By Olly Newton, Andrea Laczik and Christian Percy
This new report by The Edge Foundation brings together international, historical and economic evidence as well as brand new survey data by YouGov, to support the need for higher education to offer a range of focused and cost-effective routes for students to prepare for their careers. The evidence highlights the disparity between the perception that a university degree is automatically a passport to a well-paid career, and the reality that two out of five graduates are in jobs that do not require a degree. To address these issues the authors suggest that the English higher education sector must become more:
- Employment-focused: Whether that employment is in research, academia or outside the higher education sector. The authors argue that England needs high quality careers services at the heart of every institution and to make employability everyone’s business.
- Diverse: Students need access to a wide range of course settings, including higher education in further education colleges, new providers and accelerated courses.
- Value for money: Young people need to receive high quality and realistic advice while at school about the range of options and their likely returns to prevent them later feeling mis-sold.
Read the full report here.