Hot competition So you earned your qualification, now what? It is no longer enough to have a degree to guarantee a job. While the expansion of higher education is positive it does mean more competition for graduates in the job market. With the cost of a degree rising, students are rightly expecting a return on […]
Creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, communication. In an age where factual knowledge is available at the click of a button, these are the skills that will be most valuable to our children and to society. Holistic learning A more holistic approach to education has the power to improve these skills. Rather than churning through times tables […]
“Did you check the website?” – never a welcome question. In an increasingly digital world, this should be an exciting time for universities to lead the way with innovative solutions to improve student and staff experience. Static websites overloaded with poorly laid out information are not that solution. So what can technology do for education? […]
Jobcentres are not fit for work. Two thirds of those on job seekers allowance have been previous claimants, hinting at temporary solutions being applied to permanent issues. Even those working in Jobcentres are frustrated as they rarely have more than 10 minutes to spend on each job seeker per meeting; hardly enough time to discuss […]
More contact hours and smaller teaching groups Surveys show undergraduates have two main priorities to improve their experience at university: more contact hours and smaller sized teaching groups. Simple enough. Given the considerable weight the National Student Survey has on spurring universities into action, we may reasonably wonder why student voices are not being heard […]
Are health restrictions helpful? Don’t eat sugary food. Don’t eat fatty food. Don’t be lazy. Don’t drink alcohol. Don’t use the car. The list of restrictions for leading a healthy life goes on. But is it actually helpful? Rather than a list of negatives, suitable and available alternatives would provide a better blueprint for what […]
“Today, the UK is a wealthy society. Yet a baby girl born in Richmond upon Thames is expected to live 17.8 more years in good health than a baby girl born in Manchester” published the Health Foundation in their What makes us health quick guide. The differing health outcomes for those at either end of […]
Government has a huge part to play in ensuring that sustainability is put at the forefront of our minds. Without its endorsement, it can be tricky for sustainability to seem relevant and practical in our daily lives. But government should not see sustainable practise as a burden: it is an opportunity for growth and for […]
During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic the UK imposed restrictions on who could go to work. Its Office for National Statistics recorded that the number of people reporting high levels of anxiety had more than doubled since this lockdown began at the end of March. Unemployment and mental health difficulties The negative impacts of unemployment are […]
“She lived a long and disease-free life, completely lacking in vitality and satisfaction” – few would aspire to this epitaph. Yet when we think about health our definition often extends only to a lack of illness into old age. We have come to view health through a negative lens: regardless of happiness or quality of […]
