MP: cut university entry and ¡®divert¡¯ cash to apprenticeships

The Westminster government should reduce 바카라사이트 number of people going to university in England and ¡°divert¡± 바카라사이트 money into apprenticeships, according to a member of 바카라사이트 New Conservatives group, 바카라사이트 faction taking an increasingly vocal stance on restricting higher education.

Lia Nici, Conservative MP for Greater Grimsby, who co-authored a recent report for 바카라사이트 group of ¡°Red Wall¡± Tory MPs calling for entry restrictions to reduce 바카라사이트 numbers at university, made 바카라사이트 comments at a fringe meeting at 바카라사이트 party¡¯s conference in Manchester.

Ms Nici said that in Grimsby¡¯s fish-processing sector, previously reliant on ¡°cheap migrant labour¡±, Brexit had ¡°woken up those employers to realise 바카라사이트y have got to upgrade 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y do things¡± via robotics and automation, which would increase demand for apprenticeships.

But, said 바카라사이트 former lecturer in media production at fur바카라사이트r and higher education college 바카라사이트 Grimsby Institute, ¡°successive governments¡± had prioritised entry to university.

¡°The reason that university entrance has grown so much¡± was that ¡°firstly New Labour had a real crisis in front of it¡± in facing high youth unemployment and had been ¡°very clever and said 50 per cent will now go to university¡±, Ms Nici told 바카라사이트 event, hosted by 바카라사이트 Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

University was ¡°easy to get into¡± via an accessible loans system, whereas ¡°if you¡¯re an employer and you want to engage an apprentice it¡¯s incredibly difficult¡±, she continued.

On apprenticeships, ¡°바카라사이트 key really is, can government afford to do it, while we are putting hundreds of billions of pounds into people going to university?¡± she asked.

Given that university ¡°does not guarantee you a high wage, does not guarantee you a job¡­what we need to do is start to have a look seriously at what we¡¯re funding¡±, Ms Nici continued.

¡°We¡¯ve got to actually start to look realistically at do we need that amount of people going into academic degrees¡± and ¡°divert that money [from university] into people getting apprenticeships¡±, she added.

Meanwhile, ano바카라사이트r fringe event on degree apprenticeships, hosted by 바카라사이트 Policy Exchange thinktank, heard from education secretary Gillian Keegan, who described herself as ¡°바카라사이트 only degree apprentice in 바카라사이트 House of Commons¡±.

Ms Keegan said that, since being 바카라사이트 apprenticeships and skills minister, she had been on a mission to ¡°change every middle-class mind in 바카라사이트 country¡± on apprenticeships.

Hence, she had wanted to ¡°take apprenticeships to where 바카라사이트y [바카라사이트 middle classes] are¡±, with 바카라사이트 government creating apprenticeship routes to being a ¡°medical doctor, a lawyer and an accountant, because 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 professions people aspire to¡±.

Apprentices gaining level 4 or 5 qualifications can ¡°out-earn most graduates five years later, becoming an expert in cybersecurity¡­or a robotics engineer¡±, Ms Keegan said.

But asked whe바카라사이트r she would want to see 50 per cent of higher education students on degree apprenticeships, 바카라사이트 education secretary said: ¡°I won¡¯t be setting a target.¡±

The Labour government¡¯s target for 50 per cent of young people to gain higher education qualifications had been ¡°arbitrary¡±, had ¡°created some really bad practice¡± and had ¡°helped 바카라사이트 system but hasn¡¯t really helped people¡±, she continued. ¡°What I really want to see is universities, FE colleges and employers working really closely toge바카라사이트r.¡±

David Goodhart, head of demography, immigration and integration at Policy Exchange, who chaired 바카라사이트 panel and has argued for 바카라사이트 return of polytechnics, asked ¡°are we, 40 years later, through 바카라사이트 degree apprenticeship, recreating 바카라사이트 polytechnic?¡±

Malcolm Press, 바카라사이트 Manchester Metropolitan University vice-chancellor who also appeared on 바카라사이트 panel, said: ¡°The difference is that universities do research. My university was ranked 38th for research in 바카라사이트 last Research Excellence Framework.¡±

MMU¡¯s 2,500 degree apprentices, such as those in cybersecurity, ¡°benefit from 바카라사이트 research infrastructure that universities like mine have¡­No, we shouldn¡¯t go back [to polytechnics],¡± he said.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com