Student recruitment and development

• Careers2032 report, co-produced by ISE, AGCAS, Wonkhe and Handshake, outlines what the careers sector will look like in 10 years’ time and the role technology will play within this. Debbie McVitty discusses the trends found.
• Charlie Ball summarises the latest data and reports from the graduate labour market.
• Apprenticeship starts back to pre-pandemic levels but traineeships falling despite Sunak’s Plan for Jobs.
• Claims for government to offer vocational apprenticeships to half of young people to aid the levelling up agenda.
• Graduates set to pay larger student loan repayments after freeze on repayment threshold.
• Amazon to introduce 1,500 new apprenticeships this year across 40 different schemes, from engineering to health and safety.
• BAE systems explains how they are boosting Diversity & Inclusivity within their apprenticeship programme.

Labour market

• Regional inequality on ‘high-tech’ jobs with twice as many available in London as the North and Midlands.
• How to tackle the Great Resignation – tips to recruit and retain employees in a global labour shortage.

Education

• 55 areas, identified as those with consistent poor schooling outcomes, will be focused on in the next decade to raise UK educational standards.
• Overhauling the schooling system so that students are better prepared for jobs would increase profitability and productivity by 25% and generate £125bn profit.
• Andrew P. Hill discusses the wellbeing issues associated with perfectionism, and how schools can combat this.
• Record numbers of university enrolments from disadvantaged areas in Scotland.
• OfS has released numerical targets to ensure students get ‘acceptable outcomes’ from their courses:
• 80% of full-time students studying for their first degree should continue after their first year
• 75% should complete their course
• Upon completion, 60% should gain professional or managerial employment or continue studying
• Grade inflation apparent as more than 1 in 3 students are awarded first-class degrees.
• Mark Bennett explores the impact of the pandemic on postgraduate enrolments and considers how they will be funded.

Economy

• Discussion of the issues with the ‘Levelling Up’ plan, after white paper released explaining how inequality across the country will be tackled.
• 3m more workers are claiming universal credit than before the pandemic, with the government urged to help low-paid workers.

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