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The pandemic has caused many school leavers to turn to university due to a hostile job market post-pandemic. New research from skills organisation City & Guilds Group has found that many young people are going to university as a ‘default choice’ as the jobs market offers increased uncertainty. Ahead of A-level results day, the data suggests that over half (57 percent) of UK 17-19-year-olds have stated that their decisions about post education work have changed because of the pandemic, with 20 percent saying that they now want to stay in full time education for longer than they originally anticipated. Data from UCAS shows that university applications this year are at the highest level ever, up by 10 percent year-on-year among most 18-year-olds. Four in ten 17-19-year-olds in their final two years of school report that they have planned or plan to go to university. Among this group, it is clear that the current economic downturn has influences their decision, with 14 percent saying they are concerned about getting a job or apprenticeship straight out of school, and 14 percent believing that going to university is ‘the easiest thing to do’. Young people are listing two main reasons for going to
