UK government embraces apps for higher education students

It seems every week we come across a new example of apps being used for brand new purposes - which of course is a great source of inspiration for those taking up our mobile app agency business opportunity. We’ve seen countless examples of apps being used to solve problems, provide information and help the wider community – and this week is no exception.

This time, it’s the turn of the UK’s Universities Minister Chris Skidmore, who last week officially unveiled two brand new apps which have been purposefully designed to help students as they come to make a decision about where and what to study when applying for university places.

Both apps were created by developers who won a government competition to create the apps and receive roughly £150,000 to fund each one. The apps are designed to demystify the process of choosing a study path for students. They pull in useful government data and put it at the fingertips of students and their parents, allowing easy access to information such as future earning potential, employment options and even quality of teaching at shortlisted universities.

The two apps work independently but together, form a duo of services for students with one app functioning as a digital assistance to help with data gathering and decision making and the second a virtual game which maps out potential career pathways.

The Department for Education says the apps are designed to help students make better decision and assist those who may not have much outside support when it comes to deciding on their future options. In the official government announcement, the Universities Minister Chris Skidmore highlighted the vital role that the two new apps are fulfilling for Britain’s youth and underlined how the technology is being used in a range of beneficial ways by saying,”

“The importance of choosing where and what you study at university cannot be overstated – it will impact the rest of your professional and personal life.

“We have made more information available about institutions and outcomes than ever before, but sometimes the sheer amount of data can be daunting for students to navigate. We want to make it easier and fairer for them to access the information they need to make good higher education and career choices.

“That’s why we’ve turned to the power of technology and funded two new apps, empowering students and ensuring they are well equipped to make these life-changing decisions which will help them succeed.”

What other ways could apps be used to help students or assist with decision making? Share your ideas with us on social media.