No GCSEs? You’re hired, says Apprentice star Brady
SHE may be the most demanding of bosses but Apprentice star Karren Brady would still hand a job to a candidate without any GCSEs.
The Tory peer, who acts as an adviser to Lord Sugar on the BBC show, said although some people did not do well at school, it shouldn’t be held against them.
She said: ‘I’m pretty sure that out of my highest paid employees, most wouldn’t have had terribly good results in maths or English.’
Baroness Brady, who was speaking as a backer of a website called schoolreviewer.co.uk – which offers ratings on schools – has forged a successful career since leaving sixth-form with four A-levels. The businesswoman, who is now vice-chairman at Premier League club West Ham United, did not go to university, and said youngsters should not feel that they had to study for a degree.
She added: ‘It feels that if you go to college or do an apprenticeship, that in some way you’ve failed to get into university – and very often that’s not true. Unless you feel really passionate, don’t go [to university] because you think you should.’ While Brady supports grammar schools, she also suggested that parents should not just pick a school based on its academic record alone. ‘The atmosphere is also important. What they do about bullying, are there extra activities such as sport? Really good schools concentrate on social skills too. Everyone is looking for people who have a desire to get on.’