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Now is the time to rethink attitudes towards further education

September 15, 2016  /   No Comments

David Allison

 Now is the time to rethink attitudes towards further educationIn the last decade, there has been a boom in university attendance and an influx of graduates into the workforce.

But with this rise there has been a fall in the numbers of young people receiving vocational training or learning skills on the job. Now, while the UK may have more graduates in the workforce than ever before, the lack of skilled workers entering has led to a significant skills crisis that is only set to worsen.

The UK’s education infrastructure, which assigns funding based on league table results, certainly holds some account for this. This weight on schools has evolved into pressure on pupils, who are encouraged to stay in formal education, pursue A-levels and University courses. While the introduction of the new Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 will inevitably increase the number of young people taking up apprenticeships, many more will still automatically be drawn to degrees for each school’s benefit.

As a visiting university lecturer at Loughborough University and with my role at GetMyFirstJob, the UK’s leading apprenticeship matching service, it is clear to me that both graduate and non-graduate routes into work have their merits and drawbacks in equal measure. To ensure pupils make the best possible decisions about their next step after school, it is crucial that a new attitude toward post-school career paths is instilled, both within the education system and the recruitment industry.

The astronomical increase in university tuition fees has led to a considerable disparity between the financial and educational benefits of university courses for young people. The Sutton Trust recently revealed that those who graduated from English universities last year – under the £9,000 fees regime – on average owed £44,000. In comparison to the average debt of other English-speaking countries, which range between approximately £15,000 and £29,000, this is a startling figure. And increasingly, students are asking themselves if it’s worth taking on the debt, particularly in light of new research showing that the number of graduate level positions across the UK is dropping.

According to the most recent UK Job Market report, the number of advertised graduate vacancies stood at 12,838 in July of this year, whereas in the same month of 2015, this number was 15,659. The report also found graduate salaries had decreased by 4.3%.

At 28 universities across the country, the Institute of Fiscal Studies found that graduates earned a considerable amount less than non-graduates of the same age after leaving university. Of course this is not the case for all. A medical graduate will earn on average £55,000 a decade after studying. On the other hand, a graduate of the creative arts, ten years on, will earn an average of £17,900.

Unfortunately, there remains a huge oversubscription for creative and vocational university courses (fine art, sports psychology, media and management for instance) which, it could be argued, are careers that could benefit equally from practical industry experience rather than a degree.

With so many young people now applying for jobs with a degree, it may in fact be this real-world industry experience and on the job training that gives a young person the edge and that is exactly what a high quality apprenticeship can offer.

Even UCAS, the UK’s university application facilitator, acknowledges that the system is training more people to degree level than will ever be needed in subjects that do not necessitate a qualification. This does nothing but devalue university degrees as a whole and is accountable for the growing number of graduates struggling to find employment six months after graduating.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency reported that in 2015, one third of university graduates took jobs without any relevance to their degree and that in fact do not require a degree whatsoever, such as road sweepers, cleaners and office juniors six months after leaving university, while 60,000 graduates took ‘non-professional’ roles and a further 16,730 were still unemployed.

Schools must start highlighting the merits of all available paths into work, be that university, an apprenticeship or even going straight into work.

The recruitment industry must also do more, collectively, to market the great benefits of apprenticeship schemes and the value of young people applying for jobs with such qualifications. The introduction of higher degree apprenticeships has come a long way to bridging the gap between University study and apprenticeship schemes and has made the value of apprenticeships more widely known within the recruitment industry. Such courses allow young people to gain the same qualifications as some university courses, whilst earning a salary and hands on experience all the while.

Of course it is important to highlight that not all university degrees are unnecessary, and for certain careers a degree is absolutely essential. For the appropriate candidate, a university education is a fantastic platform into a progressive and satisfying career. Equally, for those more suited to a climate that challenges and assess them in a more practical manner, befitting the career they wish to pursue, an apprenticeship would seem more appropriate.

I greatly support further and higher education in its many different forms, but cannot stress enough the importance of giving young people the facts and information about all avenues into the world of work. The Apprenticeship Levy is likely to make apprenticeships more of a focal point for educators, recruiters and young people alike. But whether these places are taken up relies heavily on the UK education infrastructure and attitudes toward apprenticeships within HR and Recruitment industries. A concerted effort to change schools’ approach and education will provide learners with the right options and provide recruiters with skilled candidates who will help the UK compete in global markets.

 

David Allison is Founder and Managing Director of leading apprenticeship matching platform, GetMyFirstJob.co.uk

About GetMyFirstJob
GetMyFirstJob.co.uk is an innovative web platform that improves the speed and quality of matching young people to the right apprenticeship. It provides services for employers and training providers to help them find apprentices in a time frame that works for them and with candidates to find the best roles for them.

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  • Published: 8 years ago on September 15, 2016
  • Last Modified: September 13, 2016 @ 7:32 pm
  • Filed Under: Industry Insider

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