Higher Ambitions

34% of adults in England aged 16-75 say a degree-level apprenticeship would be better for somebody’s future career prospects than a university degree, compared to 21% who think a traditional degree would be better.
Just under two thirds (63%) of adults in England believe that most apprenticeships should be set at A-level standard (Level 3) or higher, whereas government data show that two thirds of apprenticeships started by young people in 2012/13 were only at GCSE standard (Level 2).
56% of parents say they are likely to encourage their children to consider a university degree, while only 40% would encourage them to consider an apprenticeship.
More than half (55%) of young people aged 11-16 say they would be interested in an apprenticeship rather than going to university if it was available in a job they wanted to do, but only 31% say that their teachers have ever discussed the idea of apprenticeships with them at school.
Only 26% of teachers think (to a great or some extent) there are enough apprenticeships available at A-level standard or higher and 65% said they would rarely or never advise a student to take an apprenticeship if they had the grades for university.
The 2014 Pearson/CBI skills survey emphasises the need for high quality skills in the workplace. While two-thirds (69%) of employers rate their employees’ skills as good, they are aware of weaknesses in core competences such as literacy (54%) and numeracy (53%).
Firms are also conscious of the supply of skilled people needed as the economy grows, with 23% “unconfident”, saying they cannot fill key roles. The survey also showed that business leaders believe there is a need for more apprentices and young people with advanced and higher vocational skills.

Report Overview

Related Research

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