First the banks,now Branson to take on universities

I see that Richard Branson has been imparting advice on higher education to the government and youth unemployment to the Chancellor.

He told the Independent on Sunday that

he will create a "lost generation" of young people who will never know work unless he takes radical steps in next week's Autumn Statement to kick-start the economy.

and amongst his ideas are

making it easier for companies to employ workers on a part-time and flexible basis, cutting the time spent at university in half and the creation of a new government body to underwrite micro-finance for people who want to start their own businesses.

All good stuff but unlikely that the people in charge of higher education will want the University courses cut by half.

Branson is of course already under the spotlight over Virgin money's purchase of Northern Rock last week by which he means to shale up the banking industry,something incidentallly he promised when Virgin launched its online banking many moons ago