Information about University applications for a 2015 start

The Guardian has reported on new figures published by UCAS which have revealed a narrowing gap between the rich and poor going to university and a widening gap between males and females.

In England alone 100,000 more women than men have applied to go to university this year. It is thought that men are 36% less likely to apply to university than women. This gap has continued to widen since the 1900s.

As for the affluence of people applying to university, it appears that a record number of 18 year olds from low income households have applied to university this year, up 2% from last year.

18 year olds from low income households now account for 21% of applicants, narrowing the higher education gap between rich and poor.

What’s more, the total number of people applying to university has seen an overall increase from this time last year of 2%.

Mary Curnock Cook, Chief Executive of UCAS commented, “Demand for UK higher education, notably from younger people and from EU countries, has continued to rise in 2015. It is heartening to see the gap between rich and poor continue to narrow.

“Nevertheless, demand has grown more slowly this year and has fallen for mature students. This perhaps reflects improved employment prospects in the UK.”

Business secretary, Vince Cable said, “There were many who said the reform of student finance would discourage young people from going to university. The opposite has occurred; numbers have grown, in particular those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Our reforms now also mean universities are well funded for the future. At the same time, we have expanded vocational training, particularly apprenticeships, which have reached two million. This is a record to be celebrated.”

Link to article: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jan/30/low-income-students-likely-apply-university-ucas

Tesco's Commercial Trainee Programme

Looking at your career options? Not sure university is the right path for you?

We know the next step isn’t an easy one, lots of choices available to you, but which one do you take? Everyone has an opinion on what’s right for you. Know you’re ready for the challenge of work, want to earn a decent salary, but want a job and opportunity that can develop into a career?

This could be the one for you... Tesco’s Commercial Trainee Programme which has been developed this year, has 30 places for ambitious A level students to join the Commercial function in Head Office, as either a Trainee Buyer or Trainee Merchandiser. This isn’t an easy option, it’s a fast paced environment where you’ll be stretched and developed to your full potential. It’ll be challenging but the rewards and long term career opportunities are first class.

So what does a buyer and merchandiser do?

When you go into a store to buy your favourite product, somewhere in a head office a buyer will have created and developed that product as part of a range. Buyers identify key trends, make commercial decisions, and develop product specifications, to ensure a product is fit for purpose. Travelling locally and internationally to work with the best suppliers to get the right price for the customer. So whether its fashion and clothing that sets your pulse racing or it’s the latest console and gaming innovation, you could be part of a team that ensures our customers get to buy the products they want, at the right price.

More interested in the business side of the team, want to control the purse strings and make decisions that affect profit and margin. What to decide how big that range is, the volumes we buy from the suppliers and which suppliers to use, then Merchandising is where your strengths could lie. You could be managing million pound accounts in just a couple of years, making key decisions that drive the growth of Tesco.

The Commercial Trainee Programme is a structured programme in which you can join the business as a Trainee and develop your career to be a senior member of the team as either a Buyer or a Merchandiser, specialising in any of the product areas that Tesco sell from Food to Fashion, from Sports Equipment to Game Consoles. The programme will ensure you get the training, development and support to reach your true potential.

Tesco has a history of developing leaders from within the business, and many of the Senior Leaders started on one of the entry level programmes. Tesco has for a number of years operated a Stores Development Programme which coupled with the apprenticeship opportunities, has enabled young people to start their retail career within an environment which offers immediate challenges, rapid progression and a lasting career with Britain's number one retailer.

Building upon this success, Tesco have developed this entry level opportunities within the commercial Function to ensure talented, driven and commercially aware individuals have the opportunity to get on at Tesco in an exciting and fast paced career.

"These opportunities are at the heart of our business – the commercial team are fundamentally the people who decide what products go on the shelves and bring the customers into the stores."

We are looking for bright individuals, who have a passion for retail and understand product. You will need to be able to put these two attributes together in a commercial way, thinking about the customer, keeping them at the ‘heart of what we do’. You will also need to be numerical, able to process data, organised and a logical thinker. Tesco is a dynamic and fast paced environment, and would suit those who are able to challenge themselves on a daily basis.

So if you have 240 UCAS points and are looking to get started in the work place, then this opportunity could be where your career starts.

Application Process

• Stage 1: Online Application

• Stage 2:Telephone Interview

• Stage 3: Online verbal and numerical reasoning tests

• Stage 4: Assessment Centre

Start dates:

• June 2012

• October 2012

Location

• Welwyn Garden City in Herts for Clothing and General Merchandising opportunities

• Cheshunt in Herts for opportunities in Food buying.

Want to know more, details about the programme and how to apply can be found at:

http://www.tesco-careers.com/Commercial-Development-Programme

UCAS Application Deadlines

It is essential that all students who are thinking about applying to university for 2012 entry do so within the internal deadlines set by the college.  The closing date for applications (for standard courses) is to have paperwork submitted by the 4th November, unless you wish to apply for medicine, veterinary medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, or any course at Cambridge or Oxford.  In the case of these courses, see the deadlines below. 

The college deadlines ensure that applications are submitted in plenty of time, and long before the UCAS deadlines.  This will ensure you have the greatest chance of a fair consideration of your application and in plenty of time before decisions are made.

There are actually three UCAS application deadlines for entry onto 2012 courses - 15 October, 15 January and 24 March - it is important that you check the deadline for your chosen courses. Applications can include courses for a mixture of closing dates but the correct deadline must be adhered to for equal consideration to be guaranteed.


The deadlines mean that universities and colleges guarantee to equally consider applications received by these dates:

15 October - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses and for all courses at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
15 January - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all courses except those listed above with a 15 October deadline, and art and design courses with a 24 March deadline. Check the ‘Course information’ screens on Course Search to find out if art and design courses have a 15 January or 24 March deadline.
24 March - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for art and design courses except those listed with a 15 January deadline. Check the ‘Course information’ screens on Course Search to find out if art and design courses have a 15 January or 24 March deadline or go to www.ucas.com/students/applying/whentoapply  to view a list of courses with the 24 March deadline

Closed courses – if, after the application deadline (15 October, 15 January or 24 March) has passed, universities and colleges have received enough applications for any of their courses, the Universities will be able to close them. This will prevent applicants, who are making applications after the deadline has passed, from wasting one of their choices.

Careers Department

Youtube's UCAS Online facility...

For all students who are looking for help with their applications to University, the UCAS website is a fantastic source of information.  However, are you also aware of...

1. UCAS TV this is a collection of instructional films you can watch to help answer niggling questions that are preventing you from progressing your application - be sure to click on the "Students" tag above the viewing panel to search through relevant films once you are on this site.
2. Youtube's UCAS Online facility enables you to watch more short films to help you through the process, and even includes some films from individual universities with direct advice from individual departments.

Good luck, Careers Department

2011 University intake likely to be more competitive than ever - do you have a back-up plan?

For those students considering applying to university entry in 2011, please take a look at the BBC article on the attached link (click here).

NOW, more than ever before, you should be thinking about back-up plans for your time after Long Road Sixth Form.  The number of students failing to get a place at university in 2010 increased from a quarter to nearly a third, and many of those will be applying for 2011 entry.  Not only does this increase the competition facing applicants, but this competition is likely to be boosted to even tighter margins next year as more students try to gain a place ahead of Government plans to allow the rise of student fees in 2012.

In short, those who are most likely to succeed in the future are those students who either gain a place at university, or who have thought through and arranged good, solid back-up plans.

If you need help considering alternatives, you can come and arrange an interview with a Connexions Personal Adviser in the Careers Department.

Remember, "Nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan."

DON'T BE ONE OF THOSE LEFT IN THE COLD.