Tag Archives: FT Weekend

The Information: Jobs for graduates

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published in FT Weekend Magazine on 19/20th June 2010 Issue number 365:

As the UCAS clearing period draws near – starting July 1 – it seems today’s  students are, depending on your point of view, either refreshingly guileless or  a bit dim: data from Unistats show that the courses most likely to lead to jobs  are not the most popular among students.

The mortarboard graphic shows the seven most popular courses for  undergraduates (in terms of numbers of applicants in 2009) and what happened to  2008 graduates in those subjects. Business and administration courses – including finance, marketing and HR management – drew the second-highest number  of applicants, just behind “combined studies”. And yet only 72 per cent of  people who earned one of the business and admin degrees in 2008 was employed  within six months of graduating. Meanwhile, teacher training had the highest  level of postgraduate employment, at 94 per cent, but ranked only 16th in  popularity out of 21 overall categories of degree course.

Does postgraduate study skew the numbers? Sometimes, yes: with degrees in law – the eighth most popular subject – only 48 per cent of students were in work  six months after graduating, but 41 per cent were studying full time.

Source: Unistats and UCAS Statistics for graduates who had completed their  first full time degree

Meet the maker: Michael Ray

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published in FT Weekend Magazine on 12/13th June 2010 Issue number 364:

Meet the maker

Michael Ray Global wetsuit manager

Product:

H Bomb

What it is:

A battery-powered heated wetsuit

In his words:

“About four years ago, we were brainstorming for ideas that would be futuristic enough to break new ground. The concept of a heated wetsuit had been around for a long time but finally we had the technology to make it possible. We wanted to aim the wetsuit at super-cold places such as Iceland and Norway, where they have amazing surf but the water is literally too cold to go in.

The biggest challenge was waterproofing the electronics. The wetsuit needs to keep your core warm enough to move blood to your extremeties, so it heats the back area from below your neck to just below your kidneys. The H Bomb is about 10 per cent harder to get into and out of than a standard wetsuit, but if you were in those cold climates you would normally need a thick wetsuit (6mm-7mm) and hood, boots and gloves.

Our wetsuit comes in 3mm, 4mm and 5mm versions with a built-in hood, and in warmer waters you can use it without the batteries. We use the best neoprene, E3, which is the stretchiest and warmest material we have. It is blind-stitched and there’s another layer of liquid seal to make sure the wetsuit is really waterproof. The batteries will last six months, and the electronics will last two to three years.”

A$1,499.95 (£870); www.ripcurl.com/hbomb

Meet the maker: Benjamin Millett

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published in FT Weekend Magazine on 29/30th May 2010 Issue number 362:

Meet the maker

Benjamin Millett Co-creator, Kug

Product:

Kug

What it is:

A mini kettle that doubles as an insulated travel mug

In his words:

“The Kug started as a project at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin to design a product that would make life easier for people with rheumatoid arthritis. One day, at an arthritis centre, we saw some ladies pouring their tea. We realised they were having difficulty with the small cup handles, which they couldn’t grip, and with the kettle, which was too heavy.

We started looking at everything to do with making a hot drink and how we could improve the process. First of all we thought about redesigning the kettle but then we decided to combine it with the mug.

We chose not to put a handle on it because the weight is then further away from your wrist joints. If you hold a cup in your hand, the centre of gravity will be closer to your wrist, so it will appear lighter.

The Kug is like a travel mug, it’s dual-walled and it’s insulated, but it sits on a dock the way that your kettle does at home, and plugs into a socket. The lid is very similar to the lids on takeaway cups but it’s made from silicone, so it’s more durable and flexible.

We think it’s great for students as well. You can have soup in it, you can do noodles in it, you can do hot chocolate. You can do anything that requires heating water.”

www.thekug.com