Students should pick 'best route for them' says education boss

It comes as new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from the 2021 Census has revealed just 26.8 per cent of people in Blackburn with Darwen had a level 4 or higher qualification – such as a university degree, postgraduate qualification, higher national certificate, or diploma.

This is below the national average for people having this level of qualifications, which stands at 33.8 per cent.

Only 26.8 per cent of people in Blackburn said they had a higher education qualification at the last census (Image: RADAR)

Addressing the gap in the statistics, Cllr Julie Gunn, executive member for children, young people and educarion, said there could be “very many reasons for that.”

She said: “I suppose we have a young population who sometimes will go straight into the apprenticeship route if that’s absolutely the right thing for them.

“I think the important thing is young people make the right decision and going to university for a lot of people is the right decision, but for others it isn’t and the right thing to do is an apprenticeship route.

“That wouldn’t necessarily lead to a higher qualification but it would lead to fulfilling lives and employment opportunities.

“It’s always got to be the right thing for the young person.”

For students not wishing to attend university, apprenticeships are one of the alternatives presented when they have the decision to make, particularly for more vocational subjects like manufacturing and design, or for those who wish to learn a trade.

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WEC Group, an engineering and fabrication group based in Darwen, has trained more than 200 apprentices at its in-house Engineering Academy since it opened in 2006, and it feels the benefits of apprenticeships can out-weigh those of going to university.

Marketing manager Jean-Yves Dziki said: “A lot of our apprentices end up moving into higher education at the end of their apprenticeship anyway.

"They are still earning a qualification along with their degree but through their apprenticeship so they don’t face any debts – it’s all paid for by the company.

Apprentices can earn money whilst they learn on the job (Image: Pixabay)

“We would always advise people to go down the apprenticeship route over higher education because you get access to a full-time job, access to loads of opportunities to further train, and you can earn money whilst doing that as well.

“Most of our apprentices after they complete the apprenticeship end up on much higher wages than local graduates.

"I’m confident that anyone who does a four or five year apprenticeship with us will earn more money than a similar age graduate.”

The ONS data showed that London came out on top with the highest proportion of people with a level 4 qualification or above, with nearly half of the capital’s residents holding a higher-level certificate or degree.

The figure is unsurprising with the UK economy being so London-centric and many feeling they have to leave home and move to the capital to pursue a career.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, said: “The numbers are stark.

"While they show how amazingly well-educated Londoners are relative to other areas, they also highlight the importance of education in true levelling up.

“London does well partly because people move there but also because the education system in the capital is very good, thanks to conscious decisions by policymakers over many years.

“If other areas are to compete with London, they need similar levels of investment and commitment. The jury is out on whether that is likely to happen given recent political changes.”