There is still a "societal stigma" stopping some young people taking vocational qualifications instead of a university degree.
That is one of the key findings of research commissioned by the Department for the Economy (DfE).
It suggested that for some, there was a "culturally perpetuated stigma of failing to get into university".
That meant study in a further education (FE) college was often seen as a "plan B" compared to going to university.
The just-published research was into perceptions of Level 4 and 5 qualifications in Northern Ireland.
