University Alternatives

Even when it’s take-up time at university, many would-be students who had provisional places, and just as many who had already dismissed university as not being a possibility, will be seeking an alternative to the university route to employment and qualification.

So whilst some are unpacking in halls and looking forward to Freshers’ Week, what might other options be for those who want their next step to be on a slightly different path?

Gap years

Gap years started to make an appearance on the pathway between education and work some 40 years ago.

From its early format as something of an opportunity afforded to literally those who could afford to take a year “out”, a gap year is now something which many students consider as an option in that period of time between college and university or, occasionally, between university and work (although this option is less-popular as graduates become more reluctant to miss out on graduate workplace incentives and opportunities).

Great Gaps?

As well as deferring paying out on tuition fees for a year, a gap year offers other benefits, commonly cited as:

• An opportunity to work.
• To gain additional funds for going to university later on.
• To gain relevant experience to help secure a place on the right course at university (particularly if a previous application has been unsuccessful).
• To fact-find about a particular career path before committing to three years (or more) of study or to help decide between possible subjects and potential career paths.
• A break from study, after many years of school and college. 66% of students in 2012 felt that they took academic study more seriously after a gap year, whilst studies in the UK and Australia have shown that graduates who took a gap year initially are more likely to gain higher level degrees than those going straight from college to uni.
• The chance to travel whilst free of responsibilities (including the burden of student-loan and tuition fee debts which commonly kick in as soon as a university career starts).

But gap year does also have a downside. In 2012, at least 22% of students felt that they could not afford to take a gap year whilst 20% of parents ended up supporting their children financially in taking the break (source: The Leap).

Additionally, with modern CVs being all about the competencies and less about gaps in history of work or study, it’s not always possible to demonstrate the value of your gap year to your next potential employer.

Studying abroad

Of course, a gap-or-study option which reconciles the desire to travel with the need to continue with studies, is to study abroad.

Particularly with rising costs of tuition in UK universities, studying abroad (often at a much lower cost) is seen as the perfect compromise. It also offers the chance to travel and try something new, as well as study in a way which might mean less in the way of debt and more in the way of expanded horizons and a level of marrying independence, risk and initiative with taking responsibility, all of which can be viewed very favourably by employers later on.

The downside of course is that going to university can be very isolating for students who haven’t lived away from home before anyway. Moving to another country (or even continent) to do this can be a real problem for some students. Additionally, although costs for tuition may be much less, there is still the very real cost of living to consider, as well as travel costs at the end of each semester and availability of work to you as a non-national, which is a major consideration if you need to also work whilst funding those studies.

Apprenticeships

The obvious alternative to university for those needing to earn whilst studying is to undertake an apprenticeship in a relevant career field or sector. However, although it’s a chance to get straight into the desired industry, apprenticeships do have their own angst-factors:

• The good thing about apprenticeships being a popular route to employment currently is that there seem to be more apprenticeship opportunities out there, but the downside is that there is tough competition for each and every apprenticeship place.
• Salaries for apprenticeship positions are notoriously low in the UK. The rate for 19 year olds in their first year of training is £2.73 per hour (as of October 2014, TUC), far less than the commitment to ‘the national living wage’ announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July 2015, which promises the rate of £7.20 per hour from April 2016, rising to around £9 by 2020. So whilst apprenticeships are an excellent way to gain relevant sector and employability skills whilst still earning, those earnings won’t go anywhere near covering the cost of living.

So if a gap year isn’t pertinent, a university at home or abroad isn’t possible and an apprenticeship isn’t practical, what options are left?

Vocational qualifications

Vocational qualifications are fast becoming one of the better options to facilitate the need to both earn and learn. Studying for a particular role in this way offers particular benefits, such as:

• Being a route for gaining competencies, skills and experience in a way which is evidential to potential employers, many of whom now recruit on a competencies-based criteria.
• Being available across a range of academic and more practical professions, including healthcare, accountancy, design, science, hospitality and event management.
• There are technical variations to vocational qualifications which mean students have the opportunity to gain additional expertise or level of specialism.
• Vocational qualifications are developed with specific jobs and employer needs in mind, so successfully gaining a vocational qualification is like turning up to a job with the training already done – something employers regard favourably as evidence of your potential as an effective, experienced employee.
• Vocational qualifications are also a good alternative to more mature career-changers who don’t want to have to go to university in order to re-train for a career.
• Study on a vocational qualification course involves a good level of both theory and practice, enough to introduce concepts at a theoretical level along with the practical how-to elements of what this theory ‘looks like’ within the role. Studying this way offers a great chance to see exactly what’s required of a certain role and is the ideal way to learn whilst also trying aspects of the role out to see if it suits you.

Of course, there is a downside to vocational qualifications is that it does require a commitment to study, something to bear in mind if you’re more drawn towards a gap year because you just want a complete break from studying!

However, if you’re undecided, it’s worth remembering that many Event Academy vocational qualifications can be studied on a flexible basis (not necessarily full-time) and so can offer the maximum potential to earn, learn and take time for yourself too!