It's time to think again about the purpose of a university education
SIR – Successive governments have increased targets for the number of school pupils going on to university. Less attention appears to have been devoted, however, to determining how many graduates we actually need in order to maintain this nation's intellectual horsepower.
Currently, many students go on to gain – at great cost – obscure degrees that do little to prepare them for the job market. A lot of them would be better off gaining more practical skills from vocational training; the country would also benefit from this.
It is true, as Jemima Lewis argues (Comment, May 15), that university provides an ideal environment in which to make the transition from childhood to adulthood, but there must be better ways.
We need a review of universities and the university system, and some radical changes. If this results in a number of institutions going to the wall, so be it.
Mark Rayner
Eastbourne, East Sussex
SIR – Jemima Lewis is right that there is more to a degree than the promise of a well-paid job, but there are other benefits worth adding to the ones she puts forward.
University should be for training minds in rational thought and objective judgment, rather than memorising and repeating received wisdom. It is only after this rigorous training that the vocational element should be addressed.
I can only speak from personal experience, having taken a degree in modern languages that did not require fluency in those languages but demanded strong skills in research and argument.
I then qualified as a chartered accountant. In my career I found that the ability to make decisions under time pressure was the main requirement of the job – for which the rigour of my degree was much more useful than accountancy training.
The reversal of the so-called graduate premium is down to the proliferation of inappropriate degree subjects, which make few intellectual demands of students. There is a strong case for scrapping these.
Donald Clarke
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer warned British jobs at risk without better trade deal from Trump
Keir Starmer has been warned that UK jobs are at risk without a better trade deal with Donald Trump that removes tariffs from the beleaguered steel industry. President Trump and the PM finally signed off a US-UK agreement to slash trade barriers on goods when they met at the G7 in Canada on Monday. But missing from the deal was the steel industry, which still faces levies of a whopping 25 per cent on goods entering the US. Industry experts and unions have now called for these to be scrapped as soon as possible, amid warnings they are a threat to jobs and livelihoods. But there are fears negotiations could drag on into the autumn after the transport secretary said work to get tariffs removed will continue in the coming 'days, weeks and months'. Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of the Community union, said it was 'absolutely vital' to secure a deal on steel as quickly as possible. 'Our steel producers and their US customers need an end to the current state of uncertainty to allow normal business to resume,' he said. 'Crucially, we must see a full exemption for all UK steel exports to the US – without that guarantee some of our leading steel businesses could be left behind, with a threat to jobs and livelihoods.' Gareth Stace, Director-General, UK Steel said the sector should also benefit 'imminently... from a tariff rate cut similar to that which the automotive and aerospace industries will enjoy in seven days.' The government said the two leaders had pledged to 'make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products', but the Chinese ownership of British Steel could be a sticking point, as an executive order signed by Mr Trump suggests the US wants assurances that the metal originates in the UK. After signing it, the US President was asked whether steel tariffs would be eliminated, to which he replied: 'We're gonna let you have that information in a little while.' In April, parliament gave the government emergency powers to take control of British Steel and continue production after Chinese owners Jingye proposed shutting the Scunthorpe site's two blast furnaces and other key steelmaking operations. But its future is still uncertain. The uncertainty comes as a £500 million five-year deal has been struck between Network Rail and British Steel, which Ms Alexander said was a 'vote of confidence'. British Steel is to supply 337,000 tonnes of rail track, with a further 80-90,000 tonnes to be provided by other European manufacturers. The Network Rail contract will start on July 1 and is set to provide the company with 80 per cent of its rail needs. Jingye, which bought British Steel in 2020, launched a consultation in March which it said would affect between 2,000 and 2,700 jobs, despite months of negotiations and a £500 million co-investment offer from the Government. The Scunthorpe plant has been producing steel for Britain's railways since 1865. The Network Rail agreement is the first major public procurement since the Government's emergency legislation was passed. Network Rail's group director for railway business services Clive Berrington said: 'We are committed to buying British where it makes economic sense to do so and British Steel remain extremely competitive in the provision of rail and will remain our main supplier in the years ahead.' Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, national officer at the GMB union, said it was a 'crucial first step in securing the future of our steel industry' and urged ministers to make sure British Steel has a 'constant flow of orders' from other infrastructure projects. No 10 said it wanted to implement a further deal to remove tariffs on steel 'as soon as possible'.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Police ombudsman Marie Anderson to stand aside
Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson has said she is taking leave of absence with immediate effect due to what she has called commentary "detracting" from her parties had called on her to step aside after a file was sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) following an investigation into an alleged domestic incident at her Anderson said she had made her decision because it had become "increasingly clear that current commentary is detracting from the focus of that work".
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Meat mogul's £15m home sparks neighbour row
A meat mogul millionaire is locked in a dispute with his neighbours over his plans for a luxury home on Sandbanks. Philip Heffer paid £3.6 million for a tired-looking bungalow on the exclusive resort in Poole, Dorset. He was granted permission to demolish the 1950s property and replace it with a multi-million-pound home that will have five balconies. By the time it is finished, the four-storey beachfront mansion will be worth £15 million. But the scheme has upset some of Mr Heffer's neighbours, including his piano teacher, Vivien Shiplee. The 68-year-old is angry that Mr Heffer's new property, in particular the balconies, will overlook her holiday home next door. She claims Mr Heffer will be able to look straight down into her front and back gardens. She is also concerned that the flat-roofed property will overshadow hers and cause a loss of light. 'Major flood risk' The Sandbanks Neighbourhood Forum has also raised concerns about the new home. In a statement, the Forum said that full height obscured screens should be placed on either side of Mr Heffer's home to protect the privacy of the neighbours. It said the height of the property 'will significantly increase the overlooking of the adjacent houses' rear gardens'. The property is on the 'panhandle' of Sandbanks and will look out on Poole Harbour on one side and the sea on the other. The narrow strip of land has also been identified as a major flood risk in the years to come, with experts predicting rising sea levels. Up until now, planning officials at Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council have backed Mr Heffer's plans. No different from other properties Despite complaints about privacy and overdevelopment, they say such concerns come with the territory of living on Sandbanks. Planning officer Claire Moir said the size and design of the new mansion are no different to others that have been built in recent years. She said the 'inevitable overlooking' from balconies was now commonplace due to the 'pattern of development' and was something Sandbanks residents had to accept. Although Mr Heffer was granted planning permission and building work is now underway, he has gone back to the council seeking to amend the scheme and make the whole building slightly taller. Philip Heffer is the co-founder of Hilton Foods, a supplier of pre-packed high-quality meat. He stepped back from his role as chief executive last year after revenues rose to £3.85 billion.
