A website to help research your study subject

You might just have got your GCSE results and are now looking to go onto 6th form study, possibly considering which subjects you might finally take. Or you may be looking at a Diploma or another vocational or occupational course that would still allow you to go onto a degree should you choose. You might be halfway through your studies and now face completing the UCAS form to apply to University. What help is available for you ?
If you have every wanted to find out about a subject in more depth you probably use the internet, but it can be difficult to find useful, reliable info about your chosen area even if you use Google. Well now there is a website which has gathered the best of the web for you, arranged over the main subject fields covering degree areas from Aeronautical Engineering to Womens Studies. Have a look at this and see if it helps you with your career choices http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/
There is even an Internet Detective course you can take to help you sort out the gold from the dross http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/ Everything is free and quality controlled by a national team of lecturers and librarians from UK universities. An excellent resource I think

Adventures in Media land - Clearing has begun

It's that time so beloved by the press, politicians and general experts of all hues, the annual exam results period. I've been interviewed on various local radio stations for this event, and dealt with the challenge of speaking in sound bites rather than give a full, but probably too long for the radio, answer to questions. I've also recording a Podcast on our website about this getting your exams, opening the envelope and answering some of the more common questions people have about clearing and what to do next. There is lots to say and do right now, and although we stayed open late on this and next Thursday, (and we are open late every Tuesday anyway), clearing does continue for several weeks and in fact the rush to "sort something out" quickly can be a difficult choice. As always the advice must be to talk to someone either where you studied or here at Connexions, where all options can be considered and plans can be reviewed. Good luck to everyone who has their results at this time. We will be working with you until you are settled in your next position whatever that may be.

Students face a "perilous way of life"...

Just when your thoughts were on getting your exam results and moving into the next stage of your studies, a warning about making sure you can manage your debt comes from Nigel Boobier, an insolvency practitioner with Osborne Clarke in Bristol. He does mention the fact that many students do not have the skills necessary to manage their finances when they go onto study and can get into financial difficulties. Read more on what he says here http://www.yeovilexpress.co.uk/search/4545424.Students_face_a__perilous_way_of_life_/
In fairness there is help available to guide students in this area, both beforehand in various publications and information but also during the induction week and at the freshers fair support for managing your finances is offered. It might sound boring but it is worth checking on the basics and make sure your budgeting skills and financial ability is equal to the task. Don't forget our very own publication Your Way Forward has an excellent Budgeting exercise on page 20 ! (If you haven't seen it yet contact your nearest Connexions office for a copy)

What other subjects areas are Strategically important ?

One thing that has brought out into clear focus with the extra 10,000 places is the key role that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), has to play on a strategic level for the future economic health of the country, indeed this extra funding is to support the governments Policy Statement on “Building Britain’s Future – New Industry, New Jobs”. As the press release says this is to “identifies key areas where Government action can have most impact, investing in growth to speed recovery and building manufacturing and services essential to ensure British people and businesses can compete successfully for the jobs of the future.” You can read it in full here http://www.dius.gov.uk/~/media/publications/N/new_industry_new_jobs. Whilst this is all good stuff there are shades of gray within the range of STEM subjects anyway, for example do we really need to increase the number of students studying Forensic Science at University beyond the numbers already heading into this subject ? My other concern is that many people I speak with seem unaware that STEM is not the only game in town when it comes to strategically important subjects. Briefly the other ones are Area Studies and Related languages (covering the Arab World, China, Japan, Eastern Europe inc Russia), Quantitative social science and finally Modern Foreign Languages. Should these areas also benefit from more places or greater promotion ? If you want to explore these in more depth it is worth checking them out at this report, which also gives some Labour Market Information on the salary you can expect in these fields http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/SIVS_glossy.pdf

Repayment holiday for Student Loans is now only 2 years, not 5

Still on the subject of the extra 10,000 places, which has certainly gathered a lot of comments, one issue seems to have been missed. Or perhaps drowned out in the worry and concerns that are said about both Clearing and also perceived lack of opportunties for new graduates. The fact that the repayment period has changed from 5 years to just 2 is a big change. This repayment holiday was seen as useful because it allowed students to focus on other financial issues (if they chose to), before having to begin repayments on their loans when they were earning enough. It will be interesting to see if this has any impact on students and their plans, but certainly some parents are aware of this issue. If Martin Lewis, of moneysavingexpert.com fame has concerns that the student loan scheme is being chipped away bit by bit then it must be something to consider. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/students-fiveyear-repayment-holiday-on-loans-is-abolished-1754393.html Of course the other point is that more students are now getting grants, either full or partial, than at any time since the loan scheme for Higher education started. There are also bursaries available from many universities which are worth checking out.

10,000 extra university places on offer

Currently the 10,000 extra Uni places are bring promoted as part of the governments response to the pressures that people believe we will experience when Clearing comes around. However the fact that the Unis will not be getting any teaching grant will have an interesting effect on who will actually be offering such places. On the one hand those universities who traditionally recruit students through clearing might well feel this could help them, whilst those who recruit fewer, if any, students via this route might feel less inclined. Obviously this has not escaped the notice of business people http://preview.tinyurl.com/FT10000Places. The real issue is that these places will only be for STEM courses, (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), so these are not the courses that are usually oversubscribed anyway. It will be interesting to see what effect this new initiative has as we go into Clearing this year.

Goodbye exams – Hello continuous e-assessment

As we get ready for the words to flow from all sides as the time for Clearing gets nearer I find the comments by Simon Lebus, chief executive of Cambridge Assessment, thought provoking to say the least. In brief he is saying that within the next 10 to 15 years we shall be saying goodbye to the old exam structure and moving toward a continuous assessment (ca) using e-technology for all exams. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/12/written-exams-computerised-testing As advisers I expect that we have all dealt with students who, despite producing good work, find sitting exams so stressful that it can seriously impact their grades. It will be interesting to see how this progresses as the classic “sit down and write for 3 hours” exam is often seen as a final quality proof of the work that a student has taken in and can use to answer the questions set. Thinking of some of the feeling towards ca we have seen so far it will not be a technical issue, but rather one of political perception.. It has been said that the current Government has concerns about ca and would like to look at introducing “controlled assessment”, which could be done in school and supervised like exams, while the Conservatives are reported as wishing to go return to the high stakes final exams that were traditional, as they feel the continuous assessment approach has lost confidence with people
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/a_level_gcse_results/article6220846.ece