TEXT 3

 Here is a text for the weekend
Click and download

STEVE JOBS

Before doing the text below I recommend  you to watch Steve Jobs´ speech at Standford University in 2005. I think it is quite inspiring.
STEVE JOBS : HOW TO LIVE BEFORE YOU DIE


Now try to do the text Download

TEXT 2 SELECTIVIDAD PRACTICE

DOWNLOAD text for Monday


You can get some ideas for the writting exercises by having a look at these sites:
click
Click
click

THE TOP TEN JOBS FOR 2013

FORBES is an American bussines magazine. It usually  features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, and law.The magazine is well known for its lists and rankings, including its lists of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400) and rankings of world's top companies.

Have a look at the list of the top ten jobs for 2013 published in Forbes. Click.

Would you like to know about the least stressfull jobs for 2013 accordding to this magazine? Have a look 

VOCABULARY " WORK AND EMPLOYMENT

A list of useful vocabulary to work with in unit 2

Download

DEGREE VS VOCATIONAL TRAINING

 

Higher or vocational education? Higher education for masses or for the elite?

In the last years the idea that higher education can actually be considered a bubble took shape and is increasingly brought to debate. In more and more countries there are dozens of students graduating and instead of entering the workforce, they go straight to unemployment.

With some notable exceptions (like Computing, Medicine etc.) there are a lot of degrees that hold little value for the student after graduation, especially in developing countries (I am including here Romania, my country). In some holding a degree is a requirement merely because you "learn how to learn", regardless of the topic of your studies. The quality of the courses is often lacking and the graduates are simply unemployable if they do not get a part-time job or volunteer in an organisation during their studies.

Unemployment of youth in some countries is getting higher than ever, with Spain topping at a whooping 54% rate.

Moreover, in other countries students also pile a lot of debt which they cannot sometimes repay, and they are stuck with thousands of dollars/euros that have to be payed back in a lot of years.

On the other hand, there are a few countries like Germany, Switzerland, Finland or Sweden where vocational education is very solid. Students are divided based on their academic results (which indeed raises a lot of ethical and liberty questions) so the best can pursue a higher education degree, the others a technical degree, then vocational schools and so on. This way most of graduates can easily find employment and also get a qualification that they can use to start earning money.

What do you think governments should endorse in the future? Should the education system be reformed so vocational training is highly encouraged and higher education is reserved only for the best students? How? Or should higher education be made available on an even larger scale for as many students as possible, prefferably at the lowest costs for the students?

 http://www.ted.com/conversations/10981/higher_or_vocational_education.html Click here to see the original article

Education & Employment

One in four of Spain’s young people neither studies nor works

Nearly two million have ended their courses and cannot find work, according to the OECD

Proportion of youth with qualifications but outside labor market has increased by 69 percent

J. A. Aunión Madrid 25 JUN 2013 - 14:30 CET1

The percentage of Spanish youths aged 15 to 29 who neither work nor study continues to grow, and remains among the highest rates of all developed countries.
This year, the figure reached 24.4 percent (almost two million people), according to the 2013 Education at a Glance report presented today by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The findings point to a 69-percent increase in the percentage of young Spaniards with at least a professional training certificate or university degree that neither study nor work. This statistic stands in sharp contrast to the stereotype of a young, rebellious nini (the Spanish neologism for a youth who neither works nor studies) who has opted to leave school early, thus limiting their chances of employment.
In reality, the early dropout rate (individuals from 18 to 24 who stopped studying after secondary school), while still relatively high, is currently at an all-time low (24.9 percent). The OECD report notes that in Spain, “the percentage of youth who continue studying after finishing their obligatory schooling has grown at a rate that is faster-than-average for OECD countries.” In 2008, 81 percent of young people ages 15-19 and 21 percent of those ages 20-29 were enrolled in school. By 2011, these figures had grown to 86 percent and 26 percent, respectively.
In all OECD countries, the proportion of students between 15 and 19 increased from 81 to 84 percent, and for the 20-29 age group increased from 25 to 28 percent. This upsurge in voluntary education has put Spain above the OECD average and other countries such as Australia (84 percent), United States (80 percent), France (84 percent) and Switzerland (85 percent).

The percentage of youth who continue studying after finishing obligatory schooling has grown"

Thus, the OECD report reflects an educational system that has recently begun to attract students who before the crisis would have left school early to start working, typically in sectors where low-skilled jobs abounded, such as construction. However, further down the road, once they have earned a higher education diploma, they will probably face unemployment and may even have difficulty obtaining further specialized training. The report estimates that the average Spaniard aged 15 to 29 will spend 2.5 years out of work.
The report from the international organization highlights other national trends, such as the shortage of students opting for vocational training. In Spain, 14 percent of adults have studied through baccalaureate, or university-track high school (the OECD average is 12 percent), but only eight percent have obtained mid-level vocational training (the OECD average is 34 percent).
Between 2008 and 2011, the unemployment rate rose from 13.2 to 26.4 percent among those who had completed the minimum compulsory education (the OECD averages were 8.8 and 12.6 percent respectively), from 9.3 to 19.2 percent among those with baccalaureate or mid-level vocational training (from 4.9 to 7.3 percent across the OECD) and 5.8 to 11.6 percent among university graduates (3.3 to 4.8 percent in the OECD).
Finally, the report highlights that women who continue their studies reap the benefits. In Spain, those with baccalaureate or mid-level vocational training earn 79 percent of the average salary of men with the same training. Those who completed only a basic secondary education (up through age 16) earn just 76 percent of the male wage. Those who fare best are women with university education, who earn 88 percent when compared to male counterparts with the same degree.

http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/25/inenglish/1372163425_705726.html Click here to see the original article
http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/25/inenglish/1372163425_705726.html
 http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/25/inenglish/1372163425_705726.html

VOCATIONAL TRAINING VERSUS DEGREE

Vocational Training versus University Degree

by Natalie Zimmelman

When a young person is faced with deciding what to do after matric, it is certainly a huge, life changing decision all on its own. Statistics show that only 10% of young people that do achieve a matric certificate gain a university exemption and thus entry into university. Even more worrying, of those who do manage to get into university, barely half end up with a degree.

So what lies ahead for those of you who have completed matric? Questions you are probably pondering could include what skills are in short supply in the economy, such as accounting, and does that match with what you want to do as a profession. Do you study further to acquire these skills at university or apply directly for internships and vocational on-the-job training programmes?

Benefits and challenges of university

For those who gain university exemption the benefits of an academic qualification at university are great. It teaches traditional skills of essay writing and research. Additionally, if you decide to live on campus, you learn to live and work with others, often far from home. But the challenges are also significant.

The so called perceived prospect of better job opportunities and a supposed higher standard of living when you have a university degree (which is not necessarily true) lead many families to make significant sacrifices in order to provide a university education.
Another concern is that despite several long years of study, learners are rarely prepared for the practicalities of the working world, requiring much coaching and on-the-job training when they do secure a job.
University alternative – vocational training
Competence-based (or vocational) training is an alternative for those whose marks preclude them from going to university or who wish to start working as soon as possible. This form of training is a way of teaching learners not only the critical knowledge needed in their area of speciality, but also how to apply this knowledge in a work environment.  It is a practical means of learning, where you learn HOW to do things rather than just WHAT to do.

 SOURCE:
http://www.wealthwisemag.com

A COLLECTION OF TEXTS

DOWNLOAD HERE

The text you have to work with for the next day in on page 52, "HIDDEN SUFFERING". You don´t have to download the whole document, just the assigned text.

REPORTED SPEECH

This is the worksheet you have to download for tomorrow CLICK

HEALTH

DOWNLOAD THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT AND TAKE IT TO THE CLASSROOM TO WORK WITH IT ON FRIDAY Click

 -Write a composition on the following topic:
"BENEFITS OF LEADING A HEALTHLY LIFE STYLE".

Use the following mindmap to organize your ideas:

(You must follow the outline below) 

OUTLINE

1.- Benefits of following a good diet
A) Helps you maintain your weight
B) Meets your nutritional needs

2.- Benefits of sleeping well

A) Sleep helps repair your body
B) Helps you improve your memory
C) Reduces stress

3.- Benefits of exercising
A) Exercise improves your mood
b) Combats chronic diseases
C) Helps you sleep better .
4.......
5.......