Statistics released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) have shown that the number of applications to study at university has fallen for the second year running in the UK. Increased tuition fees are thought to be the leading factor behind the decline.

The previous cap on tuition fees was around £3,000 a year, but recent government legislation means universities in England can now charge students up to £9,000 per annum for their degree programmes.

Students commencing their university studies in autumn 2012 were the first cohort to face the increased fees. Applications for the 2012-13 academic year fell significantly from 2011, largely because of the newly trebled cost of tuition, but it was hoped that higher education applications would revive again for the 2013-14 session.

However, UCAS figures from last month (December 2012) show that the number of applications has fallen by a further 6.3% compared to the same time in 2011. Whilst UCAS has noted that the majority of university applications are normally submitted in the month preceding the 15 January deadline, these initial statistics do not indicate that there will be a higher student intake this autumn.

The only part of the UK to see an increase in university applications was Northern Ireland, where 0.5% more prospective students had submitted their applications by mid-December 2012 than had done so in late 2011. Fees in Northern Ireland are capped at £3,575.

Under the new tuition fee regime, graduates of English universities are loaned their fees and do not have to begin repaying them until they are earning £21,000 a year. The requisite salary to start paying back student loans for graduates who commenced their studies before 2012 is £15,000, but the current economic climate has meant many university alumni are yet to make any dent in their student debt.

The chief executive of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, reiterated that the bulk of applications had probably still not been submitted by the time UCAS collated their latest figures. She also stated that financial fears should not put people off applying to university, however it is apparent that for many prospective students the £9,000 tuition, in addition to living costs, is a very real issue to consider before committing to three years of higher education.

January traditionally sees a huge spike of interest in exercise equipment and manufactures such as Spirit, Confidence, Nordic amongst many others are well stocked up for the surge with outlets such as Amazon UK at hand to take orders.

This tradition is likely to surge this year as recently released figures on obesity show the pace of growth in the numbers of people suffering from the disease continues to grow. In fact predictions are that by 2050, 50% of the UK population will be clinically obese.

The annual surge in interest in fitness and health, just after the excesses of the Christmas celebrations is a well known phenomena. This is most readily seen by examining the google keywords which trend over this period. Google trends shows an increase in the search term ‘lifetime fitness’ of 40% between October 2011 and January 2012. The number of times the term ‘treadmill’ was searched for in google almost doubled between June 2011 and Jan 2012. A similar pattern is seen with many search phrases  including ‘exercise bike’, ‘diet’ and ‘health club’.

Treadmills range in price from around £100 up to many 1000s. At the cheap end you get a very basic motorized power walker which simply allow the user to walk long distances at speeds of up to 6kph in the comfort of their own living rooms. For an additional £40 or so you get a treadmill which will take you up to 10kph which is essentially a medium jogging speed. At £200 you’ll find treadmills which get you up to proper running speed of 12kph. These also tend to include better multi-function LED displays, heart rate monitors and different fitness programmes built into the computer.

The top end treadmills, costing over £1000 tend to be designed for commercial use in gyms and health clubs. For this reason they are more robust and have more functions. They include motorised inclines, are more robust and have higher specification components.

When choosing a treadmill, there is a compromise that needs to be reached. Spend too little and there is the likelihood that the treadmill falls apart after 6 months. Of course, if it is only going to be used for 3 months, before ending up in the garage then this is not necessarily a problem.

At the same time, a surge in physical activity just after Christmas for a few months is not going to resolve the lifestyle and obesity issues facing society today. If the UK is going to avoid having the worst record on obesity in Europe then everyone needs to adopt a long term lifestyle change which means your treadmill needs to keep being used right up to next Christmas and beyond!

According to the damning analysis called the Decoding Learning Report, millions of pounds are being spent every year on gadgets such as electronic whiteboards, tablet pc’s and other hi-tech accessories.  The report concluded there was little or no evidence of any positive impact on the way children learnt.

The study looked at over 1,000 research papers which analysed the use of technology in the field of education.  Researchers found many schools were introducing “shinny new devices” as replacements for traditional pen and paper exercises instead of using them to enhance pupil’s skills.

Chief executive of NESTA, Geoff Mulgan said rather than improving teaching practises, new technology was being used as a supplement to existing methods.  He said, “The danger is that the technology of the 21st century is being applied using teaching methods of the 20th.”

One of the areas of concern highlighted by researchers showed that many teachers were not being given adequate training to effectively utilise new devices.  Smart apps and laptops are being distributed in classrooms without any formal training, they said.

The report did highlight areas of positive impact such as the use of social media applications allowing students to collaborate on group projects.

Andrew Mulholland, the business solutions manager at IT firm D-Link UK welcomed the report’s findings but stressed new technology had an important part to play in today’s digital era.  He said it was beneficial for schools to invest in the latest iPads, but without proper training, “there is a danger they will just become glorified toys.”

Employment Exhibition (Photo credit: Modern_Language_Center)

The new tools launched last month, known as Aptis and developed by the Language Test Development Group, allows employers to test their employee’s ability to speak, listen, read and write. It is designed to help businesses eliminate people with poor language skills before they reach the interview stage. It can also be used to identify existing staff who may benefit from training in essential English skills.

The test which underpins the Aptis tool can be undertaken either online, by old-fashioned pen and paper method, or over the phone, with the results available in as little as 24 hours.

The test is currently being used in India, where employees in the hospitality sector are often required to have a high level of English. The test itself can also be personalised for certain employers with a high-turnover, such as call centres.

Firms often find themselves under fire for hiring staff with bad communication skills. Before the Olympics, chief executive of G4S Nick Buckles was criticised for admitting he didn’t know whether guards employed by his firm spoke English. There has also been criticism of the NHS using doctors and nurses from abroad who may not have the required language skills to communicate with patients.

Good communication skills are important to any business, whether you’re dealing face to face with customers or online. Research has shown that a single spelling mistake on a company’s website can reduce sales by half, and can make a company appear unprofessional and sloppy. Customers often find it difficult to communicate their needs to employees with poor English, and the extra time taken to get service may detract them from using your business in future. It can also cause problems between employees, making work flow less efficient and souring working relationships.

There are options for employees who don’t pass the required level on the tests. Learn Direct offers adult literacy classes, many of them funded by the government, which help with communication skills of all kinds. Courses in English as a second language (ESOL) run throughout the UK, especially in areas with large immigrant populations, and employers can even arrange for private training in the workplace.

What experience have you had with employees and their English ability?

Please comment below!

A new scheme run by Universities UK aims to stop the current fixation on degree classifications and offer an assessment of students performance throughout their entire course.

The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) will involve universities and higher education institutions keeping a six page document for each student who graduates. This report will include student’s marks for each module, extra-curricular activities and involvement in the student union. A standardised template is being issued to institutions, ensuring that the reports will be consistent.

The current degree classifications are seen as too broad, with the majority of students leaving universities or higher education colleges with a first or 2:1 degree. Critics of the current scheme argue that this doesn’t give a full picture of a graduate’s skill level, and it can be difficult to choose between so many applicants with the same grades. It can also cause what’s known as the 2:1 effect, where employers will refuse to even look at an applicant who received a lower second class honours or less.

This scheme will also make it easier for employers to verify the details of their potential hire. With more people using tools like online recruitment, it can be difficult to check every detail of a graduate’s CV. Higher education institutions will keep these records for at least 40 years, and students can control who accesses them. HEAR has produced a guide for students, detailing the advantages of the scheme and how it will affect them. They believe that the HEAR will act as a formative document, encouraging students to be more engaged in their studies and to identify gaps in their knowledge.

It is yet to be clear whether the HEAR is going to be beneficial for students. For those graduates who attained good throughout their course, but did badly in a final exam then the HEAR would prove that you had still worked hard. Conversely, if a student had slacked off work a little in one year then they might not want their prospective employer to know about it. However, overall it should be a little fairer and should only help the employer understand the context for a poor or good grade in exams.

What do you think? Please comment below.

The study, which included 154 higher education establishments and 106 further education colleges, surveyed the responses of students on a number of factors such as satisfaction with the content of their courses, their access to facilities, teaching and the performance of their student unions. Each institution was then given a total percentage score that was used to mark overall satisfaction. The Open University, which offers long distance and home-based learning courses, scored 93 per cent.

Just three smaller establishments topped the results of the Open University: St Mary’s University in Belfast, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Courtauld Institute of Art.

The results of the survey were positive across the country; 85 per cent of students in the UK stated that overall they were satisfied with their courses. There was also a rise in every area in which the establishments were scored. The area in which students seemed least happy was the performance of their student unions – just two thirds of students were satisfied in this area.

The results of the survey will form part of a new website aimed at helping prospective students decide which university to attend. Unistats.direct.gov.uk was launched this week by Business Secretary, Vince Cable, and will offer information on every course available, including employment prospects, teaching modules and study time required.  Sir Alan Langlands, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, said that he hope the NSS will offer a much-needed service as prospective as prospective students increasingly demand better information.

However, some lecturers are warning that students should not forgo a visit to prospective universities in favour of using the information offered on the unistats website. “Students need proper support, not gimmicks,” said Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union. “We would encourage students to visit any institution they are considering attending,” and also adds that trusting the NSS scores alone would not be sufficient.

Nick Clegg has publicly apologised for pledging to oppose any rise in tuition fees for university students. Whilst some have criticised this action as a sign of weakness, satirical website The Poke has remixed the Deputy Prime Minister’s apology using autotune technology, creating a viral video sensation.

Prior to the 2010 general election, Nick Clegg promised the National Union of Students (NUS) that he would oppose any increase in fees if his party, the Liberal Democrats, was voted into power. When he became Deputy Prime Minister in a Coalition government with the Conservatives, however, the cap on tuition fees was raised within months.

From this academic year, tuition for students at UK universities is capped at £9,000 per annum. Previously this was the average amount charged for a three-year long undergraduate degree, meaning the annual cost of higher education has effectively tripled. In the video from his London home, Mr Clegg did not apologise for the rise in university tuition fees, only for his earlier promise to oppose such a measure.

The musical remix of his apology emphasises the phrase ‘I am so sorry’ and is reminiscent of an upbeat pop track. Mr Clegg has today granted permission on Twitter for The Poke to release their remix of his apology as a single on iTunes, on the proviso that all proceeds go to Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Whilst this may be one unexpectedly positive outcome of his apology, Mr Clegg has garnered criticism from factions who believe saying sorry for a promise is not enough. NUS President Liam Burns is amongst those who state that the Deputy Prime Minister should have apologised for breaking his promise, rather than for making it.

As a policy that attracted many students to vote for the Liberal Democrats in 2010, when the rise in tuition fees was announced it sparked some of the biggest student protests seen in Britain for many years. Has the Deputy Prime Minister now won voters back with his apology, or is it too little too late for the Liberal Democrats? Share your thoughts below.

 HERE’S THE VIDEO… please write your comments below…!!

UK — Athletes from Jamaica arrived in Birmingham earlier this week ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games, which will open in the capital on Friday 27 July. The Jamaican track and field team have established their training camp at the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus. Among the athletes who are warming up for the Olympics in Britain’s second city is the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt.

Bolt is one of fifty athletes in the Jamaican squad, all of whom will be taking advantage of the gym facilities in the Monroe Sports Centre and the adjacent open air running track. Members of the public hoping to catch a glance of the team’s pre-Olympic training will be disappointed, however, as high security measures have been taken to ensure the athletes can warm up for the Games without distraction.

In preparation for the arrival of three-time Olympic gold medallist, Bolt — who stands at 6 foot 5 inches tall — the University has ordered king-sized beds. A wicker sculpture of the sprinter in his iconic victory pose has been erected in Birmingham city centre, alongside other floral displays that celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games. A celebratory Jamaican-themed dinner is also being held at the University to honour the Olympic athletes.

Besides Bolt, several other big names in the athletics world are also training at the University of Birmingham campus. Yohan Blake is the current 100 metre World Champion, whilst Veronica Campbell-Brown holds the World 200 metre gold medal. A large volunteer team, comprising both University students and staff, are assisting the squad throughout their stay in Birmingham.

Hosting the Jamaican track and field team is not the only sporting prestige for the University of Birmingham this month. Yesterday saw the start of the World Squash Tournament, which is also taking place at the Edgbaston campus over the next week.

The Jamaican track and field team are one of two Olympic squads to have chosen Birmingham as their training base. Athletes from the USA also arrived in the Midlands this week to warm up at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr.

A university league table released earlier today has shown that more crimes take place around higher education institutions in inner London than anywhere else in England and Wales. The bottom 18 places on the table were all filled by universities in the capital city, with Manchester Metropolitan University coming next on the list for high crime rates.

The league table lists 103 institutions and is based on police statistics detailing local robberies and assaults against both students and non-students. Crimes committed within a three-mile radius of university campuses were taken into account when compiling the table, which appears in the Complete University Guide.

King’s College London, London South Bank and London Metropolitan have the highest crime rates. The lowest rates are found in the less densely populated student areas of Aberystwyth, Durham and Buckingham. London Metropolitan has disputed the accuracy of the table, however, claiming that the information is based on only one of the institution’s three sites in the capital and does not reflect the experience of most students.

Three Birmingham universities have also voiced concerns that the league table will mislead those hoping to study in the West Midlands, as the figures are not solely based on crimes against students.

Whilst arguments are being forwarded that crime levels are in no way indicative of the standards of education students will receive, it has also been suggested that the rise in tuition fees means it has never been more important for prospective undergraduates to have a keen sense of the environment in which they will be studying.

The Complete University Guide suggests that around one in three students will be a victim of crime whilst completing a degree. Violent muggings, sexual assault and robbery are amongst the offences considered most likely to affect students.

American universities are legally obliged to provide crime figures from campuses and student accommodation to prospective students and their families. No such requirement is currently made of higher education institutions in England and Wales. However Dr Bernard Kingston, founder of the Complete University Guide, has stated that it would be reassuring if such information was freely available for perusal.

UK – Collaboration between two of China’s largest cancer study centres and Cardiff University could lead to important advances in cancer therapy. A cancer researcher Professor Wen Jiang, who qualified in China and has worked in Wales for seventeen years, assisted in arranging the strategy between Cardiff’s School of Medicine, Peking University and Beijing’s Capital Medical University, which will see studies undertaken of cancer differences between the two countries.

Prof Jiang believes that the joint initiative will bring together best practice and aid in a better understanding of cancer, by making comparisons of the differences in the disorders Chinese and British patients suffer. He stresses many of the significant changes are related to lifestyle choices, and in these areas Chinese figures are moving nearer to western statistics as the Chinese economy moves toward greater prosperity.

China’s illustrious record in the training of highly-skilled surgeons to a remarkable standard in current procedures can be further enhanced by Britain’s advanced research techniques and theoretical know-how into cancer which Cardiff is in a position to pass on.

Prof Jiang believes the differences between the most common types of cancer found in Britain and China could prove the most valuable and telling part of the joint research. He cites the instances of lung and bowel cancer now creeping up toward the British levels as more Chinese take up smoking and more are able to afford red meat.

Some variations are more difficult to interpret and Prof Jiang is aware these necessitate further joint examination, such as breast cancer cases in China, which are a quarter to a third of British levels.  Stomach and liver cancer, which have a greater prevalence in China, suggest that the discrepancy cannot be attributed solely to lifestyle, therefore underlying genetic factors require investigation.

To recognise this joint project, Peking University has bestowed honorary professorships on Professor Jiang and Professor Sir Martin Evans of Cardiff University. Sir Martin received the 2007 Nobel Prize winner for Medicine for his discovery of the properties of stem cells.

Success coming from this joint research into cancer could lead to it being extended to involve other medical disciplines, such as neurology, infectious and immunological diseases, dentistry, nursing and tissue repair.