Look ahead
Life after school: looking beyond university Claire Granados urges teachers and schools to provide more openminded careers training and wider post-18 options, so that students and parents can rethink their attitudes to further education and the key skills required for business
91% of independently educated students went on to higher education in 2017, according to the Annual Census from the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Congratulations are, of course, in order for these students. Nevertheless, when this high figure is set against the national average, it raises questions for the independent sector. Independent school leavers are often conditioned to feel that it is a failure on the part of themselves, their school and their parents if they do not attend a Russell Group university. In fact, goals are often set so high that Oxbridge is viewed as the only acceptable level of attainment. The £286,000 cost of an average independent school is viewed as a specific investment for a spot in a top-tier university. I firmly believe this expectation needs urgent readjusting. As Principal of Quest Professional, I come across many students who feel that university is not the right choice for them, but still want to find success in the world of work. The issue for many is that they simply aren’t aware of alternative options. Young professionals who complete apprenticeships in companies like Rolls Royce, KPMG and Barclays often gain higher salaries than the average university graduate. Business apprenticeships and executive PA courses allow for a faster entry into the job market and the apprentices are immersed in their company from day one. In contrast, at university many students exist in an isolated ‘bubble’ that can make the transition into working life tricky.
For practical and less academically-minded students, alternative further education routes are surely more valuable than a degree from a lower-tier university. In the past, further education was recognised as a valued route to numerous highly esteemed professions, including accounting and finance. Many employees starting off in apprenticeship roles progress to positions such as branch managers, team leaders and even senior leaders – prestigious jobs all coveted by graduates too.1 These routes come without the financial pressure of university and with workplace opportunities. At Quest, our training programmes provide internships that allow our students to build experience in the London job market and form a foundation for professional development. Charlie Wood, a Business Apprentice Programme graduate, was employed full-time at a large bank after his work experience at the company, facilitated by the Quest careers team.2 Geri Ivanova is another recent graduate from Quest Professional, having completed the six month Executive PA course. She joined the 87% of our students who find employment within eight weeks of graduating. Now, she’s Executive Assistant to the Business Line Head, Trading Head and Sales Head for London at BNP Paribas – the world’s eighth largest bank and a world leader in global banking and financial services. Despite Geri’s uncertainty about whether university would be the right route, her school, like many others, did not provide alternative options. Because of this, she says, ‘I applied to university without giving it any detailed thought. Despite gaining all my university choices and accepting a place at Westminster University to study business, I still had reservations and began reviewing other options.’ With her professional qualification and experience working for a fast-paced company, Geri knows first-hand the most important skills for business: ‘time-management, business communication, IT skills, and career development.’ In contrast to the skills Geri was equipped with, 49% of businesses stated that they consider most ‘graduates do not have the skills expected of them at the point of hiring’, according to the latest survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters.3 If a 1. joinus.barclays/eme/apprenticeships/higher-apprenticeships/leadership-&management-higher-apprentice/ 2. www.questprofessional.co.uk/testimonials.aspx 3. w ww.justoncampus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016-AGR-AnnualSurvey-2.pdf
Autumn 2018
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