UK: Minister questions wisdom of higher education

The Universities Secretary has acknowledged that some young people would be better off not going to university, reports the Financial Times. His comments come amid growing evidence that many people from the country's ever expanding pool of graduates are leaving university to go into menial, relatively low-paid jobs, while many bright young people who instead opt for some highly regarded apprenticeships are establishing thriving careers.

John Denham, whose title is secretary for innovation, universities and skills, told the Financial Times: "There are certainly young people who currently go to university who would have been better off on an Advanced Apprenticeship. We have been in danger of making it sound as if university is the only real aspiration."

One in three UK graduates is in non-graduate work, according to research by Francis Green and Yu Zhu of Kent University that was published exclusively in the FT last year. They also found that almost six in 10 art and design graduates were overqualified for their occupations.
Full report in the Financial Times site