The comments came as John Denham, Labour’s Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills made a speech highlighting the large pool of untapped talent in the workforce which would benefit from higher education. He asserted that there are six million adults of working age currently with only A- levels or equivalent qualifications, and that there was more these workers could gain from higher education.

Current estimates suggest that a university degree is worth well over £100,000 more than having just A-Levels (after tax at today’s prices). Increasing the nation’s skills levels is vital if we are to remain globally competitive. 40% of the 2020 workforce will need degree level skills compared with 31% now. And 75% of the 2020 workforce has already left school. So we need to reach out to people already in workplace to support them to increase their skills.

Andrew Gwynne MP said:
 
“I believe that every person who has the ability to go to university should also have the opportunity to do so. Many people in the workforce didn’t get the opportunity to go to university the first time round. We are giving them a second chance.”

“In Tameside and Stockport, currently 28% of people in the working age population have degree level skills. To get to 40% we’ll need roughly another 32,000 people to up their skills. So I say to them: it’s not too late to improve your skills to get a better job and to build a better life for yourself and your family. “

Universities Secretary John Denham, said:

“Opening up the opportunity to millions of people already in the workforce is not just about enabling people to reach their full potential – it is an economic imperative too. I believe that if we are to create the high-level skills base by 2020 that the UK needs, then we must aim to give those four million people who want to go to university the chance to get one of the increasingly wide range of qualifications that higher education has to offer.”