Welcome to my October blog. The main topic for this month is progression within education for students and careers advice.

With the new year well under way at schools, colleges and universities, some attention needs to be made towards your plans for next year if you are coming to the end of your current course and moving on towards a HE level course.

I am a true believer that students should stay in education for as long as possible whilst gaining vital work experience along the way to build their knowledge and skills. With the large mass of graduating students in the engineering sector, the competition for jobs is getting fiercer. With the central hub of motorsport still stemming from the UK, we also have many talented engineers from overseas aiming to be working with the top teams. Recent results in Formula Student show just how strong the German and USA teams are and so our students must push themselves more than ever before if they wish to get to where they want to be.

In order to progress onto a HE course you will have to go through the UCAS application process (www.ucas.com) and make your choice of courses you wish to apply for. Visiting the institutions on Open Days/Evenings is a great way to get a feel for each course, whilst you can also compare courses online at http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/.

The deadline for UCAS applications is January 15th 2014 for a September 2014 place.

There are a whole host of qualifications available at HE level for Motorsport. Those include Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNC/HND), Foundation Degrees (Fd), Bachelors Degrees and Masters Degrees (BSc, BEng, MSc and MEng).

The UCAS website can also be used to search for courses based on a subject area.

To see most of the universities and colleges in one place, the Autosport Show at the NEC in Birmingham in January is a great opportunity to speak to lecturers and students from each institution. Whilst you are there, you should also take the chance to speak to companies about work placement openings.