Report calling for fewer graduates and higher fees is out of touch, says UCU

The union said the calls, in a report from the Association of Graduate Recruiters, put it at odds with the CBI who recently called for more highly-skilled graduates*.
 
The union said that increasing the financial burden on students and their hardworking families was unfair, particularly as a number of other recent reports had exposed the failings of British business to pay its fair share for the numerous benefits it receives from UK higher education.
 
Another report also out today, from the Royal Society, shows how little British business contributes to universities compared to companies in other countries. UCU also cited its own report from last week on a business education tax that highlighted the negligible business contribution to higher education.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The future for the UK is at the forefront of a high-skilled knowledge economy and we won't get there with less graduates. The three main beneficiaries of higher education have been identified as the state, the individual and the employer, yet only two of them are picking up the bill. It is time that business started to make a proper contribution to university funding, instead of parroting its siren calls to increase the debt of students and the burden on hardworking families struggling in tough economic times.'
 
The full UCU business education tax report is available at:  In place of fees: time for a Business Education Tax? UCU/Compass, Mar 10 [126kb]

* 'Demand for graduates has grown and will continue to do so — over the last 15 years the proportion of jobs requiring a degree-level qualification has risen from 23 to over 30%, with the number of jobs requiring few or no qualifications falling from 60 to under 40%.' - CBI HE taskforce report (.pdf)