UNIVERSITIES AND CAREERS IN SCOTLAND
By J. R. PEDDIE
IT is unnecessary for anyone who would write on education in Scotland to emphasize the strength of the country's University tradition. For centuries there has persisted an honourable endeavour on the part of parents to send their children to the Universities, not solely, perhaps, for the sake of the training, but also for the material rewards that would follow on the acquisition of a degree. Even in the face of the unemployment among University graduates, especially during the past three years, it is not easy to make parents realize that to gain a University degree is no sure passport to a job.
But while, in general, that remains the general position, there arc undeniable signs that University education in relation to employment is being much more closely scrutinized than previously. For illustration, take the position of the entrants on the Arts side over a series of years. In 1921-22 there entered on courses in Arts at the four Scottish Universities 994 students (374 men and 690 women). That figure gradually rose till a " Oak " year was reached in 1927-28, when no fewer than 1812 (820 men and 992 women) began study. Since that date it is significant that the figure has gradually dwindled until, at the beginning of the current session, the number of entrants had come back to 1,128 (603 men and 525 women). ; One very noticeable feature has been the de- cline inthe women entrants, so much so that for 1933L34 there were actually fewer women entrants in Arts than in the session 1921-22.
The immediate .cause of this fall in numbers is un- doubtedly. the existing unemployment among teachers, a very large proportion of whom now take a University degree. . After the War there was a shortage of teachers, and the Secondary Schools were encouraged to send forward. promising pupils for University graduation with a view to a career in teaching. .The local Education Authorities gave generous grants from public funds, and the, entrants increased with great rapidity. Additional teachers were being taken into the schools to meet new developments, and for a time it seemed that Scotland could absorb 1,600 new teachers annually. More recent experience, however, has made it clear that there never was any justification for the huge numbers who entered the Arts Faculties of the Universities about 1928, and there would have been unemployment among young teachers even if no financial crisis had emerged in 1931. The doubt about the raising of the school-leaving-age to 15 years did not help matters, and today there is a new element of uncertainty arising from the proposals to set up, JuniOr Instruction Centres under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour for boys and girls leaving school at 14. When these centres arc in full swing, a considerable number of additional teachers will be required and the ultimate prospects may be reasonably good. But cf the men and women finishing their training this year, it is not anticipated that more than one half will get posts within a short period. The others may expect to be gradually ahsorbed within about eighteen months, Nit even then there may be a residuum of 10 per cent. for whom the prOspectS are' riot good. The brightest, spot as 'regards' eMployment is the Faculty of Medicine. Reports from the four Universities indicate that students now finishing their- Medical course are likely to be absorbed without difficulty. A word of warning is, however, necessary. The Universities are now limiting the entry of medical students, but even so, the opinion is freely expressed that, in the absence of social legislation involving more employment for doctors, there is considerable danger of a glut before long._ The position in chemistry and engineering is more difficult to estimate. Recently the employment of graduates in these fields has increased. But in both spheres the position is complicated by the fact that, during the worst of the slump, a large number of Univer- sity graduates with several years' practical experience lost their jobs. They have not yet been re-absorbed and are competing with the newly qualified men for junior posts. The University authorities are hopeful that the revival in industry will improve the outlook, but it would be wrong to expect any tremendous advance in the rate of absorption.
In Law promotion is very slow, and in Chartered Accountancy the same holds true. As regards the Church, it may be said without disrespect that the absence of opportunity in other professions has tended to fill the Divinity Halls with students to a degree undreamt of only a few years ago. As a result. the numbers of pro- bationers may, in the coming years, prove to be much greater than the vacancies to be filled.
In Commerce the financial crisis has, of course, tem- porarily closed many doors. Much hard work in the Scottish Universities has gone to the firmer cementing of the alliance between Commerce and the Universities, with results frequently promising, but sometimes very depressing. The number of commercial posts available has never been large, but the Universities are making strong efforts to develop this side of their work, and, given a genuine revival in trade, they look for increasing scope for their graduates in this field.
In writing this article one is acutely aware of the bleak influence of the past three years. Undue pessimism would be out of place. Yet it is hard to resist the con- chiSion that, taking the Scottish UniverSities as a whole, the numbers coming forward have been seriously in excess of the appointments available, either in Scotland or beyond its borders. Generaliiation is not easy. The smallest University—St. Andrews—has relatively little unemployment among its graduates. The largest—Glas- gow—on the other hand, situated amid the hard-hit west of Scotland, has passed through a difficult period. A few years of material prosperity would make an enormous difference in the entire outlook. There will always be openings for the best students. But for the average student the prospects are problematic. Facts have to be faced, 'and all bodies and individuals connected with education in Scotland ought to be -asking themselves earnestly whether the University tradition in Scotland is not sending forward to these seats of learning many students for whom disillusionment is inevitable. In this field, as in others, some • relation must be established between supply and deinand:
Previous page
