13th August 2013 – remember the date. It’s the point where the idea of university as the “premium destination” for school leavers was finally shattered forever. Coming on the back of yesterday’s survey that showed that the majority of young people (54%) would choose to do an apprenticeship if one were available – today we can exclusively reveal that even employers are now suggesting that uni is not the way to go. The research was conducted by ICM for www.notgoingtouni.co.uk and involved a survey of over 500 employers in England who were asked about their views on new recruits. Specifically, we wanted to know what employers wanted – should young people go and get a degree, or would they prefer apprentices?
In total 71% said that they would encourage young people to become apprentices, but only 52% said that they recommended the old way of going to uni and building up debt. The reasons behind this are even more interesting, 89% said that apprenticeships were a good stepping stone into the world of work, and 77% believed that apprenticeships led to good careers.
Sarah Clover, Operations Director at Not Going to Uni said, “It’s so refreshing to see that so many employers back apprenticeships over university degrees. Degrees can often be limiting and not as valuable as experience that is picked up in a working environment. However, there still lies the problem that so many young people aren’t given good advice regarding their career options after school or college. “Too many young people still think that university is their only option and that’s largely down to the lack of advice they get whilst at school or college. This simply has to change, especially now that more employers are seeing apprentices as better candidates for job roles than graduates.”
You might well be wondering if you would be better off not going to uni, in which case, we strongly recommend having a read of our Results Day Survival Guide, which takes you through all of your possible options after school or college. Let’s be clear though – we’re not against university at all, for some it’s a fantastic option that opens the door to a great career. However, for far too many it’s only a route to debt and either graduate unemployment (as high as 1 in 4) or graduate underemployment (as high as 1 in 3). If you believe in making an informed decision, get our Results Day Survival Guide and find your own way.
