Should higher education funding be shifted to prioritise vocational and apprenticeship routes?

The government has set a target for two-thirds of young people to take gold-standard apprenticeships or attend university by age 25, while modernising campuses and restoring colleges. Apprenticeship starts have fallen nearly 40% since 2015, with Level 2 routes down 72%, and £400 million annually spent on Level 7 postgraduate courses. Skills shortages cost the economy £30-39 billion yearly, with 76% of employers unable to fill vacancies.