The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 552 (August 25 - September 7 2021) - USA Edition

Jobs
AUGUST 25 - SEPTEMBER 7 2021
TheTrumpet
New UK Graduate Visa will boost UK
labour market
Page7
Arecently launched UK Graduate
Visa will allow overseas students
who have graduated with a degree
or postgraduate course in the UK to remain
in the country for at least two years (three
years for PhD graduates).
The introduction of this new visa is a
fantastic opportunity for graduates and
employers alike. Graduates will no longer
be under pressure to leave the UK as soon
as their student visa expires. The new visa
allows them to start building careers in the
UK, and if they want to stay longer, they
can transfer their visa to a work visa or
family visa, depending on their
circumstances.
The Government has introduced this
scheme because as the UK recovers from
the pandemic, demand for a highly
qualified workforce is growing fast. Indeed,
according to financial analysts at PWC,
“the UK could be the fastest-growing G7
economy up to 2050”.
This new visa aims to encourage
overseas graduates to stay in the UK and
start their careers in the UK and will be just
as beneficial for employers desperate for
talented staff, allowing them to choose
from a wider pool of highly qualified
candidates as the economy grows.
Applicants for this new scheme will
need to have a valid Student visa (formerly
Tier 4) before they start their course of
study and will need to pass either the B1
SELT or B2 SELT English exams to qualify
for their student visa. Once the student visa
expires, international students who have
graduated from an eligible undergraduate
(or higher) course at a UK higher education
provider will be able to apply for the new
Graduate Visa. They will not have to take
any further English qualifications in
addition to the B1 SELT or B2 SELT exams
they took to qualify for their Student Visa.
The B1 and B2 SELT tests are
Government approved and can only be
taken at approved SELT test centres such as
those run by an approved SELT provider,
and one of the four Home Office approved
suppliers. Candidates should contact their
sponsors or academic institutions to
confirm the exam type and CEFR level they
must achieve before registering for a
LanguageCert exam.
LanguageCert is an awarding
organisation that offers Home Officeapproved,
LanguageCert Secure English
Language Tests (SELTs) accepted by UK
Visas and Immigration as proof of English
proficiency for those wishing to live, work
and study in the UK. If a SELT exam is not
required, candidates can take a to meet
their university admission requirements.
When this new visa was announced in
March 2021, Minister for Future Borders
and Immigration - Kevin Foster stated, “As
New UK Graduate Visa will boost UK labour
market
we rebuild from the global pandemic, we
want the world’s brightest talent, who
aspire to a career at the highest levels of
business, science, the arts and technology
to see our United Kingdom as the natural
place to fulfil their aspirations. The changes
announced will ensure once they have
received a gold standard qualification from
one of our world-leading education
institutions, they can easily secure the status
they need to continue living, working, and
fulfilling their dreams in the UK”.
Am I Eligible for A UK Graduate
Visa?
You will be eligible for a UK graduate
visa as long as you:
• Are applying from within the UK
• Have an existing student visa
• Have successfully completed a
bachelor’s degree or a postgraduate
degree in the UK
• Undertook your course while on a study
visa
To obtain a Graduate Visa, applicants
must have studied with an approved
education provider with a track record of
sponsorship compliance and achieved a UK
bachelor’s degree, a UK master’s degree,
or a UK PhD or doctorate, or on one of the
following:
• a law conversion course approved by
the Solicitors Regulation Authority
• the Legal Practice Course in England
and Wales, the Solicitors Course in
Northern Ireland, or a Diploma in
Professional Legal Practice in Scotland
• the Bar Practice Course in England and
Wales, or the Bar Course in Northern
Ireland
• a foundation programme in medicine or
dentistry
• a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
(PGCE)
• a Postgraduate Diploma in Education
(PGDE)
Technology
Disinfect your mobile phone
Imagine if your mobile phone could be
used to spy on you, listen to your
conversations and send information
and images from your device to a third
party? This is not an imagined, dystopian
future, it is the story of the Pegasus
spyware put on mobile devices by clients
of Israeli spyware software firm NSO.
Although the Pegasus spyware is meant
to be used by law enforcement only and
is targeted at high-value individuals, this
story provides some food for thought as,
according to Anna Collard, SVP Content
Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4
AFRICA (), mobile malware and
spyware are not only aimed at the
wealthy and the important – they can
have a serious impact on anyone’s life.
“Other mobile threats such as banking
malware for example use a similar
process to the Pegasus spyware to get to
users’ devices. “For example, many of
these types of malware get installed by
people clicking on a link that they
received via SMS or WhatsApp and end
up downloading a malicious app that
could result in advertising click fraud,
mobile ransomware, banking trojans or in
some cases, even roots or jail breaks their
phone to obtain full remote control over
the device. The malware then allows for
the criminals to listen to calls, take
screenshots and see what the user types –
catching passwords and banking details.”
Criminals use social engineering tools
and approaches to lull users into a false
sense of security. Pretending to be
anything from a parcel tracking link to a
banking confirmation link, these malware
messages are designed to provoke people
to make impulsive mistakes. And these
mistakes can lead to your device being
completely compromised, putting you
and your financial security at risk.
“These smart malware infiltrations are
designed to get past people’s defences,”
says Collard. “Another form of
distribution is taking advantage of
devices that have not been updated or
exploiting vulnerabilities on the phone or
in apps that do not yet have patches. It is
really important to ensure that your
mobile devices are updated, and to ensure
that you minimise risk by removing
unnecessary apps, only downloading
apps from official apps stores and by
avoiding clicking on links from your
mobile device.”
“Unfortunately, people are more
likely to click on a link using their mobile
device because they think they are safer
than a computer. You need to be cautious
and ensure that if you do not know the
sender, you do not download anything or
click on anything. Do not believe an SMS
message that tells you to update your
WhatsApp software or a link that tells
you to update an app that comes through
a social media platform. Always update
from the App Store or Google Play,
nowhere else.” Also, be aware of
clickjacking, which is a form of mobile
phishing that comes with an invisible
link, which is covered by a “bothersome”
graphic element that is made to look like
a small hair or a speck of dust. This tricks
the user into wiping the hair or dust off
the mobile’s screen, which activates the
link and launches a connection to the
phishing site.
Keeping your mobile device free from
infection means that you watch what you
click, you do not trust unexpected links
from unknown sources, do not share
BY ANNA COLLARD
information with anyone – especially if
they call and pretend they are from your
mobile phone provider or bank – and do
not provide people with your OTPs
unless you have initiated the transaction
with a trusted agent yourself. Mobile
devices are as much at risk as computers,
so stay aware, stay alert and stay secure.
• Anna Collard is the SVP Content
Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4
AFRICA ()