In a recent Careers blog, we pointed out how fee rises and high graduate unemployment mean students are looking for courses that offer the best value for money in the long term by enhancing job prospects.
Employability is becoming so much of a buzzword that 80% of students said this - and salaries - were a factor in deciding which university they apply to, the BBC reported recently.
The increasing cost of a university education has also meant employers are looking at new ways of finding talented individuals outside the traditional milkround. Ernst & Young has launched a new school leaver training programme which is designed as an alternative to university and Procter & Gamble recently abandoned graduate-only recruitment in favour of apprentices.
So, if you're trying to weigh up all these factors, how do you decide what's the right route for you? How do you pick the best course to boost your employability and impress employers? And, is getting a degree the only way to satisfy the requirements of the many recruiters out there? Is university the best place for you or would you prefer to swerve the traditional rite of passage and start earning straight away? We've assembled a panel of experts to debate all these questions and help you weigh up your options - join them on Tuesday 23 August between 1pm and 4pm.
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Our panel:
Carl Lygo is CEO of BPP University College. He is a qualified barrister and an former university lecturer.
Madelaine Power is the current chief executive of students at BPP University College. She studied the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in 2010 with BPP and will complete her barrister training in October 2011.
Gregg Carnaffan looks after recruitment for HSBC Bank in retail, commercial and corporate banking for the UK and Europe.
Joanne McManus is operations director for distance learning provider ICS. Joanne has been involved in the vocational skills sector for 20 years.
Amy Whittaker is a graduate recruitment officer at Ernst & Young. As part of her role, Amy works closely with university campus teams to find new talent.
Phil Davis is head of student support at Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln and secretary of the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA).
Katie Byrne graduated with a 2:1 from the University of Essex last month.
Sara Barnard is a content writer for an online healthcare company. Sara studied American Literature with Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and graduated in 2010 with a first class degree.
Gary Reynolds is associate director of The College of Estate Management, a provider of distance learning for real estate and construction professionals.
Ross Renton (@Ross_Renton) is the director of education liaison and a head of department at the University of Hertfordshire (@uniofherts)
Computer entrepreneur Steve Edwards is the founder of bestCourse4me. The website brings together data on employment, careers and salaries to help students to choose a university course which matches their ambitions.
Eve Maria Hooper graduated last year with a 2:1 in English Literature and Philosophy from the University of East Anglia. She is currently studying towards an MPhil in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham.
Jonathan Black is director of the Careers Service at the University of Oxford. He'll be online between 2pm and 3pm.
Michelle Palin is a new entrants resourcing specialist who looks after graduate and advanced apprentice programmes at Network Rail. Michelle will be online after 3pm.
