When Nithila Santosh’s youngest son was in primary school he asked his fellow pupils, many of whom were from South Asia, what they wanted to become when they get older.
“Everyone said they wanted to do either engineering or something in the medical field,” Mrs Santosh said.
“Asian parents make the choice for their children - that they will study engineering or medicine. Quite a few parents would like their children to do engineering.
“My son has already told me he is not going to do that,” the 45-year-old added.
Degree education is often considered to be of great value by Indian families. The thought substituting a degree for an apprenticeship therefore may not bode well for many.
Last month the UK Civil Service launched degree-level apprenticeships in economics for students who would prefer to study for a degree while working for central government departments.
The programme will be delivered in partnership with the University of Kent and will be open to candidates with grade B(6) in GCSE maths and 96 UCAS points, equivalent to three Cs at A-level.
Mrs Santosh youngest son is yet to start his degree education. She expressed concern when asked if she would prefer an apprenticeship over a degree for her son.
“He may or may not like like the apprenticeship after taking it up. His friends might be graduating and he would be doing an apprenticeship.
“I find the culture here, when they go to university, they are free and independent, but when they go for an apprenticeship they are stuck with a schedule.
“After some time he might come back saying that I want to go to university.”
However, she says it is a decision that her son would have to make for himself.
“I won’t be standing in his way if he is happy. He hasn’t decided his career yet.
“If he thinks an apprenticeship would work out for him, I might not go all out but if he is okay with it I will support him.
“Almost 90% of Asian parents want their children to go to university. I would give like a 50/50 backing.”
The new economics apprenticeship is part of the government’s attempt to tackle lack of diversity in civil service.
Latest figures show that 53.9% of civil servants are women, 12% are from ethnic minorities and 10% are disabled. The Civil Service said representation of ethnic minorities has increased from 9.2% in 2010.
Any 17-year-olds who want to apply for the new economics apprenticeship can expect a salary of over £20,000, and about £22,000 for those in London.
Around 75 new starters are expected to take up posts from autumn 2019 across government departments.
Osama Rahman, chief scientific advisor at the Department for education, told the Financial Times: “This is not a minor thing… a hearts and minds challenge.
“The aim is to recruit those who wouldn’t have thought about a career with the government economic service.”
However, it has been reported that if degree apprenticeships become mainstream, employers will find it harder to ensure that schemes aid diversity.
One of the potential risks that has been noted is that such schemes will be swamped by high-achieving students, who would have otherwise gone to university, as they offer a financial advantage over student debt.
Chancellor Phillip Hammond said: “I want talented young people from all backgrounds to be able to access careers in government.
“As the Treasury launches the government’s first ever economics apprenticeship, we will grow a new generation of economists who can apply their skills and knowledge to the opportunities and challenges in this country.”
The Department of Education has been approached for a comment.
