Closing off university access is the essence of levelling down

Like most people of my age and above, I was also the first person in my family to go to university so there's not much value in that statement. I agree that the process was transformational and enabled me to go on to my PhD and subsequent career. However, making it too widespread reduces the value much as would be the case if gold was suddenly a common element. The proposed government position does not seem to set HE and FE against each other but seeks to encourage young people to take that route that will bring them the most success, the highest sense of wellbeing and ultimately the most fulfillment.

'Levelling down', hardly, the dumbing down of HE is a major concern for many employers, something that's barely acknowledged in the rarefied air of HE's ivory towers. Many students who enrol in University struggle with the work, their preparation in FE right the way back to pre-school is a factor, as is the inability of HE to set sensible entry grade requirements that match the minimums actually needed, desperation for fee's post Covid will likely make this even worse. But it's not just the prep, unpopular as it is to discuss intelligence and ability those on the lower part of the bell curve will never be able to be 'lifted up' simply by attending University, the inbred wealth elite produce some of the least able s-too-dense, many of whom have their way 'bought' into the HE system by their families and many then buy their way into jobs too. Likewise too many on the upper part of the curve have been failed at school, lazy Marxist teachers hate bright questioning children, something I saw far too often as a school governor. There's a very real skills shortage FE and employers working together have been trying to address, though actually getting ones hands dirty when you can sit in lectures at Uni might not seem popular many able and functioning but less able (I.Q.80 and up) young people do rather better with 'trade skills' training, and a qualified electrician or plumber has a skill for life that pays quite well, especially without the burden of a student loan to pay off. HE and FE need to work together, and acknowledge both their strengths and their weaknesses in the process, Universities cannot operate without the skilled trades people that build and maintain their physical infrastructure, nor with on-line courses the skilled and semi-skilled trades people getting their hands dirty installing the fibre optic links that make it possible.