Does our education system meet the needs the workplace

On the Brexit thread Allygran makes a very good point about apprenticeships saying that the age group should be extended.

Now that we are all going to have to work into our late 60’s why could someone not be an apprentice at 30 or even 40 or beyond.

I think the entire apprenticeship scheme needs a big shake up. We were persuaded to take a young lad who had been working for us as a labourer on as an engineering apprentice. Big mistake on our behalf for not looking further into it before my DH signed on the dotted line so to speak.

Firstly no one explained the true cost to us which has been massive. Being a small company we are not allowed to administer his training (we do the training but aren’t allowed to tick the boxes) so we were charged £2000 per year for a big fat man in a flash car from the, “training” company (who don’t provide training) to attend the workplace twice a year for 10 minutes and tick the boxes.

Secondly no one bothered to explain that as an older apprentice we had to pay him the full living wage when it came in.

Thirdly we were told that we would qualify for zero employers NI for apprentices. Another lie, again only younger apprentices qualify.

Thirdly we were forced to enrol him into the workplace pension and pay contributions for him.

Fourthly he has been a huge disappointment and we feel sad that we could have had a bright young lad who would have thrived and given him a really good apprenticeship which was wasted on this lad.

All in all I blame ourselves for not looking into the apprenticeship scheme more closely before agreeing and signing up but the whole thing has left a rather bitter taste and I doubt we would do it again.

Meanwhile our government proposes to expand grammar schools whilst starving non selective schools of funds... A very good comp in our area has recently cut the vocational engineering and technical courses it offered in the sixth form since it can’t afford the staff or equipment needed.

But I wonder if we should stop encouraging so many of our young to go to university Basically to massage unemployment figures which also encourages profit driven company's to import trained staff from poorer countries that have actually invested in their youth these companies save on training and also pay lower wages. With Brexit looming shouldn't the government be putting some muscle behind apprentiships or have universities become such large money machines that they darent be touched?

I think degrees and apprenticeships should be geared towards those jobs that are not going to be replaced by robots in the near future.
More arts based subjects as they are the ones that can not be easily replicated by a machine. the arts are really important in this country and bring in a lot of income and tourism.
More concentration on caring jobs, robots have no empathy.

The trouble would be in deciding which degrees are "ineffective".
The subject often held up to ridicule is Media Studies. this is in no way ineffective as the media is a huge industry in this country so that industry gets the skills that it needs.

There is huge snobbery about degrees that are media or sports related and yet they are really useful.

As for nursing, a lot of the university educated nurses now do the jobs that used to be done by doctors, so are saving doctors time (and salary) that way.
Nursing can be both academic and vocational, no need to ditch the nursing degrees, but yes, have an alternative that can be learned, and paid, on the job.

Couldn't agree more, Joelsnan. Well said, spot on!