Last week's poll: is the Dyson institute a breath of fresh air?

Last week we reported on James Dyson’s plans to open his own institute to train engineers at Dyson HQ in Wiltshire.

Set to open in 2017, the Dyson Institute of Technology will operate in partnership with Warwick University and offer engineering degrees to 25 students a year.

For the vast majority of respondents to our poll (63 per cent), the initiative was seen as a welcome move that demonstrates how industry can be more proactive in tackling skills shortages.

Just under a fifth (18 per cent) were less impressed, agreeing that many large firms already run such initiatives, whilst 14 per cent thought that Dyson’s students could miss out on the advantages of a broader education.

The remaining five per cent could not find a fit with the options presented in the poll.

David Pring: The company I work for takes on two apprentices every year and trains them up to degree level, while offering them practical engineering experience and a salary. This is the way forward, so we need more companies to invest in apprentice training. Graduating from University with no practical experience and a huge debt is not the way to go.