WE have all seen the news of the Government imposing a rise in university tuition fees, and the aftermath, including protests in London as well as here in the North East.
Clearly, the increase is a deterrent to those who are wavering over whether or not university will be the right choice for them, although I am sure that those who really want to take this course in life will find a way.
It is wrong to discourage people from going to university, because it is right for so many people, and not just in terms of gaining qualifications. It can be a fantastic experience and help people to develop as individuals.
But what does it mean for our industry that Government want tuition fees to increase to £6,000 a year, with universities able to charge up to £9,000 in exceptional circumstances? CITB ConstructionSkills chief executive Mark Farrar believes the changes to the way the future workforce are trained could be huge.
More onus, he says, may fall on the employer, with such routes as employment at 16 with block-release learning for employees as they earn. This doesn't sound much different to apprenticeships as we know them, and they are no bad thing. Indeed, they can often lead to university and even masters degrees.
We have already seen employers encouraged to become more active in shaping courses and any involvement industry has in learning is a good thing.
But what of university? Will we see a mass exodus of students shunning the region’s halls of learning because the cost is too high?
One would hope not. Graduates coming out of our universities make a real difference to the built environment in this region. In the future, they will be among the leaders of industry.
With the new university rates coming in September 2012, it is only then that we will get a genuine feel for the effect they will have on student numbers, but more needs to be done in the meantime to mitigate the potential.
Education is not a one size fits all institution – while one young person may find vocational courses at 16 are the way forward, another may feel A-Levels and university is right for them.
What is important is that what is right for each person should be encouraged, and not discouraged because of cost.
Catriona Lingwood, chief executive of Constructing Excellence in the North East