Pupils are being let down by University snobbery and inaccessibility – it's time for the government to act

While the Higher Education sector is becoming increasingly marketised, the alternatives are being closed off. Further Education colleges are in a funding crisis and apprenticeships, which in reality can do more to improve lifetime earnings than a degree, are still seen by many as ‘low-value'

Pupils around the country will receive their A Level results today (Getty)

Something is broken in our education system. Students know it, teachers know it, and academics know it.

Today pupils collecting their A Level results do so just a week after a study found one third of graduates regret going on to university because of the debt it has left them with.

Results day should be a joyous occasion and for most, I hope, it will be a day of excitement, relief and celebration. They deserve it: A Levels are tough, the university admissions process – for those taking that route – is arduous, and the pressure on this generation is massive.

But I know for some results day won’t necessarily be happy. Constant changes to the curriculum have left teachers bracing themselves for unpredictable results, and it is inevitable some pupils will miss out on university places.

For those who get the grades they hoped for the path ahead isn’t straightforward. Rising tuition fees have seen the number of state school pupils attending university drop as young people weigh up university as an investment: is the potential earnings boost worth £44,000 debt – or more?

Worryingly, research this week showed youngsters are not being given all the information they need to make an informed choice about their post-18 education – especially on the alternatives to university. They are locked in a catch-22: a university degree is seen as the only worthwhile qualification – while rising fees and the scrapping of maintenance grants have made university less accessible.

While the Higher Education sector is becoming increasingly and dangerously marketised, the alternatives are being closed off. Further Education colleges are in crisis as a result of devastating funding cuts. Apprenticeships, which in reality can do more to improve lifetime earnings than a degree, are still seen by many as "low-value".

This imbalance has serious implications for the UK’s workforce where we face a growing skills gap. In the gas, electricity and water industries 35 per cent of roles are vacant yet only 0.4 per cent of graduates chose that sector last year.

The truth is the education and training system in the UK is dangerously out of kilter. It’s damaging young people’s prospects by pushing them into unsuitable education and career paths, stopping many from realising their true potential, and failing to provide the next generation with the skills they, and the country, need to function.

We need a total overhaul of the education system so that it genuinely works for students, educators and employers.

The first step must be to scrap tuition fees and restore maintenance grants, so that bright pupils from poorer backgrounds are not put off attending university. Second, we must give vocational education and skills training the status – and funding – it deserves. Third, the government should restore its duty to provide an apprenticeship to all 16-19 year olds who want one, and extend this to age 25. Currently the government is wildly off-course for meeting its three million apprenticeships pledge. To meet the need the budget for apprenticeships should be increased by 30 per cent.

The goal is a system where young people’s career choices are defined by their passions and abilities, not their financial situation; in which university is a place to learn and grow, not a commodity; and in which training for the skills our society needs is offered at a world-class standard and is prized as highly as a degree. It’s what the next generation deserve – let’s start building it.

Caroline Lucas is Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion