Degree Apprenticeships: a success story

A report by Universities UK (UUK) says that England is 'on the verge of a significant success story' in Degree Apprenticeships, with 'at least 60 universities and other Higher Education institutions currently implementing, or planning to implement, Degree Apprenticeships'. The report says that most growth is in 'chartered manager, digital and technology, and engineer related Apprenticeships', with major employers, such as Mercedes Benz, Nestle, IBM and Airbus already offering them.

Was it worth it?

The i newspaper has published an infographic showing university graduates' opinions about whether or not they felt their degree courses were worth the money they (or their parents!) had paid toward them.

National Apprenticeship Week 2017

There are lots of videos on You Tube from a wide range of employers and government organisations explaining the advantages of taking an Apprenticeship course, including a very colourful guide from vlogger Megan Jane!

• This clip explains Apprenticeships in 30 seconds.

• This clip tells you more about how they work.

• This three and a half minute clip explains how to apply.

• This link takes you to a collection from the government website.

If you want to learn more, use the links on the left hand side of this page or look at the information on local Apprenticeship opportunities on the Youth Connexions website.

Get in, go far ...

Crackdown on cheating at universities

Universities Minister, Jo Johnson, has called for "tough action" against the spread of plagiarism and the commercial industry it has spawned and has asked the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) to pursue websites advertising essay-writing services for students. Mr Johnson said these essay mills could "undermine" the reputation of degrees from the UK. QAA director, Ian Kimber, said, "Essay mills are a major challenge for universities and colleges, because, unlike other forms of cheating, the practice is notoriously difficult to detect."

Last summer, the QAA, which monitors standards in higher education, published a report into the scale of the problem. It found essay services with charges, depending on length, complexity and speed of turnaround, from £15 to thousands of pounds, with many claiming to produce customised work that was "100% plagiarism free". QAA said it was difficult to estimate how widely such services were being used, but there were about 17,000 cases a year of ‘academic offences’, however, there was no breakdown of how many of these involved students who had used essay writing services. Essay-writing websites often carry disclaimers suggesting the essays being sold should be used only as examples and not passed off as students' own work.

University lecturers bite back

As part of a recent study conducted by the Times Higher Education Supplement, involving over 1000 university academics, the following comments were made about UK universities in the 21st century:

“It takes me more time to process the students graded assessments than to actually mark them”.

“Students study to pass exams, no longer to study a discipline”

“Universities have become so defensive about marking that a considerable bureaucracy has built up”.

“Few students will read the material on the reading list, relying instead on handouts or PowerPoint slides”

“The lack of attention span and focus from students is an ongoing concern, with teachers placed under pressure often for the shortcomings of their students”.

“Many universities have shifted their focus towards student satisfaction at the expense of academic quality”

“Many students receive pass grades for sub-par work simply because academics are being repeatedly placed under the spotlight for their students’ poor performances”

“When in doubt about a mark, always give the higher option. You won’t get paid more for the time wasted if the student complains, so just make them happy and move on”