Tomorrow will be nail-bitingly tense for teenagers across the district, who will finally get their hands on that slip of paper that determines their fate.

According to recent figures by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, more than a third of those graduating last year are unemployed or underemployed, working in roles which don’t require a degree.

Yet, despite the gloomy employment outlook – and three years of tuition fees costing up to £27,000 – it seems school-leavers are largely undeterred from applying to university, with UCAS revealing a drop of only 3.5 per cent in applications among 18-year-olds.

In a survey of 16 to 18-year-olds, 79 per cent planned to go to university, believing it was still the best pathway to a job.

With school-leavers facing the prospect of long-term debt and unemployment, the advice from youth organisations is to consider other options too.

The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is urging school-leavers to consider vocational education and apprenticeships as a way of securing employment and a qualification. Chief executive Jane Scott Paul said: “With the average student debt rising to £45,000 and a degree no longer a guaranteed pathway into finding a job, university is not the attractive option it once was. The reality is that graduates are ending up in menial and low-skilled jobs for which a degree is just not necessary.

“We need to ask ourselves if we are channelling our young people in the right direction when there are alternatives available. Apprenticeships are proving to be a viable option for young people looking to secure long-term employment and improve their future career prospects.”

Adam Hook, 21, joined an accountancy apprenticeship scheme at Bradford supermarket Morrisons instead of going to university.

The store cash control analyst, who works at the chain’s Gain Lane headquarters, completed an AAT qualification over the three-year training scheme. He said his employer supported his studies and gave him time off to attend classes and prepare for exams.

“I made the decision not to go to university as I wanted to start working and earning a wage. I was always interested in numbers and accountancy but didn’t want to commit to a university degree,” said Adam. “I knew this pathway would result in a formal qualification with AAT and, better yet, I would have no student debt.”

Advisers from youth support service Connexions will be in schools across the district tomorrow, helping young people with the clearing process or with taking steps towards other options.

Shazia Qureshi, education services manager at the Connexions centre on Thornton Road, Bradford, says for those students who haven’t got the grades they need, it’s a time to take stock and consider alternatives to university.

“A lot of A-level students have only ever considered university, and for some it’s a case of going through clearing or going for a different course, but there are other options too,” she said. “There are good apprenticeship schemes out there, and you can end up going to university through some of them, with an employer funding your degree.

“Our personal advisers will be on hand at the centre and in schools, to help young people look at various options and make the right decision for them.”

For the best chance of securing one of the limited places expected on the University of Bradford’s clearing process, helpline supervisor Rachel Lister offers these top tips:

  • Draw up a list of alternative options available.
  • Think about where you want to go and what the university you’re looking at has to offer. Is there an opportunity for a placement year? What are the graduate prospects? Will you be using state-of-the-art equipment? Who will you be taught by?
  • Recognise that if you’re not getting offers for a course, due to your grades, you might need to rethink your chosen subject area or university you’re reapplying to.
  • Make sure you’re contactable and can find information easily. Be close to a phone and computer.
  • Stay calm. A-level results day and clearing can be daunting. Ringing up universities for a place through clearing might be the last thing you feel like doing. Remember, thousands of other students will be in the same position and universities deal with clearing every year. You may not end up going to the university you’d planned, but it could end up being the best thing that ever happened to you.”

To the young people nervous about tomorrow, the message from Bradford College is “stay calm and don’t panic”.

“Every year, thousands of other students find themselves in the same situation (clearing) and find a place on a suitable course through the process,” said a spokesman. “Bradford College has a limited number of places left on some of its higher education courses.”

  • l Bradford Connexions is on (01274) 377800, and for Keighley Connexions ring (01535) 618100.

On GCSE results day, on Thursday, August 23, parents and students can attend an advice session at Bradford Connexions Centre, Culture Fusion Information and Advice Centre, 125 Thornton Road, Bradford, from 4pm to 7pm.

Bradford College’s clearing helpline is (01274) 433444 from 7.30am tomorrow.

The Bradford University clearing helpline is 0800 073 1225 or 0300 456 2666.