Kicking universities for so-called ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees is not the answer, it is a complex issue that requires a nuanced approach
Yorkshire has a strong universities sector but it is facing challenging times with financial pressures forcing them to take difficult decisions.
The last thing they need is to become a political football. That is exactly what the Prime Minister is trying to turn universities into with his latest pledge.
The Prime Minister says he wants to see the worst-performing university courses replaced with high-skilled apprenticeships. A plan that supposedly would create 100,000 more apprenticeships by shutting down so-called “rip-off” degrees.
These plans are scant on detail. They don’t address how students may be prevented from choosing another degree. And who gets to decide what is and isn’t a worthy degree?
It would be imprudent to dismiss Rishi Sunak’s proposals out of hand. Yorkshire’s universities would welcome monitoring of progression and drop-out rates on their courses by a regulator. In fact, many universities already do that themselves.
However, there’s a subtext to the PM’s announcement that is worth bearing in mind. It is one of a raft of proposals thrown out by the PM as he looks to salvage his party’s fortunes on the general election campaign trail. It plays to the gallery and is the sort of announcement designed to win back disaffected Tory voters.
If the PM is so keen on boosting the number of apprenticeships, then he would have freed businesses from the burden of bureaucracy that comes with offering apprenticeships.
There is a nuanced debate to be had about the effectiveness of some courses. And at a time when universities are facing huge funding pressures, there will be some who might be tempted to stack their degree programmes with courses that don’t lead anywhere. But some course which are labelled ‘Mickey Mouse degrees’ can be huge levers of social mobility.