The statistics range wildly but one thing is obvious – young people’s plans for the future are being dashed.
Ben Robinson, Youth Fight for Jobs chair
Tens of thousands of college leavers are having the university door slammed in their faces. Not because they can’t perform in exams. Not even because they’re not prepared to get into the huge amounts of debt demanded by the fees system.
But because the politicians accept the logic of the market and choose to cut public services, while the bosses and bankers are encouraged to award themselves fat pay cheques.
At a time of record applications to university, the Con-Dem government is slashing the planned increase in student places.
This is the second year running that this has happened.
In fact, the previous Labour government fined universities tens of thousands of pounds for over recruiting! Two things are clear.
One is that the government is happy to smash young people’s dreams to save money. The second is that this is going to become a permanent feature of the present recession – everybody currently in school or college is likely to face the same university access lottery.
No doubt a factor in the increase in university applications is that people are worried about finding a job and hope things will improve after three years and with the aid of a degree.
The fact is that one in five young people are already unemployed, with more likely to follow after the number of disappointed university applicants is revealed.
One way to ease the pressure on universities would be to provide a wide-ranging programme of apprenticeships and socially useful job creation.
But this government remains unmoved by the plight of young people and ploughs ahead with cuts.
Young people will not put up with this. Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) is calling a protest on 21 August to demand full funding and access to university for all.
We oppose students being charged to resit A-level exams. And we’re calling for a programme of job creation to help those college leavers who don’t want to go on to university.
At the start of the new term, YFJ will launch a campaign in the colleges for the right to a future; a job or place in education for every college leaver.
