Martin Bright

Apprenticeships versus degrees: a disaster in the making

There was a really interesting piece in the Observer business section this weekend balancing up the value of degrees and apprenticeships. “A perception prevails, particularly among middle-class families, that choosing a path other than university is a mark of failure, a fact that concerns both employers and advocates for vocational education such as City & Guilds,” wrote Tom Bawden.

This government (and indeed the last) was very keen to encourage young people to do an apprenticeship. But I wonder how many MPs went down this route or would encourage their children to do so?

The Observer article followed comments earlier in the week from Jill McDonald, the appropriately named head of McDonald’s in the UK. McDonald said there was too much snobbery about workplace education and she is right.

I completely understand the drive to get more people to go to university.

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