“Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability”

Marcus Aurelius

How ironic, considering his background.

Rather irrelevant- as posted many times above, the education will give you a foothold on the ladder.
Would the company you work for now hire a trainee direct from school, no university education, for example.

An aside, regarding unpaid interns, the Yankee investment bank my wife is working at at the moment has brought unpaid interns across from the US for a few months to help with some regulatory work, and to reduce contractor costs. I am rather surprised that the is legal.

Would the company you work for now hire a trainee direct from school, no university education, for example.

yes, some quite senior people in our company now started here as apprentices. we continue to take on 4-5 apprentices a year.

“Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability”

Marcus Aurelius

Well it’s an opinion. Does he have any data to back it up?

yes, some quite senior people in our company now started here as apprentices. we continue to take on 4-5 apprentices a year.

Sorry, that was intended for Kryton, who, I think has some sort of white-collar job.

yes, some quite senior people in our company now started here as apprentices. we continue to take on 4-5 apprentices a year.

Again yes. Now 45 and relatively successful I started on the venerable YTS scheme at £16 a week with 5 C grade GSCE’s to my name in 1990. I’m now a leading UK SME/Account manager for a US Fortune 500 company, having previously worked in professional services for 20 years, ending up successfully leading European teams and experts before moving to Sales.

Well it’s an opinion. Does he have any data to back it up?

Well look, there me as stated and I’m not the only one am I.

I’d take on an apprentice, and our company does.

Well look, there me as stated and I’m not the only one am I.

Irrefutable statistical proof no less…

Again yes. Now 45 and relatively successful I started on the venerable YTS scheme at £16 a week with 5 C grade GSCE’s to my name in 1990. I’m now a leading UK SME/Account manager for a US Fortune 500 company, having previously worked in professional services for 20 years, ending up successfully leading European teams and experts before moving to Sales.

So, what’s the current entry point for a school leaver- is it some sort of apprenticeship?
I’m generally curious whether many organisations still have a formal way in to a ‘professional’ career without a degree.

In my “intake” at work there were two school leavers (inc me) and three graduates. Out of that group I progressed furthest. The degrees weren’t in anything related to the job though. That might make a difference in this sort of comparison?

I was once told by a Senior Manager that I “wouldn’t get anywhere” in the company because I didn’t have a degree. It was a different story two years later when he was practically begging me to join his department to sort it out.

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