星空传媒

After reading your report on the above, I was extremely frustrated and appalled by some of the attitudes displayed by some fairly influential opinions.

I graduated from Coventry University in 1994, after initially studying an HND at Nene College. This mix proved extremely complimentary, as the HND was run in partnership with industry, to fill the gap required to provide Site Managers, and the degree course took this level of learning to a higher level of understanding. The two driving individuals of these courses, Stuart Jones and Keith Grierson, showed and understanding which your article appears to be crying out for. Both well-experienced down to earth individuals with good contacts in the industry, a no nonsense approach, and a willingness to provide the industry with good quality career candidates. Both unfortunately have returned to the industry.

Both these chaps were past IOB Regional Chairmen, who promoted the professionalism of the institute, and the benefits this would offer. I am appalled that Chris Blythe offers such a narrow minded opinion of lower classed graduates, had I read such comments during my time at college my views of the institute would probably be completely different. College is supposed to give you a grounding academically, it will always be down to the individual if they succeed in their chosen career. In my experience academic results have little if any correlation to career development, or willingness of the individual to succeed. The institute instead of dismissing the low intake of membership from academia should promote it as positively as it was portrayed to my piers and myself.

When I first was released onto the industry I initially though, like most, that I would be MD by the time I was 25. Although this was clearly unattainable this dream should never be lost on those entering through the academic route, or indeed any individual. I agree the public image of the industry to is best summed up by the operations at the Trafalgar Square site, and that greater efforts should be taken to portray it as "more sexy". However to this end, both industry and academia are at fault, as an industry we are at fault for putting up with poor standards, and the colleges have become too complacent.

I am 31 years old, and have been an Area Build Manager for nearly 3 years, throughout my career I was viewed as an oddity. When I joined my first company, Willmott Dixon, they told me they'd never had a graduate before. They did not know what to do with me, and then proceeded to try and re-educate me, which does nothing but bore the pants of graduates who are generally eager to learn new skills and get on. Those in industry forget that the majority of graduates are bored of academia by the time they leave college, and are keen to get stuck in, and this should be harnessed, not suppressed. I think it is refreshing that there are still people out there who want to reinvent the wheel, regardless of how tiring it may seem to those with older heads.

My first break was when I joined a smaller firm in Bedford, who viewed me as more of an asset, and allowed me the freedom to learn from the bottom up. These skills where very basic, and proved extremely enjoyable even if some of their methods were a little antiquated, but it's success lied with the owner. He was very old school, but realised more could be done with "old heads on young shoulders". I learned quickly, as the approach to allow me only enough rope as I could cope with allowed me to thrive. I was later told this approach was once used with apprentices, under a Mentoring Scheme.

I am a firm believer to give back, and I have been frustrated when I have approached local schools and colleges to find they are not interested. This frustration was compounded even further when recently I approach several colleges with a view of taking on a trainee, to be told "Send in the details, and we'll pin it on the notice board", and that was the most positive response I received.

In my view the following should occur:

More partnering courses should be set up like the now defunct Nene College Construction Management course.

Lecturers should be recruited more from industry, especially for the management element of the courses. Pavlov's theories on dogs was lost on me during my degree, or indeed when discussing the finer points of construction with your average bricklayer.

Leaders of industry, like Chris Blythe, should be more positive. What have you to aspire to if they tell you an average degree is seen as a joke?

The industry should promote the use of individuals like myself to assist with recruitment. Your average A level student, or equivalent, will have already made up their mind what they want to do, and are usually more excited about the whole idea of student life once they are on their way.

Colleges should be more responsive to the industry approaching them with recruitment requests.

The industry should be more responsive of graduates, and less dismissive, or patronising. People will rarely spend so much time studying a subject if they are not interested.

Clearly this is completely generalising, but the disbanding, dismissing, or rubbishing any academic achievement is poor. The college system obviously needs to be streamlined, but so does the needs and input of the industry, but openly arguing like this will do nothing but make the situation worse.

Would you spend three years of your life, and face an average of 拢12,000 debt, on a subject which is barely recognised by your chosen industry, taught by individuals who feel they are better, with industry leaders thinking you are wasting your time unless you get a first? Sounds like the very course for me!

There is a need for graduates, and professionally qualified individuals with trade backgrounds alike.