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Originally Posted by garinda
Both Scotland and Wales have now scrapped the student loan scheme, that Labour introduced in 1997, and have returned to means tested maintenance grants.
I have an honours degree, and it did ultimately give me access to a career I loved. However I know plenty of people who achieved similar success by starting on the shop floor, so to speak, and did better than those who spent three or four years doing a degree.
In theory I think the old means tested maintenance grants were fairer than the new student loan system, in that it allowed more people, from differing backgrounds, greater access to further education. It's okay starting your working life with a £25,000 debt if you're destined for a well paid job in the City, but it must put people off other careers, teaching for example, which aren't as well paid.
Further education isn't for everyone, nor should it be, but it should be accessible to those who want it, irrespective of how well off your parents are.
The student loan scheme does allow that, but I think the old maintenance grant scheme allowed a more inclusive for all access to further education, and I think the government were wrong to scrap the grant system.
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Public services like teaching, nursing and police-related courses, just to name a few of the obvious ones, are generally more financially supported by the government. I lived next door to 4 PGCE students last year who got quite large grants for doing their course.
Where as I for example have to fork out £10,000 (on average) to pay for my course after university and then support myself somehow. Some law students get training contracts with large firms who can afford to pay these costs but these are limited.
Shame how you can get more support for wanting to be a teacher but if you want to be a lawyer you still have to compete against the old boys...