Life after the A level results

A-Level grades rose to a record high of 97.6% this year, for the 28th succesive year.  Such a statistic was eerily reminiscent of the tractor production figures that used to be announced annually in the former Soviet Union.  Despite this, an estimated 225,000 may be denied a place a university.

If one adds to that the millions who will earn A and AS-levels but have no plans for further education, we have an army of educated young people looking for work in an uncertain jobs market.

If your after-school prospects are blurry right now, you may be considering employment.  You don't need academic brilliance or an entrepreneurial spirit to enter a successful career. Qualities like communication, hard work and patience can be just as important.

Even though you may feel inexperienced and under-qualified, there's nothing stopping you from overtaking them later on. Whilst jobs are in short supply in some sectors of the economy, the working world has become so niche that dividing the workforce into graduates and non-graduates is often a futile option.

Take accounting, for example: the majority of chartered accountants entered the profession after leaving university. Many school leavers can simply find employment and study part-time for an Association of Accounting Technicians (ATT) qualification, which may be a major milestone in gaining professional status as an accountant.

Whilst jobs in primary and secondary schools require a university degree, work with young people in the Montessori organisation offers a vocational degree course to a full degree in Early Childhood Studies. Such a degree requires three days a week in college and two in a Montessori school, getting practical experience.

The same can be said about Apprenticeships, open to anyone aged 16-30. The National Apprenticeship Service, a government-funded agency offers an internet-based matching service with vacancies.

Although it may feel as if the world is against you, remember that time is on your side.  It's your choice to use it well.