Universities have reacted to the Conservative proposal of cutting “rip-off” university degrees to raise money for more apprenticeships.
The Conservatives have promised to scrap one in eight university courses with high drop-out rates, low career uptake, and low earning potential, if they were to win the General Election in July.
The money saved by the cuts would be reinvested into 100,000 apprenticeships according to their proposal.
Brighton Pavilion Labour candidate Tom Gray hit out at the proposed Conservative cuts, warning that it would lead to job losses.
He claimed that this could put the 2,000 jobs and 250 courses at the University of Sussex at risk.
Mr Gray said: “The Government urgently needs to come clean on this latest half-baked announcement by the Conservatives.
“Which courses at Sussex are going to be cut? How many job losses will there be? How many local businesses will feel the pinch as students stay away?”
A spokeswoman from the University of Sussex said: “The University of Sussex does not believe that this proposal would have any impact at all at Sussex.
“The University of Sussex has a high-performing educational portfolio.
“It was rated ‘silver’ in the sector regulator’s Teaching Excellence Framework which means that, typically, the experience students have at the university, and their outcomes are very high quality.
“The regulator, the Office for Students, imposes minimum quality conditions on all universities, and the University of Sussex more than meets them all.
“The university already offers apprenticeships and is seeking to expand this provision alongside our existing high-quality provision.
“We are, however, concerned about the broader financial position of the higher education sector and we look forward to positive proposals to address this from all political parties.”
The Argus also approached the University of Brighton and the University of Chichester about the Conservatives' proposal.
A University of Brighton spokesman said: “Both traditional university degrees and apprenticeship routes are valuable educational paths that cater to different students.
“Each route offers unique benefits and prepares students for successful careers in various sectors.
“Every degree we offer, including those in the arts and humanities, plays a crucial role in developing critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills that are highly valued across various industries.
“Employability is inbuilt into all of our degrees. As a result the University of Brighton is in the top 50 universities in England for graduate prospects.”
A spokeswoman for the University of Chichester said: "The University of Chichester received a ‘Gold’ rating in the recent National Teaching Excellence Framework administered by the Office for Students.
“This considered all of our metrics and confirmed that we have met or exceeded all of the expectations regarding the performance of our courses.
“The university remains proud of the high quality of our provision as evidenced by our consistent top 40 position in the Guardian League Table over the past four years".
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