Does Relevance to Work Mean Learning to Work?

This paper argues the case that the acceptance by UK government bodies of current thinking on educational theory, and a widespread student attitude towards learning that focuses on future employability but that also in a sense forsakes the very notion of study, together threaten to undermine the quality of graduate which employers have the right to expect. It would seem that the UK government is intending to compel the higher education sector, by means of selective funding but also backed by public pressure, to provide an education for its students more transparently relevant to the workplace. Academics and employers alike should seriously consider the negative implications of this policy, even if, realistically, it is unlikely that the forces driving it can be resisted.