Essex adult education provider encourages more students to do apprenticeships
It’s after a recent poll shows nearly one in three people think university is 'not worth the time and money'
Last updated 5th Aug 2024
In the run up to A level results day, Essex adult education provider, ACL Essex, is encouraging more students to consider apprenticeships.
Lorretta Wiltshire is the business developoment lead at ACL Essex. She says,
"You earn as you learn. You are successful in employment afterwards. And not only are you getting a qualification, but you are getting those wider life skills. You are learning what it's like to be employed and that is quite challenging for some people to to go into the workplace at a young age.
"Within Essex County Council, 94% of our apprenticeships go on to successful employment after their apprenticeship.
"Apprenticeships also provide ways of breaking down that barrier for individuals who may not have academically come out of school with the qualifications that they need to have to enter university.
Nearly 1/3 of people think university is a 'waste of time and money'.
The study from Kings College London, which surveyed more than 2,600 British people in May and more than 1,000 in June, found that 31% agreed that university education is not worth the amount of time and money it usually takes.
Bobby Duffy, professor of public policy and director of the Policy Institute at KCL, says,
"Three in 10 think a university education just isn't worth the time and money - up from two in 10 six years ago
Apprenticeship Uptake Barriers
'More than three in four people think opportunities for apprenticeships should be increased', according to research by the Policy Institute at King's College London (KCL).
Lorretta Wiltshire says,
"There are many barriers to apprenticeship uptake. I think it's all around attitude and I think we have to change employers attitudes to apprenticeships. We have to support employers to think about apprenticeships as their recruitment.
"And we have to support parents to understand that apprenticeships are a really good route for those individuals and we have to support young people to see that apprenticeships are not just for individuals who don't do well at school.
"I think it's just about breaking down barriers to enable people to understand that it is just as much a valued route as going to university.
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: "There are a huge range of options available to start and progress in a rewarding career, including an apprenticeship, going to university or taking a vocational qualification.
"We have already established Skills England to boost opportunities across the country and have refocused the Office for Students to prioritise the financial stability of the higher education sector and deliver better quality and outcomes for students.