Gen Z's Phone Skills Crisis: Schools Teach Students How to Make Calls for University Admissions

As students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland prepare for A-level results day, schools are now teaching them basic phone skills, including how to make a call, greet the person on the line, and provide their identifying number, due to anxiety about speaking to university admissions teams. This move comes as Ucas, the higher education admissions service, aims to eventually digitise the clearing process. According to research, Gen Z prefers texting or sending voice notes over phone conversations. A survey found that nearly a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds never pick up calls.

Key Takeaways:

• Ucas is teaching schools basic phone skills to help students navigate clearing, including how to say hello and provide their Ucas identifying number.
• Research suggests Gen Z prefers texting or sending voice notes over phone conversations.
• A survey found that nearly a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds never pick up calls.
• Clearing is expected to be more competitive than usual this year due to universities making a record number of offers amid a worsening financial crisis across higher education.
• 17 out of 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies available through clearing this week.
• Universities are scrambling to fill seats with domestic students this year as they face financial pressures following a dramatic drop in foreign students.
• Ucas plans to modernise the clearing process to give pupils automatic offers that they can either accept or decline.
• The scheme is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, and matches applicants to university places that are yet to be filled.
• Clearing hotlines at most universities will open from 7am on results day on Thursday for disappointed pupils hoping to find a place on a degree.

Statistics:

• 0908% of pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland receiving top (A*/A) grades at A-level.
• 17 out of 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies available through clearing this week.
• Universities face financial pressures following a dramatic drop in foreign students.

Sources:

• The Times
• The Telegraph