The skills crisis continues to be one of the most prominent, longstanding issues for the industry.
And a big reason, I believe, that it remains is the allure of university and college after sixth form. While university was traditionally reserved for more elite careers, it has in more recent times opened up to a much broader demographic which regard it almost as a rite of passage, rather than a route to a solid job with a decent salary.
But times could be changing, with a recent report suggesting that young people may be taking a more business-like approach to higher education.
It makes sense, because while university and college degree courses are exciting, not to mention all the fun stuff that typically goes with them, the idea of being saddled with up to £70,000 of debt – and a job that pays £25,000 at the end of it – is much less appealing.
It’s different of course, if you’re studying for a ‘proper’ degree, for example in engineering, or law. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the return for men studying for a degree in economics and medicine is about £500,000.
For English it is zero and for creative arts it is negative. While those figures are a little less extreme for women, it’s a similar story.
When I went to art college in the mid to late ‘90s, I spent four years doing absolutely nothing and I had no intention of doing anything arty at the end of it. But it didn’t really matter, because it didn’t cost my parents very much money, I had a great time, made friends for life and I thought to myself, I’ll just work out what I do next when I leave.
As it happens, things worked out OK, but students today don’t have the same luxury. And many will surely now be tempted to look at ways to earn while they learn, including apprenticeships.
The government, which isn’t getting a very good return on investment for all the student loans that are simply written off because graduates don’t earn enough money to pay for them, is now encouraging this train of thought with a £1.4billion subsidy through the Office for Students to encourage universities to shift resources towards Stem courses and degree apprenticeships.
Numbers of students studying humanities is already said to be falling. Will it mean a subsequent rise in those finding their way into industries such as ours? Only time will tell…
Will students eventually follow the money?
The skills crisis continues to be one of the most prominent, longstanding issues for the industry.
And a big reason, I believe, that it remains is the allure of university and college after sixth form. While university was traditionally reserved for more elite careers, it has in more recent times opened up to a much broader demographic which regard it almost as a rite of passage, rather than a route to a solid job with a decent salary.
But times could be changing, with a recent report suggesting that young people may be taking a more business-like approach to higher education.
It makes sense, because while university and college degree courses are exciting, not to mention all the fun stuff that typically goes with them, the idea of being saddled with up to £70,000 of debt – and a job that pays £25,000 at the end of it – is much less appealing.
It’s different of course, if you’re studying for a ‘proper’ degree, for example in engineering, or law. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the return for men studying for a degree in economics and medicine is about £500,000.
For English it is zero and for creative arts it is negative. While those figures are a little less extreme for women, it’s a similar story.
When I went to art college in the mid to late ‘90s, I spent four years doing absolutely nothing and I had no intention of doing anything arty at the end of it. But it didn’t really matter, because it didn’t cost my parents very much money, I had a great time, made friends for life and I thought to myself, I’ll just work out what I do next when I leave.
As it happens, things worked out OK, but students today don’t have the same luxury. And many will surely now be tempted to look at ways to earn while they learn, including apprenticeships.
The government, which isn’t getting a very good return on investment for all the student loans that are simply written off because graduates don’t earn enough money to pay for them, is now encouraging this train of thought with a £1.4billion subsidy through the Office for Students to encourage universities to shift resources towards Stem courses and degree apprenticeships.
Numbers of students studying humanities is already said to be falling. Will it mean a subsequent rise in those finding their way into industries such as ours? Only time will tell…
Glass Times
Related Articles
AluFold Windows launches PVC-U offer
Difficult conversations for installers
Supply partnerships put to the test