Half of A-Level Students Planning to Pick Employment Over University

May 5, 2011 - PRLog -- Latest research from the UK’s leading discount website has revealed that almost half of current A-Level students plan to go straight into employment after leaving college or sixth form, instead of going to university. When asked why this was the case, the majority stated that they couldn’t afford university following the planned rises in tuition fees.

The study was carried out by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, as part of ongoing research into the financial situations of young people today. 1,129 students aged 16-18 were polled, each of whom was studying towards their A-Level or equivalent qualifications. Respondents were asked questions surrounding their future plans following the completion of their A-Levels and how they felt about the idea of university.

When asked ‘What do you plan to do once you have completed your A-Levels or equivalent qualifications?’ 47% said they aim to ‘go straight into employment.’ 39% planned on getting a place at university to continue their education, whilst the remaining respondents were ‘unsure’ what they would do once they had finished at sixth form or college.

The respondents who said that they planned to go straight into employment after finishing sixth form or college were asked to explain why this was the case. More than two thirds, 67%, said that they felt that they ‘couldn’t afford university due to the planned rises in tuition fees’ whilst 11% wanted to ‘start earning straight away.’ 6% explained that university just wasn’t for them.

Despite 39% planning to go to university, there were some financial concerns for them too, with a fifth, 19%, of these students saying that the fees involved 'caused them concern’. Furthermore, just less than a quarter, 22%, of the respondents who were planning on going to university said that they were going to do so because they felt ‘pressured’ to do so by family members or other people they knew.

Although many respondents raised concerns about the fees involved with going to university, the poll by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that people’s knowledge of the costs wasn’t very accurate. 71% of the students taking part admitted that they didn’t know how much, in general, tuition fees cost.

Mark Pearson, chairman of http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, commented on the findings:

“It’s a shame that so many young people are planning to scrap the idea of university altogether purely based on the high costs involved. Although the planned rises in tuition fees will be very high, particularly at certain universities, that doesn’t mean that students should rule out applying.

“Financial help for university fees is available in some circumstances, so it’s always worth checking out. Also, it’s always a good idea to see what discounts and deals are available to help you cut back in other areas of life, leaving more funds for further education.”

ENDS

LINK http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk

For more information, contact Shannon Haigh of 10 Yetis Public Relations Agency on shannon@10yetis.co.uk or 01452 348211.


Editor’s Notes
Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 30, his personal worth is more than £30 million. Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.

Mark appeared as a ‘Secret Millionaire’ in the series on Channel 4, in which he donated £115,000 of his own money to worthy causes.

MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year

Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.

MyVoucherCodes is the UK’s most popular discount site.