Funding Higher Education

As it seems that everyone wants a debate about higher education, lets have one. My views are quite clear. I believe we should raise income tax to fund higher education. I've no idea how much of a raise would be required to abolish Tuition fees and reintroduce grants, but lets just say I'd consider this sort of taxation an investment in the future. I do however have a couple of caveats on this. Firstly, I believe too many people are going to University. I don't think that these people should be chicked on the scrapheap at 18, but I'd prefer to see maybe 15% of the people currently going to University doing apprenticeships with engineering companies and the like. There is a real skill shortage in these areas and I don't believe that the current system is addressing these. I would make these apprenticeships "Practical degrees" with the same status.

I also believe that many courses are a complete waste of time. I'm not talking about Arts courses, which encourage creativity, but some so called practical courses are not fit for purpose. I see this in my own line of business all of the time. I've interviewed many students who have done degrees in Sound Engineering over the years. Invariably the students haven't got a clue how to actually run a recording session. I ask them what they learned on the course and often they can't tell me. Our recording operation was set up by a graduate, but one who had not studied the subject. She was a superb engineer because she was prepared to learn. She now works as a live VT editor and earns a fortune. She had never run a mixing desk on the day she turned up, but put the studio together, with assistance from the rest of us. Many students with degrees turn up for interviews and the first part of the interview consists of them asking why we haven't got this, that or the other software or gizmo which they've used on their course, the second part of the interview consists of them telling us why they don't know how to mic up a drum kit and the third part of the interview consists of them telling us why they wouldn't be interested in recording the type of stuff which pays the rent - "Oh, actually I'm really only interested in Jungle and Drum n 'Bass". When you tell them that recording jingles for telephone systems or parties for 11 year old girls to record singing to kareoke discs, is the bread and butter which pays the rent, they often inform us "I'd prefer to work for  a proper recording studio", not realising that the commercial world ain't like that. Many are also completely lacking in the people skills required to deal with stroppy musicians. If I was running a sound engineering course, I'd have a module where people worked in a drug or alcohol rehab centre for six months. This would prepare them for a career in recording where you can be stuck with very objectionable people for weeks on end (of course most of our customers are lovely, but the ones that aren't really aren't). I once did a recording for a Soul band from Essex, their manager told me that "The singer has decked every engineer we've ever worked with". I explained exactly what would happen if this occurred. Strangely enough, the singer did punch someone. It was a girl in the band who played saxophone, at which point he was ejected from the studio and banned.

Anyway, that's my views on education. I didn't go to University and I don't regret it. My good lady did and got a degree in Russian Studies. Properly funded by taxation, more apprenticeships and a focus on making practical degrees fit for purpose. If I was an MP, which I'm not and  I don't want to be, I'd not vote for anything which didn't conform to that. I think MP's need to discover their testicles and vote with their consciences. Unlike many people, I'm not shocked. Most parties don't rate having principles as high on the list of attributes for selection. I'm actually more shocked when they rebel.