RBI Grade B Officer (General / DEPR / DSIM) 2022 · Question 190 of 276

Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these. The United Kingdom aspires to be a knowledge economy working at the top of the production chain. The government has lifted student number caps to create more university places. For those who prefer a work-based route to higher skills, there are new degree apprenticeships. This is great. It’s essential that young people get the best possible preparation for adult life and the opportunity to embark on interesting and satisfying careers. But the number of 18- years olds in the UK population is falling, and the Office for National Statistics predicts that more than a third of the UK workforce will be over 50 by 2020, so we also need to consider those already in the workplace. Politicians are beginning to take notice. One of the Labour leaders has called for a National Education Service or learners at every stage of life, and the current government is considering whether the time is right to look again at "lifetime learning" support in its most recent budget. As part of this support, politicians have promised that – in addition to the loans already available for further and higher education – it will introduce loans for level 3 to 6 training in further education, part- time second degrees in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects, and postgraduate taught masters courses. So why not introduce lifetime learning accounts for everyone? As with further and higher education loans, the money could go straight from the government to a reputable provider – preventing fraud – and would be repaid by the student once they were earning above a certain income, increasing affordability. Sadly, the last attempt to provide support to learners in this way ended in disaster. The Labour government’s 1997 manifesto promised “individual learning accounts” – a fairly small amount of public money, supplemented by an individual’s own savings, that could be used to pay for training, for example, by women returning to the workforce. Although the basic idea made sense, money was lost to fraud, the government was accused of incompetence and the whole policy became toxic. New "skills accounts" were introduced in 2008-09, but provided little more than careers information for graduates. If so, many past initiatives have failed, why bother introducing new ones? There are several potential benefits, not least making the system simpler by putting financial support for further and higher education in one place. These accounts could also provide a convenient vehicle for new or exceptional funding. When a major company goes under, the government usually provides support to retrain people who have lost their jobs. Instead of providing money to the bureaucracy, an entitlement could go directly into the workers’ accounts, making it easier for them to control their route into a new job. It’s unlikely that the government will change the system in one fell swoop – and probably inadvisable that it should. But little by little, new flexibilities could be introduced. Loans could have an affordable cap, and could be drawn down throughout students’ lives as required. Those who are uncomfortable with carrying a lot of debt could draw money in modules, paying each one off before moving on to the next. There would have to be a more collaborative mindset, with universities and colleges actively encouraged to work together to create clear progression routes. This could work for both parties: universities could help students to convert their further study into degrees and colleges would be able to help people with professional degrees access appropriate professional development. These measures would make it possible for us all to learn throughout our lives and be more resilient to the ups and downs of the modern labour market. Let’s recognise that jobs are no longer for life and education is not just for the young. In the following question, the italicised sentence in the second paragraph of the passage has been divided into four segments. There may be an error in one of the segments. Find the part with the error. If the sentence is correct, mark the answer as ‘No er ror’. With which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree? I. Previous initiatives to help learners of all ages have been beset by problems, but it’s time to look at new models for a shifting employment landscape. II. The future of the knowledge economy of the UK is bleak as the number of young people is drastically declining. III. The government is reluctant to create a smooth process through which maximum people can benefit from lifelong learning schemes.

Reading Comprehension

1. AA. Only ICorrect
2. BB. Only II
3. CC. Only III
4. DD. Both I and II
5. EE. None of these