Degree of success not guaranteed at university

Aug 27 2010 By Charlie Mole

As many as 150,000 students still compete for places on university courses next year. Charlie Mole speaks to businesses about whether they see university as the be all and end all

Business leaders in the West Midlands maintain university is not the only road to success for academic achievers as record numbers of college leavers fight to study for a degree.

Despite an extra 10,000 university places being made available for A Level students this year, competition for places is fiercer than ever.

But professional services firms KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have said they want to attract a diverse range of employees – not merely graduates – opening the door to those who want to go straight into the workplace.

A Level entry applications to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ scheme HEADstart have doubled since 2008 and are up 25 per cent on last year with 10 per cent of overall applications coming from college leavers in the Midlands.

Mark Smith, chairman of PwC in the Midlands, expects interest in such schemes to increase following the current spree of budget cuts and the gloomy economic forecast for graduates.

“A Level entry training schemes are particularly well-suited to those who have a clear career in mind when they leave school,” he said.

“By combining formal study with on the job experience and personal coaching, trainees put everything they learn in their studies straight into action.

“They are earning whilst studying towards a professional accounting or tax qualification, getting great work experience and a head start in their career.

“We want diversity in the workplace, so this is a great way of encouraging people with different outlooks and life-skills.”

This year’s HEADstart scheme has roughly 13 applicants for every post, suggesting that talented students are looking for other alternatives to university to kick start their career.

And it is not only big firms which encourage talent straight out of college.

Accountant Barbara Edwards, of Kings Norton-based practice MA Edwards, achieved her position without going to university, and thinks young people should be encouraged to consider more options than merely a degree.

She said: “The Government are trying to shoe-horn people into university, however young people should be encouraged to consider both routes.

“University education was seen as the main route for a while, but I think things are beginning to change because of the state of the job market.

“My goddaughter went to university and worked in an accountancy firm during her holidays.

“That practical experience meant that she was highly employable once she had graduated. With just a degree, she would have found it much harder.”

Ms Edwards said that students who join firms directly can take the Association of Accounting Technicians examination and pass it by the time they are 20, whereas graduates will not be fully qualified for at least two years after university.

She added: “Students come out of university and then have to take these examinations, which are extremely hard; it can be a struggle after spending time studying at uni.

“In the current climate I would say coming out of university with a less than relevant degree would make it harder to succeed in accounting.

“Young people should be encouraged to train for life, not just for exams.”

Opportunities for bright A Level students, however, are not just restricted to finance. Many traditional graduate employers, including food and fashion retailers as well as solicitors, are now offering similar fast-track courses.

Simeon Ling, a spokesman for Birmingham-based legal firm Anthony Collins, believes that the emphasis on having a degree might be shifting.