Scandal of 400,000 teenagers studying for ‘useless courses’

Jowo_2

lemonjelly wrote: »

...
I work in a college, and there are courses which personally I look at wondering what the value is, and also how so many people can be doing them - for example, we run hairdressing courses which are always full & popular..

I live in a small city with half a dozen colleges and I would bet that they churn out hundreds of photographers and artists, and thousands more students with aspirations to work in journalism, fashion, music and media production.

I think I read somewhere that there are as nearly a number of journalism students in the UK anyone time as there are members of the NUJ. Of course, I could have misremembered this and be accidentally starting an urban myth...

Jowo_2

FTBFun wrote: »

Seriously, what is the point of a degree in Art History or Classics?

The subject matter is irrelevant as an entry criteria into the majority of graduate roles. A degree is supposed to show that a person has communication skills, can perform research, has critical thinking skills, report writing skills and so forth.

As it happens, I know someone with a classics degree who works in educational roles for heritage sites and local governments (cultural sector) and a couple of IT professionals with classic backgrounds.

Lots of companies like IT people with arts backgrounds as a lot of the job is about people (not hardware) and some software engineering or tecchie graduates are too geeky for roles where they have to interact with the user community. Problem is they speak C++...Not all IT techies can get away with sulking in a server room with the phone switched off.

I worked for a business that produced software and their engineers had terrible communication and people skills - it was like working with bad tempered children. Very few of them were suitable for project management roles as they would alienate colleagues and clients and simply couldn't handle business responsibilities.

FATBALLZ

ukcarper wrote: »

How do the people doing the more useful courses fair when they have completed them? A young lad I know did a carpentry course but when it come to getting a work placement at the end of course he couldn’t like the majority on his course.

Not sure I'd class carpentry as a useful course as such, the vast majority of that sort of work is done in china and then the finished product (or flat-pack pieces) is shipped over here, at a fraction of the cost of paying a carpenter here.

It's a useful skill no doubt, but has very little market in the UK. Courses like plumbing and joinery are more useful because the jobs can't be offshored.

ukcarper

FATBALLZ wrote: »

Not sure I'd class carpentry as a useful course as such, the vast majority of that sort of work is done in china and then the finished product (or flat-pack pieces) is shipped over here, at a fraction of the cost of paying a carpenter here.

It's a useful skill no doubt, but has very little market in the UK. Courses like plumbing and joinery are more useful because the jobs can't be offshored.

I found this on another thread and a bit of quick googling seems to confirm.

"Carpentry and joinery are both construction trades. To oversimplify, joiners join wood and carpenters fix it. All of the skill in making construction components (windows, doors, trusses, stairs, etc.) is in the joints. Joiners normally work in workshops, producing the components for carpenters to fix. Carpenters normally work on site and their skill is in dealing with site conditions where nothing is ever quite right (and dealing with bricklayers)."

FATBALLZ

ukcarper wrote: »

I found this on another thread and a bit of quick googling seems to confirm.

"Carpentry and joinery are both construction trades. To oversimplify, joiners join wood and carpenters fix it. All of the skill in making construction components (windows, doors, trusses, stairs, etc.) is in the joints. Joiners normally work in workshops, producing the components for carpenters to fix. Carpenters normally work on site and their skill is in dealing with site conditions where nothing is ever quite right (and dealing with bricklayers)."

Really? I always thought carpenters were the ones who made chairs and tables and things (probably from bible stories) and joiners did the on site stuff. I used to know someone who owned a joinery business and they did a lot of on site work at my university when it was doing building work.

Anyway I could be wrong.

ukcarper

FATBALLZ wrote: »

Really? I always thought carpenters were the ones who made chairs and tables and things (probably from bible stories) and joiners did the on site stuff. I used to know someone who owned a joinery business and they did a lot of on site work at my university when it was doing building work.

Anyway I could be wrong.

I must admit I thought the same.

leveller2911

FATBALLZ wrote: »

Really? I always thought carpenters were the ones who made chairs and tables and things (probably from bible stories) and joiners did the on site stuff. I used to know someone who owned a joinery business and they did a lot of on site work at my university when it was doing building work.

Anyway I could be wrong.

There are 2 types of Carpenters , 1st fix (pitching roofs,studwork etc everything before the walls are plastered) and 2nd fix (hanging doors,skirting boards,fiting kitchens,architraves etc everything after the wall are plastered) and many that do both 1st&2nd fix...

Joiners make windows,stair-cases,kitchens,doors etc......In some parts of the country they call a Carpenter a Joiner , just to confuse the issue..:D

leveller2911

FATBALLZ wrote: »

Not sure I'd class carpentry as a useful course as such, the vast majority of that sort of work is done in china and then the finished product (or flat-pack pieces) is shipped over here, at a fraction of the cost of paying a carpenter here.


Oh that hurts........ There was me thinking I was usefull and it turns out i'm just useless....Oh the shame.....Nothing to live for,i'm orf to slash me wrists......:D maybe I should emigrate ,somewhere where I would be appreciated..............Like China..

Sapphire

FTBFun wrote: »

Probably because a fair proportion of journalists studied archaic subjects at Oxbridge!

Seriously, what is the point of a degree in Art History or Classics?

Ah, the mobile phone generation…

PasturesNew

I'd use a carpenter if I wanted something in wood that wasn't too hard .... but if I wanted something making properly, with lovely joints, such as a built in wardrobe I'd use a joiner. If I'd bought the bits I needed for a built in wardrobe from Ikea or similar, then I'd be happy enough for a carpenter to put it together.

Joiners: have to know stuff about materials and how to make lovely joints, how to finish things with finesse and perfection.
Carpenters: use tools like hammers and drills to bung up bits of wood and assemble pre-made things (like flat pack furniture).

I'd choose to be a joiner if it were me, all that precision/perfection. Carpenters are a bit gung ho about wood and nails and saws.