Demand for graduate jobs out-strips supply. The abundance of degrees from poorly regarded institutions serves only to inflate the price of tuition for those that university really is for: individuals who are academically talented and that want to fulfill their potential, regardless of their background or ability to pay.
Young people should be encouraged to go to university only if they qualify for an academically rigorous degree at a leading institution. However, in some instances, even these academically talented individuals may in fact be better suited to a high level apprenticeship. It is important they are given such an opportunity and are provided with the necessary information with which to make an informed decision. They should not feel stigmatized for selecting in-work training over a degree.
Similarly, young people who are not academic should not feel they have to go to university because it is the de facto route. Differing strengths and ambitions among our young people should be embraced and fostered, rather than constrained and suffocated.
Young people go to university in the belief that securing a degree will lead to improved employment prospects and a stronger chance of achieving their full potential. For many young people, university is the right path, but for others alternative forms of education are more suitable.
Those wishing to specialize in vocational disciplines should be encouraged to take up work-based learning as the most effective route to employment. This route will provide them with opportunities to earn money whilst developing valuable skills that are essential to the British economy.
As the proportion of young people going to university decreases, in turn, more funding will be available to invest in apprenticeships. In the longer-term, policy-makers would be given the opportunity to reduce the cost of university tuition. The percentage of written off student loans would also be reduced, creating savings for the Exchequer. As increasing numbers of young people find work, tax revenues will increase; fewer young people will become welfare dependent, thus reducing the welfare bill. As the workforce becomes more highly skilled, productivity will increase leading to an expansion in GDP.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at
via All Political Parties Must Commit to the Apprenticeship Revolution | Richard Grice.
Related Posts
UK / 54 pc of young people ‘would choose an apprenticeship’
Fifty-four per cent of young people in the UK would opt to undertake an apprenticeship if one were available to them, new research has claimed Continue reading »
UK | The Trouble With Apprenticeship – Do You Remember The Wolf Report ?
Apprenticeships face ‘identity crisis’, according to Forum of Private Business writes HR Magazine The Forum of Private Business yesterday warned a group of MPs that apprenticeships are facing an ‘identity crisis’, with business owners in certain sectors concerned that shorter schemes do not provide the same value as longer courses. The Forum’s senior policy adviser Alex … Continue reading »
UK’s Skills Gap / Traditional degrees will not fill it, says CBI
The UK risks failing to close its “chronic skills gaps” by continuing to focus teenagers on the university “default route”, say business leaders. A growing demand for degree-level technical skills will not be met by traditional university courses alone, argues a CBI report. Instead more young people should take shorter or part-time degrees and advanced … Continue reading »
UK / Apprenticeships attract 11 applications per vacancy which are at a record level
A record 11 applications are being made for each apprenticeship vacancy in the UK, the latest official data suggests. Almost 370,000 applications were submitted between February and April, while 32,600 vacancies were advertised in the same period. But competition was as high as 17 per place in the arts, media and ICT. The National Apprenticeship … Continue reading »
UK / A new framework for post-graduate level higher apprenticeship in professional services
Skills minister Matthew Hancock (pictured) has welcomed the creation of the first graduate level higher apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing, commercial airline piloting and professional development for work based learning practitioners. Employers including BAE Systems and British Airways expect to recruit new graduate apprentices this year. In addition, a new framework for the first post-graduate level … Continue reading »
UK / Online apprenticeship applications increase by 41% in a year
More than 267,400 apprenticeship applications were submitted online during November 2012 and January 2013, an increase of 41% on the previous year. The figures released today by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) also found that apprenticeship vacancies have grown significantly. Nearly 25,400 vacancies were advertised online in the three months – an increase of 26.6% …Continue reading »
Job Market Monitor 
Discussion
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Pingback: Apprenticeship in UK / Labour calls time on the level 2 | Job Market Monitor - September 23, 2013
Pingback: UK / Record number in apprenticeships, but participation dips in under 19 age group | Job Market Monitor - October 19, 2013