Kids at College

[Milltown Row2]

So it begs the question, why take on so many people in the colleges when there is clearly no f**king work?? Baffles me no end

Probably due to a mixture of a more aspirational generation in terms of the academic outlook (at least that is what they're offered and what they're told to have a best chance for in their future careers) than in apprenticeships, that a shrinking job market makes people want to try and gain better qualifications to give them an advantage, and that's deadly craic in the Holylands, Hi! But also it is now becoming increasingly seen with half of school leavers entering third-level institutions that not having a degree is seen as some sort of personal failure for many people. Hard to blame them when the likes of Dunnes are asking applicants to have 4+ GCSEs C and above with English and Maths to stack their shelves.

Are career teachers telling students this information? Should be sacked in my opinion. We will end up losing more kids to other countries at this rate. I think they should have at least 10/15 percent extra posts for the jobs that are available.

Anything extra will end up with students getting degrees in areas that they will have a very hard time in getting work and have wasted their time in, also at a cost!!

I suppose this has been happening for years

[Tony Baloney]

So it begs the question, why take on so many people in the colleges when there is clearly no f**king work?? Baffles me no end

Probably due to a mixture of a more aspirational generation in terms of the academic outlook (at least that is what they're offered and what they're told to have a best chance for in their future careers) than in apprenticeships, that a shrinking job market makes people want to try and gain better qualifications to give them an advantage, and that's deadly craic in the Holylands, Hi! But also it is now becoming increasingly seen with half of school leavers entering third-level institutions that not having a degree is seen as some sort of personal failure for many people. Hard to blame them when the likes of Dunnes are asking applicants to have 4+ GCSEs C and above with English and Maths to stack their shelves.

Are career teachers telling students this information? Should be sacked in my opinion. We will end up losing more kids to other countries at this rate. I think they should have at least 10/15 percent extra posts for the jobs that are available.

Anything extra will end up with students getting degrees in areas that they will have a very hard time in getting work and have wasted their time in, also at a cost!!

I suppose this has been happening for years

During New Labour's reign the boomtime made everyone middle class therefore a degree was a natural progression for the last generation. Blair made this possible by making exams easier and with higher numbers doing useless degrees they were at least in full time education for 3 years and therefore not showing up on his stats as not in education, employment or training.

I've been interviewing quite a bit of late and whilst it is obvious there is an educated workforce (if you count an exams certificate as being educated) I would say that workforce is still ill-prepared for the workplace.

[Minder]

Slightly related but why do so many people keep enrolling at St Marys and Stranmillis for teacher training when there are no jobs for them?

[5 Sams]

Went to Coleraine myself...lethal craic!  Coleraine, along with Magee, will always be looked upon as the lesser of the UU campuses, but it shouldn't be!  My siblings all went there and we all got good grades...was just our first choice for our specific degrees.

Tend to find that people who went to Belfast hung around with the same people, whilst Coleraine gives you the opportunity to meet more.  Also has the best nighclub in the North, bar none!

Also got the chance to play football, the same opportunity wouldn't have been afforded in UUJ or Queens.

All in all, good times in UUC!

I'm old enough to be there when it was NUU. +1 about getting to play football. At that stage every college was in the Sigerson. I had the dubious pleasure of Ger Houlihan making my head light one year in the 1st round....as far as we went....Played Fitzgibbon as well believe it or not...a few handy Glens hurlers were there and then thugs with sticks like myself and a few Armagh and Tyrone hoors. Great times, great college, great pubs in Portstewart like the Anchor, true about the women to men ratio  . I'd recommend it to any youngster to go up there. One of the highlights was seeing Billy Connolly live in tyhe Diamond in 84...I think...great spot...

[Tony Baloney]

Slightly related but why do so many people keep enrolling at St Marys and Stranmillis for teacher training when there are no jobs for them?

It would be more helpful if the colleges cut their supply according to demand but I assume that would mean giving up a significant amount of funding. I know a fella out 4 years and still no full time post. He's not alone.