Universities are failing to address the UK’s skills shortage
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Version 0 of 1. Letter: A marketised higher education system is not properly serving the interests of students nor the country as a whole, writes Chris Pratt The growth of financial incentives, lower entry requirements, unconditional offers and spurious advertising (Don’t mislead to attract students, says regulator, 19 December) is further evidence of a marketised higher education system that is not properly serving the interests of students nor the country as a whole. The product of this approach is the large proportion of university leavers going into jobs that don’t require a degree, one of the highest rates in Europe, while at the same time the UK has a growing skills shortage, including at graduate level. Some form of planning of courses and student numbers will be necessary if higher education is to do right by students and significantly improve its contribution to meeting the nation’s skill needs.Chris Pratt Author, Building a Learning Nation • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition |