Is University Worth The Cost? | Good Morning Britain
Summary
TLDRIn this discussion, the value of a university education is debated in light of new research showing UK businesses favoring job candidates with skills over degrees. University student Evie Crossland argues for the coming-of-age experience and networking opportunities, while Kevin Osei, who switched courses and now runs a charity, highlights the importance of alternative paths like apprenticeships and gap years. Both agree on the necessity of skills and experiences beyond the academic degree, but differ on the role of university in providing those.
Takeaways
- 📚 New research indicates that UK businesses are increasingly valuing job candidates with practical skills over those with a university degree.
- 🎓 The debate is whether the emphasis on university education should shift towards alternative pathways like apprenticeships.
- 👨🎓 Kevin Osei, a university graduate, shares his experience of changing courses and ultimately pursuing a career in charity work rather than banking and finance.
- 🔄 Kevin highlights the importance of exploring various opportunities outside of traditional university education, such as apprenticeships and gap years.
- 👩🎓 Evie Crossland argues that university offers a coming-of-age experience and a chance to explore different fields beyond the academic degree.
- 🤔 The discussion raises concerns about the value of a university degree in the job market and the potential for a two-tier system favoring those with access to higher education.
- 💼 There is a noted gap between the skills taught at university and the skills employers are looking for, suggesting a need for more practical, employability-focused education.
- 🧳 The benefits of a university education extend beyond academics, including networking opportunities and personal development.
- 💰 The financial burden of university education, including student loans and debt, is a significant concern for many graduates.
- 📉 Despite obtaining degrees, a significant number of graduates feel unprepared and lack confidence in entering the workforce.
- 📊 A Twitter poll shows a majority (78%) believe that university education is worth the cost, while a minority (22%) do not.
Q & A
What is the main topic of discussion in the video script?
-The main topic of discussion is whether a university education is still as valuable as it once was, considering that UK businesses are prioritizing job candidates with skills over those with degrees, and the potential benefits of alternative pathways like apprenticeships.
What was Kevin's initial academic path at university?
-Kevin initially studied accounting and finance with the intention of going into the banking and finance industry.
Why did Kevin change his major from accounting and finance to politics and international relations?
-Kevin changed his major after realizing he did not enjoy the banking and finance route and failed his first year twice. He then switched to politics and international relations.
What is Kevin currently working on full-time after graduating?
-Kevin is currently working on his charity full-time, which supports and mentors young people.
What does Evie believe university offers besides an academic degree?
-Evie believes that university offers a variety of different avenues and opportunities to dabble in different fields, as well as being a place for networking and personal growth.
What is the concern about the potential two-tier system in education as discussed by Kevin?
-The concern is that by de-emphasizing the importance of a university education, a two-tier system may be created where only the wealthy or those with certain backgrounds are more likely to attend university and access certain jobs.
What is the statistic mentioned by Kevin regarding young people's confidence in entering the workforce after graduating?
-Kevin mentions that 45% of young people do not feel confident entering the workforce after graduating.
What percentage of recruiters feel that recent graduates lack the necessary skills for employment?
-80% of recruiters feel that recent graduates do not have the skills they need to land a role in their job of interest.
What is Evie's perspective on the importance of using university opportunities to prepare for various career paths?
-Evie believes that it is crucial to use the opportunities university offers to gain skills and experiences that allow for choice and exploration of different fields upon graduation.
What is the Twitter poll question and what were the results?
-The Twitter poll asked if university is worth the cost. The results showed that 78% of respondents believed it was worth the cost, while 22% did not.
What is the financial concern raised by the participants regarding university education?
-The financial concern raised is the significant debt students may incur from university education and the uncertainty of being able to earn enough to repay it, especially for middle-income earners.
Outlines
🎓 University Education vs. Skills and Apprenticeships
The first paragraph of the script discusses the traditional emphasis on university education and how it's being challenged by the growing recognition of skills over degrees by UK businesses. It features a debate between Evie Crossland, a university student who believes in the value of the university experience for personal growth, and Kevin Osei, who argues that apprenticeships and alternative routes provide more focused skill development. Kevin shares his personal journey of changing courses and failing before finding his passion in charity work, while Evie emphasizes the opportunities for exploration and networking that university provides.
💼 The Value of University in the Job Market
The second paragraph delves into the practical aspects of university education in relation to employability. It highlights the concerns about the high unemployment rate among graduates and the mismatch between the skills taught at university and those demanded by employers. Kevin points out that many organizations now prefer apprentices due to their practical skills, while Evie discusses the importance of using university opportunities to explore different fields and gain a variety of experiences. The conversation touches on the financial burden of university education and the potential for creating a two-tier system, with a focus on the need to reassess the value and structure of degrees in light of changing employment landscapes.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡A Level
💡T Level
💡B-Tech
💡University Education
💡Apprenticeships
💡Skills
💡Employability
💡Gap Year
💡Soft Skills
💡Networking
💡Student Debt
Highlights
Thousands of A-level, T-level, and B-tech students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are receiving their grades, which may determine university placements.
UK businesses are prioritizing job candidates with skills over graduates with degrees, indicating a shift in the value of education versus practical skills.
The debate raises the question of whether the emphasis on university education should be reduced in favor of apprenticeships and skill development.
Kevin Osei, a university graduate, discusses his experience of changing courses and failing, suggesting that university isn't always the best path.
Evie Crossland argues that university is a coming-of-age experience that offers more than just academic learning.
Kevin emphasizes the importance of alternative paths like apprenticeships and gap years for skill development and self-discovery.
Evie points out that university offers opportunities to explore different fields and gain diverse experiences.
Kevin discusses the value of networking and the development of employability skills at university.
Evie acknowledges the uncertainty of employment post-graduation but emphasizes the importance of utilizing university opportunities.
Kevin highlights the disconnect between university education and the skills demanded by employers.
Both participants agree that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to education and career paths.
Kevin expresses concern about creating a two-tier system where only the wealthy can access university education.
The discussion touches on the high unemployment rate among graduates and the challenges of finding employment post-graduation.
Evie acknowledges the financial burden of university education and the uncertainty of recouping the investment.
The conversation suggests that the value of a university degree may be diminishing in the job market.
The Twitter poll shows a majority认为 university education is worth the cost, reflecting ongoing debate on the value of higher education.
Transcripts
now thousands of a level T level and
b-tech students in England Wales and
Northern Ireland will be receiving their
grades this morning for some these
results will determine their place at
University but new researchers found
that UK businesses are prioritizing job
candidates with skills rather than
graduates with a degree that's happening
an increasing number of cases so is it
time to stop emphasizing the importance
of a university education and focus on
things like apprenticeships instead
joining us now is University student
Evie Crossland who says University is a
coming-of-age experience and Kevin osei
who says those who do apprenticeships
are more skilled and focused uh let's
come to you first uh Kevin on this
you've got a degree yourself at
University yes yes I I do uh so I was at
University of five years right from 2017
to 2022
um and I started off studying
accountable and finance used to want to
go down the banking and finance route uh
of course that I didn't actually enjoy
or want to actually show felt like I had
to do to go down that industry yeah I
ended up failing my first year of
University then I repeated the year on
the same course okay and failed again
right and then when I saw the second
time I changed courses to politics and
international relations but at that
point I realized that I don't actually
want to go down the bank route anymore
right for me at that point I didn't want
to go to university anymore but for me
what was driving me was making my
parents proud and watching someone and
Dad I love you both but um so yeah I
ended up doing politics and
international relations graduated last
year over T1 and since then I've been
working on my charity full-time which
supports so so yeah so you're charity
mentors young people yeah you're
speaking to young people all the time
but yeah why why is it that you say that
apprenticeships give them more Focus
because you know even at University okay
you might not be out there some of them
do actually go and do a year out I did a
year out in my uni so you will get some
experience yeah but why would you be
more focused in an apprenticeship rather
than perhaps when you're at University
yeah I mean for me right it's not
necessarily just the apprenticeship is
the fact that there are a load of
different other avenues that young
people can go down other than University
so for example when you leave sixth form
or college you can take a gap year which
for a lot of young people is really
really valuable it gives them that
chance to figure out what it is that
they want everyone can afford that
though when I think a gap year what's
you know what is it like now with you
know with young people when I think a
gap year I mean at my school or you know
it was it was the wealthier families
that were able to go to get you know I'm
gonna go traveling across Europe I can't
afford to do that yeah certainly taking
Gap year to travel it's more so to get
some experience right you know whether
that's working part-time in retail or
wherever it might be taking some time to
maybe investing yourself for example uh
educational courses online courses to
build your skills because you know
that's one thing that employers look for
nowadays I think it's clear to say that
you know University degrees don't hold
as much value as they once did okay yeah
let's do it well so you're making the
point that you know there are other
avenues don't automatically go down that
road easy for you at University you
wanted to go to why do you think it is
important well I think I want to preface
just by saying that it is not a
one-size-fits-all situation and you know
for me personally I knew that I didn't
want to just leave sixth form and go
straight into employment I wanted to go
down the academic route always and I
think that what university really offers
is even though you're pursuing an
academic degree you can still have those
variety of different Avenues of
different fields for example
um I do an English and Philosophy degree
yeah I'm also so a part of the business
and consultancy groups at my University
so it's a university really does offer
those opportunities to also dabble in
different fields this notion that you
know you're only pursuing your degree
and that's it I think is false you can
have those opportunities irrespectively
that's absolutely right isn't it because
you know I I felt my first year at Uni
and what I realized is that when you go
to university you get like 15 hours a
week timetable yeah that's where you
need to beat your lectures what are you
going to do with the rest of your time
and I think my first year like a lot of
people probably parted too much went out
too much but then I realized actually I
can do what I got involved in societies
I actually started DJing and you do
start to really live a life I think and
become more of a rounded person with
lots of experiences it really is just
about being proactive at University it's
about you know taking the ball by the
horns and thinking no I'm not just going
to pursue you know University just for
the degree to come up with the two on
the first whatever I'm going to pursue
it because I want to network it's one of
the best networking places irrespective
of what university you go to do they're
always going to use I mean granted you
know the Russell groups and the Oxbridge
they will you know those networking
opportunities are going to be you know
there in Greater quantities but
nonetheless you can still take those
opportunities at University respective
you're in your final year though
doing what you're doing what you're
doing are you worried though that
there's no guarantee of a job at the end
of it or do you or are you confident
that you know what I know exactly where
I can go and where they go no I'm not
I'm not there is not there is not that
I'm never going to have that certainty
of yes I want to pursue this and I will
definitely get this but I don't think
that's what matters because what matters
is using those opportunities the
university has to offer and using them
as using as many as I possibly can so
that you know I'm in the position that
when I leave University
I can explore different fields or I can
reject a certain field because you know
I realize that's maybe something I don't
want to do it's about gaining those
skills throughout University so that
you're in the position where you can
choose it's about Choice when you leave
well Kevin from your point of view then
when you know Evie's talking about it
there is almost like a transition phase
isn't it the opportunities it gives you
it's not just about the academic side of
things but there are a lot of other
things that go alongside that yeah isn't
that don't you miss that if you yeah so
I mean I think what we're talking about
is University let's talk about when it
comes to trying to access employment in
the field you want to get into now
there's a stat around how 45 of young
people don't feel confident entering the
workforce after graduating and around 80
of recruiters feel like recent graduates
don't have the skills that they need to
be able to you know land a role in their
job of interest and I think that's
really important to understand that
University for many students including
myself though I was a part of societies
They Don't Really teach you the skills
that you need those core employability
and soft skills that employers look for
and for for in terms of the work that I
do working with a lot of organizations
and corporates a lot of them are now
demanding for more apprentices applying
for for opportunities because actually
they're realizing that degrees aren't as
valuable as they once were I do worry
though you know we were saying it's not
fair that you know if you think about
the degrees such as you know medicine a
law degree you know you have to go to
university to become a lawyer to become
a doctor to become an engineer these
days and I worry that we might create a
two-tier system here by saying well
actually for some of you don't worry
about going to University because we
know that the wealthy of us the the
middle class families those that are
siblings have been to University we were
more likely to go to university what we
should be doing is saying exactly the
opposite to everyone else who thinks
that University is not for them that we
are going to help you get through
University and get some of the most
important jobs in this country yeah but
then you know after graduating from
University I mean the unemploymentary
amongst graduates is really really high
and it keeps progressing and progressing
and there's a reasonable behind you know
people are graduating and still not able
to access employment that's part of the
reason why I started the work that I do
I had a lot of friends who graduated and
were struggling to get jobs and you know
it's much more than getting a degree
that's not enough yeah maybe we need to
look at the degrees themselves they're
getting it's interesting lots of people
getting in touch Paul says I left uni
with massive debts back in 2000 I
enjoyed every minute earned a great
degree made friends the cost financially
mentally and sometimes physically was
still worth it because a lot of people
who say no it's not worth it are talking
about the costs and even if you
obviously it's a significant cost isn't
it yeah that's the issue yeah you're
confident you'll be able to earn that
back afterwards yes I am I it's one of
those things where
that does cross my mind a lot um I will
be left with a lot of debt at the end of
this it will the thing is I don't also
know what salary I'll be on that is the
thing I don't know what salary I'll be
earning how much I will have to pay back
that is still so open-ended you know if
I'm a high income earner you know
really that those problems are less for
me
um if I'm a low-income earner those
problems also are less of a problem
because I wouldn't have to pay them back
but it is going to hit those middle
income earners you know it's going to
really be a problem for the people that
are earning you know over 25k about 38k
years so yes it is something but I just
know that those opportunities I must
grasped I've got a feeling you're going
to grasp the movie uh Evie thanks for
joining us and Kevin thank you we're
running a Twitter poll we asked you is
University worth for cost let's take a
look at the results 78 of you said it is
worth the cost to get into the
university 22 percent of you said it
wasn't worth it thanks to all of you who
voted thank you both to you thank you
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