Young men underachieving in higher education

Responding to the publication of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) report ‘Boys to Men: The underachievement of young men in higher education – and how to start tackling it’, Nick Davy, Higher Education Policy Manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “This report, ‘Boys to Men: The underachievement of young men in higher education – and how to start tackling it’, again highlights that young men are underachieving in higher education. This is an issue that colleges have been keen to resolve and it is clear that an academic university route is not always right path for everyone. The Government needs to ensure that both young men and women are aware of the more practical options available. Studying locally for a practical, hands-on technical or professional qualification over a shorter period of time can suit some people better than a three-year, full-time bachelor’s degree. “We would like to see more Government investment in outreach programmes to enable colleges to go to schools to advise young people on the alternatives to a full-time degree. If we want young men to subscribe to and achieve in higher education, we need to show them how gaining a higher level of skills will enable them to get a better job in future.”