‘Elitist’ calls to cap university places would hit skills gap
Universities chief calls for more students in higher education as demand grows for graduates
THE universities chief has attacked “elitist and regressive” calls for a cap on student numbers while insisting that more people should go to university.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph today, Alistair Jarvis, chief executive at Universities UK, said there should be no limits on student numbers because Britain needs more skilled graduates to boost the economy.
His intervention follows calls from a number of academics and educationalists for the reintroduction of caps amid fears the job market is becoming saturated with graduates.
Others argue that limiting places will raise standards and lead to a reduction in unconditional offers, which have spiked in recent years as universities compete to attract more students.
In 2015 George Osborne, the then chancellor, abolished the cap after the Treasury argued it would generate an extra £700million in annual income.
Mr Jarvis said: “A degree can be life changing, there should be no limits on student numbers. Yet some still argue that we need fewer graduates. Talk of higher education expansion irks those who hark back to the days when university was for the privileged few. These views are elitist, regressive and contrary to the future needs of the nation and individuals.
“Around 41 per cent of courses... offered by universities have a technical, professional or vocational focus. While these play an important part in meeting skills needs, the wider transferable skills and work experience... should not be underestimated.”
It comes as a report published today by Universities UK argues that more people should attend university because the rise in robotics technology means there is a growing demand for qualified workers. In 2016, 440,000 new professional jobs were created, but there were only 316,690 first-degree Uk-based graduates, leaving a gap of 123,310, it said. This is more than double the size of the gap in 2015.
Figures from Ucas, the university admissions service, show the number of 18-year-olds applying to university has fallen by 2 per cent on last year, with overall UK applicants of all ages down by 3.4 per cent. It represents the lowest number of UK applicants since the Government raised tuition fees to £9,000-a-year in 2012.
The report says the onset of the socalled “Fourth Industrial Revolution” – including automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and digital technology – as well as the challenges of Brexit and an ageing population are creating rising demand for those with degrees.
The percentage of young people from England entering higher education has reached 49 per cent, but there has been a steady decline in part-time and mature student numbers, Universities UK said. The report calls on policymakers to reverse this drop and incentivise closer links between universities and employers.
Mr Jarvis added: “To meet future challenges, the Government should develop new policies to make part-time study more appealing, upskilling easier and encourage lifelong learning among our ageing population.”
Edwin Morgan, director of policy at the Institute of Directors, said: “A significant factor in the UK’S low productivity growth is that firms aren’t able to fully adopt and embed new technologies in their business models. In many cases this is because they lack the required skills. The Government must therefore view education as an integral part of its industrial strategy.”