Introduction of two-year degree courses - Comment

Paul Farrer, CEO of the Graduate Recruitment Company, responds to Government proposals to introduce a two-year degree course, cutting back on summer holidays in a bid to reduce student debt.

ìTwo-year degrees are a great idea to help ease the debt burden faced by graduates, but will do nothing to achieve the real purpose of higher education: to increase the employability of students and improve the talent pool for employers. By taking away summer holidays, Government will deny students access to work experience, something that employers value as much as a degree.

A more innovative approach would be to give corporation tax relief to employers that offer structured and paid work experience during the academic holidays. Students will benefit by earning a salary and gaining vital experience, while employers can use these intelligent enthusiastic resources for a range of projects while receiving a corporation tax break.

The problem is that you have civil servants sitting in their departments creating schemes that may provide a solution to their issues, but take no account of the wider picture. Until Government looks at education as a route to employment as opposed to just gaining academic qualifications, you will always have a disjointed approach with people thinking in silos serving their temporary ministerial masters.î