Latest reflections One of the notable trends in the latest week’s data is the irresistible rise of careers in Data Analysis and Data Science, with a further 25 vacancies added. It really does seem to be all about Data these days and yet how frequently does this theme come up in careers guidance conversations I … Continue reading Week 73: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England post COVID picking up again

Latest reflections Week 72 in my new series of updates was a relatively good one for Higher Apprenticeships but a slow one for Degree Apprenticeships. However, August is normally a quiet time for DAs and therefore hopefully it’s only a seasonal lull. Perhaps a little more disappointing was the fact that 36% of this week’s … Continue reading Week 72: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England post COVID

Latest reflections This is the first in a new series of commentaries. For those already following my blog, it will exclude the pre-COVID comparisons for which I’ve now run out of data. Instead, I’ll simply be comparing my latest weekly figures with the overall post-COVID trend. One small improvement is that I have started to … Continue reading Week 71: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England post-COVID latest update

Headline news and latest reflections This will be my last report in this precise format, as I’ve reached the limits of my pre-COVID data that I use for comparison purposes. I’ll carry on publishing some data reports and commentaries, but probably in a slightly different way. This report also covers two weeks rather than one … Continue reading 70 weeks after the start of lockdown: final comparative reflections on Higher and Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England post-COVID

Headline news and latest reflections At the end of another very positive week, the top ten new vacancy postings comprised the following: 22 Sales Executives20 Financial Services Professionals, all with HSBC at Canary Wharf14 Civil Engineers14 Construction Site Supervisors11 Quantity Surveyors8 Software Engineers8 Accounting Technicians6 Digital Marketing Professionals6 Quantity Surveying Technicians5 Investment Operations Specialists Meanwhile, … Continue reading 68 weeks after the start of lockdown: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England remain strong

Headline news and latest reflections Nursing, Construction and History make this week’s headlines, led by multiple new Registered Nursing DA vacancies especially in Winchester and Basingstoke in Hampshire. Hence this week’s photographic image, a lofty view of Winchester from my personal collection. There is no suggestion that work-ready school and college leavers would be disadvantaged … Continue reading 67 weeks after the start of lockdown: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England soar again

Headline news and latest reflections While DAs were steady this week, HAs were especially plentiful and my overall HA occupational analysis (below) continues to paint an intriguing picture of the labour market. The two biggest HA risers were Sales Executives and Construction Technicians, both of which have become quite prolific in recent months. In the … Continue reading 66 weeks after the start of lockdown: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England still doing well

Background As a careers adviser for many years, I’ve learned enormously from students I’ve advised. The way their careers unfold often inspires me and shows me what’s possible in an ever-changing careers landscape. As an inspirational case study, Holly-Ann from the class of 2019 at one of the schools I partner with is up there … Continue reading Trafigura’s unique Global Commodity Trading Apprenticeship programme

Headline news and latest reflections Once again I’m pleased to report a positive news story. After last week’s major turning point was reached, we now seem to be firmly moving ‘out of the red’ in the sense that the cumulative number of post-lockdown vacancies (10,136) now exceeds the cumulative number of pre-lockdown vacancies (10,046). This … Continue reading 65 weeks after the start of lockdown: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England remain strong

This is a tweaked version of an article I originally wrote for the former 'Which? University' website. Large extracts from it can currently be found on the UCAS site. It might be useful for students who need inspiration to start their personal statement or for parents, teachers or advisers who are trying to help them … Continue reading UCAS personal statements: writing a killer opening