What the world needs is more university graduates. Or so successive governments have claimed. Yet today's young people remain to be convinced; only 5% of 18-24-year-olds believe that UK society would benefit from more graduates. So who's right?
What's clear is that for the last decade, the 'university for all' drum beat has drowned out the other options that young people should and could consider as valid choices for a successful future. University has become the default; those who dare to bypass it are considered failures.
In doing this we've limited the means by which young people can secure and enjoy a prosperous future. The mad dash to ramp up university graduates has led to the school curriculum being turned into a production line pumping out graduate after graduate – but to what end?
Young people are facing high levels of unemployment and we are living in the toughest economic circumstances of recent times. Employers who are willing to offer jobs berate the lack of skills of those applying for the Willy Wonka golden ticket of a permanent position.
We're letting our young people down by failing to prepare them for the world of work. They have a harder climb up the career ladder, and are at a disadvantage in competing for the best jobs.
But the impact goes much wider than that. The school curriculum, which is arguably steered towards higher education, often neglects to groom the talent and inspire those who might wish to start their own business or learn a trade straight out of school. This would not only boost the nation's coffers but also its fundamental skillset. A healthy and productive society needs a mixture of skills, talents and abilities. If young people can pursue an education or career path steered to their abilities and choices, we can build a society of positive, confident and successful individuals.
The assumption seems to be that you make your choice, aged 16, to prepare for the Ucas applications heap or head to the scrap heap. Yet it's in the years from 16 to 18 that young people really begin to formulate concrete ideas about their future and would benefit from a more fluid curriculum. For example, my daughter has acknowledged her strengths and weaknesses and knows that a traditional academic structure is not for her. But she is hugely intelligent, hard working and eager to get some practical understanding of running a business.
After treading water at school, she is now flourishing at a business training college and gaining hands-on experience. As I am a graduate we may not be comparing notes about freshers' week, but I know she has the skills and confidence to be a great success. We are working together on developing our new resource, Uni's Not For Me, to help young people recognise the whole world of options open to them beyond university.
Educating young people about their options is just the start. What's also needed is a fundamental change in the education system – a more holistic approach to the final two years of school. A new A-level system could provide practical skills that will be of use to young people whether they intend to go to university, straight into work, or to pursue a vocational training course such as an apprenticeship. We also need to end league tables that measure the value of a school purely on its ability to churn out A-grades and potential graduates.
Putting a price on the head of a university education has actually been a good thing. It encourages young people today to interrogate whether university is right for them. For many, it will be. For others, it won't. Either way, school has an important role to play in supporting the ambitions of both.
Sarah Wrixon is the director of Uni's Not For Me
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