The knock-on effect of Brexit on career opportunities
With the once distant idea of Brexit fast becoming a reality, concerns over the future of the current labour market have grown. For young people, the impact on the job market presents a lot to be worried about, particularly with the threat of large firms moving their offices to Europe. Giving rise to the gig economy, Brexit means young people face increased job insecurity, resulting in potentially hugely damaging consequences. Whilst there’s no way of perfectly determining what will happen, it’s not all doom and gloom for those starting out in their career – Sharon Walpole, Director of www.Careermap.co.uk, has identified the potential good, the bad and the ugly impacts of Brexit on the labour market… Apprenticeships Change doesn’t have to be all bad, in fact 2019 marks a big year for apprenticeships as they are expected to be boosted after Britain’s exit from the European Union. Indeed, whilst the 2017 levy that was introduced by the Government has led to a decline in the total amount of people taking up apprenticeships and a huge strain has been placed on smaller businesses, the quality of apprenticeships has risen greatly. By 2020, The Apprenticeship Levy has promised to create 3 million apprenticeship starts, equipping more young Brits with the opportunity to earn whilst they learn. As a result, there has been a rise in the number of those applying for the new high-quality apprenticeship courses as businesses are desperately looking for more highly skilled workers to replace the departing Europeans. Additionally, the opportunity to build a better career within businesses means that retention and motivation within the workplace is expected to improve. With tuition fees putting so many off university, this is a perfect opportunity to explore what apprenticeships are on offer. Take this time to explore Further Education and School Leaver Programmes as many even offer you the chance to earn yourself a degree or vocational qualification without the student debt. What about my degree? With the decline in attractiveness and reputation of the UK after a possible hard Brexit, there is much concern over the loss of funding for humanities and social sciences due to the financial impact that the loss of international students will have. With the expansion of Higher Education into businesses, it has been suggested that whilst The Russell Group will face the biggest economic loss from a decline in international students, they will be given greater support, meaning smaller institutions will lose out. Alongside this, universities could lose their research opportunities abroad, as well as the ability to participate in collaborative funding. However, a decrease in students can also be positive for UK students as they will be given greater opportunities to benefit from smaller numbers on their course, giving them the ability to build better relationships with lecturers and build better skills for the future. Travel European students currently studying in the UK face a race against time to complete their education as the costs of studying are likely to increase. An end to the free movement of people means that immigrants will no longer have the same privileges as British citizens and this works similarly with Britons studying abroad, damaging job prospects as well as access to education and services. Additionally, the potential scrapping of the EU’s student exchange scheme, ERASMUS, means that young Britons won’t have nearly the same travel opportunities to live and work abroad as older generations had. This can lead to a generation largely closed off from the international world, eliminating opportunities for international friendships and impacting chances in the job market. This does not meant that equivalent schemes cannot be established however, as UK universities will still have strong relationships with European universities, so all might not be lost.
Advice for students after receiving their GCSE results
Deciding what you want to do after your GCSE results can be a tough choice, and you might not even know what career path you want to head down just yet, so making decisions on A Levels and further education can be hugely overwhelming. The key is to keep your options open and throw yourself into everything; nothing needs to be set in stone just yet. Below is some advice to help you navigate your way through this tricky period from Sharon Walpole, Director at www.careermap.co.uk… Gain some hands-on experience As part of your school curriculum you’ll be given the opportunity to do work experience, which usually involves spending a week shadowing members of staff as they go about their jobs. This is a great chance for networking so put some effort into finding a worthwhile placement; think about what sort of work interests you and what kind of environment you might want to work in. Don’t panic if you have no idea what career path you want to take yet, this is the perfect time to try new things out, discover what you like and what’s not right for you. It can sometimes be tricky to secure work experience so make sure you’re flexible and open to trying different things; your placement may not be your dream job but it can give you valuable experience or help you get your foot in the door. Make use of your school’s advice and careers services as well as your family, as they may be able to put you in touch with potential contacts. Remember, to secure the most lucrative opportunities, you must be proactive: make phone calls and email out your CV, for example, as the more positions you apply for the greater your chance of being successful. Throw yourself into all things extra-curricular A great way to develop essential skills for your CV (and personal statement if you end up going to university) is through extra-curricular activities. Whether it’s debating to enhance your communication, or sports to improve your team-working abilities, it all counts. Not only that, but this is also a great opportunity to meet new people, find out what you enjoy and work out where your strengths lie. Take a step back A Levels aren’t for everyone, so don’t feel pressured into staying in school if you already have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. Whilst aspiring doctors and vets will have to get the grades, there are plenty of apprenticeship schemes – from engineering to accounting – available that might be a better fit for you. Apprenticeships and vocational qualifications such as BTECs and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) can be done alongside A Levels, or even instead of, and they focus on the practical side of the working world, meaning that you can put what you already know into action. Apprenticeships even give you the opportunity to be paid around £170 per week, meaning that you can start earning early on, and get a head start into the concept of ‘adult life’ from an early age. Be sure to do your research into all the alternative options out there to find the best choice for you. If you change your mind about higher education later on, you can apply to university with your level 3 NVQ qualification or your BTEC results. Think it through If you’ve decided A Levels are the route you want to take, think about the relevance of your chosen subjects to your future. If you’re unsure what you want to do later on, keep your subjects varied, but if you know which area you want to go in to, then it’s important that you pick subjects relevant to the topic. Employers are crying out for those with more technical skills in maths and sciences as these jobs tend to not be too oversubscribed. Take this into account if you have a flair for these subjects, and perhaps consider a language if this is something you enjoy as it’ll make your CV stand out a little more. More information on what to do following your GCSE results can be found in the Careermap Results Day Guide: careermap.co.uk
Career advice for pupils interested in animal care
Offering career advice in diverse subjects is not an easy task – particularly in a field as specialised as animal care. We all know you have to be a big animal lover to do the job but this isn’t the only factor – there are many fields of knowledge which pupils may not have considered that are integral to the role. Learning the scientific details of animal care will take a lot of study, but the rewards will be great. Whether students approach this field through a university degree or learn on the job, they will need to consider the technological and biological side to providing the best possible care for animals, so need to prepare themselves for a lot of hard work! Read on so you can gen up on zooology career advice and help pupils learn about some different elements to working with animals that they may have not yet considered… What should I study? Some important areas of study that will help prepare you for your career are: • Habitat and acute temperature and humidity control • Food and medication preparation • Animal psychological and physical health Because of this, at school and college you should be prepared the study subjects outside the realms of zoology, such as: • Biology • Anatomy • Physiology • Areas that may help with presentation and confidence in public speaking, such as drama, can be a useful secondary subject as you will need to present information and lecture on topics, not to mention communicate well with colleagues and animal owners if you work in the veterinary arena. Regulating the temperature of habitats Animals can be extremely picky about the temperature of their home. Without a comfortable temperature, they could have their growth stunted, or worse, could die. One of the many tasks a zookeeper must be able to do is observing animals for signs of heat stress. As hard as you might try to replicate the outside world, an enclosure in a zoo is never going to perfectly mirror an animal’s natural habitat. The enclosure must therefore be adapted to suit a number of needs, such as humidity, ventilation, and temperature control. Keeping an eye on health and happiness Some of the animals that come under your care will inevitably be unwell and unhappy. Sometimes, you will need to care for animals who are in poor health, be it physically or psychologically. This can be one of the more trying aspects of this career, and certainly something you will want to back up with plenty of knowledge and studying. • Being able to spot symptoms — like with heat stress, a zookeeper must know what warning signs to look out for and report them to the necessary veterinarians. At higher levels, zookeepers and animal carers are expected to be able to spot trends in poor health and create a treatment plan. • Administering medication and treatment — adding medication to food may be simple, but there are also much more complex treatments that higher-level zookeepers may need to perform. • More complicated medical procedures — assisting during medical procedures may also be required, such as observing vital signs and handling the animal. Caring considerations for mammals Temperature can affect different animal groups in different ways. For mammals, signs of heat stress can be different than with reptiles: they share the panting, but can also become anxious or start to drool. It can become difficult to regulate temperature when shelter houses have a door open at all times to allow the animals out into their paddocks for fresh air and more space. As well as making heating the house difficult, this can also make it inefficient, as the building will often have the heating running when no animal is indoors to need it. These heaters would therefore be left running 24 hours a day in the winter, regardless of the animal being present to require it. Movement sensors do not help, as the heaters would turn off when the animal settles down to sleep or stops moving to rest during the day. A more efficient way of regulating the temperature is by using smart-sensor temperature control technology, which senses the presence of body heat from the animal. If the animal leaves the enclosure to head outside, the heating turns off. If it returns in, even if it isn’t moving during rest, the heater will stay on. The physical and mental wellbeing will be the most important part of your job and understanding how temperature can affect these things I essential. You’ll want to knuckle down on your science studies to achieve this! Caring considerations for reptiles Temperature regulation is also incredibly important for the wellbeing of reptiles. Despite loving the sun, reptiles are still susceptible to heat-stress. Symptoms in reptiles include lethargy, lack of appetite, and rapid breathing. Reptiles are very attuned and reliant upon the temperature of their environment. Prevention of heat stress is an important consideration, the installation of a suitable air conditioning unit is a great place to start. New technology around temperature regulation is being tested all the time in zoos. For example, at Paignton Zoo, they welcomed the public-vote named Khaleesi, a Komodo dragon at the end of 2018. As the largest species of lizard in the world, its temperature and basking needs are a little different. With this in mind, the zoo is using a new heating and lighting system that deploys multiple heat sources and lighting spots with different heat levels emitted. The system allows staff to control the temperature at different spots within the enclosure, encouraging Khaleesi to move around the space throughout the day to gain exercise. The importance of diet and nutrition Different food types have varying effects on animals. For example, did you know that while bearded dragons need dark, leafy greens as part of a healthy diet, they shouldn’t be fed spinach — one of the most well-known dark, leafy greens! The wide range of nutritional knowledge,