Roadking is correct when he says that for the last twenty years...

Roadking is correct when he says that for the last twenty years youth have been encouraged to get a degree. I strongly feel that degrees have in many cases become devalued because it has almost become de rigour to obtain a degree, any degree. A sort of status symbol.
I understand that in the UK it is goverment policy to try and get nearly half the school leaving population to university. Of course it is essential that Engineers, doctors, scientists ie the hard disciplines obtain degrees, which have great value. But I wonder about value of the huge number of "liberal arts" degrees, humanities, arts, media studies etc.
A few years ago I had a plumber in to do a small job, being a fellow pom I got talking to him and asked how he got into plumbing. He said that after leaving school, and the now almost mandatory gap year (whatever that is ) he went to university and obtained a degree in I think philosophy, but soon found that this was absolutely useless for earning a living. So he became an apprentice plumber, and prospered. He did say however how much he enjoyed his three years at university, had a ball.
It is high time that the clock was turned back to the days of solid apprenticeships which turned out first class tradesmen. And today with the help of sandwich courses run by TAFE colleges the blend of practical and classroom training turn out well trained tradesmen/technicians much in demand at the moment.
Lets get away from the idea that if you don't have a degree you are some how half educated