News bulletin May 2007
This bulletin summarises developments in higher education, student issues and the graduate labour market in May 2007. On the higher education front, research into accelerated degrees, funding systems, the financial sustainability of higher education, classification of degrees, and employer engagement in higher education, was published. May 2007 also saw the publication of the UK Graduate Careers Survey, while a number of law firms announced salary rises for their trainee solicitors. A study examining students’ perceptions of work experience was also published.
Education
- Oxford number one university in Guardian rankings
- The classification of degree awards
- Policing foundation degree launched at UCLAN
- Cambridge unveils technology entrepreneur scheme
- Securing a sustainable future for higher education
- Funding systems and their effects on higher education systems
- Manchester University lands education deal with BP
- Accelerated learning programmes: A review of quality, extent and demand
- Higher education, skills and employer engagement
Students
Employment
- Target Graduate Recruitment Awards 2007
- White & Case announces trainee salary hikes
- Employer and university engagement in use and development of graduate skills
- Students feel work experience key to a graduate job
- BLP announces trainee salary increases
- City law firm launches overseas secondment scheme
Education
Oxford number one university in Guardian rankings
Oxford University has been ranked number one university in the Guardian’s university rankings for 2008. Cambridge University and Imperial College came in at second and third respectively, followed by St Andrews, University College London, London School of Economics, Edinburgh, Warwick, Loughborough and Bath. The Oxbridge universities account for top spots in most subjects, though a number of new universities fared particularly well in the subjects of tourism, social work, media and communication, and sports science.
(Oxford tops Guardian league tables, The Guardian, 1 May 2007.)
The classification of degree awards
The paper questions the extent to which degree classifications are comparable between subjects and institutions. It examines how institutions measure students' achievements and reviews marking practices, institutional autonomy, features of good practice, and institutions’ own reviews of assessment and classification arrangements. The study also comments on the importance of communicating clear information on how students’ degrees will be classified in order to help employers and other stakeholders understand the context in which qualifications were awarded.
(The classification of degree awards, Qualifications Assurance Agency for Higher Education, April 2007. )
Policing foundation degree launched at UCLAN
The University of Central Lancashire has joined forces with Lancashire Constabulary to offer a two-year foundation degree in policing. The course is for students wanting to be a uniformed officer or a member of police staff and has been designed to deliver the National Curriculum for police recruits. It is based around the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme, which all new recruits must complete. The course is designed to be studied full time and places on the course are limited to 40.
(Policing skills learnt by degree, BBC Merseyside, 9 May 2007.)
Cambridge unveils technology entrepreneur scheme
The University of Cambridge has unveiled a new entrepreneur programme aimed at supporting physics and engineering students keen on setting up their own businesses. The Cambridge Integrated Knowledge Centre has given £10,500 to the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning to fund places on its Ignite programme. The week-long course will run from 8 to 14 July 2007. Participants will be able to receive advice from leading entrepreneurs and the aim is to equip students with the tools, contacts and confidence they need to turn their ideas into commercial success.
(New funding boost to technology entrepreneur programme, University of Cambridge press release, 3 May 2007.)
Securing a sustainable future for higher education
This paper examines the financial sustainability for higher education institutions (HEIs) and the related challenges faced by governments and institutions. It argues that the challenge for governments is achieving policy aims in an age of increasing institutional autonomy, and without threatening HEIs’ financial sustainability. For those leading, governing and managing HEIs, their key challenge is managing their institutions to secure financial and academic sustainability in an increasingly competitive and challenging funding environment. These issues are analysed from both institutional (management) and national (policy) perspectives.
(OECD: On the edge: Securing a sustainable future for higher education, OCED Education Working Papers, No.7, OECD Publishing.)
Funding systems and their effects on higher education systems
The study concentrates on funding systems for higher education in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. It evaluates the effects of funding systems on respective higher education systems and its institutions, and provides information surrounding the principal features of respective higher education funding systems. Intended and unintended effects of funding systems on higher education systems in general and on teaching and research are also discussed, as are institutional strategic responses to respective funding systems.
(F. Strehl, S Reisinger and M Kalatschan (2007), ‘Funding systems and their effects on higher education systems’, OECD Working Papers, no. 6, OECD Publishing.)
Manchester University lands education deal with BP
The University of Manchester has landed a £4million deal to supply BP with executive education programmes. Both parties will work together in the areas of recruitment, research, education and applying scientific knowledge. The university will provide engineering management education programmes and will host management projects. Expertise will be drawn from the Manchester Business School and the university’s School of Mechanical Aerospace and Civil Engineering.
(University of Manchester lands £4m strategic partnership academic partnership with BP, Personnel Today, 18 May 2007.)
Accelerated learning programmes: A review of quality, extent and demand
The report analyses interest in accelerated degree programmes and documents adjustments that HEIs will need to make to facilitate them in making HE more responsive to employer and student needs. It argues that accelerated learning programmes are responsive to employer and student needs and indicates that accelerated learning is generally more prevalent in countries where students pay tuition fees. Finally, it concludes that accelerated learning courses responding to needs of an increasingly diverse and career-focussed student body and ever-changing demands of employers.
(Accelerated learning programmes: A review of quality, extent and demand, C McCraig, T Bowers-Brown, S Drew, May 2007.)
Higher education, skills and employer engagement
This paper examines the targeting of older learners, engaging employers, employer-led higher education, securing employer funding for higher education and indicators of potential demand for employer-funded higher education. It cautions against moving away from student-focussed higher education to that of employer-focussed higher education. It also questions whether universities will be interested in co-funded higher education provision. Finally, it advises that the government or individual institutions should not set unrealistic targets for growth of employer-funded higher education.
(Higher education, skills and employer engagement, T Sastry and B Bekhradnia, May 2007. )
Students
UK Graduate Careers Survey
The study examines final-year students’ post-graduation plans, applications for graduate jobs, expectations for first job, starting salaries and location of jobs, future aspirations, job hunting activities and readership of national newspapers. It concludes that media and teaching are the most popular career areas for the class of 2007 and that higher proportions of IT, engineering and business or finance graduates expect to land a graduate job than arts or humanities graduates. Final-year job hunters expect to earn an average starting salary of £21,700 for their first job. 17,170 finalists were surveyed.
(UK Graduate Careers Survey 2007, High Fliers Research, May 2007. A summary of the report is available by emailing High Fliers Research).
UK Graduate Recruitment Review 07
The report covers UK graduates’ career attitudes and expectations. It contends that students were happy with the choice to enter higher education and felt that their degree would deliver career prospects. Business management and marketing/advertising/PR were respondents’ most popular career choices, while finance, research and development, and science, also attracted interest. Females and young students began their job hunting earlier than males or older students. The BBC, MI5, NHS, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Google and Microsoft were the top five most popular graduate employers. 24,507 students were surveyed.
(UK Graduate Recruitment Review 2007, Trendence, May 2007. )
Employment
Target Graduate Recruitment Awards 2007
City law firm Nabarro won the award for the best undergraduate internship at this year’s TARGET National Graduate Recruitment Awards. Five other awards were made to leading graduate recruiters. IBM UK was named graduate employer of the year for achieving clear objectives in recruitment, training, development and retention of graduates, and also won the AGCAS diversity award. Lovells won the best graduate recruitment website award for the second year running, KBC was awarded the best student marketing campaign for organisations recruiting fewer than 50 graduates.
(Law firm Nabarro wins best undergraduate internship award at The Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2007, Personnel Today, 4 May 2007.)
White & Case announces trainee salary hikes
White & Case is the latest City law firm to announce salary increases for its trainee and associate solicitors. Trainee starting salaries have risen 13.8% from £36,000 to £41,000, while newly qualified salaries also increased. Salary increases ranged from 12% to 18% for varying levels of experience. The firm also announced that it plan to hire an additional 50 fee-earners to its London office over the course of this year.
(White & Case announces salary increases, The Lawyer, 8 May 2007. )
Employer and university engagement in use and development of graduate skills
This report investigates how employers engage with higher education institutions. It examines employers’ perceptions of, and how they use, graduate skills, employer views on high levels skills development and HEIs and geographical patterns of employer-HEI engagement. It concludes that, overall, employers appear content with preparedness of graduate recruits. The research goes on to argue that obtaining graduates with appropriate skills is reliant on employers investing in a relationship with HEIs. The study also discusses promotion of employer-HEI engagement, graduate recruitment, and graduate employment, utilisation and development.
(Employer and university engagement in the use and development of graduate-level skills, Department for Education and Skills/IFF Research Ltd, January 2007. )
Students feel work experience key to a graduate job
Eight in ten students feel that work experience will help their career, according to research by doctorjob.com. Half of the 1,200 respondents were certain that it would help their job hunting. Gaining experience to secure a graduate job was the most important factor, while money, benefits to their CV, a convenient location, getting a taster of a job or sector and gaining experience to help get on a course were also popular reasons. Over a third discovered work placement opportunities by word of mouth, while 16% arranged their placements through careers services.
(Students choose work experience over pay in bid to secure top jobs, Personnel Today, 18 May 2007.)
BLP announces trainee salary increases
Berwin Leighton Paisner is the latest law firm to announce salary rises for its trainee and newly qualified solicitors. From September 2007, it is believed that newly qualified solicitors will be paid £62,000, a rise of 16% on the £53,000 the previous year. First seat trainees will receive £33,000 plus a £2,5000 starting bonus, a 10% rise on the salaries and bonuses paid to 2006’s trainees. The rises come in light of other leading law firms, such as Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
(BLP plays catch-up with salary rises, The Lawyer, 18 May 2007.)
City law firm launches overseas secondment scheme
Law firm DLA Piper is launching an overseas secondment programme for its trainee solicitors. From September 2007, trainees will have the opportunity to work at the firm’s Hong Kong, Moscow, Singapore and Dubai offices. All secondments will last three months, expect for those at the Dubai office, which will last for six months. Hong Kong, Singapore and Moscow will each take three trainees and one trainee will be seconded to Dubai every six months. All trainees will be eligible to apply for the secondments.
(DLA Piper fills overseas secondment gap, The Lawyer, 22 May 2007.)
