| Many working class teenagers wouldn't get into university even if they achieved better results at school, according to new research for the Council for Industry and Higher Education. There are too many obstacles in their way, from their family's expectations to the selection procedures. |
| The report, Class and Higher Education by Hilary Metcalf of the Policy Studies Institute, examines why only 8% of young people from working class backgrounds enter higher education, compared with 39% from managerial and professional classes. It found that less than half (47%) of working class teenagers who have the necessary qualifications to enter university actually do so, compared with 77% from professional and managerial classes. |
Working class students face barriers at every stage:
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| Few young people know much about the benefits of higher education and the career and financial advantages it gives them. But whilst middle class teenagers are influenced by parents who had been to university themselves, the norm for working class teenagers is to find work and start earning a living. This lack of knowledge about the advantages of higher qualifications also reinforces the view common among working class teenagers that young people can only aspire to low grade jobs for which a university education would make them over-qualified. |
| Those that do decide to apply to university seem to be disadvantaged by university selection procedures. Even when they have equal or similar grades, fewer working class teenagers get university places because few know how to play the entry system. They are also more likely to achieve qualifications equivalent to A-Levels rather than the A-Levels themselves, which are preferred by universities. |
| The author suggests that schools, universities and careers services could compensate for lack of parental support or encouragement by making information about graduate careers available to young people from the age of 14. Further initiatives to familiarise young people with student life should also be encouraged, such as summer schools and mentoring. Working class teenagers might also be encouraged to continue their education by the introduction of more flexible methods of study and the provision of higher education courses by Colleges of Further Education. |
| 'The reforms to higher education proposed by Sir Ron Dearing and David Blunkett will not open up universities to working class teenagers' said Hilary Metcalf. 'Increased participation in higher education should be accompanied by greater equality of opportunity for students whatever their social background. What is needed is a re-assessment of the information and guidance they receive and a review of university selection procedures. Working class teenagers need to understand that university can be a stepping stone to employment and is not only for the middle classes.' |
| 'CIHE welcomes this report, which has influenced our own Widening Participation in Lifelong Learning report' said Richard Brown, Director of the Council for Industry and Higher Education. 'To create new jobs and improved living standards and services for everyone requires us to develop and harness new ideas and the skills and capabilities of everyone in society. We are currently failing to do this. Substantial increases in participation levels can be achieved, but this will require a committed partnership approach involving government, employers, higher and further education.' |
| A Briefing Paper is also available. |
Notes for Editors:
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