When they were up they were up. When they were down they were down….

Universities have agreed that the number of candidates awarded first class degrees and 2:1s should be drastically reduced. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jul/05/proportion-of-top-degree-grades-in-england-could-fall-by-nearly-25 Universities UK and GuildHE, bodies representing institutions across the higher education sector, have jointly announced plans to return to pre-pandemic award grade levels. It's reported that the proportion of top degree grades awarded to undergraduates inEngland … Continue reading When they were up they were up. When they were down they were down…. →

The looming recession, young workers and young NEETs

Rates for UK youth unemployment have been falling sharply since the end of the pandemic. At the height of Covid just over 1 in 7 (13.7%) of the 16-24 age group were recorded as jobless. This had fallen to 10.6% for the first quarter of this year. Young people were the group worst affected by … Continue reading The looming recession, young workers and young NEETs →

Stagflation – young people even more likely to be affected.

It’s now widely predicted that the economy will enter a prolonged period of ‘stagflation’- where rising prices and slow, or even negative economic growth exist simultaneously. But it’s rising prices ( the 'cost of living crisis') that currently receive most of the attention.  Studies show that a consequence of the current inflation is the widening … Continue reading Stagflation – young people even more likely to be affected. →

‘Going solo’ – young people and self employment.

Often encouraged to demonstrate they are part of a new entrepreneurial culture, students and school-leavers invariably see self-employment as a route to both a high income and greater personal freedom. ONS analysis shows one in five (21%) 16- to 21-year-olds say it is likely they will be self-employed at some point in the future. In 1975, … Continue reading ‘Going solo’ – young people and self employment. →

Post-16 Educator 107 out now

The following articles are available, but please consider a subscription http://post16educator.org.uk/ Nuala Burgess'The market, sixth-formers and post-school choosing'Nuala Burgess looks at who wins and who loses. Martin Allen'Curriculum alternatives'Martin Allen investigates how the relation between vocational and academic courses has developed over time. Carol Azumah Dennis and Mel Green'bell hooks, 1952-2021 writer, activist, teacher: an … Continue reading Post-16 Educator 107 out now →

Review. A new technical elite?

Education, Skills and Social Justice in a Polarising World: Between Technical Elites and Welfare Vocationalism (Routledge Research in Vocational Education) Does the emergence of new advanced and higher-level qualifications constitute a break from traditional conceptions of vocational education – which since its emergence in the 1980s, has been associated with both educational failure and providing … Continue reading Review. A new technical elite? →

No mention of young people in the Spring Statement

The group most hit by the financial crisis and then, a decade later by Covid, young people are the most certain to be hit by increases in the cost of living. More than any other section of the population, their wages have failed to keep pace with inflation (under 21s already experienced a 20% fall … Continue reading No mention of young people in the Spring Statement →

Youth unemployment falls but the NEETs remain.

UK Labour market data released this week, for Nov- Jan 2022, shows UK unemployment estimated at 3.9%, 0.2 percentage points lower than the previous three-month period, and returning to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. There are now nearly as many vacancies as there are people unemployed (1.34 million).  But the UK economic inactivity rate is estimated at … Continue reading Youth unemployment falls but the NEETs remain. →