ABSTRACT
The massification of higher education has over promised and under delivered. Within most of our tertiary sectors globally we now have an unhelpful imbalance between the provision of academic and vocational qualifications. The graduate class of politicians, policymakers and journalists have sacrificed the artisans’ class polytechnic and technical education to languish, in favour of university education as the preferred panacea for social mobility. Within the UK, this deteriorating situation was further compounded by a paucity of vision from our graduate class for craft qualifications, technical training, apprenticeships and adult education.
The left behind generation has therefore remained left behind, especially white, working class males. Their plight will be further exacerbated with the roll out of industry 4.0 and automation. However, the tectonic plates of populism and elitism are shifting more favourably in Scotland. Its enlightened and more socially inclusive tertiary education ecosystem is heralding a new renaissance in technical and professional education. In particular, the emergence in Glasgow of a super college, a new hybrid tertiary institution, promises a step change in employability education on an industrial scale.
