A new government, but the same old debate. How many students should go to university, and what courses should they study when they’re there? At one extreme, the Tony Blair Institute argues that 70 per cent of young people should be entering higher education by 2040, whilst at the other, a minister voices concerns about too many young people graduating in ‘Harry Potter Studies’.
At the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) we worry that this debate increasingly fails to capture what industry really needs from our further and higher education systems.
For our members, attracting students with the right skills is essential to keeping the UK at the forefront of a global industry. We are competing in an escalating war for talent, and our ability to develop vaccines to fight back against COVID-19, or discover new cancer treatments, all rests on our ability to successfully attract those with the right skills.
