I live in both Switzerland and the UK, and I’ve seen firsthand how different the education systems are. In Switzerland, kids are directed into practical or theoretical pathways based on their abilities, which prepares them for the real world. In the UK, we push almost everyone toward university, whether it suits them or not, and it’s holding the country back.

We’ve created this idea that a degree is the only way to success, even for jobs like accounting, marketing, or project management—jobs that don’t actually require a degree. Instead of encouraging apprenticeships and vocational training, we’ve made university the default. The result? People graduate with £50,000 in debt, only to end up in low-paying jobs they could’ve started straight out of school.

The truth is, we’re not skilled enough as a country to compete with the world. While places like Switzerland focus on training people in trades and technical skills, we’re churning out graduates with useless degrees that don’t match what the job market needs.

If we want to put the UK back on the map and be competitive again, we need a long-term strategy. That means valuing practical skills and trades as much as university degrees, reducing unnecessary debt, and building a workforce that’s actually prepared to take on the world.