Why are so many YP going to uni, when uni isn't right for so many YP? AIBU to think fewer YP should go to uni as it's only giving them a huge debt?

There are plenty of people who have degrees who are unemployed or in a lower income position.
Likewise there are many team leaders and managers who started in an admin or retail position within the company before being promoted.

Do you mind sharing what those careers are?

When I was young, only a tiny percentage of school leavers went to university.
I went to a girls' grammar school, so was already in the top 25% of pupils in secondary school, having passed the 11+. About 75% of my classmates left school at 16, after O-levels, with the remainder staying on to the 6th form to take A-levels. After leaving school, they either went straight into employment or to college (for HND courses, teacher training, nursing training, secretarial college and so on).
Very few of those who stayed for A-levels went on to university. I think out of my 6th form cohort of about 25 girls, only about 5 went to uni, two to study medicine, one law and I can't remember what the others did.
So out of every 1000 11-year-olds, 250 went to grammar school. Out of that 250, 63 took A-levels and out of those, only about 12 went to university.
So only about 1.2% of young people from state schools went to university in those days. This is my recollection from the 1970s. I think the percentage must have been a lot higher for private schools.

Because there's very little else out there.

I've been a 6th form form tutor for most of my career. In the last few years, more and more of my kids are wanting to do apprenticeships. But often they don't open until January, or they want them to start in June- mid a levels. Or they're not real apprenticeships- they're what we used to do at weekends or in the holidays. Or jobs with practical applications that never needed a degree have become degree subjects

Many kids don't know what to do at 18. I still didn't at 21. Lots end up uni as a kind of holding pen for 3 years.

I always assumed my dc would go. As a first gen uni goer, I thought that would continue. But I'm torn. Is the experience worth 50000? Are my kids clever enough? Anyone who wants to go to uni can go, whatever their grades. In which case, where's the value in it?

It's funny how we won't allow kids to do A levels with poor gcses, but scrape a couple of E grades at A level and you get to access higher education.

Because nursing is an evidence based profession and encompasses a far higher scope of practice than ever before. With the shortage of doctors these days, more and more is being put on nurses. Many mental health hospitals for example have no in clinic doctor on a nightshift as they are covering a few facilities, and only available for phone advice. So nurses are increasingly dealing with more and more complex situations. They are also practicing at junior doctor level if they progress to roles such as ANP. I'd prefer that nurse to have a higher education and a degree if they were the one looking after and treating me.

The answer is reduce the debt, not weaken the country and encourage young people to have even narrower career prospects.

If you benefitted from your own degree I can't understand why you want fewer opportunities for the next generation.

Working on checkouts is not a great alternative, but it's the only one you've suggested.

That was a GIRL'S school.

Many more would have gone from the boy's school.

I left school at 16 and went straight to work. Several levels below my own job require a degree to be considered for employment. Someone with a similar level of formal education to myself would struggle to find a job in today's market.

None of my children went to university but did do apprenticeships and they out earn me. Securing a good apprenticeship is like gold dust but worth the effort.

Yes university is not for everyone.

However, personally I think going to university is much more than just about getting a degree. It’s about learning to live on your own, making new friends, taking responsibility for your day to day life, etc. I think children who go to university away from home learn to make their way in the world during that process.

Agree with this: Securing a good apprenticeship is like gold dust but worth the effort. The process for apprenticeships should be expanded and streamlined.

I think it depends on the person. Let's face it not many at 18 know what they want to do as a life career (medical, vets and nursing students aside).

I certainly didn't have my career in my mind when I studied for my degree I wanted to do academic research....
Turns out I hated the politics that went with academia and quickly got fed up of university professors wanting to be named on my work for doing precisely zero because they had a quota they had to reach so ended up not doing the PhD and stopped at a masters.

But I couldn't do my career without my degrees it's a minimum in my work.

Uni is more then just the degree it's the friendships, financial management and really understanding what your wants are. Yes there are other ways to also achieve the same thing but that's harder when more people live at home for longer.

Beauty and hairdressing would have been looked down on in the past. It probably still is.
The industry was booming for years, it was a good option for anyone who wasn’t interested in university but like everything they want cheaper staff, the government issuing working visas to people to file nails, keep the prices down so the financial incentives are now gone. Hairdressers and beauty wages have really dropped while products are expensive. Unless you’re in a large city.

I wish you a lovely day too.

May you continue to benefit from your degree-educated privilege whilst hypocritically trying to persuade the next generation to settle for fewer opportunities.

The answer is lower student debt levels, not fewer degrees.

A Google search would give you the percentage of students attending university over the decades.

3% in 1950s
4-8% in 1960s
8-14% in 1970s
15% in 1980s
19.3% in 1990s
24.7% In 2006
50.2% in 2017. (Peak)

More recently the figures have dropped to a little under 40%.

I agree. If governments covered the cost for the first two years it would encourage companies to take on more. Once they’re in the third year they start making the company money. It would be a big initial investment but would have a huge effect on future earnings and profits.

But all these people choosing to go to university just aren’t seeing that or don’t care. I don’t blame them because there’s not much in the way of alternatives, is there? Which you don’t seem to be aware of. It is just as popular a choice to get a degree as it has been for many years. It’s never only been about a route to get a professional job.

Costs, loans and grants are, and have always been, in line with the cost of getting any other health or social care degree. I am not sure what your point is?
The post was about social workers not needing degrees. My answer was that the job has required a degree equivalent qualification plus professional registration since around 1975.
A thing that people don't think about health and social care qualifications is that it puts skin in the game. An unqualified unregulated practitioner has nothing to lose by bad practice. They screw up in one job, they can resign and go somewhere else. An employer will know that the diploma (or now degree) will guarantee a certain level of knowledge and the professional registration oversees and ensures the quality of their continuing practice to a universal standard.

Wasn’t it Blaine’s lot who decided to shove every1 into uni @ same time as removing uni grants🙄 so now most uni levers end up in debt before they’ve finished their courses!

Nowadays you meet people doing PhDs who aren't particularly bright. Just wealthy.

Most projections identify that the population needs to be qualified to at least level 4 or 5 to have the right technical skills for the workforce in the future. This does not mean ‘uni’ but we are also not living in a society where GCSEs or most level 3 qual outside of trades gets you into anything other than low skill low paid work.

But you can learn all those things without going to university and racking up huge debt.