Many of graduates in the West Midlands have not benefitted from or used their degree in the world of work. New research conducted by Able Skills, found that 64% of graduates in the region felt they could be in the same position without a degree while (21%) said their degree was a waste of money. A third (33%) of the region’s graduates think they could be earning more if they had starting working straight from school.

Almost half of all graduates surveyed across the UK (48%) believe they could be earning more if they started working straight from school and (35%) wish they didn’t go to university at all. Perhaps because they are not using their degrees, almost three in ten of all (27%) graduates have never used their qualification at work. But this doesn’t look set to change, over half (58%) of employed graduates have no plans to move jobs to make use of their studies.

Gary Measures, Managing Director of Able Skills says: “The education, education, education boom in the 90’s has had a knock on effect. Many graduates seem to have taken this on board without seriously considering what they wanted to do post study. Evidently, further education is not the best career route for everyone and is such an investment that young people seriously need to consider their skill set and future before taking on such a commitment of their time and money. More needs to be done to educate young people on the other options available to prevent another generation making the same mistakes when they could be earning and on a career ladder.”

A lack of planning could be the problem as (31%) of graduates in the West Midlands didn’t know what they wanted to do with their degree after studying.  Able Skills offer construction training courses in electrical, plumbing, gas, plastering, carpentry, tiling, decorating and bricklaying.

Tesco's 10th Food Collection takes place in all stores across the UK this weekend, with Tesco topping up customer donations by 20% to help charity partners FareShare and The Trussell Trust feed even more people in need.

Tesco is inviting shoppers across the UK to help people in need this Christmas by donating long-life food to its Food Collection, which takes place in all Tesco stores from Thursday 30 November to Saturday 2 December.

The Food Collection, now held annually ahead of Christmas, is part of the retailer's ongoing work to support its partners FareShare and The Trussell Trust, which help a wide range of people across the UK.

Tesco's support for its food charity partners has been a key part of this year's Christmas campaign, which celebrates the many ways people come together at Christmas. Alongside the Food Collection and its ongoing surplus food redistribution scheme, the retailer is donating £1 for every fresh turkey sold to help people in need, and its second television advert shines a light on the difference food donations from Tesco can make.

Since the Food Collection began in 2012, more than 40 million meals have been donated by generous Tesco customers.

Matt Davies, UK & ROI CEO at Tesco, said:

“I'm always amazed and humbled by the generosity of our customers at Christmas time with the support they give to our Food Collection.

"Last year, we provided more than 4 million meals worth of food to help people in need through our different schemes, and this year hope to provide even more support with extra little helps like donating £1 for every fresh turkey purchased at Tesco.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO at FareShare, encouraged people to give to the collection:

“If you're heading down to your local Tesco today please do remember to donate a can or packet to the food collection at the front of the store. For charities doing their best to feed some of the most vulnerable over the Christmas period, these donations make a huge difference.

"What's more, Tesco will top-up your donation by 20% which enables our charity to help more and more people in need.”

Samantha Stapley, Operations Manager for The Trussell Trust, said:

“Trussell Trust foodbanks across the country will be doing all they can to provide emergency support so people don't go hungry – but to make sure we're prepared for what could be our busiest December yet, our network needs your support.

"During every Food Collection we've been humbled by the staggering generosity of Tesco customers, store colleagues and volunteers, and as we look to the start of the 10th collection, we would love to have your support once again. Your generosity will help stop hunger this Christmas.”

This Christmas one travel company is giving a gift to its customers and the environment.

Sustainable tour operators Undiscovered Mountains are planting a tree for every booking made with them in the month of December.

The multi-activity holiday specialists have a strong commitment to sustainable tourism and are making the most of the festive season as an opportunity to encourage holidaymakers to be eco-friendly and responsible travellers.

The Alps-based company's Plant a Tree for Christmas scheme is a festive launch for the company's new carbon offsetting programme in collaboration with social enterprise Mossy Earth, which allows travellers to off-set the environmental impact of their travel.

One tree would offset the carbon cost of an average European flight for one person.

The new carbon offsetting programme will normally see customers given the option to pay €9.99 to plant a tree when making their booking, but as a special festive launch for the new venture Undiscovered Mountains are covering the cost of planting a tree for every booking made through the month of December.

Sally Guillaume, Owner and Director of Undiscovered Mountains says:

“Sustainable tourism is at the heart of what we do year-round. At Undiscovered Mountains we actively promote eco-friendly travel and we are passionate about launching our carbon offsetting scheme to compensate for the inevitable environmental impact that travel has. We are very excited to launch the scheme with our Plant a Tree for Christmas offer and we can't wait to see our forest grow.”

Undiscovered Mountains have a specially allocated area within the Mossy Earth forest in Portugal. Those who sign up to plant a tree will receive a photograph of their tree as well as GPS co-ordinates so the tree can be located on the interactive forest map on the Undiscovered Mountains website, or even visited in person.

The Plant a Tree for Christmas offer is available for one tree per booking for every booking made through 1st-31st December 2017.

Hampshire can stake a strong claim to have been at the very forefront of the formation of the RAF, in 1918.

Farnborough, in the north east of the county, is where the Army established its Royal Engineers Balloon School in 1906.  It also happens to be where the 'daring-do' pioneer pilot Samuel Franklin Cody made the first successful powered flight in Britain in 1908; where one of the forerunners of the RAF, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), was created; and where the so-called “Father of the RAF”, Hugh Montague Trenchard commanded the Military Wing in the RFC HQ.

Now named Trenchard House, the earliest building on the site of the Royal Aircraft Factory is where the first British Army RFC aircraft squadrons were established in 1912 – in a meeting-room which has been restored, and which the public can visit today by invitation.  Largely dedicated to operations over The Western Front, the RFC would later merge with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) to become The RAF in 1918.

Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST: https://www.airsciences.org.uk/index.html), standing on the very same site in Farnborough, commemorates all of this - and more - in its wonderfully eclectic Museum.

Which also helps to make Hampshire one must-see locations in the UK as the nation prepares to mark the centenary of the RAF in 2018.

And while FAST is planning a special exhibition for next year to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, formerly the Royal Aircraft Factory, 2018 will also see the return of the hugely popular Farnborough Airshow to Hampshire from July 16-22 2018 (https://www.farnboroughairshow.com/trade/visiting/public-show/).

Hampshire's aviation history is especially eye-catching, having become the Royal Engineers' venue of choice in 1906 when the Army was looking for a base for their balloon operations.  And in the years leading-up to the outbreak of WWI, many of the country's leading technicians, and most of the nation's leading test pilots, started to ply their new trades at Farnborough.

Amongst them, the colourful former Wild West Showman Samuel Franklin Cody also made quite a name for himself - not least by making the first successful powered flight in Britain, on October 16, 1908.  Visitors to the FAST today will find his statue at the entrance to the Museum, and can learn more within The Cody Pavillion, which houses a replica of the plane in which he recorded his epic flight.

Aviation was becoming a science, Hampshire was at the heart of it, and the Royal Flying Corps, built-up by “Boomer” Trenchard on the orders of Lord Kitchener to raise the number of new squadrons from his target of twelve, to sixty, was one of two airborne services protecting Britain from the German threat.

Towards the end of the war, Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts was asked by the British Imperial War Cabinet to look at ways of combining the work of the RFC and the RNAS.  His review of the British Air Services, which came to be called 'The Smuts Report', concluded the treatment of air required a separate force, and in 1918 the Royal Air Force was formed.

FAST Museum is dedicated to Farnborough's proud aviation heritage and significant contribution to air science and research.  Located in and around the former Royal Engineers Balloon School, it is open to the public every weekend from 10am to 4pm, and by arrangement for pre-booked groups from Tuesday to Thursday.  Free to visit, it is run entirely by volunteers.

CaminoWays.com are pleased to announce Mossy Earth as the recipients of the Greenlife Fund. Sticking with our commitment to sustainable and inspirational projects we are thrilled to be supporting the Native Oak Reforestation project in Northern Portugal.

Following the devastating wildfires in Portugal earlier this year this is just the type of project assist with our fund. For this inspiring project we aim to support the reforestation of areas affected by the wild fires that have destroyed vegetation and wildlife habitats in regions surrounding the Camino routes.

This year alone the Portuguese wildfires are understood to have been responsible for over 100 deaths and countless destruction of the beautiful landscapes across Northern Portugal. The fires destroyed about 29,000 hectares of land and the hope is that we can all help to prevent such devastating events in the future.

To start this initiative we have planted one tree per staff member in Northern Portugal where Mossy Earth have secured a site. We are inviting Camino walkers from around the world to support this fantastic project. For every tree bought Mossy Earth will provide exclusive GPS coordinates of the area where the trees are planted and regular updates on the forest.