As the debate rages about tuition fees, and the challenges that the current generation of students are facing, I want to make sure that all young people are getting a fair chance for an education. We all agree that young people deserve education of training to an adequate level, to prepare them for life, but with the cost of tuition fees in the UK at £9,000 a year, this is a serious financial burden for young people considering higher education.
Yes, financial support can be provided to them. It is true that young people from low income families can still have the financial support to go to college or university: and as students, they will be able to make use of their student-Alumni networks to gain careers. But the fact remains, that the prospect of a £50,000 debt - not including rent, food costs, clothing, utility bills, and commuting costs - is off putting to anyone who wants to study at a college or university, as people have said recently on BBC 3's Free Speech Programme. So I say that we need to put safety nets in place, to make sure that young people aren't priced out of an education. All 16-24 year olds who choose higher education should have the right kind of financial assistance that won't land them in debt, when they finish their studies and graduate. For anyone who chooses not to have higher education, an alternative should be offered for them.
Apprenticeships are brilliant, because they give the candidate the most important means to make a career: real experience in their industry of choice from day one. And what I like about the apprenticeships especially, is that they work by levels, through qualified assessment. I'm a firm believer in the fact that you don't need to teach someone what he or she already knows: the candidate can be assessed and qualified to his or her skill level. You can start from even a basic level of training and get maybe a level 1 or 2 certificate in your chosen industry. This may not sound like much, but I can assure you: it is very important to an employer, because this shows your potential. And here's the thing: this system could also be used for NEETS.
Young people who are not in full time education, or training (including apprenticeships) - otherwise known as NEETS - could still be assessed and qualified the same way, as part of a pre screening process. I know that the Government is paying assessors to concentrate on candidates who qualify successfully for an apprenticeship: but a special scheme could be set up for those who don't. (I've also written about this in another article: http://letsbuildbridges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-new-way-to-assess-non-graduates-neets.html )
A pre-screening process could be built into several key institutions, to catch young people whose talent is not yet realised. For example, the Job Centres, and youth drop in centres, could hire qualified assessors, to check the skills, as part of their service, to the young people who come to them. Organisations like the Training Providers Association could use qualified assessment, as part of their referrals process. If a trainer, or recruiter has found that a 16-24 year old candidate has a skill for which he or she is not yet qualified, then an assessor can award that young person a grade as part of the transfer. This can be coordinated at each stage of young peoples' careers.
Assessors who come into contact with non-graduates with ungraded skills, could offer them a s special one off assessment, sponsored by the Government. Recruiters and assessors could arrange to work in tandem, checking unqualified volunteers, and then, young people on work placements, for possible apprenticeships. Such a process could even be built into initiatives such as the ASCENT programme, which I understand, is helping people to find work. This would not be a full blown apprenticeship in itself, but would go a long way to reflecting the young person's actual skill level: and putting him/her in a better position to apply for further education or training. And a young person who has never worked in an industry before, should have a clear career path into it: from to the voluntary work to get started; to active work placements; then to an apprenticeship/higher education degree, to become a fully fledged member of that industry.
For young people who are in higher education, I say more needs to be done to make colleges and universities' student-Alumni networks the bridges into each industry. As I have argued in other articles, each school of study could have its own student-Alumni network, so that students and Alumni of that industry work as a team from day one. Engineering students and Alumni for example, could be given a special Engineering network, within a university's main online network - the main network retaining its use for students and Alumni of all disciplines. Student societies are another untapped networking resource, again as I have argued elsewhere on these pages. All students who are members of a society on their campus, that has been established for more than 10 years, should consider negotiating with their society's Alumni to see what links they could forge. For example, a science club could in fact offer useful links to Alumni who are practising scientists and so on.
Lessons could also be learned (no pun intended), from the structure of the apprenticeships system itself. I encourage more universities and colleges to offer apprenticeship-style internships and placements for their students, in local businesses, so that the student works as an intern, and the employer mentors and coaches him/her for work in that industry. Working experience goes a long way on a resume, to getting the job, and a student can even make some useful connections to get started. The businesses themselves could even become sponsors, helping to fund the students' tuition. That is why work placements like this could become an integral part of each college or university degree. Alumni in professions that rely heavily on connections for people to get jobs (such as theatre directors, or music producers), could build more specialised online networks for the purpose.
In this way, we can use our education system effectively. As a slogan once said, 'No Child Left Behind'. No 16-24 year old should be left behind either. So by ensuring a series of safety nets in place, we offer young people the education they need: either in the form of a degree at college or university; an apprenticeship in the industry of their choice; or qualified assessment to enhance their talent. Young people deserve a chance. Let's make sure that they get it.
Best Regards
James M
Founder
Let's Build Bridges [an open forum]
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