‘Excellence and Achievement' in UK Education
Gone are the days where institutions “teaching excellence” was its primary goal. Now just like every other public sector system higher education is nothing more than a cash cow for capitalist greed and exploitation by the government and local authorities. Every August students receive their exam results for their end-of-school qualifications. This usually determines their post-school destination, either entering the workforce or going to university.
I attended a school where we were indoctrinated that higher education was the only route forward to succeed in life. However, they failed to realise today the horror tuition fees will have on us: a mountain of crippling debt left in our name for numerous decades or maybe for the rest of our life. In retrospect I can only see how impressionable us 17 and 18 year-olds were and being greatly influenced by our own teachers. Some schools are even pressured to get 90-95% of their cohort to attend Red Brick universities; this make them appeal to local authorities more to increase their funding expenditures, because university to them is their only view of student success. You’re being subconsciously packaged to be shipped off to university just like a plastic toy in a factory being made ready to get shipped off to its retailer. Plus if university wasn’t your destination you would seem inferior to everyone else.
In fact most career paths do not require a formal university degree with the exception of Medicine, Dentistry etc. There are alternatives pathways to enter the professional workforces but these pathways not at the forefront of school’s interests - these include degrees which you can get outside of universities. In job recruitment practical experience has more importance to your application over any theory taught in your university degree. With unlimited internet access today the theory can be done in your own time or companies in most cities offer programmes to join at cheap costs. For example if you want to become an engineer or a lawyer you can do that through UK Apprenticeship schemes. The problem is that Apprenticeships (just like when BTECs are compared to A-Levels) are looked down upon, from higher institutions to cultural beliefs amongst ethnic minorities, in comparison to a formal university degree. In actuality it functions as a closer reality of your future work-life balance and project management endeavours. As a result the dismissal of alternative career pathways is beginning finally shown its cracks: The Mirror published a story detailing that ‘Britain needs new 'army' of 15,000 bricklayers to speed up house building programme’. If there wasn’t such a superiority complex about academia vs. earning a vocational qualification, recruiting the number of bricklayers required would not be an issue. In the past (especially before university fee rises) somebody choosing to attend university was their choice because they wanted to explore academia in their specialist field at a higher level. In comparison today's push factors for university attendance is more for the student lifestyle, uni experience and excuse of I don’t know what else really to do with my life. With a higher output of UK degree holders every year unfortunately it has watered down the prestige of holding a degree and fiercely increased competition in the graduate job market.
Furthermore £28,000 tuition fees just to ‘find yourself’ is a pretty dumbfounded reason for attending University. The consequences of this tremendous debt should completely changes your outlook of student/graduate life from the past to today (unless you’re lucky enough to get a scholarship).. However, if you really want to go, GO! But remember, especially during clearing, that universities are crying out for places to get filled up only so that their quota is met. Not because they truly value your placement. Be aware and don’t get sucked into joining because their prospectus or marketing team easily persuaded you. Go to your careers advisors. Discuss your subject strengths or aspirations. Even take a gap year to really know what you want to do. Your advisors should be able to give you various examples of companies to apply for. For example if you like the sciences look at schemes in Astrazeneca or GSK which offer schemes (including degrees without going to university) worldwide to learn engineering, pharmaceutical science and so much more. The ‘alternative’ opportunities are out there it’s a matter of going out, looking, researching and applying for the positions and not holding archaic snobbish beliefs.
REFERENCES
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/government-ministers-desperate-find-15000-12775679
http://www.theswcsun.com/students-struggle-to-balance-school-and-work/
