McDonald’s executive calls for end to education ‘snobbery’
Head of McDonald’s British division Jill McDonald called for an end to education ‘snobbery’ that leads many employers to favour graduates over those with less education at a conference last week, reported The Guardian.
During a talk for the Institute of Directors’ annual conference, McDonald said that many businesses were missing out on a huge pool of talent because they fail to see past academic credentials, and that some youth may be better off in the workforce than pursuing a degree.
“We need to acknowledge the road many young people take today may not be the one we took in the past,” McDonald said.
“We need to remove the snobbery that does down workplace learning. For many put off by high fees, this could and should be the route they take.”
She said that companies such as McDonald’s offer “not just jobs but careers”, pointing out that over half of the fast-food company’s executive team started out at as trainees flipping burgers.
McDonald stressed that she was ‘definitely’ not saying that people should not go to university. “I am definitely not saying that people shouldn’t go to university if they have the opportunity to do so but I do believe it might not be the route for everyone” she said, according to Financial News.