We're back with all the latest early careers news!

Sep 13, 2022

After an extended summer break, The Milkround is back in business!

It's been a busy summer for me: we've had some big announcements at work (more on that below), The 93% Club has been going from strength to strength and I've been juggling a lot of commitments. If there's one thing I've learned from doing this newsletter, it's that it takes a lot of time to stay across all the news in the market!

To make my life just a little easier, I've launched a new form so you can send in articles you think I should cover. Whether it's an announcement from your organisation, or just something you've seen on LinkedIn, please take the time to share and it could end up in front of our community of over 300 early careers professionals, university careers consultants and recruitment industry suppliers. As long as it's early careers, anything goes!

Happy reading,
Sam

In case you were also on your summer hols, here's what you missed:

🗞️ The Big Summer Roundup

Widening access: PwC has joined the growing number of large employers, including Accenture and EY, who have scrapped their entry requirements for graduates. The BBC reports that they will no longer ask students to gain a 2:1 classification in order to join the company.
All the A-Levels: Results week always creates headlines around attainment, inequality and the changing face of education. Want a quick summary of all this year’s developments? The Guardian serves up five graphs that give you everything you need to know, all in one place.
Changing places: The number of school leavers heading to university has fallen for the first time since 2012, when £9,000 fees were introduced. The Times pointed out that apprenticeship places at Deloitte are now more competitive than degree places at Oxford.
First signs of slowdown: The fintech firm Revolut has made headline news in the FT after they revoked offers to some graduates due to 'changing business needs'. The impending economic downturn threatens almost every sectors and has many worried about impacts to early careers hiring.
A new kind of degree: The education company Multiverse (disclaimer: also my employer) has become the first apprenticeship training provider to be granted the power to award its own degrees. The Guardian noted that the OfS are considering whether to award powers to other private providers too, in what has been widely seen as a major shift in the higher education landscape.
Open for submissions: The head of the Institute of Student Employers has shared on LinkedIn that the organisation's annual recruitment survey will this year be open to all employees in order to attract more responses. The results will be available to any firm that submits a response.
Winning teams: The In-house Recruitment Awards announced their 2022 finalists, with 11 employers being shortlisted in the category for best Early Careers Initiative - including some brilliant work by NatWest, Jaguar Land Rover and indeed my very own campaign with NCR (Sorry, I’m too proud of my team not to mention them!)
Latest trend: If you're on LinkedIn, you won't have missed the heated discussion about 'quiet quitting', the trend of employees refusing to put in extra work or hours. The AFR shares this insight on why younger workers should stay the course.

🤿 DEEP DIVE

Latest research: Teachers want to promote alternatives to university, they just don’t know how

PLMR and teacher survey app, Teacher Tapp, released their latest research on the opinions of teachers on universities and apprenticeships. The study of more than 5,000 teachers is the first of its kind in the UK.
The headline finding is the insightful revelation that, whilst almost 70% of teachers agreed that ‘apprenticeships provide excellent future opportunities for students’, only 26% feel confident advising students about how to find an apprenticeship.
By stark contrast, the vast majority (more than 90%) feel confident giving advice on applying to university. This has led to nearly half (49%) of teachers reporting that they have supported students applying to university despite thinking that may not be the route with the best chance of success for them.
The results have led many education and careers leaders to weigh in that the industry isn’t doing enough to support teachers with providing advice. The CEO of the Confederation of School Trusts, Leora Cruddas, noted that ‘as the drive for more young people to take up apprenticeships accelerates, it’s critical schools and Trusts have the knowledge and confidence to give meaningful advice.’
What it means for you: If you’re one of the many early careers professionals finding it hard to recruit the right apprentices, don’t underestimate the advice gap that exists in schools. Could we be doing more to provide teachers with the right advice on this critical post-18 option?

💭 THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

“One of the challenges – for governments, employers and organisations like UCAS – is to really match some of that demand in years ahead and give parity to some of those options alongside the traditional three-year undergraduate degree.” - Clare Marchant, Chief Executive of UCAS, in The Independent.

🔥 HOT JOBS

The charity MyBigCareer are on the hunt for their next CEO, could you be the one? You can be based anywhere in the UK and earn up to £65k - Apply
The gaming company Activision Blizzard King are looking to hire their next Early Careers Manager to cover the EMEA and APAC region - Apply
Mat cover: Recruitment agency Bruin are advertising for an Early Careers Manager for an investment firm on a one-year contract in London - Apply
The multinational conglomerate Marsh McLennan are hiring an Early Careers Recruiter to manage a 70-80 role pipeline - Apply

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