The end of Mickey Mouse Uni courses

[papasmurf]

 Tax breaks for pensioners is also a tory favourite . 

It was the tories who froze the income tax allowance causing the fiscal drag that is now robbing pensioners who have private pensions as well as the State Pension, and dragging millions of people into a higher tax bracket. (Not a vote winner.)
As for apprenticeships and training it took me ages to find a plumber who was not wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat or who parked the piebald pony and cart outside that they came from Eastern Europe on.
I did find a skilled plumber who it turned out used to be an aircraft engineer. (I thought his soldering skills and pipework was of a far higher quality than normal.)

[Streetwalker]

I hear lots of comment on the media about Sunak's intention to rid us of these courses but I haven't yet heard this reason. There are many courses out there that simply don't provide the education/qualifications for jobs. Some courses are very part-time and could be completed in half the time with half the debt. There are many who if we are really honest use their Uni time to take 3 years off but they finish up with massive debt and little chance of well paid jobs at the end.

If they have borrowed how on earth do they pay back? The truth is that they don't and as such everyone loses out. Surely it would be far better to send them into courses that actually equip them for life like apprenticeships or some sort of work/education schemes instead, where they can earn - and then drink their own money - and get a balance of life/work/education.

It was a wild hope of Blair's to expect huge numbers of students to thrive at Uni as they were but far from students rising to the challenge universities have had to consistently lower their standards in order for enough to qualify. There are simply too many universities now.

All the youngsters I know who have attended university have told of only having a few hours of lectures a week and as you say can or could be completed in half the time . But thats not really the point of uni , experiencing the university life is probably the no 1 reason for going in the first place for many , sports opportunity is another with training for elite competition fitting in nicely with further education .
Im sure there are some as you say just there for the pubs and parties and do leave with debts they will never repay but lets not begrudge a few kids having a good time .Social development is as important as educational success .

The Conservatives have been saying they will increase apprenticeship places since the 2010 manifesto which also included a National citizen  service for 16 year olds . Tax breaks for pensioners is also a tory favourite .  They have little to offer thats not a new idea , which I guess is part of their problem 

[papasmurf]

Surely it would be far better to send them into courses that actually equip them for life like apprenticeships or some sort of work/education schemes instead,

I agree, however most such courses were privatised by Thatcher and disappeared in the late 1980s.

[T00ts]

I hear lots of comment on the media about Sunak's intention to rid us of these courses but I haven't yet heard this reason. There are many courses out there that simply don't provide the education/qualifications for jobs. Some courses are very part-time and could be completed in half the time with half the debt. There are many who if we are really honest use their Uni time to take 3 years off but they finish up with massive debt and little chance of well paid jobs at the end.

If they have borrowed how on earth do they pay back? The truth is that they don't and as such everyone loses out. Surely it would be far better to send them into courses that actually equip them for life like apprenticeships or some sort of work/education schemes instead, where they can earn - and then drink their own money - and get a balance of life/work/education.

It was a wild hope of Blair's to expect huge numbers of students to thrive at Uni as they were but far from students rising to the challenge universities have had to consistently lower their standards in order for enough to qualify. There are simply too many universities now.