Report on university 'non-courses' branded academic snobbery : Sussex Learning Network

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Report on university 'non-courses' branded academic snobbery

25 Aug 2007

Universities UK and GuildHE, representing UK universities and colleges of higher education, have criticised a report from the Taxpayers’ Alliance that lists over 400 university degrees as ‘non-courses’, and argues that they should be abolished as a waste of public money. The report asserts that a number of new degree courses, many of them relating to the creative arts, service management and sport and leisure industries, 'are of dubious academic merit, offering training better learned on-the-job'.

Of 'The Non-courses Report 2007', released on 20 August 2007, a spokesperson from Universities UK said, "this is a misunderstanding of what is happening both in Higher Education and in the labour market. Had they done a little more research, they would have found that these so-called "non-courses" are in fact based on demand from employers and developed in association with them."

In a press release on 21 August 2007, Universities UK’s spokesperson goes on to explain, "While some of the degrees were unheard of a few years ago, graduates with the skills developed on these courses are essential to the success of the UK economy. This is academic snobbery, as predictable as it is unfounded."

A spokesperson for GuildHE, responding to the report in a press release on 23 August 2007, said: “This is a direct attack on employer-led and vocational degree level studies and especially those supporting newer industries like tourism and leisure which are fundamental to the UK economy.

“More research would show that the students leaving many of these courses, especially those run by the specialist agricultural colleges and those HEIs working with the food-based services, have some of the highest rates of employment and are clearly valued by the industries they serve.”

The Sussex Learning Network (SLN) is working with institutions across Sussex, and with employers, to identify areas where there is a need for new vocational courses at higher education level. The SLN is supporting the development of courses that will meet demand locally, often with a significant work-based element, helping students to move into employment or progress within an existing career, and helping employers to identify suitably qualified staff.