Over a third of parents believe apprenticeships make a more valuable contribution for career prospects than university, according to Bank of Scotland research released last week.

For anyone passionate about vocational education and on-the-job training, that sounds like good news: after all, parents and carers are one of the most influential groups in directing the decisions young people make.

But the story is, as always, not quite black and white. For starters, the same research shows that while 36 per cent favoured apprenticeships, 33 per cent think higher education is a good idea. And when it comes to younger respondents, aged between 18 and 24, 47 per cent believe university is a good option (despite the costs), while only 19 per cent believe on-the-job training would provide better career prospects.

It seems that it is not, like many assume, older generations who need to be convinced of the value of apprenticeships - and vocational education more broadly.

Young people, the research would indicate, would rather face the significant financial challenges university can bring than not experience that form of higher education. There could be a number of reasons for that, and I can only speculate as to what they are. The perception young people have of the university experience - with freshers’ week, societies and clubs to look forward to - could be a factor, as is, I am sure, aspiration.

Today’s youth is, as with every generation before, determined to achieve what their parents and grandparents could not. And to a majority, university is the pinnacle of that educational hierarchy. They also spend their childhood and youth in a school system that is geared towards exams and a narrative where getting children into university is the aim and what teachers and schools pride themselves and are judged on.

Much of it, I would argue, is also linked to how wider society view success - and about passing that on to those young people still in schools across Scotland. For many, success looks like achieving the grades that let you study at the institution of your choice. Is it intrinsically linked to that gown and the diploma that says you have completed a university course.

I was one of those young people who went straight from school to an ancient university where I successfully completed a reputable course. As a result, I was invited to speak at a whole-school careers talk at my former high school soon after I graduated. It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life.

I found myself in front of a couple of hundred teenagers and all my former teachers with nothing to say. I suspected I had probably done enough to land a successful career in journalism, but none of that had happened yet, and I had, frankly, no idea where I was going. I struggled through my 30 minute speech on studying abroad and vowed I would not return until I had something to show for myself.

Contrast my younger self - apparently so successful but with so little achieved - with those thriving in apprenticeships today. For some months now, Tes has been running the #InspiringApprentices campaign. As part of it, apprentices have been sharing their journey, and setting out their plans for the future. They tell impressive stories of the skills they have learned and responsibilities they have been given - they also all know what is next for them. They have had promotions, pay rises, recognition for their work; they have not just started their journey, they are well on track.

These apprentices have tasted success and know where they’re going. Unlike me, if they ever go back to their school, every single one of them can tell the story of their success - and they can do it with pride.

@jbelgutay

This article originally appeared in the 20 SEPTEMBER 2019 issue under the headline “Before graduates have left the station, apprentices are on track”