By Shola Adenekan

Degrees involve degree-level skills, says vice-chancellor

A few months after a government minister labelled them "Mickey Mouse" degrees, some vocational courses have again come under attack.

The Conservative Party is questioning the need to offer degrees in subjects such as "hairdressing" at Derby University and "embroidery" at the Birmingham-based University of Central England (UCE).

But UCE's vice-chancellor, Dr Peter Knight, believes this is unfair.

He says vocational degrees include such things as medicine, dentistry, therapeutic radiography, social work, teacher training, architecture, quantity surveying, multimedia design and engineering.

"There is no justification in these accusations. They are based on outdated, 19th Century snobbery when 'academic' was synonymous with useless.

"The place of vocational degrees is stronger than ever," he said.

Peter Knight: "Place of vocational degrees is stronger than ever"

They allowed students to anticipate the careers they were seeking to follow - and in the case of certain courses, they did not have to pay fees because these were met by the education department or the health service, for example.

"The skills required by these professions are degree-level skills and anyway many of the courses already involve an element of practical on-the-job training."

In fact, the UCE course is a BA (Hons) in textile design - allowing specialisation in embroidery - which includes the study of the history and theory of design.

The programme at Derby University is a BSc (Hons) in hairdressing science and retail distribution, including analytical chemistry and an introduction to physics.

Research

Other Tory targets include degrees in complementary medicine at Anglia Polytechnic University, Greenwich and Napier universities.

But course tutors believe politicians are making judgements without having all the facts.

"A degree is far more than a vocational qualification," said Christine Donnelly, the programme leader for complementary medicine at Edinburgh-based Napier University.

In the 'real' world of commerce and industry are the traditional graduates more equipped than those vocationally trained? Student Carol Ellis

"It is vital that today's education system meets the demands of both the student and society."

One of the biggest arguments surrounding the use of complementary therapies in general is the perceived lack of an underpinning research base, as compared with say, medical science.

Ms Donnelly said complementary medicine degrees provided a deeper knowledge of underpinning theories and exposed the students to ways of thinking and problem solving that smaller schools could not achieve.

Frances Fewell runs the complementary medicine programme at Anglia Polytechnic University and says the quality assurance that the university used within the validation process was the same as for other awards.

"This safeguards the quality of provision and ensures that student experiences are at least equivalent to students on other pathways," she said.

"For example, the students critique research, consider the evidence base for clinical practice and identify appropriate research strategies for identifying future research activities."

Job flexibility

David Davies, director of University of Derby College, Buxton, which runs the degree as well as a foundation degree in hairdressing, said: "Hair care, and its associated skills, is no less involved in lifelong learning and upskilling of its requirements than any other profession.

"Working life provides the most significant location for the growth of learning in our society in the next generation.

"There is no simple 'job for life' any longer and all professional workers will require to be involved in our knowledge economy."

Vocational degree students believe they are as equipped as traditional students in dealing with the world of commerce and industry upon graduation.

Anglia student Carol Ellis said: "Some may put a higher value on traditional academic qualifications like maths, English and science, but in the 'real' world of commerce and industry are the traditional graduates more equipped than those vocationally trained?

The skills and knowledge gained by vocational qualifications are specific to one profession, and therefore a career change could involve retraining - however, would an English literature graduate be able to apply the works of Jane Austen to middle management?"

Meanwhile, the shadow education secretary, Damian Green, has pledged that an incoming Conservative administration would scrap tuition fees and dump the government's 50% target for university admissions.

He said the money saved on expansion would allow a future Tory government to abolish tuition fees and improve funding for universities.

Mr Green said: "I am sure all these courses provide useful training for careers, but are they really proper academic courses?

"The effect of having a target is twofold. Not only does it devalue vocational qualifications but it means there will be courses called degrees which simply do not deliver the benefits to individuals that they might expect of a full degree.

"The Conservative policy of abolishing all tuition fees and getting rid of the government's 50% target for university admissions would be fairer for students and better for the university sector."