Parents are more likely to encourage their children to go to university despite high-level apprentices earning an average of £50,000 more than many graduates over their lifetime.
The Sutton Trust research, cited by iNews, revealed that just under a third (31%) of parents would encourage their child to go to university, compared to 27% who would propose an apprenticeship.
This gap is even wider when class is considered. In a YouGov survey, 42% of upper middle class parents said they would recommend going to university to their child, dropping to 23% among working class parents.
The social mobility charity found people undertaking degree-level apprenticeships could earn £50,000 more than people studying in universities outside of the Russell Group.
Degree apprenticeships – like those offered by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jaguar Land Rover and Airbus – lead to better earning power than degrees from mid-range universities.
Founder of the Sutton Trust, Sir Peter Lampl, commented that more needs to be done to shift the stigma surrounding apprenticeships.
“The best apprenticeships offer young people outstanding career prospects and financial reward,” he acknowledged. “However it’s clear that many parents just don’t know enough about apprenticeships to feel confident advising their child along that route.”
Government statistics show that there have been just 10,808 degree-level apprenticeship starters in 2018/2019. This is a huge difference from the over 330,000 school leavers who start studying for a degree every year.
A previous study from Sutton Trust found that nearly two-thirds of teachers would ‘rarely or never’ advise a high-performing student to take the apprenticeship route.
Late last year education secretary Damian Hinds said the UK was a nation of ‘technical education snobs.’ He added that he wants to break down the ‘false barriers’ that exist between academic and technical routes.
Can you see the stigma surrounding apprenticeships shifting anytime soon?