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Welsh Recruitment Meets, Jacqui Hare (Continued)

Welsh Recruitment: What courses are showing the biggest number of applications and what considerations should students have when deciding what and where to study?

Jacqui Hare: At UWIC the courses showing the biggest number of applications are Education, Sport, Psychology, Social Work, Dietetics, Speech & Language Therapy.

Consideration for applicants are: the course and institution can give the opportunities for personal and professional development and achievement in that the course meets the applicants needs. Higher education should be something that is to be enjoyed. Also factors such as employability and career potential do need to be considered in today’s environment. Many parents of applicants also consider factors such as a safe environment to be critical in selecting a place for study.

(Picture: A photo of UWIC’s Llandaff Campus)

Welsh Recruitment: There is the fear that the UK is facing a skills shortage in some key areas such as nursing, IT and teaching. How can universities encourage more students to apply for courses related to these sectors?

Jacqui Hare: Offer incentives such as financial as has been the case with teaching. Also market the employability factors of undertaking these courses and the opportunities that undertaking these courses can bring. Institutions could also offer different methods of studying these courses so that they are suited to all applicants of different ability who have the ability to succeed.

Welsh Recruitment: In 2009 the cap on tuition fees will be lifted. What consequences could this have on Welsh students?

Jacqui Hare: I do not think that institutions will charge the full fee when the cap is lifted. However if fees are increased institutions will offset this with the introduction of greater financial incentives to ensure that opportunities still exist for all those who wish to enter Higher Education.

Welsh Recruitment: What do you see as the future for university graduates in terms of careers prospects as compared to their peers who go straight into work from school?

Jacqui Hare: As reported by UUK the economic benefits associated with higher education qualification attainment has been maintained, namely better jobs and better pay.

(Picture: A Photo of a sports event at the National Indoor Athletic Centre (NIAC) based at UWIC’s Cyncoed Campus) Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33