星空传媒

I took great delight in reading your 'Death of a Degree' feature. A great debate that causes endless arguments and viewpoints.

There are many tales of disappointment, including one correspondent who regrets taking his degree because he now finds problems obtaining employment. And, understandably, after reading your articles, current BSc students must be wondering "what now?".

My advice? Stick in there, get experience. Because once you get that degree, no one can ever take it away. If you have the right attitude, it will work for you.

I feel that it might be beneficial to highlight the experiences of people like myself to show that the degree does have some credit. The academic quality of the entry to the industry has been and will be debated long into the future. But what on earth is wrong with the indentured apprentice route? Hell, I had a good time, I learnt, I got experience and I got paid! For me that has been the backbone of my CV and the core of my employability. Furthermore, having a trade, I will always have the fallback of returning to the tools.

I think we should reintroduce the indenture route, but then extend that for those who wish to carry on with their education.

My company secured a sponsorship for me for five years. Why can't this be extended to provide education opportunities for apprentices up to and including the degree? What quality of entrants - in terms of a blend of experience and academic ability can we hope for then? I am sure this route could give the industry the highly qualified but practical entrants it is crying out for.