Can you get a job in engineering with this?

[Guest DaveW]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-22467155

Are we educating a generation of freeloaders on society, rather than concentrating on the skills needed to reduce the nations international debts?

 

[Guest]

it has always really annoyed me that job adverts say "must be degree educated" someone with a degree in heavy metal would be considered more suitable for the job than I would be because they are degree educated. Its barking mad

[Guest DaveW]

I was told once it was considered degrees show they have the ability to learn Richard, but anybody who has chosen to take such worthless degrees surely simply shows they are not very intelligent at all?

 

Edit: perhaps Britain would again become a force in the world if we encouraged people to start up businesses rather than go to university, as in this case.  After all it was business that made Britain great in the first place:-

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/22479007

Edited May 10, 2013 by DaveW

[Guest]

I was just reading this story and thinking what a brilliant idea, many of our best business owners never went to uni. The problem is that Labours idea of getting 50% of people to go to uni has devalued a proper degree. Once upon a time people with degrees had worked very hard to get them and had their pick of jobs because having a degree was rare. Salaries for graduates were a lot higher than for non graduates as there weren't many graduates. Now it costs a fortune to go to uni and the rewards for having a degree are lower because the employers have a wide range of graduates to choose from. So labours push fro loads of people to have degrees and the insistance on increasing uni fees and allowing stupid levels of student loans means lots of graduates with low salaries and huge debts, and they call it progress.

[Guest DaveW]

In the early days Richard when most were illiterate being able to write was considered being very learned and that skill attracted extra money.  Generations later being able to drive was also something most could not do so employers paid extra for it. Now most employers expect you to be able to do both, therefore it attracts no extra money.  If everybody eventually goes to university the same thing will happen as it will become average education, just as primary school is now, not an extra qualification and then an apprenticeship may rank higher and attract more money than a university doctorate. particularly if it is in a useless subject like art, music or poetry!

 

In Russia for many years a skilled engineer was paid more than a doctor, we have things around the other way!

[Kobione]

Interesting reading. We have a similar trend over here. It is a standing joke that you need to have a degree in 'environmental science' to drive a rubbish collection truck! The other thing that annoys me too, is, for example when I went to do my Cert III in Fitness. I was 63 years old, not quite on a pension, (not that it woulod have made any difference!),and it was a path I chose because I liked it,and  there were opportunities for employment. To do the course at a college cost me $4000, but the majority of the 'kids' on the course with me, were on unemployment benefit, and only doing it to meet the requirements to still keep getting paid, and their total cost for the course was $30.00!!!!!

 

Other than the above Certificate neither myself, or Hubby have tertiary qualifications, and yet have NEVER been out of work.

[Guest DaveW]

Evidently the Americans are now beginning to believe the nation does not need as many university graduates in the supposed hi tech future as previously thought. Obviously we will always need more engineers, bricklayers, joiners and plumbers than nuclear physicists, or brain surgeons, so no point as the UK is intending doing sending 50% of the population to university to do pointless degrees and waste four years of their potential working lives rather than train them for the jobs needed:-

http://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2013/05/07/the-jobs-of-the-future-dont-require-a-college-degree/