Students 'better off taking a gap year'

Teenagers leaving school later this year have been told that they are better off taking a gap year and gaining valuable experience rather than going to university.

Simon Culhane, chief executive of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, told the London Evening Standard that most university degrees "condemn graduates to menial jobs serving coffee in Starbucks".

He went on to say that a gap year abroad would be more beneficial, as the only degrees which are worth having are firsts or 2:1s from the top 20 universities in the country.

"They would be well advised to take a gap year and then enter the industry of their choice," he added.

Mr Culhane said that skills picked up on a gap year would prepare them better for getting a job, adding that there is already a problem with the lack of positions currently available in the UK.

Earlier this month, Erica Jacobs, a teacher at George Mason University, stated that all teenagers should be encouraged to take a gap year abroad to develop themselves.

Find out about gap year benefits.

( Last Updated: 2010-03-10 15:25:57)