‘Snob value’ pushing school-leavers to universities

The Irish Times 10 December 2016

Students who are totally unsuited to higher education are being shoehorned into universities by their parents due to a “snob value” over apprenticeships and training, according to senior academics, writes Carl O’Brien for The Irish Times.

Professor John Hegarty of the Royal Irish Academy told an Oireachtas – or parliamentary – education committee that high student drop-out rates in some courses were a symptom of students who were not suited to college.

Ireland has the highest proportions of young people in Europe progressing on to higher education, with about 60% of all school-leavers attending universities or institutes of technology.
By contrast, there has been a dramatic fall-off in the numbers taking part in apprenticeships or training.
Full report on The Irish Times site

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