I think, therefore I earn

Philosophy graduates are suddenly all the rage with employers. What can they possibly have to offer?

“A degree in philosophy? What are you going to do with that then?”

Philosophy students will tell you they’ve been asked this question more times than they care to remember.

“The response people seem to want is a cheery shrug and a jokey ‘don’t know’,” says Joe Cunningham, 20, a final-year philosophy undergraduate at Heythrop College, University of London.

A more accurate comeback, according to the latest statistics, is “just about anything I want”.

Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show philosophy graduates, once derided as unemployable layabouts, are in growing demand from employers. The number of all graduates in full-time and part-time work six months after graduation has risen by 9% between 2002-03 and 2005-06; for philosophy graduates it has gone up by 13%.

It is in the fields of finance, property development, health, social work and the nebulous category of “business” that those versed in Plato and Kant are most sought after. In “business”, property development, renting and research, 76% more philosophy graduates were employed in 2005-06 than in 2002-03. In health and social work, 9% more.

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (Hecsu), which also collates data of this kind, agrees philosophers are finding it easier to secure work. Its figures show that, in 2001, 9.9% of philosophy graduates were unemployed six months after graduation. In 2006, just 6.7% were. On average, 6% of all graduates were unemployed six months after graduation.

In 2001, 9.3% of philosophy graduates were in business and finance roles six months after graduation. In 2006, 12.2% were. In 2001, 5.3% were in marketing and advertising six months after graduation. In 2006, 7.3% were.

It is particularly significant that the percentage finding full-time work six months after graduation has risen, since the number of philosophy graduates has more than doubled between 2001 and 2006. In 2001, UK universities produced 895 graduates with a first degree in the discipline; in 2006, they produced 2,040.

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Written By: John Mulaa

One of the most thrilling things about much of Africa is the insatiable thirst for education evident everywhere. Enrollment rolls have increased in leaps and bounds over the years in nearly all countries, helped by rather belated recognition by policy makers that access has something to do with cost to learners.

Lower the costs enough and floodgates of demand open. That may lead to other problems, but that is another story. But even with impressive enrollment numbers, there is every indication that not all is well with education systems.

Across the continent, the systems are becoming increasingly dysfunctional. in many places, the youth attend schools and institutions of learning in name only.

in truth, no much useful knowledge is being passed, which spells dire consequences for the continent down the road. Part of the blame must go to Africa’s development partners. in the 1970s and 1980s, they, together with compliant African governments, focused attention and resources on primary or elementary education, arguing, sometimes justifiably, that it was at that level that the greatest returns on investment in the sector were to be had.

it all sounded reasonable and good, but the upshot was that higher was given a short shrift.

Even some countries, such as Kenya that experienced an explosion in the number of universities, public and private, tertiary education was under funded to an appalling extent. The results are now in and they are unsightly.

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Subject Guide Series: Nursing

Care of the sick and injured - includes nursing and medical technology

*** Visit Scholarships for New Nursing Scholarships***

What will I learn?
All nursing courses, both diplomas and degrees, teach a core number of topics in the first year, before allowing students to specialise in one of four areas - adult, learning disabilities, mental health or children’s nursing.

Courses will comprise 50% theory and 50% practice in hospitals, and whether you decide to study a three-year diploma or a three or four-year degree in nursing, you will graduate with both an academic and professional qualification allowing you to practice.

Before deciding whether to study a diploma in nursing or a degree consider where you want your career to go in the future. If you want to apply for senior level positions or work in education or management at some point you will need to have completed the degree programme. The Guardian university tables only relate to nursing degrees.

During your studies you will learn what is needed to assist doctors and help patients and families with their healthcare needs.

If after working as a nurse you decide to become a midwife you can take a specialised course that will build on your existing skills. Alternatively, you can study for a diploma or degree in midwifery with no prior nursing qualification.

During your training as a midwife, you will learn how babies develop, how to help deliver babies and how to support women and their families during and after pregnancy.

What skills will I get?
Yes, you will have to empty a few bedpans, but you will probably be the first point of contact with patients so will have the important job of putting them - and their families - at ease. You will have developed diligence and patience and the ability to stay calm in a crisis.

You will have learned how to assist on procedures, look after patients as they undergo treatment, and advise them on managing their health.

You will know the ethical and moral implications of the job, knowing when to make your own decisions and when to call on a superior.

You should have developed good communication skills, particularly if a doctor forgets his or her bedside manners in the rush to see other patients.

You will be able to manage your time, know how to prioritise and be able to work in a team.

As a midwife you will also have learned how to assess the needs of women and to exercise judgment over what is best for the mother and baby.

What job can I get?
Nursing graduates will be qualified to work in hospitals, community health centres, GP practices, or mental health units.

Midwives will also be qualified to work in women’s homes, clinics or in other settings within a health or social care team.

What will look good on the CV?
· The ability to apply creative solutions to healthcare situations
· To engage in and disengage from therapeutic relationships
· To anticipate potentially stressful situations.

SOURCE: Education Guardian

The University of Ibadan has expanded its vision and mission in response to the aspiration of the nation to ensure development through knowledge creation and dissemination.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, disclosed this in Ibadan on Friday at the second day of the 2007 three-day Foundation Day ceremony where 1,190 fresh graduates from four faculties were admitted to a first degree course.

The new graduates, out of whom 16 made First Class and 276 Second Class (Upper Division), were from the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Social Sciences, Education and Veterinary Medicine.

Bamiro, who said higher education had a vital role to play in realising Nigeria’s desire to be among the 20 leading economies of the world by 2020, gave the expanded vision of the university as “To be a world-class institution for academic excellence geared towards meeting societal needs.”

SOURCE:  Tribune

Scottish universities will be allowed to increase their foreign students, build more overseas campuses and forge closer alliances with multinational companies to ensure they can compete with elite English universities, the Guardian has learned.The Scottish education secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said yesterday she shared the fears of universities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews that their English counterparts - chiefly Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, the London School of Economics and Manchester - may soon be allowed to charge much higher top-up fees, and outstrip spending by other universities.

In an interview with the Guardian, Hyslop revealed she is to set up a review with university principals of the future of Scotland’s universities to help them find extra sources of income after 2010, when education ministers in England are expected to raise the current £3,000 ceiling on tuition fees.

University and student leaders in Scotland are furious about the lower than expected funding settlement announced in Wednesday’s Scottish budget, and the decision to scrap entirely an election pledge to write off all student debts. Student leaders accused the Scottish National party administration of betraying SNP voters at the May election. The umbrella body Universities Scotland said next year’s deal was a real-terms cut which would force some colleges to cut spending and freeze student numbers. Overall, universities had been given £168m less than they had wanted, widening a narrow gap in funding compared with English universities.

Muir Russell, the principal at Glasgow University and convener of Universities Scotland, called on Wednesday night for “urgent” talks with ministers about the future of funding after a “disappointing” budget. “We are concerned that it may weaken our competitive position relative to universities in England,” he warned.

Hyslop said: “The issue is where will the university sector be post-2010. What can government do to mobilise and help support these institutions?” The solution was a “future thinking” review to investigate new funding measures for the next decade. The SNP executive has been under intense pressure to review university funding.

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Universities in Scotland fear a £138m shortfall in the three-year funding settlement, announced by the Scottish executive this week, will make them less competitive than English institutions.Scottish universities demanded an increase in public funding of £168m by the end of the spending review period, which they planned to use to win private money to increase the sector’s income by £340m in total.

By the end of the three years the budget will have increased by only £30m in real terms.

The settlement will put pressure on the sector’s finances over the next three years and seems inconsistent with the government’s economic strategy released yesterday.

The head of Universities in Scotland, Sir Muir Russell, said: “The spending review announcement is a disappointing response to the strong case for investment in higher education made by universities. We are concerned that it may weaken our competitive position relative to universities in England.”

He said the government had missed an “opportunity” and the settlement appeared inconsistent with the Scottish government’s aspirations for economic growth announced in yesterday’s strategy.

“We will not now be able to maximise our contribution to the Scottish economy as we had intended to do, and we will have to assess what we can achieve with more limited investment. Our priorities will be quality and international competitiveness,” Russell said.

SOURCE: Education Guardian