By Richard Garner, The Independent Education Editor. Monday, 7 February 2011

Thousands of school-leavers may be harming their job prospects by seeking a place at university this summer.

Results of a poll of more than 500 employers released today reveal that many would rather take on an apprentice than hire a graduate.

 “You are typically seeing a faster return on your investment with an apprentice,” said Chris Jones, the director general of City and Guilds, which conducted the survey. “They appear to be delivering to a higher level. They pick up the sense of culture of the firm and the workplace quicker.”

 The findings paint a picture of a return to the days when school-leavers were articled or took up apprenticeships and started earning a wage before returning to some form of work-placed study.

Mr Jones added: “I think a lot of people would say that the target of getting 50 per cent through to university has perhaps distorted everyone’s expectations of how they should progress out of school.”  Read more http://tiny.cc/fm8qp

 We are clearly seeing a revision of  how universities are being perceived. The increasingly prohibitive fees and loan legacies, poor staff -student ratios, low rates of contact time, questions about value for money all currently threaten the status universities have enjoyed. With the university based teacher training under threat, other sectors of business and commerce are looking at the advantages of training their own and getting young people into the workplace straight away. The university sector really needs to look again at its offer or it is likely to be by-passed.