Employment opportunities

Professional development: Further education and training, full-time degrees, part-time degrees, foundation
degrees, bachelor degrees, master degrees, work experience, training on the job, skills analysis (Personal skills,
technology skills, personal development plan), sources of information, trade unions and careers services

Transferable skills: Personal attributes, knowledge and skills, commitment, efficiency, reliability, attendance and
punctuality, self-presentation and functional skills (ICT, Mathematics, English), time management and personal
responsibility

Further education and training – Further education in

the UK is defined as education below the level of a university
degree that takes place after Students have finished School.
The levels of further education 16 to 19 year olds can do is
level 2 and level 3. A Levels, BTECs, higher national diploma
(HND) and foundation degrees are examples of further
education. Foundation degrees can be taken at Colleges or
Universities. After leaving School, Students can do
apprenticeships through Colleges or they can just apply for
an apprenticeship if a company is looking for an apprentice.
Jobs will usually require training before you get the job and this may be in the form of work experience. For
example, Teachers will have to have experience with teaching Students before they become a Teacher.

Full-time degree – A full-time degree is where someone works for a degree that is described as full-time, which
usually means working from 9am until 5pm and working all the week days. For example, the Open University says
that people studying full-time courses will need to study between 32 to 36 hours per week, which is close to
typical full time working hours. Most postgraduate courses are studied full-time by Students who are continuing
studying after they have completed a first degree. Some PhDs, especially in sciences are full time. Foundation
degrees, Master’s degrees, Bachelor’s degrees and PhD’s are examples of degrees that can be studied full-time.

Part-time degree – There are part-time degrees out there and they are good
for those who want to do a job whilst studying. If you are an international
student, unless you are already living in the UK and are not dependent on your
study to continue doing so, you may find you cannot get a visa to attend a part-
time programme where study takes place for less than a specific number of hours
each week. For example, the Open University says that people studying part-time
courses will need between 16 to 18 hours a week of study. Courses in Nursing,
Political and Social Sciences, Psychology and Mathematics are some examples of
what can be studied part-time.

Foundation degree – A foundation degree is at Level 5 and it is equivalent to the first two years of a Bachelor's
degree. Foundation degrees are defined as combining academic and workplace skills. Taking a full-time foundation
degree tends to take two years and it will take even longer if someone is doing a foundation degree part-time.
There are no set entry requirements for foundation degrees on the national level, however it is likely that
someone wanting to do a foundation degree should have a level 3 qualification. Some people who have completed
foundation degrees may go on to do an Honours Degree and some go straight into employment.

Bachelor's degree – A Bachelor's degree is at level 6 and it is a degree that can give qualifications such as a
bachelor of arts (BA), bachelor of science (BSc), Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Engineering (BEng)
and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or bachelor of medicine (MB). Bachelor degrees tend to contain a mixture of exams
and coursework. They typically take three or four years to complete if you do them full-time however medical
Bachelor degrees can take longer. Bachelor degrees can be studied part-time. There are six grades you can get
for a Bachelor's degree and they are first, upper-second (2:1), lower second (2:2), third, pass and fail. If you
receive a third or above, then you get a Bachelor's degree with honours.

Master’s degree – A Master’s degree is a level 7 qualification and it is higher than a Bachelor’s degree. Master’s
degrees are designed for those who are experts in a field they are studying and a Students will probably have to
write a thesis. Full-time Master’s degrees tend to take between one or two years to study and part-time degrees
tend to take between two and four years. The Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MSc) are the most
common types of Master’s degrees and other types of Master’s degrees include LLM (Master of Laws), MArch
(Master of Architecture), MBA (Master of Business Administration), MEd (Master of Education), MEng
(Master of Engineering), MFA (Master of Fine Arts), MLitt (Master of Letters), MMus (Master of
Music), MPhil (Master of Philosophy) MRes (Master of Research) and MSt (Master of Studies).

Master’s degrees can be taught or research-based. Taught Master’s degrees tend to consist of lectures, seminars
and practical assignments, with work assessed through exams, essays, dissertations and group projects. Students
are encouraged to work independently but they do receive close tutor support. When it comes to research
Master’s degrees, Students are expected to actively and independently learn by producing a thesis on one
particular topic, which takes up around 60% of the student's overall time. Programmes involve little to no in-class
teaching, but guidance is provided by an appointed supervisor.

Work experience – Work experience is defined as a young person

spending a short period of time in a workplace doing some form of work
and the aim is to see what it is like to do the kind of work they are doing.
Secondary School Students do a week of work experience in year 10 in
places such as Schools and Supermarkets but they do small roles such as
cleaning and printing. Internships are a form of work experience, except
people doing internships do work that within a company or organisation
that will give them skills for the career they want.

If an intern is classed as a Worker, then they must receive at least the national minimum wage. Set hours, duties
or responsibilities are some factors of a Worker but if you’re working for a registered charity, on a sandwich
placement that is part of a higher education course, work shadowing or undertaking work experience as part of
“Back to Work”, or similar schemes with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) then you will not be
entitled to payment.
Training on the job – This is when an experienced member of Staff of a
company or organisation gives training to future Employees of the company
or organisation in that workplace. The trainer will show the Trainees what
to do in the job and they will supervise them. The Trainer will tell the
Trainee if they have made any errors whilst

doing work which will be given by feedback. A good thing about training on
the job for the Trainee is that the training may make them feel more
integrated in the workplace rather than them learning the skills needed for
the job from another place. On the job training is financially effective for the company since the Trainee is
working while learning. However, if a company or organisation uses an external Trainer to train Trainees, then
this may not go well as the Trainer may be unaware of the company or organisation’s system.

Skills analysis – A skills analysis is an evaluation of skills needed for a project. A skills analysis should feature
information such as what the required skills for the project are, what skills the people in the project have and
what level they are at, whether the people in the project have the skills required, think about potential skill gaps
that may occur in the future and what can be done to gain the skills needed. At different stages in the project, the
people involved should look back. Each job has different skills and skill levels but it is good to have basic skills such
as communication skills, problem solving skills, IT skills, financial skills and organisational skills.

Personal development planning is the process of creating an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection,
goal-setting and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship or for
self-improvement. A personal development plan (PDP) typically includes the person’s aspirations, strengths or
competencies, education and training. A PDP might also include may also include a statement of one's priorities
for their career and lifestyle.

Sources of information – It is very

important that people get information
on how to pursue a career. There are
websites out there which provide
information on the qualifications
needed for jobs, how to train for them
and skills needed for those jobs. UCAS
is an organisation that processes
applications for higher education.

The UCAS official website provides

information such as job descriptions,
the skills needed for a job and what
qualifications you should have for that
job. Prospects is an organisation who that provides information on graduate careers and on their official website,
they provide information such as job profiles, responsibilities within jobs, salaries, working hours, skills required in
jobs and qualifications needed for jobs. Gov.uk also provides information on the skills and qualifications needed to
get into a job, what the work would be like, the pay you could expect and what the career prospects are.
Trade unions – Trade unions are defined as organisations that
consist of workers and union leaders, who unite to protect and
promote their common interests. Trade unions do roles such as
negotiating agreements with Employers on pay and conditions,
discuss Members' concerns with Employers and providing Members
with legal and financial advice. If an organisation employees over 20
people, then a union can apply for what’s called statutory recognition
so that their Employer will recognise them. To do this, they must
apply to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) and they will
grant the union recognition if they meet the requirements.

Careers services – Universities and Colleges should have a service for Students where they can give advice on
careers. A careers service at a University or College may provide advice for Students on how to get the job that
they want and organise events related to careers. There are job centres in the UK that can be found in multiple
places around the country. Job centres provide advice on finding a job and they also provide advertisements from
people who are looking for new Employees. Jobcentre Plus is a British government funded service that aims to
help people of working age find employment in the UK.

Personal attributes – An attribute is a quality or characteristic of a person, place or thing. Personal attributes
are character traits or personality traits. Some examples of personal attributes include being ambitious,
cooperative, logical, compassionate, focused, independent, organised, patient and a good listener. Some examples
of personal attributes that Employers values are confidence, proactivity, resilience, adaptability and positivity. The
reason why Employers want someone who is adaptable is because you can adapt well to the way a company or
organisation functions. The reason why Employers want someone who is positive is because if you are negative,
then you will come across as unenthusiastic, which is bad for a company or organisation.

Knowledge and skills – Knowledge is defined as facts,

information, and skills acquired through experience or education
and the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. The
ADDIE model is an instructional systems design (ISD) framework
that instructional Designers and training Developers use to
develop courses. The five phases are analysis, design, development,
implementation, and evaluation. Skills are defined as ability to do
something well and they can be gained through experience and this
is what happens when training for jobs and doing work experience.
People can have different levels of skills like for example different
people may have different levels of Photoshop skills meaning the
person who has better Photoshop skills knows more features on
Photoshop than the other person.

Commitment – Commitment is defined as a willingness to give your time and energy to something that you
believe in, or a promise or firm decision to do something. Commitment in a job is crucial as if you are committed
to a job then you will be doing your job at the standard you are expected and you are doing the job when asked.
Commitment can be on different levels for example the less time you are in at a job, the less committed to a job
you are.

Efficiency – Efficiency can be defined as being able to accomplish something with the least waste of time and
effort. Efficiency in terms of business is defined as the comparison of what is actually produced or performed with
what can be achieved with the same consumption of resources (E.g. money, time, labour) and efficiency is
represented as a percentage. For example, if a Worker spends more time doing activities that aren’t part of their
work therefore resulting in less work, then the efficiency is lower than if they produced more work with the
same amount of resources.

Reliability – Reliability is defined as the quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well. Reliability
does not always apply to work as it can apply to people’s personal lives as well. For example, if someone has had
a history of not turning up to their job on time then that makes them appear unreliable and the more times they
have not shown up to their job, the more unreliable they are. The reason why reliability is important to an
Employer is because reliability can predict how an Employee will be.

Attendance and punctuality – Attendance is defined as the action or

state of going regularly to or being present at a place or event and
punctuality is defined as the quality or state of being punctual (Punctual
means being strictly observant of an appointed or not late).
Attendance and punctuality is very important for jobs as if you are late or
do not turn up for your job, you put the company and organisation behind.

Self-presentation – Self-presentation is the act of presenting of yourself. In jobs, people have to present
themselves as appearing smart so they take the job seriously and presenting yourself as professional is important
too as Employers determine how you will do in a job based off first impressions. When it comes to dressing
smart, don’t wear Clothes such as Jeans, Shorts and T-Shirts and you should also dress smart to your job
interview. When being interviewed for a job, it is important that you are confident because confidence shows that
you are optimistic in the work you do.

Functional skills – Functional skills are practical skills in English, Maths and ICT
that people aged 14 and above need to know. Having functional skills lets people
be confident, effective and independent in life and at work. Key areas of
mathematical functional skills are being able to represent situations mathematically,
analysing situations using maths and interpreting results of an analysis. Key areas of
ICT functional skills are being able to use ICT systems, finding and selecting
information and developing, presenting and communicating information. Key areas
of English functional skills include listening, making an oral presentation or report,
reading and understanding information and instructions and writing accurately so that meaning is clear.
Time management – Time management is the process of organizing
and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Although
having good time management doesn't make you work harder, it does
help you work in a smarter way since the better your time management
skills, you can get more work done in less time. The reason why good
time management skills are valued by Employers is because you will know
what tasks you need to do and when, therefore you won't be behind on
work. Having good time management skills also means you are less
stressed and if you are stressed then this could not only be negative for
you but negative for your Employer as your stress could slow you down
or result in your work being a lower quality than if you were not stressed.

Personal responsibility – Responsibility is defined as the state or fact of being

responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or
management. When working in a job, everyone must have personal responsibility for
everything they do so anyone that causes something bad to happen will be responsible for
that happening. For example, if an Employee breaks a rule at work such as drinking near a
machine and the machine breaks, they will probably have to pay for the machine to be
repaired or replaced and they will also probably be fired. Employers also have the
responsibility of the health and safety of their Employees and one rule of The Management
of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 is that Employers must carry out a risk
assessment.

By Annie Magner.