England’s higher education system ‘in tatters’ – Report

Financial Times 18 November 2016

England’s higher education system is “in tatters”, with some qualifications “on the verge of total collapse”, according to a leading think-tank, reports the Financial Times.

A report by Professor Alison Wolf of King’s College London has found that an increase in university graduates has resulted in “an unsustainable” funding system, while technical qualifications below degree level have suffered a “steep decline” in student numbers. The study found that uptake of technical qualifications decreased by a third in the academic year ending 2015 compared with the previous year, with degrees being 80 times more popular.

The spread of qualifications is “demonstrably ill-suited to our labour market”, said Baroness Wolf, who also works with the Education Policy Institute. She added the education system had “serious flaws”, was “highly expensive” and involved “a major misallocation of resources”.
Full report on the Financial Times site

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