Survival UK Forums

Just a question I have had on my mind a few days.

I know there are some vast differences in how the education systems are organized between the US and UK. Not criticizing in any way, that's your business.

What I have gathered is that education is set on a track at age 11-12 with testing at 16 for qualifications and at 17-18 for A levels for university admission.

Not wanting to go into minute details about over here, but we attempt to educate all students to the same level, with university entrance established by nationally approved tests (ACT and SAT).

The entrance exams are administered to 17 year-olds normally, but they are available at any age. If you finished a secondary school course of study, which over here is a core course of study taken for 4 years (you would call it years 10-13), you can take the entrance exams at age 80 if you desire too and start university.

It is no longer unusual for people to finish law school at 50, medical school at 55-60 or for nurses to step up to MD status after 25 years on the job.

As a retired person I have the option of returning to university free of charge to pursue a degree or an advanced degree in any area of study.

Our universities are now at the point that 40% of our degree seeking students are working full time and over the age of 30. Adults entering university to improve their chances in life. They are actually showing a higher completion rate and better grade performance that the "traditional" students.

The universities have responded by offering classes in the afternoon and evenings, on Saturdays, offering compressed 3 week classes to be taken during time off from work...Also libraries and services now operate 24/7 for the returning adult students.

What is the process in GB for adults who left school at 16, that look at their lives and paychecks at age 30 and decide they have to do something and it will include a university degree, not a course at the local poly?

We have the Open University , it is designed to study for a degree from home whilst working or being a full time parent , if you are low paid or on benefits it can be subsidised or even free but in the main most people pay for the course , it was done by distance correspondence with a personal tutor available.

The open university is very popular over here MB , and a good pass rate .....I know quite a few who have gone down this route with great success , better jobs , and pay to match .ui

a degree dosent prove someone can do the job.

Although that’s quite true BP , but the fact one has earned a degree opens up the opportunity to do the job in the first place......we all have to start somewhere to gain experience and knowledge that brings .....the only people that hit the ground running and are very capable straight off the bat ......did the time elsewhere , it’s common sense ....took me ten years to become an all rounder carpenter .....and fifty years odd .later..I am still learning To be fantastic .......” do you think my hair is nice today ? “

I never knew anyone who went to university, some of my friends did day release at college, I did a couple of night school classes but mostly we left school, I left at 15, and went straight into work of one type or another.
back then experience was more recognised than exam results, employers wanted people who could do the job, as long as you could read and write and make yourself understood that was the main thing.
step daughter is a college teacher and her students dont want to learn the subject, all they want to learn is enough to pass the exam

The few people that made it to university in our village I could count on one hand....... maybe two ....via a scholarship back then.....I to left school at fifteen....and straight in to my apprenticeship .....it was very different back then as you will remember BP , there was loads of jobs and plenty of willing and able boys n girls wanting work .....any work to pay their way and buy stuff .....in my case wrangler jeans , jacket and a motorbike .

Although I can understand your view BP ....I see it myself on a Daley basis .....people in a job that have no clue what their responsibilities are and how to carry them out ....and they spend most of their time hiding while throwing their colleagues under the bus for their own misdeeds , so how do they get away with it ? .......usually because the next two tiers above them are up to the same thing and are as clueless and as corrupt....this in of itself maintains the structure ......this has been going on for ages it’s now become a art form for everything .....I have watched for years the standards falling ......back to the point ,you can see just because you may hold a degree is not everything.....just a part of it .....life experiences has a habit of grinding off the rough edges and things get smother over time .

I see a lot of people especially in council work who cannot do anything without having the "chit", they will only do whats on the chit, if its not on the chit they dont do it, nobody has any common sense any more.
the general public seems to be getting dumb and dumber, some of their antics during covid lockdown border on the downright stupid and in some cases criminal, and dont get me started on the "cancel culture" crowd.

The one I can't stand when waiting for service is "who's next?" You're the staff member, you should be taking that responsibility to know.

around here its "can I help?" yes, you can do what your paid to do! jeez.