Survey reveals 47% of Brits think University is not worth the debt

Half of Brits (47%) believe spending thousands of pounds on a university degree is a not worth the debt when it comes to improving career chances, and over a third (37%) of graduates are in agreement, according to a new survey from Greene King. 

The research, which was conducted for the UK’s leading hospitality apprenticeship provider to mark National Apprenticeship Week (4 – 8 March), found nearly two thirds (63%) would consider an apprenticeship as the most useful start to their career, and over four fifths (82%) see an apprenticeship as an attractive alternative to university. However, over half (59%) of people believe there just aren’t enough apprenticeship schemes around. 

Many believe that apprenticeships should be made more accessible to those with a lower household income, with almost two thirds (65%) of people saying there should be more support to help them get into work.  

One of the most important places that the next generation receives advice on what they should do in their careers is in the classroom.  However, the survey also revealed a shortfall in career advice at school. Over two fifths (42%) of most recent school leavers aged 18 to 24 found careers advice either not very useful OR not at all useful. One in five (22%) 18 to 24-year olds said they weren’t offered careers advice at school at all.   

Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, works directly with schools and colleges to promote the opportunities available to students and offers an award-winning apprenticeship programme that has trained 11,000 people since 2011. As part of a series of commitments in the company’s Stepping Up report, which was published in January and looks at addressing social mobility, Greene King will support 20,000 apprentices by 2022.  

View the full case study here to find out how we carried out this research and the coverage it generated.