Why do so many organisations now require degrees and other Hugh level qualifications for what are administrative roles?

[Freedfromdesire]

Noticed this recently whilst job hunting. So many administrative positions seem to require a really high level of qualification? Why is this? What’s changed?

Many do not have degrees through lack of opportunity, circumstance and a need to work to support themselves in a hurry.

I would have loved to have spent 3 yrs at uni dossing around and watching this morning, and drinking heavily each night in a subsidised uni bar, leaving with a 2-2 in History of Art/Marketing/ Neighbours/TV/Media. That would have undoubtably shown what a brilliant human being i am who "commits "
to stuff.

Instead, i had to work in " admin" and work very long hours supporting business. Learning skills on the job, doing a huge variety of tasks at work,including calculating surrender values of life assurance policies in 1989 without the aid of modern tech for a now defunct bank. Just a calculator and a formula! Admin roles are the most under valued roles. I worked for 25 yrs in " admin" commercial roles progressing through all ranks. Never once pushed a tea trolly.

Having also raised 2 children during that time , i now have spent last 5 yrs working in a school , in a safeguarding role.

A role that needs a an exceptional understanding of the law and documents, and an understanding of children and families. A fast pace and the ability to make decisions quickly. I secured that role based on my previous proven work history. A history based on admin. An admin history that shows i dot every " i "and cross every "t". An admin history where i have been involved with legals.

That office admin and that school admin...you look down upon... they do more than welcome you in and ask you to take a seat. They work greatly behind the scenes and in the case of sch's, are safeguarding children. They do more than send out newsletters.

Admins also earn a wage, contributing greatly to this countries economy. Paying NI and tax on income.

In my case, a huge amount of my early wages went on taxes ; supporting those who went to uni with full grants. Those recipients of my taxes , went to uni, then went on to do nothing but get married and never work.

Just because you have degree does not necessarily mean you have any ambition.

Many of us with no degrees have much ambition and have carved financially very successful lives, superseding our peers with degrees.

"@LadyDique
Recruiting is often mind numbingly fucking boring. You have to plough through 30 CVs, read the same old 'A highly motivated and passionate individual' starters twenty times and often the majority of the CVs are much of a muchness anyway. Anything to lighten the load and sticking 'degree educated' Las a requirement is a quick way to cut the applicants in half. "

@LadyDique
"Las" i think you mean "as" . Sticking degree educated "as" a requirement is better than sticking degree educated as " las" a requirement.

As a recruiter, i would have expected you to at least spell
"as " correctly.

"@LadyDique as the only person in the pool who's been employed since 18 they truly do stand out "

Do you mean they stood out?

@LadyDique you have referred to an employee in the past tense.

YANBU OP. I’m a PA and do have a degree, however I have seen an internal advert for a G4 administrator (Russell Group University) with a requirement to have a 1st class degree. When I questioned the requirement I was told by HR that the School could set whatever job specifications they wished. Anyway, it ruled me out.

Unfortunately society has changed

My sister is nearly 50, has an excellent work record but if she goes for a new job, she'll get flak for not having a degree, just as she did with her last couple of jobs. I'm sure she has missed out on interviews for not ticking that box.

I am hoping all the so called equality initiatives will look at this. It's insanity.

Not new, 40 years ago there was a chain of record stores in East Anglia.
Just about everyone working behind the counters were studying for degrees.
Many of them, having got a degree, couldn't get a job - so they carried on working in the record stores. The guy who owned the business joked that the minimum requirement to work for him was a degree or to be studying for one!
The degree holders did eventually get relevant jobs, to be replaced by others, but it took some of them a while!

"@LadyDique I've known several people get interviews this way, out of sheer cheek or because as the only person in the pool who's been employed since 18 "

Past tense.

I am hoping one benefit of Covid is some young people will realise University is not for them.

Not saying they don't need training, but this could be done in a much more effective way with video courses etc. that don't cost £9k per year

I recruit to a junior admin/reception role every year or so (when the post holders move up) and deliberately do not make a degree mandatory. It’s much more about attitude and willingness to learn for me.

It is ridiculous when people end up forced to aim for university even if it won’t help except on paper and they end up in massive debt.

Seems ridiculous. I do some admin at work and I don't have a degree, the office manager doesn't have a degree!

"@LadyDique Recruiting is often mind numbingly fucking boring."

Classy use of the F word. You swear, cannot spell and use incorrect tease... and you recruit. Nice!

"tense" not tease **

The administrator in my organisation does the accounts, finances, end of year returns, HR & other legal functions. The job requirement is a degree as I don't think a school leaver could do it. So even though its admin it is quite a highly skilled administrative role.

I have an admin role. I have to handle huge amounts of data, do complex calculations, I work with 4 different IT systems, I am supporting colleagues across 3 continents and need to speak multiple languages at business level. It a very complex and challenging role. Not sure what your think what an admin role is, OP but these days it tends to be way over and of taking a phew falls and file some papers away.

I think the term administration does the actual role a disservice, it's more than sending few emails. It doesn't always pay well for a role that's vital & complex by nature.

I left school in 1974 with 8 "O"levels. I didn't know anyone who went to university. The job I got then, requires a degree now.
The fact is that if you don't go to uni now it's assumed you are not very bright or have a poor work ethic.

It does make it difficult for older people who already have a lot of ageism to deal with.

@Fanacker1 Do you go for the jugular on SPAG in all your posts?

@rslsys are you talking about Andy’s Records?
I applied for a job there once, it was the best application form I’d ever seen! (I opted to work in a local nightclub instead!)

Indeed it was Andy's!

At my company admins are engaging in fairly complicated work. Tasks like answering the phone and filing don’t really exist anymore. Now it’s formatting grants to exacting standards, processing expense reports for a team of 30, arranging for visitor spaces when people travel between offices, keeping up to date on software licensing, and the list goes on. Showing you can accomplish a university degree is a good way to show you can handle the job.

@rslsys fantastic. I miss Andy’s.

Unfortunately HMV & Virgin put him under ☹️

I have an HND in administration and ICT, very similar to a degree and probably more valuable than a degree for many of these roles that I can't apply for. It does my actual head in.

Despite everyone having a degree I can't actually see that standards have risen. In fact, I'd say that the standard of writing of a couple of the young graduates I work with is pretty poor.