This week sees sixth formers in England finding out their A Level results.

For some, that means getting into their university of choice.

For many others, it means accepting a place at a second or third choice university.

And for those with poorer results, it means not going to university at all.

But we’d like to ask why obtaining a university degree is so important?

Partly, we think, it’s because parents want the best for their children…and assume that going to university is the best option.

Partly, schools are judged on the percentage of pupils who go onto higher education, and so encourage pupils to have that aspiration.

And, for school leavers themselves, college or university offers several years of fun!

Vocational

But why bother because, apart from vocational degrees in, say, law or accountancy, few people actually use their degrees?

And, it’s pretty expensive.  In 2018, 69% of college students in the USA took out student loans and graduated with an average debt of $29,800.

In England, it’s worse.  Graduates leave university with an average debt of £50,800.

Instead, we’d like to make the case for a career in fine woodworking.

The first step is enrolling in a furniture school such as the Chippendale school.

Our 30-week professional course teaches everything you’ll need to learn to become a professional woodworker after graduation.

Not only that, but we have incubation spaces at the school for graduates to set up in business.

That’s years of expense saved, with the prospect of earning money after only one year.

We don’t look for prior woodworking experience.  All we look for are people who are practical and unafraid of hard work.

Over the past few years, we’ve had school leavers from both the UK and Germany come to us.

Support

Such is the quality of our student support packages that we make especially sure that younger students obtain the right accommodation and medical cover.

In other words, we look after our students.  That’s important, because parents and guardians expect that support.

The Australian actress Margo Robbie, bucked the established system and went straight into acting.

She recently said that “I didn’t want to spend money I didn’t have, on a subject I didn’t want to do, only to be paying back debt for the rest of my life.”

She also called going to university as an invisible rule, and we agree with her.

Why spend four years obtaining a qualification in a subject you’re never going to use?

Instead, with us, you could qualify in one year and then do something fun and fulfilling.

Many of our students are men and women who have been through university and then worked for several years in unrewarding jobs.

It’s only then that they admit that dreams are there to be followed and finally enroll with us.

The fact is that academic further education isn’t for everyone.

So, we’d argue instead for a career in fine furniture design and making.

A professional course at the Chippendale school allows you to do just that.

It’s a skilled and professional career path that offers a lifetime of fulfilment.

The first step is to contact us and the good news is that we have a couple of places remaining for our 2019/20 course which starts in October.

The bad news is that they will be filled soon.  So, better hurry before it’s too late for this year.