next »

[forum admin]

With a new season of the TV show The Apprentice starting this week this story caught my eye. With many people graduating from Universities with (allegedly) dumbed down degrees and no guarantee of a job is this what the UK needs?
--------------------
Responding to proposals announced recently by the Secretary of State of Universities, Innovation and Skills John Denham that the Government is to aid the recruitment and employment prospects for many job seekers by increasing funding for apprentices by £140 million and to introduce commitments for training and apprenticeships in all publicly-let contracts, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'Today's funding boost will give thousands of people the chance to re-train or learn new skills as apprentices.

'We also welcome plans to use procurement to ensure that any private sector company awarded a Government contract is committed to skills and apprentices too.

'As redundancies mount, the Government must take every step to help people back into the labour market as soon as possible. We cannot afford to leave unemployed people on the scrap heap, as has been the case in previous recessions.'

[Robin Tetley]

I think the kinds of jobs we probably need in this country are the kinds of jobs that would come from an apprenticeship. I heard the other day that more people graduate with photography degrees in the UK every year than the whole of Europe needs photographers. Now you can't tell people what they can and can't study and there's so much debt these days attached to studying for a degree but still...does anybody else have any thoughts on this?

[Bob]

Labour have a target that 50% of people leaving school should go to University.

What if 50% don't want to?

[Robin Tetley]

Good question. I'd imagine they do or the target wouldn't be in place. It does seem high to me though. I don't really understand it myself. When my Mum & Dad left Uni they basically had the pick of jobs. How things change.