SEEING your (now adult) child go off to university at this time of year is a great achievement for you as a parent.

Mixed feelings of pride and worry arise.

However the world of higher education is changing and now students wishing to complete a degree (and research shows that it will more than pay for itself for the vast majority) have more alternatives than ever.

Degrees can be studied over six years (for example part-time while working) or two (have you seen the new Fast-Track provision?).

They can be on campus (traditional), on-line (growing market) or more recent in the workplace, known as ‘higher level apprenticeships’.

The latter is just making an appearance and means that you can ‘earn and learn’ and the fees are covered.

All companies over a £3 million wage bill will pay a levy to support apprenticeship programmes from April 2017.

You can use that money for training, or if you don’t then it gets allocated to small companies to support them with apprentices.

So Warrington this is your chance to sort out your skills gaps and develop your workforce of the future.

In terms of paying, then it’s use it or lose it time.

  •  LAWRENCE Bellamy is associate dean at the University of Chester's Padgate campus and writes a regular column for business