Back then I think there were more As given out on A-levels compared to higher - certainly, AAA at A-level was much more common than AAAAA at higher. I'm not sure what the standard offer for many engineering courses was back then in terms of A-levels, though; it might well have been BBB or ABB (excluding Cambridge and the like).

Reply 44

Vikingninja

21

Looks like my college and secondary school have been doing a good job compared to other places around the UK then. My college has 10 maths and 2 further maths classes in my year though I think there's around 4 physics classes. I know that chemistry and biology has a lot more people. Thing is people want to do something that'll interest them. Not everyone likes the idea of engineering or sciences and if they want to go into a career which doesn't need specific subjects like sciences then they will choose ones which interest them more or are easier. I know a few people applying for physics at uni and really none of them know what they want to do but are taking physics because it interests them just like other subjects.

People who are taking subjects because they're easy at my college are the ones who don't take stuff seriously and thank god they won't be the engineers of the future.

Reply 45

richpanda

16

Oh well it'll make it easier for those of us who actually do hard subjects to get a job.

The problem is that we have no shortage of english graduates, history graduates, law graduates, geography grads etc, because we don't need them in the modern world anymore.

Reply 46

_icecream

15

I graduated with a Maths degree in 2014 and honestly that didn't lead to anything. I'm in a completely unrelated field. Why would people study hard in Engineering or other STEM fields and later find out that they are under paid and under appreciated

Reply 47

username1221160

19

Britain is very anti-science. Not only do we spend less on research and technology, both in terms private and government investment, as a % of GDP when compared to other OECD countries, but that percentage is falling (thank you Conservatives) while other countries are increasing investment.

So I do find it strange that the need more stem people argument is trotted out all the time.

Take biotechnology. A huge proportion of the basic research has been and is carried out in the UK but there is such limited investment to bring products to the market that patents are cheaply sold to American/Chinese/Korean companies. Anecdotally I hear that people with suitable PhDs can't find relevant work in the UK so look abroad. Great for me as I'm looking to migrate, but not so great if you're looking to build a science based economy.

Reply 48

Mystery.

21

With only 37% of doctors in the UK being British and others Chinese/Indian, this is going to be even more of a problem with the new stricter immigration laws.

Reply 49

BlackSweetness

11

Original post by Smack

Back then I think there were more As given out on A-levels compared to higher - certainly, AAA at A-level was much more common than AAAAA at higher. I'm not sure what the standard offer for many engineering courses was back then in terms of A-levels, though; it might well have been BBB or ABB (excluding Cambridge and the like).

Oh thats not what i expected!
Why were the requirements so low for engineering back then?

Reply 50

newpersonage

6

Original post by YesAllMen

within the next few years unless more pupils are encouraged to take up the subjects at school

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/12140410/Kids-dont-like-physics-and-maths-study-finds-out-why.html

Why train them when you get them cheap from overseas ready made?

Reply 51

Bulbasaur

17

Original post by richpanda

Oh well it'll make it easier for those of us who actually do hard subjects to get a job.

The problem is that we have no shortage of english graduates, history graduates, law graduates, geography grads etc, because we don't need them in the modern world anymore.

I'm in my final year of Geography and I recently landed a job as a statistician - most of the others who applied were mathematicians or scientists. In some ways, my own experience of using statistics in a more applied sense made it easier for me during the interview than it may have for others. Many of my peers (also studying Geography) have got jobs as accountants, management consultants, transport consultants, town planners, environmental consultants... in fact, the combined quantitative and qualitative skillset many of us have means we have a lot more options than most. Some of them are specialist to the discipline.

I don't think you know what you're talking about - not surprising given that you clearly haven't reached the stage where you'd be applying for jobs yet.

Reply 52

username1969391

14

Original post by YesAllMen

within the next few years unless more pupils are encouraged to take up the subjects at school

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/12140410/Kids-dont-like-physics-and-maths-study-finds-out-why.html

What are you talking about!? The refugees we're taking in are all fully qualified engineers, mathematicians and scientists.

Reply 53

BlackSweetness

11

Original post by NickLCFC

What are you talking about!? The refugees we're taking in are all fully qualified engineers, mathematicians and scientists.

Oh be quiet! This is not the thread for bigots and racists!

Reply 54

username1969391

14

Original post by BlackSweetness

Oh be quiet! This is not the thread for bigots and racists!

The irony of this statement :lol:

>calls me a bigot
>implies this "isn't the thread" for different opinions

Reply 55

username1148663

21

Original post by TheArtofProtest

We need a professionals who are interested in contributing to their fields and making exceptional progress in their fields for the benefit of their field and wider society.

The problem isn't that it doesn't pay but the repulsive narrative that we are currently being exposed to which is that "Money is everything".

For the first couple of years, you may find that money does motivate you but then your job simply becomes about picking up a paycheck.

If you want a short-term solution where people only come and enter professional fields for monetary reward without any passion or desire for it, then yes, offering them huge salaries will work but it will come to corrupt the integrity and standards that have been built over the years.

Oh bore off if everything was given for free to a high standard lots of people wouldn't work.

People want to afford a good lifestyle and buy a home.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 56

BlackSweetness

11

Original post by paul514

Oh bore off if everything was given for free to a high standard lots of people wouldn't work.

People want to afford a good lifestyle and buy a home.

Posted from TSR Mobile

+1
Hes basically saying, people should study hard for 3 years just to be earning pennies!

Reply 57

HucktheForde

20

Original post by Danny McCoyne

All the more reason to take in more Syrian refugees. The UK has a moral obligation to help with the Syrian crisis since it is largely responsible for what's going on down there alongside the US.

take in syrian refugees yes, but only those who have a degree in STEM. others can **** off

Reply 58

SUPREME Gent

2

Excellent. More jobs for the supreme gents going into STEM.

Reply 59

kkboyk

21

Original post by _icecream

I graduated with a Maths degree in 2014 and honestly that didn't lead to anything. I'm in a completely unrelated field. Why would people study hard in Engineering or other STEM fields and later find out that they are under paid and under appreciated

Thats why students are encouraged to research possible career destinations, and do work experience rather than rely on their degree to get them a job.

Britain will face a shortage of engineers, scientists and mathematicians...

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