The days of studying for a degree without any practical exposure to the professional world are over, according to university leaders after the University of Manchester committed to ensuring all its students take part in work experience.
Vice-chancellor Duncan Ivison recently announced every undergraduate student would leave the Russell Group institution having participated in some kind of work placement or exchange.
The proposals were aimed squarely at a public increasingly sceptical of the value of degrees, with a slowing graduate jobs market leading to questions about whether higher education is “worth it”.
But, while many academics welcomed the plans, they had unanswered questions about how it will work in practice.
Manchester told Times Higher Education it was yet to attach a budget to the idea and that it represented a “long-term” strategy rather than a “programme”.
