September 4, 2026 • 5 mins
In this week's episode, we're breaking down five stories every student, graduate and early-career professional should know about:
- new upfront financial support for healthcare students on placements
- the simple CV mistake that could stop recruiters finding your application
- the workplace skills employers say are becoming even more valuable
- which jobs workers feel are the most secure
- why lifelong learning could become essential throughout your career.
Find out more on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-stories-know-week-september-4th-k5jse/
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📜 Episode transcripts: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/podcasts/future-you-podcast-transcripts
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome back to
Future Year, the podcast brought to youby graduate careers experts prospects.
Every Friday, we're going to bring youfive stories that are shaping
the future of careers, educationand work in the UK.
Hot off the pressand just what students, graduates
and job seekersneed to be paying attention to.
Story one which jobs feel the most secure?
(00:22):
Let's start with job security and new jobsecurity.
Index has looked at which workersfeel the safest in their careers,
and the results are pretty interesting.
At the top of the list are jobslike business analysts, data scientists,
software developers, financial analysts,and HR professionals.
What do they all have in common?
(00:43):
Their roles that involveanalyzing information,
solving problems,and using digital skills.
Meanwhile, workers in retail,hospitality, delivery, driving
and some caring professions reportedfeeling much less secure.
Now, this doesn't necessarily meanthose jobs are disappearing.
It simply reflects
how people working in those sectorscurrently feel about their employment.
(01:05):
So what's the takeaway?
If you're thinking about your futurecareer, it's worth investing in skills
that are becoming valuable acrossalmost every industry.
Things like data literacy,digital confidence, and analytical
thinking aren't just usefulif you want to work in tech.
They're increasingly importantin business,
health care, marketing,and loads of other sectors too.
(01:27):
And remember, employers don't just wantto hear that you've got these skills.
They want evidence that could comefrom work experience, volunteering,
university projects,or even extracurricular activities.
Story two the skills employers want most.
Next up, if you think employers are onlylooking for technical skills, think again.
(01:48):
A five year studyby the National Foundation
for Educational Research found thatsome of the most valuable workplace
skills are actually the ones that aren'ttied to a specific degree.
We're talking about communication,
teamwork, creative thinking, and problemsolving.
These are the skills that help peopleadapt, collaborate, and deal with change.
(02:08):
And that's becomingincreasingly important as technology
and AI continue to transform workplaces.
The good news is you're probably alreadydeveloping these skills without even
realizing it.
Group projects at universitya part time job leading a society.
Volunteering or organizing an event.
All of these experiences give you examplesyou can use in applications
(02:30):
and interviews.
So next time you're updating your CV,don't just list what you've
explain what skills you've developedand what impact you had.
That's what employers really want to hear.
Story threeyour degree isn't the end of learning.
Now on to lifelong learning.
And new report from the British Chambersof Commerce says tackling
youth unemploymentisn't just about creating more jobs, it's
(02:53):
also about making it easier for peopleto keep learning throughout their careers.
Businesses say
one of their biggest challengesis finding workers with the right skills.
So the report is callingfor stronger careers advice,
better work experienceopportunities, more apprenticeships
and improved support for peoplewho want to retrain later in life.
And honestly, this reflectsthe reality of today's workplace.
(03:15):
Very few people now stay in exactlythe same career for 40 years.
Technology changes, industriesevolve, new jobs appear, others disappear.
So whether that's professionalqualifications, short online courses,
postgraduate studyor learning new skills at work, continuous
learning is likely to become a normal partof almost everyone's career.
(03:36):
The days of finishing education
in your early 20s and never studying againare becoming much less common.
Storyfor good news for healthcare students.
If you're thinking about a careerin healthcare,
this next story could save you moneyfrom this academic year.
Eligible healthcare students in England
will be able to receive placementfunding up front, rather than paying
(03:56):
travel and accommodation costs themselvesand claiming the money back later.
The change applies to students on coursesincluding nursing, midwifery,
allied health professions,dental therapy and dental hygiene.
And why does this matter?
Clinical placements
are an essential part of these courses,but they can also be expensive,
especially if you're travelinglong distances or staying away from home.
(04:20):
Getting financial supportbefore those costs are incurred
could make healthcare careersmore accessible for many students.
if healthcare is something
you've been considering, it's also worthlooking into scholarships, bursaries
and any additional financial supportyour university might offer.
Story five one small CV mistake could costyou interviews.
(04:41):
Finally, let's talk about your CV.
A recruitment company has warnedthat one of the biggest mistakes
candidates are makingis leaving off their location.
Apparently, around 40% of jobseekersdon't include any address
or location detailsbecause of privacy concerns.
Now, you definitely
don't need to be putting your full homeaddress on your CV anymore.
But recruiters say adding your town,
(05:03):
postcode, district or even your nearesttrain station can help applicant
tracking systems and recruitersfind your application more easily.
It's especially useful if you're applyingfor hybrid or office based
roles, where employers are searchingfor candidates within commuting distance.
So before you send your next application,double check your CV.
Sometimes it's the smallest detailsthat can make the biggest difference.
(05:27):
Thank you so much for listening.
If you found this episode useful,make sure you're following the podcast
and I'll be back next week withfive more career stories you need to know.
Welcome back to
Future Year, the podcast brought to youby graduate careers experts prospects.
Every Friday, we're going to bring youfive stories that are shaping
the future of careers, educationand work in the UK.
Hot off the pressand just what students, graduates
and job seekersneed to be paying attention to.
Story one which jobs feel the most secure?
(00:22):
Let's start with job security and new jobsecurity.
Index has looked at which workersfeel the safest in their careers,
and the results are pretty interesting.
At the top of the list are jobslike business analysts, data scientists,
software developers, financial analysts,and HR professionals.
What do they all have in common?
(00:43):
Their roles that involveanalyzing information,
solving problems,and using digital skills.
Meanwhile, workers in retail,hospitality, delivery, driving
and some caring professions reportedfeeling much less secure.
Now, this doesn't necessarily meanthose jobs are disappearing.
It simply reflects
how people working in those sectorscurrently feel about their employment.
(01:05):
So what's the takeaway?
If you're thinking about your futurecareer, it's worth investing in skills
that are becoming valuable acrossalmost every industry.
Things like data literacy,digital confidence, and analytical
thinking aren't just usefulif you want to work in tech.
They're increasingly importantin business,
health care, marketing,and loads of other sectors too.
(01:27):
And remember, employers don't just wantto hear that you've got these skills.
They want evidence that could comefrom work experience, volunteering,
university projects,or even extracurricular activities.
Story two the skills employers want most.
Next up, if you think employers are onlylooking for technical skills, think again.
(01:48):
A five year studyby the National Foundation
for Educational Research found thatsome of the most valuable workplace
skills are actually the ones that aren'ttied to a specific degree.
We're talking about communication,
teamwork, creative thinking, and problemsolving.
These are the skills that help peopleadapt, collaborate, and deal with change.
(02:08):
And that's becomingincreasingly important as technology
and AI continue to transform workplaces.
The good news is you're probably alreadydeveloping these skills without even
realizing it.
Group projects at universitya part time job leading a society.
Volunteering or organizing an event.
All of these experiences give you examplesyou can use in applications
(02:30):
and interviews.
So next time you're updating your CV,don't just list what you've
explain what skills you've developedand what impact you had.
That's what employers really want to hear.
Story threeyour degree isn't the end of learning.
Now on to lifelong learning.
And new report from the British Chambersof Commerce says tackling
youth unemploymentisn't just about creating more jobs, it's
(02:53):
also about making it easier for peopleto keep learning throughout their careers.
Businesses say
one of their biggest challengesis finding workers with the right skills.
So the report is callingfor stronger careers advice,
better work experienceopportunities, more apprenticeships
and improved support for peoplewho want to retrain later in life.
And honestly, this reflectsthe reality of today's workplace.
(03:15):
Very few people now stay in exactlythe same career for 40 years.
Technology changes, industriesevolve, new jobs appear, others disappear.
So whether that's professionalqualifications, short online courses,
postgraduate studyor learning new skills at work, continuous
learning is likely to become a normal partof almost everyone's career.
(03:36):
The days of finishing education
in your early 20s and never studying againare becoming much less common.
Storyfor good news for healthcare students.
If you're thinking about a careerin healthcare,
this next story could save you moneyfrom this academic year.
Eligible healthcare students in England
will be able to receive placementfunding up front, rather than paying
(03:56):
travel and accommodation costs themselvesand claiming the money back later.
The change applies to students on coursesincluding nursing, midwifery,
allied health professions,dental therapy and dental hygiene.
And why does this matter?
Clinical placements
are an essential part of these courses,but they can also be expensive,
especially if you're travelinglong distances or staying away from home.
(04:20):
Getting financial supportbefore those costs are incurred
could make healthcare careersmore accessible for many students.
if healthcare is something
you've been considering, it's also worthlooking into scholarships, bursaries
and any additional financial supportyour university might offer.
Story five one small CV mistake could costyou interviews.
(04:41):
Finally, let's talk about your CV.
A recruitment company has warnedthat one of the biggest mistakes
candidates are makingis leaving off their location.
Apparently, around 40% of jobseekersdon't include any address
or location detailsbecause of privacy concerns.
Now, you definitely
don't need to be putting your full homeaddress on your CV anymore.
But recruiters say adding your town,
(05:03):
postcode, district or even your nearesttrain station can help applicant
tracking systems and recruitersfind your application more easily.
It's especially useful if you're applyingfor hybrid or office based
roles, where employers are searchingfor candidates within commuting distance.
So before you send your next application,double check your CV.
Sometimes it's the smallest detailsthat can make the biggest difference.
(05:27):
Thank you so much for listening.
If you found this episode useful,make sure you're following the podcast
and I'll be back next week withfive more career stories you need to know.
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