Meja studies anyone?

[TykeMerc]

I am not sure if I agree with the "everyone deserves to go to university" sentiment.

I'm absolutely sure that I don't agree with the sentiment. People should only go to University if they are suitably academically inclined and skilled, the University system shouldn't be a temporary dumping ground for youth unemployment.

My eldest son is graduated worked a few years and starting his PHd this year. My younger two are both in apprenticeships and even though they could have gone to Uni neither wanted to as they had no courses that appealed.

[minestrone]

I don't know why everyone picks on Media Studies. My 5yr Mechanical BEng Hons was ultimately useless, I'm struggling to think of anyone I know other than Doctors and Nurses who followed through on a degree into a the career that they chose when they left school. Most of the teachers I know got such tulipty ordinaries and thirds they had to get a conversation course.

[unixman]

We should probably ask ourselves how many physicists we need/will need in future, how many professional engineers, how many skilled apprentices, how many modern dance graduates and so on, and base policy on that. My own view (unresearched) is that we probably need more professional engineers, and fewer sociology based graduates. Pragmatism not snobbery.

[minestrone]

There are hardly any jobs for Engineering grads, and what jobs there are really are low level "I need water flow into this system, I'm going to look up a catalogue and chose the pump size" stuff. The days of Brunel, Watt, Rankine, Kelvin and Stevenson are over.

Dyson proclaims himself to be the best British Engineer now, have you ever seen professional cleaner use a Dyson? They use henries.

[SimonMac]

There are hardly any jobs for Engineering grads, and what jobs there are really are low level "I need water flow into this system, I'm going to look up a catalogue and chose the pump size" stuff. The days of Brunel, Watt, Rankine, Kelvin and Stevenson are over.

Dyson proclaims himself to be the best British Engineer now, have you ever seen professional cleaner use a Dyson? They use henries.

If you are paying £5.50 an hour, your not really gonna be throwing £300 at a dyson are you

[NotAllThere]

The everyone goes to Uni plan of the last Labour Government ...

The massive increase in university admissions began in 1989 - under a Conservative government. The introduction of student loans was the start of the process.

[minestrone]

If you are paying £5.50 an hour, your not really gonna be throwing £300 at a dyson are you

I wold think cleaners in most offices are charging 15-20 quid an hour, certainly domestic cleansers are charging 17 quid an hour If they are not going trough the books.

A henry is 100 quid, a dyson is 200.

They don't use dysons because dysons are tulipe. Housewives buy them, cleaners don't.

[unixman]

Dyson proclaims himself to be the best British Engineer now...

Proclaims himself to be the best engineer ? Surely not. I Googled and couldn't find any such claim.

[eek]

That plan has been financially very hard hitting for some as not all Uni's are not considered equal by certain employers. Some short-sighted/misguided employers say:

"Russell group universities - The list of 'proper' Universities which existed in 1985
All other so called universities are ex Polytechnics, technical colleges, further education colleges etc.
If that candidate didn't go to a Russell group University bin the application."

Given that I was in the wrong place I was at the launch of the Russell Group. There are a number of top tier always Unis who still aren't members of it....

[eek]

The massive increase in university admissions began in 1989 - under a Conservative government. The introduction of student loans was the start of the process.

Surprisingly it seems to have been before 1989 based on what I see in http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04252/SN04252.pdf

I doubt it was 1989 as I had very little problem getting into my Russell Group uni in 1990 and there wasn't much new accommodation being built then. The big rush to build started in my 3rd year...