The world almost stopped for a few long minutes when COVID-19 hit, and lockdowns were instituted in almost every country in the world.
Then slowly, a new normal started emerging. College and high school students were enrolled in online classes so things would start working almost as before again, and zoom meetings became the order of the day for the employed. It was like discovering a whole new world that had always been there.
Now, one of the surprising events that followed the pandemic was the increased university enrollment for undergraduate degrees in the UK. Through UCAS – Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, 514,020 applicants of all ages have taken the first step to higher education. That is a 1.6% increase as compared to 2019. What informed these changes and especially now with a pandemic redefining learning as we knew it? Here are a few thoughts on how schooling has changed.
Technology is Showing Off
Pre-COVID, classes were one-on-one and available online options were not favored too much. That meant students had to find time in their schedule for class, something that isn’t always easy with all the demands of modern life. Currently, the situation has shifted towards online learning and more universities are offering flexible schedules. In most cases, even if you cannot attend the class, you can review Zoom call recording later in order to catch up.
ADVERTISEMENT
Of course, there have been some negative consequences of lockdown as well. For example, a lot of students are feeling depressed because of the pandemics and the pressure of assignments they have does not help. It may seem that we all have more time to spare now as you won’t need to spend time commuting, however, students’ workload has increased a lot as well. Many students participate in TikTok challenges or try new hobbies to cope with mental issues, and against that background it’s a true relief there is the ability to now order free of plagiarism research paper help from EduBirdie regardless of where you are in the world. Writing assignments is always one of those tough parts of college and so having a professional do it for you makes it possible to focus on your mental health a bit more.
Speaking of technology taking off in the education sector, educators have been put to task to make their classes even more engaging, which was an issue with this form of learning before. Students are encouraged to express their creativity through videos and other presentation methods when they hand in assignments virtually. Peer-to-peer discussion groups are also taking off well where students can hold discussions regardless of their location in the world as long as they are connected to the internet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Education Gives People Choices
As more and more young people move from seeking employment to focusing on building their own enterprises, they find more reasons to get university education. They no longer just want the best job on Wall Street, but a chance to run a successful business, which has better chances of happening if they are informed. They want finance degrees to show them how to handle money and growth and art degrees to validate their talents.
Even if a person chooses to become an entrepreneur and open their small business, education provides knowledge and connections required to succeed. With a strong academic background, the options are limitless. Though the economy may not support the creation of jobs at the moment, this situation won’t last forever. Smart people know there is no better time to prepare for the future than the present.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s What we Do
Why go to university? Because it is some sort of rite of passage. If you didn’t go to university, there is little to do with your early 20s. At this time, young adults are trying to define how they want the rest of their lives to look like, and so transitioning from home to college is a big deal that everyone who yearns to experience it should.
While there is a lot of learning, writing assignments and papers, and attending lessons, the college also allows you to grow. There will be new friends to make, clubs to join, mistakes to make and learn from, and generally the time to find your true north. With COVID, students may not have the true experience until the vaccine roll-out allows everyone to gather again without too much fear of the outcome. Still, that doesn’t limit one from making friends and enjoying this new phase. So, young people are going to university because they need this transition. It’s part of growing up.
The Future of University Education
It is still a little too early to decide how the future will look like, but we know for sure online classes will never be looked down upon again. The course of this pandemic has taught us what can be achieved with good internet connections and tech advancement. There could be renewed interest in techie courses as there is still too much to explore there.
Business
City Football Group strike landmark deal with Sony for series of TV shows
Danny Jones
Manchester City’s owners have struck yet another big commercial deal ahead of the 2024/25 season, announcing a new collaboration with Sony to produce a number of original TV series.
Confirmed on Wednesday, 23 July, the deal between the City Football Group (CFG) and Sony Pictures Television will see the entertainment corporation create various TV productions for Man City and the other clubs owned by the limited company as part of a new global partnership.
While it marks the third multimedia crossover of its kind they’ve had with an entertainment-led brand, having first worked with Amazon on their All Or Nothing series and then Netflix for the Treble Winners documentary, this deal will see Sony become an official partner of Man City.
City Football Group (CFG) and Sony Pictures Television have inked a new deal encompassing original scripted, nonfiction, and kids’ television projects. The collaboration will see CFG’s media creative production unit and expertise in sport pair with SPT’s production capabilities… pic.twitter.com/LmagHBMG2b
Although exactly how lucrative the deal itself is yet to be disclosed, as per an official statement from the club, the partnership will see Sony “co-develop and produce new original scripted, nonfiction, and kids’ television projects for worldwide audiences.”
The announcement goes on to state that “as well as scripted and unscripted series, projects can also include one-off documentaries, animated projects, or children’s programming.”
Given that CFG has stakes in 13 clubs across Europe, South America, Asia, the United States and Australia – most notably Girona, New York and Melbourne City, French club ES Troyes AC and Italian side Palermo – TV shows created could ultimately go on to feature teams other than just City.
With the holding group also currently developing the Etihad Campus even further by expanding the stadium capacity and adding new leisure additions such as a hotel, museum, rooftop bar and stadium ‘sky-walk’, this is just the latest step in a series of big commerical steps for Man City.
Moveover, as the CFG are also heavily invested in the recently opened Co-op Live arena – which is inextricably linked to the football club located just a stone’s throw away – the City franchise looks to be moving closer and closer to becoming not just a football club but fully-fledged lifestyle brand.
Commenting on the launch of the collaboration, CFG’s CEO Ferran Soriano said: “We are incredibly excited to be collaborating with Sony Pictures Television [SPT] in this joint initiative.
“City Football Group is already a global entertainment company, and this initiative builds on our long-standing track record of innovation in the content space and the growth of City Studios in the last years. We will now take an even more dynamic approach to content production, and we are already developing several scripted and nonfiction series that will delight audiences globally.
“Bringing together the expertise of both CFG and SPT will enable us to create brilliant shows and remain at the forefront of football-led content production.”
SPT’s President of International Production, Wayne Garvie, went on to add: “Football is the great global game, no other sport produces so many heroes, tears and laughter, joy and heartbreak as football […] but the game always evolves and over the last decade City Football Group have become an unprecedented innovator and global leader.
“Our aim is to be part of the next evolution of the game, creating a new generation of innovative football-based entertainment to thrill the world.” It’s still unclear as to when the first of these new football-related TV shows will start rolling out but given the success of previous ventures they’re sure to prove popular.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/ykanazawa1999 (via Flickr)
Business
Popular coffee chain Blank Street to open third Manchester site at the Trafford Centre this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Popular coffee chain Blank Street is gearing up to open its third Manchester site at the Trafford Centre this weekend.
After becoming a common feature down in London, with sites now serving coffee lovers in all four corners of the capital, Blank Street went on to take Manchester by storm earlier this year as it opened doors to two cafes in our city centre – one in Piccadilly Gardens, followed by one on the corner of Cross Street and King Street.
It’s fair to say that Blank Street has earned itself a pretty loyal customer base since opening the doors to its first site back in 2022.
And those loyal customers will soon have a new Greater Manchester location to head on down to.
Popular coffee chain Blank Street is opening its third Manchester site at the Trafford Centre / Credit: Trafford Centre (via Facebook) | Blank Street (via Instagram)
The stunning new Trafford Centre site means Mancs will have another place to get their Blank Street coffee (or matcha) fix from, and not only that, but they’ll also be able to try out the new summer menu too – which apparently includes some of the brand‘s most “refreshing” offerings so far.
The new summer menu sees Blank Street move away from the classic milky base of its renowned Matcha Lattes and experiment with new flavours and lighter textures to provide an “instant hit of sunshine” regardless of the classic Manchester weather.
The Mango Passionfruit Matcha, Watermelon Matcha Spritz, and Yuzu Matcha Spritz are just some of the new menu additions, while the best-selling White Chocolate Matcha also remains.
Ignacio Llado, who is Blank Street’s UK Managing Director, says the company has been met with “such a warm reception” in Manchester already, and has been “so excited to hear that Mancs want more Blank Street locations.
“We’re so proud to announce that our third store will be at the iconic Trafford Centre,” Ignacio added.
“We’re excited to hopefully be fuelling shopping trips and hangouts with friends with our famous matchas and classic cold brew.”