Breaking the mould, not the bank

Ten years ago, if you were to ask a middle class parent what they wanted for their son or daughter when they left school the answer would almost certainly be university.  Ask again today, and you might find a subtle change: while most will still say university, an increasing minority will be interested in the growing cadre of high prestige school leaver schemes.

Ask around the Sutton Trust office and you might detect a similar gradual shift: while we still believe that university is a huge driver of social mobility, in an era of higher tuition fees and an increasing focus on employability skills, for some students work-based and mixed-economy programmes offer a compelling alternative. Our chairman has blogged on inspirational work-based schemes in Germany and Switzerland, and the Trust has made its own recommendations about the reforms needed in vocational education.

Here I am not talking about what are sometimes termed the ‘forgotten 50 percent’, crucially important though they are. Rather I am speaking mostly about  those for whom university is a realistic goal, but who are making conscious decisions to look elsewhere and to turn their backs on the standard degree route.   They are interested in schemes which offer a similar trajectory of career progression, but which allow them to focus on their chosen line of work early on and, crucially, to earn while they learn.   With some degree subjects offering very low life time returns (although there is huge variation by institution) students are rightly weighing up the economics – particularly those who may not be on course to get the clutch of A grades you need to get into a Russell Group University.   And employers are increasingly recognising that it is not all about grades.  Yes, you need to have a good standard of academics, but there are other attributes – being articulate, presenting well, having common sense and initiative, being commercially aware – that are indispensable in many jobs.

The offer to these students is growing. My colleague, Conor Ryan, has blogged previously on how IBM recruits as many apprentices as graduates. Rolls Royce, for example, offer a three and half year Higher Apprenticeship, with study for a BA Hons or Foundation degree, as well as an A level entry programme. Barclays offer a sponsored degree programme, the first year of which is based at Nottingham Business School, with years two and three work-based and with a  salary.  Accountancy firms seem particularly to have embraced this new route into the profession.  PWC have a two year Higher Apprenticeship, with the opportunity to study for a professional qualification.  The  Deloitte BrightStart scheme is a five year programme to train for a professional qualification, which aims ‘to give high-achieving school leavers the opportunity to embark immediately on a high-calibre career.’ You need somewhere between 300-320 UCAS points (about three grade Bs at A levels) to get on it.  And KPMG have a six year school leavers programme, for those with ABB or higher at A level, with a mix of study and work placements. Participants study for a degree from Birmingham, Exeter or Durham University, and become a qualified chartered accountant.  And there are many, many others which the Student Ladder website lists.

How does all this intersect with the Trust’s aim to promote social mobility? It is too early to say for sure. Anecdotally some employers say that their most selective school leaver schemes are picking up the usual suspects, but at age 18 rather than 21. Others, though, report there is a marked difference in the characteristics (for example, school background or family income level) of those embarking on school leaver schemes compared to traditional graduate routes.  Certainly we know that low and middle income youngsters are less likely to excel at A level and this is the major driver of imbalances in access to top universities.  So anything that looks beyond grades, to those who do well but not brilliantly, may help widen the pipeline of talent to the professions.  It’s a live issue at the Trust at present and we are considering where we can best make a difference.

In all of this, of course, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating: are the next generation of partners in the Big Four accountancy firms as likely to be from school leaver programmes as from graduate entry routes?  And will the future Chief Executive of a leading bank have come through a higher apprenticeship rather than from Oxbridge?  The long term currency of these schemes depends on such stories of progression and success.

So the Trust certainly won’t be turning its back on the noble cause of widening access to universities.  There is so much more that needs to be done here and higher education it is still the best bet for most bright young people.  But the winds of change are certainly starting to blow.  And a healthy diversity of routes to the top must be a good thing for social mobility.