The Trouble With Uni

Has the current employment market made going to University redundant?
With large scale unemployment spreading across the UK, and thousands of
University leavers left without jobs, radio documentary “The Trouble With
Uni” explores whether being a graduate is enough to get a job.

Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/

The Labour Party had an aspiration that half of all school leavers would go on to higher education. However with unemployment figures amongst young people hitting a record high 1 million, we must wonder if having more graduates is really a viable solution, or if young adults should be encouraged to pursue any available jobs straight out of college.

“The Trouble With Uni” is a journey through London, recorded from the viewpoints of employees and employers alike to try and bridge the gap and find out what qualities and advantages one needs to find a job in this current economic climate. More specifically, if having a university degree really does put you in a better position to enter the world
of work.

In July 2011 there were 1.56 million people claiming Job Seekers Allowance, a figure which has been increasing by approximately 37,000 people a month. Parallel to this, last year saw a record number of students applying to Universities; meaning that while the number of graduates is rising, so is the number of people unable to find work.

While University students are paying thousands of pounds for a degree (an amount which will only be increasing as of September 2012), college leavers have a three year head start on their classmates who pursued higher education, when it comes to seeking employment. The question is, who stands a better chance of getting a job. There was a time when acquiring a degree was something special, now however, with so many different universities, courses and different degrees being awarded every year, it is possible that employers have now started to look for something other than this generic qualification?

 

To find out more about unemployment statistics in the UK visit National Statistics Online.

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Bernie: The Battered Face Of Hublot

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is the new face of Hublot, black eye and all.

Bernie Ecclestone, picture from wareground.com

After being attacked by four men on 25th November for his Hublot watch, Bernie Ecclestone sent pictures of his battered face to the Swiss watch boss.

Alongside the picture, he enclosed a note which read: “See what people will do for a Hublot”. The very same dark humoured message now fronts the advert for Hublot, accompanied by the battered face of Mr Ecclestone.

Mark Ritson, Marketing Week columnist says that this original advert will ensure Hublot’s advertising stand out from the “boring, product based, generic tat”.

The advert has since come under some fire for being distasteful and “insensitive” with regards to victims of crime. A Victim Support spokesman however told the BBC: “Everyone reacts differently to crime. It appears Bernie Ecclestone can make light of the incident and get on with his life”.

Mr Ecclestone was mugged last month outside his office in Central London. Regarding the incident, he said: “I can understand people wanting to rob me when they are poor and they want some things for the kids with Christmas coming along, but what they did was unnecessary”.

Britain: A Nation Of Idiots.

As the World Education Rankings have been published, it appears Britain is falling behind their foreign peers in maths, reading and science.

Pisa rankings have revealed that Britain is ranked 28th in Maths and 25th in Reading. Shanghai-China is ranked first in the world for education while the US did not manage to make the top 30 cut in maths.

It appears in the last three years Britain have fallen behind counries such as Estonia, Norway and Iceland.

According to the 2009 Programme for Internation Student Assessment, Britain has fallen from 17th in 2006 to 25th among reading skills for 15-year-olds. Commenting on these rankings, Andreas Schleicher, head of the Pisa programme said: “I think the picture is stagnant at best, whearas many other countries have seen quite significant improvement”.

Secretary for education Michael Gove said there will be another “pisa shock” if we do not focus on tighening school regulations such as dicipline and seek to raise “the prestige of the teaching proffesion”.

The study reveals that 18.5% of Britain’s 15-year-olds are operating below reccomended reading levels which could pose problematic in aquiring further education and getting a job.

Problems also extend to Wales who are performing worse than any home nation in all core subjects. Education experts blamed a “whole system failure” for Wales and Education Minister Leighton Andrews has said that schools are simply “not delivering”.

To view the full list click here.

Baywatch Babe Given “Naked” Body Scan.

Donna D'Errico. Picture from http://www.hecklerspray.com

Former Baywatch actress claims to have been singled out for “naked” body scan for being attractive.

Donna D’Errico was left “outraged” after being told to pass through the full body scanner at LAX International Airport. The actress believes she was targeted by TSA security for being attractive. The actress and former Playboy model says she felt humiliated by the airport security.

Ms D’Erric said: “It is my personal belief that they pulled me aside because they thought I was attractive”. The guard had picked her out of line in Los Angeles and ordered her to go through the “naked” scanner.

The body scanners are used to detect hidden objects a passenger may be carrying under their clothes and in doing so leave very little to the imagination.

“After the search, I noticed that the male TSA agent who had pulled me out of line was smiling and whispering with two other TSA agents and glancing at me. I was outraged” she said.

The new checks have come under criticism for their invasive nature however the TSA has defended them, claiming they are necessary to protect America from terrorist threats.

‘My boyfriend looks much more like a terrorist than either I or my son do, and he went through security with no problems,’ she claimed. While the former actress is uncertain whether the guards recognised her, she insists she was singled out for being attractive.

“It isn’t right to hide behind the veil of security and safety in order to take advantage of women, or even men for that matter” D’Errico added. The TSA however stand by the safety measures and deny the claims made by the former actress.

Firefighters unite against spending cuts

Firefighters brought their fight against spending cuts to Westminster yesterday. Firebrigade units from across the country attended a parliamentary lobby in hope of forcing MPs against further cuts on the frontline which has already eroded their ability to respond efficiently, The Firebirgade Union announced. 

 

The Firebrigade Union (FBU) says that the new “modernisation” agenda has created worse services.

MPs, union representatives and parliamentary support groups spoke at the conference yesterday morning. The general consesnsus, I saw, was to unite the union in a fight against the government.

Increased buearaucracy and cheif fire officers are getting more funding while the government wants to cut spending among the frontline.

What the cuts mean

 

A 25-40% cut in the firebrigae’s budget means that:

•  10,000 jobs will be axed,
• Pay freezes over the next two years will ultimately result in pay cuts

“Tough times” call for redundancies and station closures for a more efficient force.