Why Our Education System Needs an Overhaul

When I was 18 I went to a school where the only objective was to assure you made it into university.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve seen how flawed that concept is. University can be a great option, but it’s not the option for everyone.?Work experience. Apprenticeships. University. Graduate schemes. On-the-job training. The list goes on.?

There are many different routes into the working world but we’re pedalled the same, archaic ideas of development. We’re stuck in a system that can’t re-define success. We don't currently have the forward-thinking to understand that dragging our feet towards change is preventing us from building a better future.?

I’ve experienced first-hand the skills shortage within business because of the gap between education and working reality.?

In today’s world, where technology and innovation are moving so quickly in so many industries, anything taught in university one month can be out of date by the time exams come around.?

When scaling Social Chain, we put our trust in talented people with no qualifications on paper other than the fact that they “got” social media.?The success we saw from this was unparalleled.?

Off the back of this, I believe apprenticeships are considered nowhere near enough considering they act on the main principles of career progression for young people:

1. Direct learning

There’s no disconnect between learning and delivering. You learn on the job and then you deliver on what you’ve just learnt. Knowledge is constantly up to date and more arguably more effective as there’s no need for un-learning bad or incorrect practices.?

2. Networking??

You’re not only immediately surrounded by people in the same industry as you, but also with more experience than you. This both sets out a clear progression path but is also an opportunity to learn from these people, not only people who are in the same position as you, as is primarily the case at university.?

3. Cost?

You financially benefit from your time as an apprentice, rather than being financially drained (for a lifetime for many people that go to university). This propels you further financially from a much younger age.?

4. Fun

You’re around people that want you to succeed, you have the opportunity to be a part of great working culture and you have the financial support to be autonomous and have more control over your future.?

People are changing. How we work is changing.?

The bedrock of the future of work relies on education that can keep up.?

Right now there is a gap, that is only getting bigger, between education and the working world. The long-term disillusion that universities are still creating is a problem.?

Businesses of the future need great talent.?

One thing we’re seeing consistently right now is businesses that are struggling to find it.?

But there is a solution and in my mind, that solution is effective, well-planned, innovative apprenticeships that help young people navigate the working world and start on the front foot as they launch themselves into their careers.