University degrees are overrated, says social mobility chief

ENGLAND does not need a nation of adults with Oxford degrees, the Government’s chosen social mobility chief has warned.

Dame Martina Milburn told MPS she was concerned that young people were being “forced down an academic route that doesn’t suit them” and wanted to see a vocational education overhaul.

Dame Martina was announced in May as the preferred candidate to become the next chairman of the social mobility commission, and at a pre-appointment hearing with the Commons education committee yesterday, she was asked what she “expects to challenge the Government on first”.

She replied: “Personally, I would like to really look at vocational education. I think that, for me, is a huge key to making a real difference in social mobility.”

Dame Martina added: “I actually don’t think … we need everyone to have a degree from Oxford. I don’t get it. If I’m using a carpenter to build me a new cupboard, I want someone who loves wood, and loves what they do and can do it. I don’t really care whether they’ve got a degree or not.”