Responding to a speech made virtually at the Social Market
Foundation today from Secretary of State for Education , the Chief Executive of Universities UK, Alistair
Jarvis, said:
“To suggest there is an arbitrary maximum number of people who
should be able to pursue higher education is denying aspiration –
what is important is that every student has the choice to follow
the path which is right for them to best fulfil their potential.”
“Increasing support for further education is an important move
but it would be a mistake to view post-18 education as a binary
choice between supporting either higher education or further
education. Both universities and colleges have important and
mutually supporting roles to meet skills needs in the post
Covid-19 economic recovery. The benefits of universities and
colleges are felt in local communities across the UK, increasing
social mobility, creating jobs and supporting local businesses.”
“Over 40% of courses currently offered by universities have a
technical, professional or vocational focus, and are equipping
people for vital careers in the public sector such as nursing, to
meeting the skills needs of growing industries from robotics to
green energy. A university degree enhances an individual’s job
prospects and boosts future salary by an average of £9,000 a
year.”
Background information:
-
Official
data shows that a degree from a UK
university continues to give a significant boost to employment
levels and a graduate’s career prospects throughout
life with graduates more likely to be
in employment, and earning on average around £9,000 more a year
than people without a degree.
-
Data released
today by HESA shows 85% of graduates in
high skilled jobs reported that their qualification was a
requirement or gave them an advantage in securing their
jobs
-
Beyond research on employability and salaries, there is
evidence to suggest that on average graduates enjoy better
health, wellbeing and life satisfaction, are more politically
engaged and more likely to vote.
-
Employer demand for graduates continues to rise
– research from the
CBI shows employers expect the
greatest demand for skills over the next three to five years
will be for people with higher level skills, and two thirds of
employers fear there will be a lack of sufficiently skilled
people to fill these vacancies.
-
By 2030, it is
estimated that there will be a UK talent
deficit of between 600,000
to1.2 million workers for both our financial and business
sector, and technology, media and telecommunications
sector.
-
Many
universities offer a lot of technical
and vocational courses in collaboration with the Further
Education sector and local employers. (See pg. 7
in this
report for examples)
-
A growth in the number of people going to university
should include a growth in part-time, mature students, degree
apprenticeships and higher-level vocational and professional
courses offered by universities. The
traditional three year full time undergraduate course is not
for everyone and that is why Universities UK
recently made
recommendations to government on how they
can help provide more flexible learning to meet the needs of
more students and the economy.
-
UCAS data released
yesterday shows increased enthusiasm for attending university,
including from older applicants and from those in the most
disadvantaged backgrounds
