Students who fail to pass GCSE maths or English or get three Es at A-level should be banned from taking out student loans, right-wing Conservatives have said.
The New Conservatives, a group of 30 Tory MPs, said young people are increasingly being “ripped off” by poor-quality university courses.
They call for funding to be diverted into a “German-style” apprenticeship system. In Germany, they say, over half of young people complete an apprenticeship compared with 10 per cent in the UK. The authors of the report — Jonathan Gullis, a former schools minister in Liz Truss’s government, and Lia Nici, a Tory MP — say that university is no longer a “hallmark of success”.
“Many young people today could have much more opportunity if they opted for on-the-job training alongside receiving an industry-recognised qualification, rather than go to university,” they say. “But too few make that choice. It is unsurprising that so many young people opt for a university education.
“Not only are graduates promised higher starting salaries, but the ‘university experience’ is deemed a rite of passage by many. Eighteen-year-olds can enjoy three years away from the watchful eyes of parents, with no immediate, or even short-to-mid-term, financial cost to themselves. And yet many students feel short-changed by their university experience.”
They argue that introducing minimum grades to qualify for government loans for tuition fees would limit the number of students attending poor-quality courses. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, announced earlier this year that universities offering courses with poor employment prospects and high student dropout rates will be subject to stricter regulatory controls.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, previously found that one in five students would be better off if they skipped higher education. The research found that while 80 per cent gained financially by going to universities, about 20 per cent earned less than those with similar school results who did not go to university.
The Office for Students, which regulates universities, last year found that 56,000 students are studying at 35 universities and colleges which have failed to meet a requirement for 80 per cent of students doing their first degree progressing into their second year of study. They include the University of Bedfordshire, which has a progression rate of 70.8 per cent, and London Metropolitan University, at 77.7 per cent.
It also found that more than 11,000 students are registered at 62 universities and colleges which did not meet a 60 per cent threshold for students securing professional jobs or training 15 months after graduating.
They included University College Birmingham, at 46.8 per cent and Arts University Plymouth, at 55.1 per cent.
Might need an exception for arts since they are assessed differently but overall this is probably for the best
My boy got three A* grades and one A grade at A level. He’s currently on a course with a requirement of two E grades. So what makes him more worthy of a loan to fund his degree than another student who only achieved the required grades?
Why do the Tories always seem to settle on the solution that takes opportunities away from the poorest?
No point saying ‘oh you should have an apprenticeship instead of a degree’ when this same government created apprenticeships in retail just so they could give tax breaks to people like Mike Ashley.
There needs to be some decent industries in this country, with actual prospects, to make alternative education/qualifications viable. They use Germany as an example but they have one of (if not the) strongest manufacturing industries in Europe and decent labour laws to go with it.
I find it hard to disagree; if you aren’t getting Cs at A Level (like, really.) and a C in GCSE Maths and English you should not be going to uni.
>said young people are increasingly being “ripped off” by poor-quality university courses.
>
>
>
>Many young people today could have much more opportunity if they opted for on-the-job training alongside receiving an industry-recognised qualification, rather than go to university
So they don’t want people to study, but to become cheap wage slaves. If Tories express concern about something, better hide your wallet.
These authoritarian far right clowns can’t wait to plan people’s futures based on their “iq”. Germany also tried that.
I thought capitalists liked letting the free market decide?
You know just once can we try not fucking over young people.
8 comments
Article contents:
*Steven Swinford, September 11 2023, The Times*
Students who fail to pass GCSE maths or English or get three Es at A-level should be banned from taking out student loans, right-wing Conservatives have said.
The New Conservatives, a group of 30 Tory MPs, said young people are increasingly being “ripped off” by poor-quality university courses.
They call for funding to be diverted into a “German-style” apprenticeship system. In Germany, they say, over half of young people complete an apprenticeship compared with 10 per cent in the UK. The authors of the report — Jonathan Gullis, a former schools minister in Liz Truss’s government, and Lia Nici, a Tory MP — say that university is no longer a “hallmark of success”.
“Many young people today could have much more opportunity if they opted for on-the-job training alongside receiving an industry-recognised qualification, rather than go to university,” they say. “But too few make that choice. It is unsurprising that so many young people opt for a university education.
“Not only are graduates promised higher starting salaries, but the ‘university experience’ is deemed a rite of passage by many. Eighteen-year-olds can enjoy three years away from the watchful eyes of parents, with no immediate, or even short-to-mid-term, financial cost to themselves. And yet many students feel short-changed by their university experience.”
They argue that introducing minimum grades to qualify for government loans for tuition fees would limit the number of students attending poor-quality courses. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, announced earlier this year that universities offering courses with poor employment prospects and high student dropout rates will be subject to stricter regulatory controls.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, previously found that one in five students would be better off if they skipped higher education. The research found that while 80 per cent gained financially by going to universities, about 20 per cent earned less than those with similar school results who did not go to university.
The Office for Students, which regulates universities, last year found that 56,000 students are studying at 35 universities and colleges which have failed to meet a requirement for 80 per cent of students doing their first degree progressing into their second year of study. They include the University of Bedfordshire, which has a progression rate of 70.8 per cent, and London Metropolitan University, at 77.7 per cent.
It also found that more than 11,000 students are registered at 62 universities and colleges which did not meet a 60 per cent threshold for students securing professional jobs or training 15 months after graduating.
They included University College Birmingham, at 46.8 per cent and Arts University Plymouth, at 55.1 per cent.
Might need an exception for arts since they are assessed differently but overall this is probably for the best
My boy got three A* grades and one A grade at A level. He’s currently on a course with a requirement of two E grades. So what makes him more worthy of a loan to fund his degree than another student who only achieved the required grades?
Why do the Tories always seem to settle on the solution that takes opportunities away from the poorest?
No point saying ‘oh you should have an apprenticeship instead of a degree’ when this same government created apprenticeships in retail just so they could give tax breaks to people like Mike Ashley.
There needs to be some decent industries in this country, with actual prospects, to make alternative education/qualifications viable. They use Germany as an example but they have one of (if not the) strongest manufacturing industries in Europe and decent labour laws to go with it.
I find it hard to disagree; if you aren’t getting Cs at A Level (like, really.) and a C in GCSE Maths and English you should not be going to uni.
>said young people are increasingly being “ripped off” by poor-quality university courses.
>
>
>
>Many young people today could have much more opportunity if they opted for on-the-job training alongside receiving an industry-recognised qualification, rather than go to university
So they don’t want people to study, but to become cheap wage slaves. If Tories express concern about something, better hide your wallet.
These authoritarian far right clowns can’t wait to plan people’s futures based on their “iq”. Germany also tried that.
I thought capitalists liked letting the free market decide?
You know just once can we try not fucking over young people.