In rural Shropshire, where there have been major economic difficulties, partly because of structural economic change (eg the decline of agricultural processing) and partly because of the collapse of disposable incomes, little in the way of data seems to be available about graduate employment (More than half of UK graduates in non-graduate jobs, 19 August).
However the following anecdotal evidence gives a flavour of the extent of the problem: a research scientist with a PhD working as a hotel cleaner; a graduate who has been unemployed for five years; a graduate with degree in film selling popcorn in Cineworld.
I am not sure what the answer is. Raising the profile of apprenticeships is suggested, but in Shropshire this avenue is not always successful. My son was an apprentice carpenter and joiner until the collapse of disposable incomes put his employer out of business.
Tim Wastling
Newtown, Shropshire
• The anti-university-education brigade seems to be asking all bright and intelligent state school students to consider becoming an electrician or a plasterer. While I have nothing against those trades, I would be interested to know how many Old Etonians are bricklayers or plasterers. The old Conservative fear that someone you view as your inferior is suddenly now being treated as your equal has reared its ugly head again.
Simon Gosden
Rayleigh, Essex
• Can’t we just admit that the purpose of the expansion of higher education (Don’t hand universities back to the elite, 21 August) is to remove two million young people from the jobs market, while saddling them with a £30,000 debt before they even start work, thus making them fearful of the consequences of taking any possible future industrial action?
Peter Ostrowski
Wickford, Essex
• The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is wrong to claim that there is “saturation” in the graduate jobs market. Such hyperbole does little justice to the wider conclusions of this report, which acknowledges that many jobs currently described as “non-graduate” have not been upgraded to reflect competencies linked with higher education qualifications and employer requirements. To argue against investment in higher education because graduates do not repay their student loans in full only adds insult to injury. This is the direct result of government changes to the fees and funding system which are completely unrelated to the jobs market.
Pam Tatlow
Chief executive, million+
• More letters on the jobs market: Qualified support for GCSE students who can help to build a balanced economy
