Rob JohnstonRob Johnston, chief executive of the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce:  No. I think there was an argument for them at one point, because they allowed university leavers to get life experiences that they might not have had at school and university.

But they have to be careful because it is also taking them out of the labour market and it might not be so easy for them to get back into it.

A lot of young people come back and find it difficult to readjust.

It disconnects you at a time when you are really attractive to an employer.

Someone who has just achieved a science degree will be very attuned and in a position of learning and it is a good time to go into business, particularly for a professional career.

A lot of businesses like to recruit people straight from university.

If you are doing something focussed and are attaining life skills, that is a good thing to be getting.

Some people argue that you come back a more rounded person for experiencing the world and there is value in that.

But it can look a bit like an indulgence.

If you end university and have nothing lined up for work and go on a gap year to do something constructive, that is a good thing.

But if you are just going on a long holiday and come back completely zoned out, that’s not good.

Just to disappear for a year can be a problem for employers who are looking for someone who is receptive to learn.


Fiona BoyleFiona Boyle, employability manager, University of Cumbria:  We would always recommend and encourage students to plan any work experience to get the most out of it.

It may be the first chance some of the students can go abroad and do something for a longer period than just going on holiday.

Travelling abroad and having that experience does give you that opportunity to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds that you would not otherwise get.

It also involves skills employers are seeking, such as planning, being flexible, communicating with people, decision-making and coping skills. Life skills.

Some may work for a non-governmental organisation, it is all important in terms of life experience.

In terms of a student making the most of that experience, it is something universities can help students to realise.

It is important that you can reflect on that gap year and articulate what you gained from it to an employer.

In terms of a negative response from an employer about gap years, I’m not aware of specific negative comments.

A lot of what you get from a gap year is to do with the skills you are gaining as part of that year.

In terms of life experience and coping skills, they are the skills that employers are looking for.


Adam LewisAdam Lewis, University of Cumbria Students’ Union research and communications co-ordinator:  I think it all depends on the individual and what sort of career they hope to go into.

A lot of people leave school and have got no idea what they want to do. I don’t think that’s anybody’s fault. It’s just inevitable.

Some young people when they leave school at 16 or 18, end up doing something they don’t want to do.

Whether that’s starting careers or apprenticeships they don’t feel they’re right for, they feel pressured into doing something.

Gap years have a place for people to go and get some life experience and take that bit of time to figure out what they want to do.

At 18 I think it’s rare that they can be 100 per cent sure of what will make them happy for the next 30 or 40 years. If it takes a year of travelling, then why not?

A lot of them are doing it for humanitarian reasons, to enhance the lives of other people.

That can change the way they feel about what they want to do. It can broaden people’s horizons.


Amyn FazalAmyn Fazal, chief executive, Penrith Building Society:  I never took a gap year from university.

I’ve got three children who are in their 20s now. None of them had gap years.

But all of them have done different things in terms of gaining that experience of life.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be for a whole year. My daughter who’s the eldest did a lot of travelling at university and afterwards.

She saw different cultures and different ways of doing things.

I’ve not seen any firm evidence that gap years help people’s career prospects.

If you are young you might not be really ready to be thinking about a career.

You’ve got another string to your bow if you’ve done travelling.

I’m not saying I’m only going to take somebody who’s done a gap year.

It’s whatever extracurricular things people have done and whether they’ve come out of university with more than just a degree.

That could be a Saturday job or some volunteering. It certainly doesn’t have to be a gap year.