelong Learning Secretary Fiona Hislop, would save graduates over £2,000. A consultation on the principle of scrapping endowment fees will take place over the summer, with a wider aim of having legislation in place by 1 April 2008.

(Graduate fee scrapped, Scottish Executive press release, 13 June 2007.)

A review published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) argues that universities, colleges and other uses are generally positive about higher education performance indicators. The review of higher education performance indicators, conducted by the Performance Indicators Steering Group, concluded that minor changes to the existing indicators were needed, they should be retained in their present format where possible, and that none should be dropped. Some suggestions were also made regarding the presentation of the performance indicators.

(Continued support for higher education performance indicators, HEFCE press release, 19 June 2007.)

Research among 20,000 16-19-year-olds by two University of Edinburgh academics contends that children gaining qualifications and going to college and university over the past 20 years has been greater in Scotland than in England. Inequalities in attainment at age 16 changed little over the period, but at A-level and entry to higher education in England, they narrowed slightly. In Scotland, inequalities at age 16 were similar to England but inequalities in attainment at 18 and in entry to higher education were considerably wider in Scotland, and showed fewer signs of narrowing over the period.

(Scots more likely than English to reach university, though background still counts, Economic and Social Research Council press release, 19 June 2007.)

Figures published by the Scottish Executive show that, in 2005/06, 285,180 students were in Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges, a rise of 3% on 2004/05. 18% of students at Scottish institutions were overseas students and there were more female than male students. There was a 10% increase in students studying business administration courses since 2004/05, while science course numbers witnessed a 1% decrease compared with 2004/05. The number of students declaring a disability also rose from 2004/05.

(Students in higher education, Scottish Executive press release, 16 May 2007.)

This paper discusses the influences and uncertainties surrounding future demand for higher education, and also illustrates the impact of these variables on future numbers. It also considers two determinants of higher education demand – changes in demography from which the higher education population is drawn, and this population’s willingness and ability to participate in higher education. Demand from part-time, mature and EU students is also described and evaluated.

(B Bekhradnia, Demand for higher education to 2020 and beyond, June 2007. )

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) has commissioned a new four-year study on the career decision-making and career development of part-time HE students, as part of their longitudinal programme, Career Making. The study, which will run from 2007 to 2011, will include employers. Researchers from London South Bank University (LSBU) and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, led by Professor Claire Callender from LSBU, will be conducting the research.

(For more information, please contact Pearl Mok.)

This report examines and assesses the impact of introduction of undergraduate tuition fees. It notes that UK applicant numbers declined in real terms between 2005 and 2006, but rose steadily in the wider period from 2004 to 2007. In 2005, there was a marked increase in EU applicants following the accession of new member states. Demand for higher education, widening participation, enrolments in higher education institutions, fees and bursaries, and income from full-time undergraduate tuition fees are also discussed.

(B Ramsden and N Brown, Variable tuition fees in England: Assessing the impact on students and higher education institutions, June 2007.)

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has launched a matched-funding scheme for the higher education sector. The initiative will run from August 2008 until July 2011and will see £200 million over three years being used to match fund donations received by English universities. Bill Rammell, Minister for Higher Education, added that individual institutions would be able to express a preference for the funding package best suiting their needs. Mr. Rammell also launched a consultation into the scheme, which will run for twelve weeks until 2 November.

(£200 million higher education matched-funding scheme consultation launch – Rammell, DfES press release, 26 June 2007.)

Student issues

Students in England were lent £376.9 million to pay tuition fees, according to statistics from the Student Loans Company. The figures also reveal that an additional £9.7 million in tuition fee loans was awarded to students from elsewhere in the EU and almost £2.6 billion was lent to English students for maintenance. The figures for loans cover the first two terms of the new fees régime.

(Students lent £377m to cover fees, BBC Education, 12 June 2007.)

Freemasons are looking to boost their numbers by recruiting undergraduates and staff from UK universities. In a bid to increase the number of young masons, lodges in nine university cities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, are offering students reduced joining fees. The joining age will also be reduced from 21 to 18. The group’s media manager, Chris Connop, added that the organisation’s charity work was appealing to students.

(Freemasons begin university recruitment drive, Guardian, 8 June 2007.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has unveiled an account aimed at helping new graduates entering employment with their finances. The Graduate Royalties account is a specially tailored account aimed at supporting graduates during their first three years at work. It offers a three-year interest-free stepped overdraft facility of up to £2,000 or the option of an interest-free loan of up to £2,000. The account also offers a full range of financial and lifestyle benefits, such as discounts on travel, entertainment and insurance.

(Get ahead with the Royal Bank of Scotland Graduate Royalties Account, RBS press release, 11 June 2007.)

Experts at moneysupermarket.com are advising students and graduates planning to take a gap year to plan their finances and ensure they are prepared financially for the future. Moneysupermarket.com’s experts contend that students and graduates may struggle to arrange their finances due to a limited employment or credit history. Overdraft facilities, debt cards that can be used abroad, and credit cards and loans are among the products that gap year students are being advised to consider.

(Gap year students urged to plan finances, London Stock Exchange, 20 June 2007. )

Employment

The study discuses and analyses the recruitment and utlisation of graduates in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It contends that, overall, graduates appear to make a contribution to SMEs though notes the evidence on which this is based is anecdotal, and argues that serious deficiencies remain in relation both to the information about the SME graduate labour market, in particular, to the utilisation of graduates. It calls for further research, particularly in the areas of how SMEs’ characteristics impact on graduates’ notions of ‘graduateness’ and the ways in which graduates in SMEs and large firms ‘learn the company’.

(New graduate employment within SMEs: Still in the dark? R Holden, S Jameson and A Walmsley, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 14, 2, 2007, pp. 211-227.)

Law firm Addleshaw Goddard is planning to launch an X-Factor-style video booth as part of its graduate recruitment activities. The firm will tour target universities and law fairs with its ‘VoxBox, which will allow students to put questions to the firm’s graduate recruitment team or hear its lawyers talk about experiences of securing training contracts. The footage will then be converted into a video and made available via the firm’s recruitment website.

(Addleshaws uses X-Factor-style 'Vox Box' to impress trainees, The Lawyer, 28 May 2007.)

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has joined forces with the UK Committee of Heads of Accounting to develop its Degree links facility. The portal promotes fast-track degree opportunities to CIMA students and members, establishing links with participating universities. The directory access to details of degree courses granting partial exemption to students’ and members’ respective programmes. The directory highlights opportunities at UK institutions, in addition to those at the University of Lille, France, and Deakin University, Australia.

(Fast-track degree opportunities for students and members, CIMA press release, 31 May 2007.)

Addleshaw Goddard is the latest law firm to announce salary rises for its trainee solicitors. London-based newly qualified lawyers will now earn £64,000, up from £53,000, while salaries for newly qualified solicitor based at the firm’s Manchester and Leeds offices have risen from £35,000 to £40,000, representing a rise of 14%.

(Addleshaws announce salary rises following trainee pressure, The Lawyer, 8 June 2007.)

Google has been voted one of the best graduate employers to work for, according to this year’s Universum Graduate Survey. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), investment bank Goldman Sachs, the BBC, L’Oréal and Ernst & Young were the most popular employers for business students, while the top five employers for engineering, science and IT students were the BBC, Environment Agency, Ministry of Defence, NHS, and GlaxoSmithKline. The BBC, Civil Service, Ministry of Defence, Red Cross, and NHS were the top five most popular employers among humanities students. Over 7,500 students were surveyed.

(Students search for Google as top employer, Guardian, 4 June 2007.)

This report concludes that there is a large and pervasive gender gap in the distribution of high and low-level jobs. Higher proportions of men with level 4+ qualifications (degrees or equivalent and above) are in higher level jobs than women, while around 10% of women with level 4+ qualifications continue to work in low-level jobs until retirement. The study also discusses gender and job outcomes, returns on qualifications by job level, effects of part-time employment, ethnicity and changing compositions of high and low-level jobs.

(Poor returns: Winners and losers in the job market, P Jones and A Dickerson, Working Paper Series No. 52. A copy of the report is available from the Equal Opportunities Commission.)