Graham grew up in South London and was secretly battling with Spina Bifida although not knowing what it was until later life. At age 15, Graham’s teachers concluded that he was “bone idle” and were only too happy to see him leave.

After school, Graham applied for 62 jobs and received the same number of rejections. He eventually found a job as an apprentice barber, and so his career unfolded.

By his early twenties, Graham had opened his first hair salon despite his condition deteriorating. By the time he was in is thirties he owned a string of successful hair salons.

Graham launched his first hair care product line, Graham Webb, in 1989 with it growing continuously throughout the nineties to the extent that it was the number 4 hair care product range in the USA. Wella bought the line in 1997, and in 2003 Proctor and Gamble acquired Wella and Graham’s brands. He remains the Goodwill Ambassador at Proctor and Gamble for his brands; Graham Webb, Halo and Back to Basics.

Graham appeared in front of HM The Queen in the 2005 New Year Honours List for his services to business and the work he does for charity.

Graham now travels around the world giving speeches and inspiring people by saying ‘it can be done’!

Graham’s book Out-of-The-Bottle is out now.

“Graham, a man with a truly remarkable story.” - Jon Snow, Channel 4 News

Having completed her ‘A’ levels, Ashi Arora decided to enrol for a legal administration course at college, her first step towards a career in law.  However, Ashi’s ultimate goal was to qualify as a lawyer and after researching her options, she realised that the ILEX route would allow her to work at her own pace and gain hands-on experience at the same time.

“My first position was as an outdoor clerk, taking half a day off a week to attend college. The firm paid for my course fees and exams and I had the support and guidance of experienced practitioners around me.

“It took five years to complete the ILEX qualification during which time I relocated to Manchester and began working as a trainee Legal Executive. It was certainly hard work, while my friends were on summer holiday I would be revising, but the long-term goals were definitely worth focusing on.

In 1997 I joined Davis Blank Furniss Solicitors and I now specialise in personal injury cases. The team around me is extremely supportive and I feel both valued and respected by my colleagues.

“Specialising in personal injury cases, I feel both valued and respected by my colleagues.”

“I am an active member of the local ILEX branch and the Manchester Junior Chamber of Commerce, where I have learned skills such as delegation and time management. In recognition of my contribution to the community, alongside my professional accomplishments, I have been honoured with the Asian Achievers Award.”

To find out more about the ILEX scheme visit www.ilex.org.uk

First and foremost, if you remember one thing from this article, it should be - ‘don’t jump on the first course you see’! The educational foundation, Edge, recently researched the decision making in clearing and found that a whopping 13% of students who went through clearing were unhappy with their course, 33% with their University!

If you have your heart set on studying Medicine and don’t get your grades, go for it again next year. Not many people are aware that the University dropout rate stands at almost 1 in 4 (big figure!) therefore it is beneficial for you to make the right decision first-time round.

Just today I spoke to a guy who didn’t get his first-choice place and felt compelled to take the first course he saw, despite saying he didn’t want to study it. There’s absolutely no shame whatsoever in retaking your modules if it means being happy in your decisions. There’s no hiding from the fact that University study is expensive so it is really important you make the right choice first time so you don’t feel the pinch from your pocket, if anything!

But what about the people who did/didn’t get their grades and are now looking at the alternatives to university? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that’s where we can help!

Grades are not just important for prospective Uni students, but also for those of you looking get on the career ladder. There are many training schemes out there tailored for A-Level students in different industries ranging from Accounting to Retail and many of them ask for UCAS points/grades. Now this may range from two Cs at A-Level to the full-blown 320 UCAS points for example.

The same principle applies to those of you applying to these schemes; there is no shame in retaking exams if you have your heart set on this route.

We like to think we’re approachable (!), so if you have any concerns at all, get in touch and we’ll point you in the right direction.

We’ll leave you with this little food for thought…the same Edge report showed that 37% of first and second year University students felt pressured into Uni by their teachers, 28% by their parents and 20% from careers advisers…

Check out Edge’s support website - www.nextstepguide.co.uk.

Over the next few weeks you will notice a job board being implemented. This will enable you guys and girls to register and apply for schemes and jobs as well as enabling us to maximise the database of options open to you.

We’re going to be packed with all sorts of careers, schemes, apprenticeships, internships and work experience opportunities, and putting it all in one place for your ease.

NotGoingToUni aims to be the number one careers website tailored for school and college leavers, so you needn’t trawl for ages through sites trying to find jobs which aimed at you; they’ll all be in one place!

We’re still going to be a very much information-based portal providing you with post-school/college advice on the alternatives to university as well as info on university. On top of this we’re going to have case studies on people’s experiences of Uni/NotGoingToUni (love doing that!), info on gap years, company profiles, tips for getting that dream job, videos, competitions and much more! Sounds exciting, eh?!

To register your interest and be the first to know when we launch, send a blank email to info@notgoingtouni.co.uk.

Alternatively, get in contact using the same address (info@notgoingtouni.co.uk) if you’re interested in one-month’s no-obligation, free advertising!

Anyone who has been to a results day of any form knows that they are anxious times and it can be devastating if you don’t do as well as expected. On top of this we all seem to be spell-bound into thinking that if you don’t get your grades you are doomed for a life of misery; the reality is very different. Whether you just missed the University’s expectation by a grade or two, or whether you’re not going to Uni but are disappointed, here is a quick guide to what you can do if you don’t get your A-Level results .

Resit Your Exams

Now it may not sound like an all-round cracking party but it is definitely an avenue to be thinking about. If you ask nicely, your school or college should let you stay on another year to re-take your studies or at least sit the exams there. If you’re planning to head off to Uni, sometimes the University will want you to achieve higher grades than the original offer, and occasionally they may want you to resit the whole lot, so it’s important you speak to both your chosen University as well as your school/college.

Re-marking Your Papers

Most of us have been in the position where we walk away from an exam or handing in a bit of coursework thinking “get in there!” only to find we didn’t do as well as expected. Well, just like you and me, markers are only human and make mistakes too, so if you’re in doubt that the grade presented on the certificate hasn’t  given your exam answers any justice, go and speak to your school/college ASAP and they will contact the examination body to get your paper re-marked. While this may cost you from the pocket, there have been instances where people have gained 2 grades by re-marking.

Clearing

Clearing is the process you go into if your chosen University turns you down after your A-Level results. The process enables you to try and secure a place at another institution.

Before entering clearing it is always worth contacting the University if you don’t get your grades, or just miss them by a minuscule amount; you never know they may still take you. If you don’t ask you don’t get!

What you need to do is log onto UCAS website and apply for a Clearing Passport. Clearing is open for about month after your A-Level results and courses available are advertised on the UCAS site. If you see something that tickles your fancy, call the University admissions department and try and haggle your way onto the course.

Getting On With A Career

There are many careers out there which you can go into with GCSEs, AS Levels and A-Levels in many different industries. Careers are tailored for different levels of qualification, many just like Universities asking for UCAS points (e.g. 300). If you are interested in getting on in the world of work, drop us an email with the line of work you are interested in and we’ll chat through your options with you - info@notgoingtouni.co.uk.

Of course you can always take a break from work and education by travelling the world and the seven seas.

At the end of the day, not getting your predicted/desired A-Levels is certainly not the end of the world. There are plenty of options still open to you.

We’ll soon be launching a jobs board featuring A-Level jobs, GCSE jobs, apprenticeships, trainee schemes, management careers, internships, work experience, travel jobs and much more. No longer will you need to trawl for hours on end finding suitable jobs! Coming September 2008.

Topping the list and worth a whopping (now there’s a cool word!) £2 BILLION is Laurence Graff. Laurence left school and undertook an apprenticeship in diamonds before going into trading them and earning the wicked title of ‘king of diamonds’.

NotGoingToUni’s favourite on the list has to be Sir James Dyson who made it in to 6th position with a personal fortune of £760million…not bad eh?! We had to slip this link in as we can’t get enough of the Dyson Ball advert! Dyson have a 46% market share of British vacuum sales so it’s no wonder he’s worth so much; what a legend. However, Dyson’s interests don’t just lie in improving the quality of household chores, oh no…

How many times do you go into public loos only to find a pathetic hair dryer blowing a measley amount of air in an attempt to dry your hands? Well, that was when Sir James decided to innovate the world of automatic hand-dryers in the shape of the Dyson AirBlade…so much so we have to keep washing our hands! Not in an obsessive way, mind you…

When we think of the ‘vocational’ route we tend to think of the traditional trades (Plumber, Electrician, Carpenter etc). In truth the word vocational has been described as “quality training on a work-based (educational) route”. There are plenty of vocational routes to go down, not only at GCSE level, but after school/college once you’ve got your A-Levels. A lot of you will be after a blend of academic study yet not including going to university, and that’s where we come in. Check through the site and find the perfect career path for you then be sure to look at the opportunities available. If you can’t see what your after, give us a tinkle by emailing us - info@notgoingtouni.co.uk.

Click here to view the Vocational Rich List.

What was your motivation to take a gap year?

I’ve always wanted to see different parts of the world and I wanted to take a break from writing essays and revising.

How did you feel before you joined the programme?

I was a little bit nervous as I didn’t know what to expect but I was more excited.

How did Real Gap assist you? How did they compare with your expectations?

Everywhere we went was 100 times more amazing than I thought, and Real Gap already made them sound incredible.

What was the accomodation like?

The people were so friendly that we stayed with and even though the food was quite scarce in Zimbabwe, they managed to make us the most delicious meals every day. There were occasional power cuts or water shortages but the beds were always nice and so were the bathrooms, with warm showers.

What did you think of the programme?

I became so used to just seeing lions, elephants, zebras and giraffes in my every day activities. I loved working with the animals and also the children when we painted the nursery school and fed the orphans. They are all so happy. Every day was a new experience.

Take a journal otherwise you won’t remember everything you do!

What was the most memorable moment of the trip?

That’s a hard one, but probably the elephant trip. It was incredible. Walking with the lions will always be an amazing memory and it became so natural to get up early and take the lions on a walk!

Did your programme and destination meet your expectations?

Yes, I can’t pick a favourite because they were all so amazing. Every day I would be excited to wake up because everything we did was so fun and if it was not fun (because we were tired or hot, or both!) it was interesting and we learned so much all the time.

What do you feel you accomplished during your programme?

I have learned so much about the way people in Zimbabwe live and about the animals and how they live. It has also opened my eyes to what else there is in the world, it made me want to everywhere and do all sorts of projects.

How have you benefited from your experience? How have you changed?

As I said before, it has opened my eyes to the possibilities in life. Every week or so we moved to a different place, and so had to fit in with different people and regimes which was challenging at times but also great fun.

I have realised the extent of my love for the wildlife over there because of this have no choice but to go back again some time soon!

What advice would you give to someone considering the Africa programme?

Well firstly, don’t forget your camera!

I recommend bringing a journal so you don’t forget anything you have done when you come home to tell your friends.

Bring quite a lot of spending money, just because there are so many extras which you would not want to miss, such as a night encounter where you see lions hunt and kill their prey. Amazing…and an elephant swims and bungee jumps…it’s endless really!

You can’t use your bankcard in 99% of the places, so bring cash.

Just look forward to the most amazing trip ever, 5 weeks go so quickly!

To find out more about a gap year to Africa, visit Real Gap.

vinspired is a unique charity run by young people for young people promoting volunteering in the community. There are so many opportunities to get involved with v, from helping out at local events to starting your own community project.

Volunteering is great is so many ways. It is flexible work and looks amazing on your CV. We’ll let you into a little secret. Here at NotGoingToUni we speak to many employers, and one thing we have picked up which applies to big job opportunities, employers can get hundreds of CVs for as little as only a handfull of jobs and unless you have something which makes you stand out from the crowd, your CV won’t get anywhere. Volunteering is such an amazing chance to get something truly unique on your CV and set you apart.

Not only is volunteering great for your CV and in giving you experience, but it is a fantastic chance to meet new people and have a laugh at the same time. And that’s exactly why indie stars, The Enemy swapped their guitars for spades and planted trees in a community.

Even if you cannot find a volunteering position through vinspired to get your teeth into, don’t fret, the guys and girls at vinspired have thought of a way around this by setting up an iniative called vcashpoint. vcashpoint offers all you 16-25 year olds the opportunity to apply for up to £2500 to set up your own volunteering projects. Awesome!

For further information on vinspired or the vcashpoint iniative, visit www.vinspired.com today.

YearDot will constantly follow Tom and NotGoingToUni’s progress over the upcoming (and very stimulating!) 12 months. NotGoingToUni has already attracted a lot of attention and got great feedback in it’s young life and there are some extremely exciting plans for the future.

Please all show your support for Tom and NotGoingToUni by checking out the YearDot website and visit Tom’s MySpace profile to get involved, we want to hear from you all!

There will be constant video updates delivered on the YearDot site and a 10-part television documentary goes out later in the year. In the meantime, here is Tom’s profile video…

As a society we are taught from an early age that university is the only route to success. Many students I have met have almost felt guilty, ashamed because they didn’t go through higher education. So much so that I met a guy the other day at a networking event. He was what you’d term a ’success’ in his own rights, he had made a fortune through his various enterprises, yet he left it all at 40 to back to university…all because he felt guilty not having a degree! Now clearly he didn’t need a degree and he was wealthy enough to retire early and live a comfortable retirement, yet he felt somewhat compelled to go back university.

The beauty of life is we’re all different, and don’t want the same things in life…everytime I go shopping I see a t-shirt and think “who would buy that?!” only to walk out of the shop seeing someone wearing it.

If you’re reading this and not sure whether to go to university or not, this article will hopefully answer some of your quams and give you a clearer insight…

Pro’s and Con’s of Uni

Sometimes it’s nice to have little guidelines on things, but at the end of the day it’s your decision whether to go to uni or not.

University is great if you want to ‘use’ your degree, by that I mean if you want to become a Barrister, Vet, Doctor etc. In fact, you can’t get your foot in any of these professions without a good degree under your belt. But then again, not all of us aspire to fix kttens or wear a funny wig in court and it’s worth considering whether you actually need university to achieve your aspirations. For example I always wanted to study Law but didn’t really want to go through university, yet was oblivious to the fact I could become a solicitor by earning n’ learning through the ILEX scheme.

It is true that graduates are expected to earn about £160,000 more over a lifetime than non-graduates. However this figure includes brain surgeons, dentists and actors who push the figure up by a huge amount. In reality, if you we’re to study art for instance, you are only expected to earn about £35,000 more than non-graduates, and when your average three-year degree costs you about £38,000…well as they say, you do the math.

Student life…ahh possibly the best thing about uni (…I didn’t say it!). Who doesn’t want the 24/7 partying, lounging around the house watching Deal or No Deal. As I say to all the students I meet, you’re pretty screwed if your lectures fall at 8am every morning! Besides, contrary to popular belief, university is hard work, especially when it comes to writing a 10,000 word dissertation. Anyway, who says you can’t get the best of both worlds? Speaking to a friend a while back, she decided not to go to uni, was in a well-paid, comfortable job with prospects and every weeked she would go and visit her various mates up and down the country, who wre in uni, getting a bit of the student life.

Which Careers Need Uni?

Another question I’m often asked is ‘can I get into x (career) without uni?’…well I will write you guys a full-article about which careers need uni, but in the meantime here is a quick guideline…

Careers Needing a Degree: Barrister, Vet, Doctor (of any capacity…saying that Sir Alan has a couple of honary doctorates yet never studied for a degree), Teacher, Economist…etc

Career Not Needing a Degree: Journalist, Surveyor, Solicitor, Accountant, Managerial positions, Engineering, Air Traffic Control…etc

What’s Right For Me?

Only you can answer that question, I’m afraid, nice as it is to be told what to do! Don’t feel pressured down any route and most importantly don’t feel ashamed if you feel uni isn’t for you.

If you unsure what you want to do, why not get some work experience in different industries, see what the job’s like and then get some food for thought.

Success is the achievement of your ambitions. Some of us aspire to be brain surgeons, other aspire to be graphic designers. You are a success if you achieve what you want, and no-one can tell you what you want.

If you are actively looking for a career, why not email us your CV at cv@notgoingtouni.co.uk, and we’ll help you polish the baby up and help you find your perfect job!