Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer. What, in your opinion should be the main function of a university?

Nowadays, almost every position at work requires specific knowledge and a certain set of skills. It is believed by some individuals that

this

should be provided by universities, while others are of opinion that the major objective of an educational institution is simply to educate without a particular vocation in mind. In my opinion, universities should fulfil both purposes. When enrolling at university, some students are more decisive than others in terms of the job they wish to practice.

For example

, medicine, dentistry and accountancy have clear career paths and they allow people to focus on and

then

undertake a certain profession upon graduation.

This

suits those who decided on a career and avoids them wasting time studying more general subjects

such

as English and sociology.

Thus

, for some students, the main function of vocational courses at university is to avoid waste of time, that would have been better used focusing on their chosen discipline.

However

,

this

is unsuitable for a certain proportion of people who have no idea what job they would like to do when they are older.

For instance

, recent empirical research by The Times reported that only 50% of law graduates actually want to become a lawyer at the end of their studies.

This

is why it would be better for young people, who are uncertain about their future career, to do a non-vocational study,

such

as philosophy and simply add to their intellect.

Therefore

, providing scholars with comprehensive general knowledge is another major purpose of universities. In conclusion, I firmly believe that the function of college is both to prepare students for the labour market and provide knowledge and which one a person chooses should depend on their preferences at that time.