Degree in Theme Park Management

You're more than likely right. The course will have been developed due to the demand of the labour market.

The intake is 20 students, several will not be 18 and my guess is several will already be working for Alton Towers/Merlin anyway. Quite a few work there on gap years I know of.

There's a place for both of these types of degrees. Some young people know exactly what they want to do and follow that path accordingly. Others are less sure so choosing a traditional subject and making the most of their time at university (that bit is key!) Is a good option for academically able students.

And how many history graduates vs theme park management graduates are there? That isn't a fair comparison. I may as well say well look how many history graduates have jobs vs theme park graduates, doesnt work. Of course there will be higher rates of unemployment across subjects like history that are taught at most universities, vs something very specific at one, it's completely incomparable.

It's just about keeping your options open, I'm sure a theme park manager could do any base degree and if necessary specialist qualifications and be suitably qualified (though I imagine experience is key) with the option of many other career paths being open to them if that fails, a theme park management degree is quite specific at quite a low level of education, it's unlikely you're going to walk into a management level position after uni without some experience first (these days).

I think it's better to keep degrees broad, developing the basic skills that many core subjects can bring, and get specialist qualifications down the line where necessary post graduate (or CPD). I'm generalising of course, some sectors like NHS won't work like that.

So many 18 year olds don't know what they want, it's quite risky to do something so specific so young. I like the American college system where you take a number of subjects and major down the line.

But this degree provides specific skills needed in a particular business sector and is therefore just as valid, if not more so than so called traditional academic subjects.

Round here the number of England dh, history, psychology, whatever graduates who are unemployed is very high. The people with the jobs are the ones who have more vocational degrees.

@Comefromaway so you didn't do a degree in English Lit, I'm not sure you can really make a fair assessment as to how useful an English lit degree is after a year, especially when the first year is generally lighter touch. You're being deliberately obtuse, I'm not sure how a music or drama degree appears any less "random" than your English Lit example. You're just proving my point, that overarching topics cover a variety of important job skills, which you've achieved.

I got those skills from music and drama (dropped Lit after 1st year). Drama was much more useful to me.

I’m a secondary school teacher and have covered or been in careers classes.

This course sounds refreshing, as:

Britain has enough lawyers for the next 10 years, so there is little point in doing a degree in it.

Criminal Psychology which is an incredibly popular course has practically no career openings. There just aren’t enough evil psychos in the country. I think the employment is something like 6 specialists in this a year.

At least theme park management could lead to actual jobs. Especially at the robots are coming and it is assumed people will have more leisure time

purple makes a excellent point. There's a reason graduate accounting firms specifically target history and English graduates.

@Comefromaway I find that really hard to believe. Did you not write essays? Critique works? Compare and contrast? Did you never debate or have to present something? Communication, critical and negotiation skills are vital for most jobs.

I studied English Lit myself, but it was of no use in my working life.

@Comefromaway core subjects like English literature aren't random, they provide a lot of important skills like analysis, research, comprehension, debate. It's not like they spend the 3 years just reading. I studied history, I barely remember the detail of the historical events I learned, but the ability to distinguish sources, analyse them, summarise, present etc has stayed with me and I use those skills nearly every day. I personally think it's much better to go for a core subject for example English lit rather than journalism.

Nothing against English Lit, it was just an example of a degree often chosen by those who don't really know whatthey want to do.

I have the right to say I dare you because I'm sitting here in the office of one of Stoke's last remainign construction firms, only a couple of miles away from Staffs Uni and I see the lack of opportunities for people in this area so when an employer and a university is actually providing something useful, directly related to employment and probably far more useful than a random degree in English Literature then it makes me cross that someone in an ivory tower somewhere is sneering becasue they don't think it's useful.

The leisure industry is pretty much the only industry that is currently doing well.

Interestingly, it was never a university's job to make someone employable. That is a relatively recent thing and is, in the main, due to the rise in tuition fees and the consumerisation of higher education....as well as various government policies implemented to shift the focus of higher education.

Lots of universities still struggle with implementing employability into the curriculum so courses like this are actually quite ground breaking.

Sorry, I meant, first sentence or so 'her employer is thinking of offering apprenticeships'. Not degrees, obvs! Gets them, ready-trained, out of uni....

I'd ask "what apprenticeships?"

The OP (I think it was, sorry if not) says her company is thinking about offering degrees, despite possibly paying ££ employers levy.

My DHs big waste disposal company is exactly the same. Thinking about apprenticeships. (He's their IT manager, not the owner! He wants to develop apprentices). But, here's the crux: companies are no longer interested in providing training, however subsidised, while they can make that person pay for their own training, via 'mickey mouse' degrees 🤔 then take them on more 'job ready', more 'ready to make a profit'.

The number of apprenticeships on offer is falling dramatically. Falling! And the government turns a blind eye to exploitative ones like 'Apprentice Barista' (Costa). A shrug is made when apprenticeship 'academic content providers' go bust. No one takes any notice of the retainer figures post-apprenticeship, if indeed they are even collected.

There are very few opportunities for a D/E 'A' level holder other than a low ranking uni course.

Once we get over our snobbery regarding 'qualifications that aren't degrees'; once the government stumps up the promised cash to FE colleges, once big employers get their apprentice levy doubled every year they don't offer apprenticeships, and once there is a National Quality Committee to ensure standards in Apprenticeships- young people won't be forced into less useful degrees.

We must resurrect City and Guilds as something to be proud of.

I say this with one DS at uni in Software Engineering who might have been able to get a traineeship in it; and a second heading to uni to do Graphic Design who, himself says he would far rather do an apprenticeship in it, in a big city design company- but there weren't any on offer.

However, regarding 'mickey mouse' degrees, I doubt there are many Golf Course Management degree holders who can't ultimately get a reasonably well paid job in golf course management!

This sounds like the sort of degree that companies like Merlin would fund their promising employees to attend, as opposed to students picking it at random from a prospectus. Professional/vocational industry-specific degrees like this have an important place. Making them all out to be mickey mouse courses is media spin.

Theme parks and attractions like that are a growing industry aren’t they, all the Disney parks seem to be constantly expanding and I doubt people can just walk in and run these places with no training so it actually sounds like quite a good career oriented degree to be honest. The world is changing, careers aren’t all going to be the same as 50 years ago

MarieG10

Think of it the other way round. Alton Towers is a big employer in the aewa they are also really popular as an employer for students and one of the few that doesn't pay a youth rate.

You have a 16 year old VI former working part time who has potential to go in to management, why not approach a local uni and ask if they have a suitable course and if they don't then ask them to develop one.

Your employee gets to take a recognised qualification while learning about the business.

OK they won't be trained for your business but does that really matter?

My cousin did a degree in something like 'Events and Hospitality Management' and he's done brilliantly. He's in his forties now and has had a really successful, interesting and diverse career.

My viewpoint has been exacerbated by employing graduates but not in graduate roles who have asked for advice and expressing the view that they wish they had been better advised on which university and course to attend

I think your incredibly judgmental attitude towards certain subjects and lack of knowledge about the graduate labour market as a whole makes you a poor person to offer this type of advice.
I hope you signpost them to an appropriately qualified person or back to their university careers service?

By the way I work in investment banking and have employed acting / english / sports studies / pharmacy / football studies grads if they have the right soft skills because they each have a place. (The finance related masters can be paid for, for the right grad).

I imagine a lot of the graduates go into the Disney grad schemes around the world or to China / India / Middle East where theme park management is treated seriously and all the roles require grad degrees.