Hi, I'm Fiona and I'm based in London. I'm responding to the question about what should happen with tertiary education. I believe that education should happen in the real world and not just in classrooms or lecture theaters. This is something that I have come to prefer when offering further studies to people. I think it is important to provide more placements and opportunities for practical experience, allowing students to apply the theoretical content they are learning. I believe that challenging people's perceptions is important, but it can become too theoretical. I love the idea of more practical placements, similar to apprenticeships. Apprenticeships have potential but are not fully achieving it at the moment. They offer practical experience, payment, and learning opportunities. I would like to see more of this in how we educate future generations. In Switzerland, they have a system where you must complete a year's worth of paid work experience before or during university. This allows you to gain practical real-life experience and contextualize your education. I believe this is important. Personally, I studied a degree straight after university but now, ten years later, I have gone back to study again. The richness of the experience is much greater because I had the chance to work before going back to study. Any way we can help people balance work and study at the same time can only be a good thing.
