Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
I think the key argument is that if you get rid of 'em now, it'll fuck funding which is already super-precarious. To bring in alternative funding will require an act of Parliament which is going to be tough for a minority govt to pull off. Thread here:
i guess maybe the horse has bolted now that there are simply so many universities educating so many students. But I think allowing this huge proliferation of degree-awarding academies in the first place was a massive mistake, both for the obvious reason that it's so damn expensive, the fact that it's directly exacerbated the devaluation of apprenticeships and vocational qualification in general, and that by placing such huge emphasis on academic achievement, has also indirectly led to the devaluation of the very concept of a degree, because now so many people have them, and you need a degree as a minimum (with a master's or even a PhD if you want to actually stand out) for jobs that are no more complicated and no better paid than jobs that people got with A-levels and/or GNVQs a generation ago, or which they might have joined straight from school on an apprenticeship scheme a generation before that. (Obviously YMMV depending on your field, but it's broadly true in the areas I've worked in.)