More Irish students seeking places at British universities
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009Irish students are applying to British colleges and universities at an accelerating pace this year. The Irish Post is reporting that the nmber of applications from Ireland for British places is up more than 13%, with 5,425, or nearly 14% of students who sat their Leaving Cert exam this year, making such an application.
The newspaper reports that the major factor in the shift is the student fears over the possibility of the reintroduction of fees, and also notes the heavy promotion efforts British universities are aiming at Irish students.
Related web page:
Irish Post: Young Irish on course for Britain
“Talent, Competitiveness, and Migration” focuses on policy issues
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009“Talent, Competitiveness and Migration” has just been published by the Transatlantic Council on Migration. The publishers say:
As the global economic crisis ripples across the financial, political and social landscape, it is leaving its mark on international migration. The recession, hailed as the worst since the Great Depression, is impacting the scope and pace of international migration and its effects could deepen should the world economy worsen.
Governments, businesses and individuals have all felt the damaging consequences of the global downturn, which has shaken confidence in established institutions. The crisis is driving some policymakers and analysts in Europe and North America to re-think their assumptions about labor migration. Yet while policymakers face exceptionally strong popular and political outcry to protect jobs at home, they face mid-term demographic challenges. These two opposing policy pressures require responses that will not only help ease the current economic crisis, but will also secure the long-term prosperity of these regions.
This book reflects the effort of the Transatlantic Council on Migration to map how profound demographic change is likely to affect the size and character of global migration flows; and how governments can shape immigration policy in a world increasingly attuned to the hunt for talent. This volume is the second major product of the Council.
National emigration history centre given go ahead in New Ross
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009A national emigration history centre is planned for the Dunbrody Visitor Centre in New Ross, Co. Wexford, as part of a €2.5 million redevelopment plan for the Dunbrody Visitor Centre. The plan was given a go-ahead by the New Ross Town council last month, and the new visitor center could be completed as early as next year.
Related website:
LosingYourJob.ie provides emigration info
Monday, June 15th, 2009The Citizen’s Information Board has introduced a new website called “LosingYourJob.ie”, which includes emigration information alongside information on social welfare entitlements, education and training options, reduced hours, and more. The information is culled from the larger database of information on the CitizensInformation.ie website.
The emigration information is located in a section called “Leaving Ireland” and covers such topics as applying for a passport, documents to bring with you, working inside and outside the EU, transferring social security payments abroad, and diplomatic supports abroad.
It might be helpful if the site included information on groups like the Crosscare Migrant Project in Dublin and the many support centres abroad for Irish people.
Related websites:
A look at unemployment rates in destination countries
Monday, June 15th, 2009With the increasing number of news reports about unemployed people seeking to emigrate, it’s useful to look at unemployment rates in a number of destination countries. These are, of course, only guidelines – no doubt there are national differences in the methods of compiling these statistics that make it difficult to make accurate comparisons.
Ireland’s unemployment rate is 11.8%. Here are the rates in some of the countries most commonly considered by those seeking to emigrate:
- UK: 7.1% (March 2009 – Office for National Statistics)
- US: 9.4% (May 2009 – Bureau of Labour Statistics)
- Canada: 8.4% (May 2009 – Statistics Canada)
- Australia 5.7% (May 2009 – Australian Bureau of Statistics)
- New Zealand – 5% (April 2009 – Statistics New Zealand)
UCDscholarcast aimed at global audience
Monday, June 15th, 2009UCD has launched a new podcast service on Irish cultural topics. There are three series of UCDscholarcast available so far:
- The Art of Popular Culture
- Archaeologies of Art: Papers from the Sixth World Archaeological Congress
- Scholars Off the Page
The podcasts are recorded in a studio and aimed at academics and others; the series also includes PDF transcripts of the podcasts, to facilitate citation in written academic work. Director PJ Mathews notes the series may be of interest to the Irish abroad.
Just in time for Bloomsday, the latest podcast is Declan Kiberd, Professor of Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama at UCD, reading the closing chapter of his book “Ulysses and Us: The Art of Everyday Living”.
Related websites:
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