Is the bubble bursting for Universities?

[mossdog]

A report by Digby Jones says that Universities are overweight with degree courses and that we should go back to the system of both vocational as well as degree courses!.Many Polytechnic and Tech colleges were abandoned some years ago in favor of more fashionable University status type colleges.Now cracks are starting to appear in the further educational system that has become big business in Britain.

I have thought it madness to over educate the mass of people like we have been doing for the last few years,at least 50% would have been more suited to vocational courses than degree courses like it used to be.I am also a big believer of 2 instead of 3 year courses in most cases to get people into the workplace quicker, and in some cases no daft course at all,although lots of people who are doing well out of the education business I am sure will disagree.

Now students are counting the cost and realizing that a degree might not be all it is hyped up to be in some cases,more might find that they could be more suited to vocational training in lots of cases.

The main thing is to think for yourself and not necessarily believe all the hype you are fed about trying to gain some sort of degree.I maintain that universities should be establishments of excellence to educate the best brains for the professions that the country needs most,if there are two many applicants then entrance should be made tougher,we should not keep forever expanding courses and places...................too much of this has become the road to nowhere!

[Cyclone]

I don't think it's possible to over educated someone.

[indiechick]

They need to increase vocational training. That is much more appropriate in some cases than doing a degree

[mossdog]

I don't think it's possible to over educated someone.

I think it is possible to over educate people in quite a number of courses on offer...................some which require very little real education at all!

[tallanddopey]

i think what a lot of unis need to do is to offer more sandwich courses, which is a mix of educational and vocational. i go to a small university college where every single course is a sanwich course where you go for a year in the middle of your degree to work in a job that is related to your course. This means that the employment rate of graduates from my uni is around 98%, although i believe this has slightely dropped in the last few years but that is understandable.

 

other advantages are that you get to know whether or not you are truly commited to this type of job. you get contacts whithin and industry which helps you get a job. and you are far more employable as you have experience, which is something that a lot of employers are asking for, but is nigh on impossible to get if you leave school and go straight to uni.

[Mecky]

A report by Digby Jones says that Universities are overweight with degree courses and that we should go back to the system of both vocational as well as degree courses!.Many Polytechnic and Tech colleges were abandoned some years ago in favor of more fashionable University status type colleges.Now cracks are starting to appear in the further educational system that has become big business in Britain.

I have thought it madness to over educate the mass of people like we have been doing for the last few years,at least 50% would have been more suited to vocational courses than degree courses like it used to be.I am also a big believer of 2 instead of 3 year courses in most cases to get people into the workplace quicker, and in some cases no daft course at all,although lots of people who are doing well out of the education business I am sure will disagree.

Now students are counting the cost and realizing that a degree might not be all it is hyped up to be in some cases,more might find that they could be more suited to vocational training in lots of cases.

The main thing is to think for yourself and not necessarily believe all the hype you are fed about trying to gain some sort of degree.I maintain that universities should be establishments of excellence to educate the best brains for the professions that the country needs most,if there are two many applicants then entrance should be made tougher,we should not keep forever expanding courses and places...................too much of this has become the road to nowhere!

 

Who are you, or anyone else for that matter, to decide who can go to university oand who can't?

[Snook]

I don't think it's possible to over educated someone.

 

It is, however, possible to over-educate a population to the extent that people with degrees are working manual jobs and minimum wage positions. Most people I know in decent jobs now have a masters. I know somebody who is starting a masters degree and has never had any education higher than a NVQ.

[mossdog]

Who are you, or anyone else for that matter, to decide who can go to university oand who can't?

I'm a British taxpayer who has a valid opinion as to how my money is being spent!

[Snook]

Who are you, or anyone else for that matter, to decide who can go to university oand who can't?

 

Well, the universities are the ones who decide. It isn't a right to go to uni.

[Rupert_Baehr]

i think what a lot of unis need to do is to offer more sandwich courses, which is a mix of educational and vocational. i go to a small university college where every single course is a sanwich course where you go for a year in the middle of your degree to work in a job that is related to your course. This means that the employment rate of graduates from my uni is around 98%, although i believe this has slightely dropped in the last few years but that is understandable.

 

other advantages are that you get to know whether or not you are truly commited to this type of job. you get contacts whithin and industry which helps you get a job. and you are far more employable as you have experience, which is something that a lot of employers are asking for, but is nigh on impossible to get if you leave school and go straight to uni.

 

Sounds good ... but how many employers are there in the 'meeja' and 'underwater basket weaving' industries who are prepared to offer a year's work for a sandwich student?

 

Burger King might, I suppose - Though I think they've got their own university (in the US) which offers courses in 'Burgerology'. [before you laugh, Burger King was a British-owned company until fairly recently.]

 

Perhaps more Universities should reconsider the courses they offer. They make money from 'bums on seats' and no doubt there's considerable pressure to pack lecture theatres with courses which are cheap to run, don't require much in the way of entrance qualifications, will tolerate high student:lecturer ratios and do not involve expensive equipment or materials.

 

When I was a lad, I was told: "Going to university isn't just about learning vocational skills. - You will learn a lot of life skills as well."

 

Nowadays, unfortunately in many cases it seems to be more like: "Going to university is not about learning vocational skills. Instead, you may pick up some life skills."

 

Perhaps employers are hoping that job candidates will have both.