Parents

This section is designed for parents to understand what notgoingtouni.co.uk is about and how we can help your children. The first and most important thing to state is that we are not anti-university, we are here to help students make informed decisions as there are many paths to success. Recently people are recognising that a degree is in no way a golden ticket to employment or success.

In the modern world degrees come thick and fast and you can take a degree in anything from 'Cornish Studies' to 'Wine'. On top of this there is immense pressure on young people to go to university, despite almost 1 in 4 dropping out.

University and Debt

Financial worries are one the first things people associate with university and whilst there are many grants available to support people through higher education, the majority of students come out with a debt sentence which takes on average 11 years to pay off. The estimated cost of university is around £32,000 with about half of that figure being debt after graduation. University is by no means a cheap avenue, especially in the economic times we face ahead.

The good news is that there are many employer-funded degrees which enable students to work whilst obtaining a degree. On top of this there are various distance-learning opportunities, mainly from the Open University where the 'cost' of gaining a degree is diminished greatly…it's even 100% FREE if students earn under £16,000!

There are always A-Level and GCSE school leavers who are adamant they do not wish to further their education onto university, and notgoingtouni.co.uk believes it is important not to coerce young people in this situation too much.

There are so many career options open to school and college leavers, and many people do not know half the alternatives to university. For instance, many people do not know you could become a Solicitor or a Chartered Surveyor without going to university! notgoingtouni.co.uk brings all these vocational opportunities together.

notgoingtouni.co.uk work with young people in whatever way they want us to work. We offer advice both in the 'real world' and over the internet, advertise opportunities to students, help brush up their CVs and even actively help them discover the job we hope they will enjoy. notgoingtouni.co.uk offers careers which will bring excellent prospects to young people.
Unexpected grades

For young people, not achieving the anticipated GCSEs or A-Levels can be really tough. It is especially hard going back to school or college to retake a year or two due to feelings of embarrassment. This is why notgoingtouni.co.uk decided to work with ICS Learn to offer an alternative way to re-sit and study these exams and allow young people to move forward without the feeling of failure.

Help – my child's not going to University!

It is of course natural that every parent wants the best for their children, but is University always best for them?

We are led to believe that there are only two paths you can take – vocational or academic. In truth there is a huge grey area in between. Many work-based learning routes are a blend of academic study and learning on-the-job. Likewise a lot of the opportunities school leavers and college leavers will lead to professional qualifications. We are all on a life-long learning process, one which you can hop on and off at any stage. University certainly isn't just for 18 year olds and you can go back at any time in your life.

Society choses to attach a stigma to non-graduates, whereas people should be recognised for doing something different and not just following the crowd. As the apprenticeships campaign says at the moment, some people would rather just get on with it; should we blame them?

If your child is not sure what they want to after school or college, the best advice we can say is to get some real-life work experience and see what they want to do a year or two down the line. There are many routes to success, and not everyone is suited to the same one.

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