Ian Duncan-Smith recently courted controversy by saying that un-employed people should get on a bus to find work. Perhaps instead they should learn a foreign language…

At a party recently I had an enjoyable chat with someone in the very top echelon of management at a higher education establishment. Their advice to me was to not bother with the UK but to suggest to my daughters (when they are older) to go to a European university where it’ll be cheaper. Also (and I’m not sure if this has actually happened – the music was too loud to hear, but), universities can get non-state funding subject to a certain academic taking up a position. However, the academic in question is not British and can’t get a visa so bye-bye funding! Academic & funding goes to an establishment outside of the UK and the UK is the laughing-stock of the academic world.

So, on the one hand, Government is cutting funding – universities have to be more proactive in securing non-state funding, but the Home Office, pandering to a certain demographic, is saying no to foreigners.

Too many people are going to university – it’s not suitable for everyone. Sure when to time comes I’ll encourage my daughters to go but equally I’ll support them if they decide not to.

The Government needs to invest properly in higher education and to encourage people from all backgrounds with merit to go. More respect needs to be given to vocations that don’t need a degree.  Regardless of the actual repayment specifics, to a young person just the idea of a £30k debt before you’ve even got a job will be a deterring factor. Unless they come from a wealthy background.

And to go down the route of encouraging universities to seek funding from business is generally not good. Most businesses just look to the short term. Blue skies research is long term. A well known example is the laser. At the time no-one knew what the applied benefits could be…

So, learn a foreign language and go east to Europe or perhaps further where Mandarin would be handy to know. But I will agree with Norman Tebbit when he said ‘get on your bike’ – it’s greener :)