Essential Swatting for PGCE Candidates!

The Coalition Government is undertaking a wide-ranging review of educational provision, so those applying for PGCE places this year need to be aware of the proposals contained in policy documents such as:

• The white paper on The Importance of Teaching, which includes proposals for new school structures, changes to performance tables, funding and initial teacher training, and new ideas on behaviour management. http://www.education.gov.uk/b0068570/the-importance-of-teaching

• The green paper outlining a new approach to special educational needs and disability Support and Aspiration http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/sen/a0075339/sengreenpaper
  

• A matched funding scheme to help primary schools teach systematic synthetic phonics – see press release http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0076456
  

• The Wolf Report on changes to vocational education http://www.education.gov.uk/16to19/qualificationsandlearning/a0074953/review-of-vocational-education-the-wolf-report

Source: AGCAS Teaching and Related Professions Task Group Bulletin

Become a Careers Adviser?

Places are still available for the September 2011 intake of the Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance and Development at the University of the West of Scotland (Paisley Campus) and Edinburgh Napier University (Sighthill Campus).

Both centres are Institute of Careers Guidance (ICG) approved and successful completion leads to the additional award of the ICG’s “Qualification in Career Guidance and Development”. Both courses attract SAAS Postgraduate Awards and encourage applications from ethnic minorities as well as those living outside of the central belt of Scotland.

Our understanding is that there is a shortage of applicants for Careers Adviser posts from applicants who hold the postgraduate qualification.

Back To Nature

Col's Blog is again undergoing a short period of inactivity as I have been away birdwatching in East Anglia. Key targets were some of the exotics that are extremely or somewhat unlikely to appear up here on the Solway coast e.g. bearded tit, reed warbler, bittern, spoonbill, marsh harrier, hobby, avocet, spotted redshank.

However, to put a bit of a careers gloss on this, my successes have been partly down to advice I received from RSPB volunteers and an Education Officer (or I assume that's what she was) with Natural England.

I didn't need use my binoculars to observe that both these agencies are actively looking for volunteers in various capacities, so for those who may be interested, here are the appropriate web references:

www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering

www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/enjoying/gettinginvolved/volunteering/default.aspx

Make It Happen

Make It Happen is a national mentoring service for students and graduates thinking of starting up their own business. The service is an online website href="http://www.mihmentoring.com/" www.mihmentoring.com and the service is very student focused. Everything has been designed in response to students’ feedback in forums and questionnaires.

For example Make It Happen run twice weekly webinars on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm on a variety of topics about starting your own business. Many of the speakers are from well-known companies e.g. HSBC.

Currently 2% of graduates decide to go into business for themselves after completing their studies.

Note: This information was provided by Sarah Fox, Senior LISS Adviser Careers and Employability, University of Cumbria

Making The Most of Your Time in Higher Education

This report from the CBI/NUS is available at http://ow.ly/58zac and contains lots of wise words on how to improve your value in the employment market after you get your degree.

It covers areas like:

• thinking about what you want from your time at University
• the value of early careers advice and career decision making
• the key skills employers say they want and how satisfied they actually are with the skills of new recruits
• how to use your course to improve your workplace skills
• the value of work placements and voluntary work
• getting the most from life at University
• the importance of reflecting on and recording your progress...

...plus lots of more detailed advice on what to do to maximise your potential in all of the above areas. Overall a good, common sense read for everyone who wants a successful career after University and a bit of an antidote to the more cynical view of employability I posted on a couple of months ago.

Useful Web References for International Students on Working in the UK

The following information has been provided by Karen Shaw, Senior Adviser (Academic Liaison) at the University of Cumbria following the introduction of new restrictions on the entitlement of international students to work in the UK:

Once in the UK, the majority of EEA nationals are able to work unrestricted hours, nor do they require permission to do so. However we would advise students to confirm this by visiting the UK Border Agency website for further details. Students will require a National Insurance (NI) number and can apply for one by visiting the application page on the Directgov website.

Any non-EEA nationals in the UK should have a visa which indicates the restrictions relating to employment. Visit the UK Border Agency working in the uk webpage for more information.

Normally students on a Tier 4 visa studying in the UK on a full time course which is level 6 or above are restricted to a maximum of 20 working hours per week during term time (except if the work is part of the course and you have permission to do so from the University of Cumbria). Visit the UKCISA working in the uk during your studies webpage for more information.

Students on a Student Visitor visa are not able to work in the UK.

Students who wish to remain in the UK to work after completing their course should refer to UK Border Agency working in the uk webpage UKCISA working in the uk after your studies for information.

Please be advised that it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not break the conditions of your visa. If you are in breach of your visa, you are likely to be asked to return home.

Closure of the Student Associates Scheme

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) has decided to close the Student Associates Scheme (SAS), which was used by PGCE applicants looking for work experience in schools, with effect from 31 July 2011.

TDA will launch a new, single School Experience Programme (SEP) from September 2011. The new programme will be available not just to students, but also to other people who are considering entering, or in some cases, re-entering teaching.

Source: Sue Spence, Chair AGCAS Teaching and Related Professions Task Group

Graduate Careers Advice On Video

An interesting development over the past few months has been the continuing rise of careers information resources using video based material.

The latest contributor offering graduate careers advice by video is Career Player but they are certainly not the first and you can find some earlier samples we have saved for the benefit of University of Cumbria Students and Graduates at http://www.delicious.com/skillzone/video

Whether it's any better than what you can find in your local lending library or on sites like Prospects is for you to decide... but video careers information looks like it's here to stay.