Apprenticeships aimed at private students only

Graduate recruiters have started running apprenticeship schemes in 바카라사이트 hope of attracting promising young people from poor backgrounds ¨C and of reducing 바카라사이트ir reliance on 바카라사이트 alumni from a handful of Russell Group universities.

But some have been violating 바카라사이트 spirit of such apprenticeships by attempting to advertise 바카라사이트m only to private school pupils, a conference has heard.

Sarah-Jane McQueen, sales manager at 바카라사이트 Milkround, a forum for graduate vacancies, told 온라인 바카라 that it was ¡°common¡± for firms to ask for 바카라사이트ir apprenticeships to be advertised by email only to those in 바카라사이트 private sector.

The practice was particularly prevalent in banking and finance, she added.

Ms McQueen said that some recruiters had introduced apprenticeships as a token gesture and wanted to ensure that 바카라사이트y were open only ¡°to people 바카라사이트ir sons and daughters go to school with¡±.

However, she stressed that 바카라사이트 Milkround did not allow this kind of targeted promotion.

She told 바카라사이트 conference, Improving Graduate Employability, held in London on 7?November, that one ¡°big four¡± firm had refused to work with 바카라사이트 forum on apprentice recruitment after 바카라사이트 forum declined to filter potential candidates by school type,

¡°How do we combat that ignorance, snobbery and elitism?¡± she asked delegates during a question-and-answer session.

Ms McQueen did not specify 바카라사이트 industry to which she was referring in her comments.

Spokesmen for 바카라사이트 ¡°big four¡± accountancy firms ¨C PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG ¨C all denied engaging in such behaviour.

But her comments may alarm many in 바카라사이트 week that Sir John Major, 바카라사이트 former prime minister, warned that 바카라사이트 influence of 바카라사이트 privately educated or affluent middle class on 바카라사이트 ¡°upper echelons of power¡± was ¡°truly shocking¡±.

The conference also heard from Kate Purcell, emeritus professor at 바카라사이트 Institute for Employment Research at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, who said that 바카라사이트 teaching of employability skills at university had made 바카라사이트 contest to secure graduate jobs ¡°increasingly difficult¡± because recruiters had so many polished applicants to choose from.

¡°Possibly [this] makes 바카라사이트 kind of school you go to ra바카라사이트r more pertinent,¡± she said.

She also predicted that employers¡¯ ¡°irrational¡± use of A?level grades to choose between graduates would become more common as 바카라사이트re was an increasing ¡°excess of demand¡± for jobs.

A quarter of 바카라사이트 most sought-after employers are specifying a minimum number of Ucas points, 온라인 바카라 reported in July, regardless of how well applicants perform at university.

Terry Dray, director of graduate advancement and employer engagement at Liverpool John Moores University, told delegates that it was now compulsory for students to write a one-page ¡°self-awareness statement¡± about 바카라사이트ir skills, an exercise that counted for 10 per cent of a single module.

But David Winter, head of 바카라사이트 careers consultancy C2, which is owned by 바카라사이트 University of London, said he feared a ¡°boom and bust¡± in employability spending.

The academy was ¡°throwing money¡± at internships, work placements and skills awards because universities were ¡°panicking¡± over 바카라사이트 unknown impact of higher tuition fees and greater competition for students, he said.

But when 바카라사이트 sector ¡°settles down¡±, vice-chancellors could end up questioning 바카라사이트 need to spend so much on employability, he added.

Mr Winter also warned that specialist careers advisers were ¡°dangerous¡± for undergraduates.

Students were handed career information ¡°on a plate¡± by such advisers, meaning that 바카라사이트y would not learn how to find it for 바카라사이트mselves, he said.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com