University is not the answer to skills gaps

Across much of the UK, students will be receiving their GCSE results today – and giving careful thought to what their next steps should be.

Many, facing a hard sell from teachers and the media furore around exam results, will assume attending a sixth form, completing A-levels and then heading straight to university are the next logical steps.

Nearly two decades ago, Tony Blair announced a government ambition to see half of all UK students attend university. Today, official statistics show that this misguided target has practically been met – with the higher education participation rate standing at 49pc.

Yet business communities are shouting louder than ever before about the skills shortages they face, with BCC’S own research showing that an astonishing 71pc of manufacturers and 63pc of service firms are struggling to find the staff they need. With each passing year, it becomes ever clearer that the university obsession of the last two decades has failed to make a dent in the UK’S deep skills problems.

Of course, we all want the UK to be a country of high standards, high achievement and high skills. But I spend much of my time talking to businesses and other employers, many of whom are reporting a fundamental mismatch between the skills needs of their firms and the “product” of the UK’S higher education system.

For many people, neither the life skills nor the technical knowledge they need for their careers can be learnt behind a desk.

All across the country – in modern offices, hi-tech factories, major engineering projects and more – there are thousands of opportunities for young people to learn on the job and pick up the skills most important to employers and relevant to the market. Why then the continued obsession with heading straight off to university?

Don’t get me wrong: university is the right choice for many, but not for every bright and talented young person.

It saddens me to see graduates working in low-paid roles, saddled with years of repayments on their student debt, when instead they could be technically qualified, in great jobs and debt free.

Are some young people being mis-sold? How many ambitious people who get their GCSE or A-level results this year are aware of the “earn while you learn” apprenticeship options, which would allow them to study for qualifications in the future – including a degree-level qualification – while earning money, gaining experience and building a well-paid career?

How many know that heading off to uni when they finish school isn’t their only chance at higher education? Too few, I imagine.

The simple truth is that not all jobs require a university degree at 21. We’re seeing more and more businesses investing in apprenticeships, whether alongside or in place of their traditional graduate intake schemes.

Employers and the Government are investing huge amounts of time and resources in developing new apprenticeship standards to meet the growing skill needs of the economy.

If allowed to bed down, these new standards could help many of the professions, from architecture and law to engineering and business management, recruit young people direct from school and accelerate up the career path in their chosen field.

We must begin tackling the cultural bias that deters young people from learning and earning after leaving school – starting in the classroom.

Better careers information and more experience of the modern workplace are vital, both for young people and teachers alike. More businesses need to work with local schools to highlight the exciting opportunities available in their area, and offer their views on the best route for young people to enter and succeed in these careers. Parents and families also play a crucial role in guiding young people, and so they too must take time to properly understand the broad range of options available.

Crucially, government must also shift measurements and incentives for schools, so that they are judged and rewarded on achieving the best outcomes for young people, whether apprenticeships, university degrees or something else besides.

It’s time for all of us – across business, government, education and the media – to spread the message that technical and academic education are equal in status, value and importance.

We owe it to young people thinking about their future to end the UK’S unhealthy obsession with university, and shout from the rooftops that there is no wrong path to success.

‘We must tackle the cultural bias that deters people from learning and earning’