For decades it has been widely accepted that there are two choices for school leavers: university or career. In my experience as headmaster of two of the country’s leading schools, the very brightest students don’t feel they have the luxury of even this sparse range of options. Ask those students and they will tell you that they feel compelled to head off to university, regardless of their aspirations. It’s easy to see why.
These students, despite receiving tip-top A-level or International Baccalaureate grades, know that at some point in their careers, the lack of a degree from a top-class university will count heavily against them as they endeavour to climb the career ladder. The best graduate jobs at the top companies have an applicant to job ratio of at least 10:1, and so a CV without a degree will be placed straight in the “no” pile long before they get to meet you. A 2:1 from a Russell Group university, or equivalent, will be the minimum required to even get through the door.
To these students, the binary choice of career or university is a no-contest. There is no “third way”. So students with top A-level or IB grades have little choice other than to continue on the education escalator, following the expected path, regardless of their own wishes.
What’s becoming apparent to me is that it is no longer enough, for reasons I expand on below, to offer our most able 18-year-olds no other effective option than going to a traditional university. Don’t get me wrong; I am not for a moment decrying the sheer intellectual joy and academic stretch of degree study, nor am I saying that studying for a degree is not the right option for many. Those university years can be the most rewarding and enjoyable years of your life; they were for me. My concern lies purely in the lack of viable alternatives for the most able students. And this is why it matters.
Student debt is ‘shocking’
When I went to university, like all my generation, I received a payment through the student grant. A lot has changed in the intervening years. Grants became loans, and then along came the real game-changer - tuition fees. Now, according to the Sutton Trust social mobility charity, it is estimated that student debt on graduation averages £50,000, plus loan interest. It is a shocking way to start your professional life. Most worrying of all is the barrier to social mobility it creates, with children from less affluent backgrounds finding it difficult to commit to this level of debt.
Furthermore, we learned recently that universities are raising their fees again; many of the same universities which were ranked at the bottom for quality in the Sunday Times Good University Guide published last month. Simply put, as educationalists have known for some time, the quality of teaching at our universities does not always justify the cost.
Finally, figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies published recently show that 25- to 29-year-old graduates are earning no more than their counterparts 20 years ago. All of which means that it is understandable that not all of our brightest students are attracted by the well-trodden route to undergraduate study at university.
The good news is that the third way does exist, in the form of the degree apprenticeship scheme, created in 2014 by the government, and for which it deserves huge credit. It has the makings of an excellent alternative for the brightest school leavers. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, you are not alone. The degree apprenticeship is a fully funded “earn while you learn” scheme which allows you to study for a degree whilst also receiving on-the-job training as a full employee of the sponsor company.
Many of the top companies are signed up, as are some of the UK’s most prestigious universities. Three to five years after leaving school you have a high-quality degree, no debt and not only are you ready for the workplace, you are already in it! If this all sounds like a good idea, you may be surprised to find that, among the brightest school leavers, it has barely registered. Which begs the question, what can be done to ignite this excellent idea in the minds of today’s young adults? My thoughts, as a strong supporter of the scheme, are as follows:
- Rebrand. Stop calling them “apprenticeships”. Rightly or wrongly, the word holds little currency with aspirational students. “Career degrees” sound much better.
- Create more of the most aspirational courses. The most well qualified students will only be attracted by a combination of a top company, prestigious university and relevant degree course (or professional qualification). There are some of these available, such as the excellent collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover and Warwick University, but they are few and far between.
- Place the entrance criteria for the very best “career degrees” at the same level as a place at the best universities. It may sound counter-intuitive to increase entry requirements in order to boost popularity, but these excellent courses should not be undersold.
- Centralise admissions. A “Ucas-type” service for “career degrees” would bring all the information into one place and would allow interested students to feel informed about the options. Searching for courses that fulfil the criteria set out above is currently like searching for a virtual needle in a virtual haystack. A centralised admissions service would also clarify application deadlines and bring them in line with the universities.
- Spread the word in schools. Careers departments are well behind the curve on this and they need much more information and guidance. This is the reason that in the spring term, Wellington will be hosting the inaugural “Third Way” conference, bringing teachers and students from around the country together with the best degree apprenticeship providers.
I sense, from my dealings with students, an increasing reluctance to take on hitherto unseen levels of debt, and who can blame them? I hope that the degree apprenticeship scheme will become a viable option for them. Changes are certainly needed but the signs are that we just might be seeing the beginnings of a genuine “third way”. And that must surely be welcomed.
Julian Thomas is master of Wellington College
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