I'm Nova Arkney in Tottenham Hale in London and the question today is about tertiary education and how it currently works and doesn't work, and how I would change it for the better.
In my opinion, what works well about university is the opportunity to go away and experience independence and adulthood in a safe environment. I believe this aspect is valuable and should be maintained.
However, I also acknowledge that tertiary education is not accessible to everyone, and the choice to pursue education after turning 18 often leads to social mobility barriers. To address this, I believe apprenticeships should be more widespread and inclusive. We should expand apprenticeships to cover various careers and academic paths, allowing individuals to gain practical experience in their chosen fields.
On the other hand, apprenticeships lack the aspect of going away and living with peers, which I believe is crucial to tertiary education. To address this, I suggest implementing programs where individuals can go away with a group of like-minded individuals pursuing the same career, living and working in a different location while studying.
Additionally, I think we should adopt a system similar to the American education system, where there is more choice and flexibility in career paths. For example, instead of the traditional college and university route, we could have five years of apprenticeship, with the first three and a half years allowing individuals to explore different interests before specializing in the last year and a half.
These are my thoughts on improving tertiary education. Thank you.
