Thinking of engineers here, and the clamoring for more engineering degrees, anyone teaching the discipline would as a rule be imparting knowledge of no practical use.

FORBES: Sorry Left AND Right, No Job Requires A College Degree

The technology revolution increased the need for people with knowledge of science, mathematics and engineering, but the number of degrees granted in these hard majors is roughly stagnant.

FORBES: The Six Classes That Will Make Any College Grad Employable

Critics of the idea also point out that, unlike America, Britain already has a reasonably standardised exam system, which is designed to instil the sort of specialist knowledge that British undergraduate degrees tend to require.

ECONOMIST: Talent spotting

Most new defense jobs at home turned out to be in data collection and intelligence, which required college degrees and specialized knowledge, or in the low-paying realm of airport and building security.

NEWYORKER: Coming Apart

Yet to varying degrees, these same media logics can also sometimes be found in the work of knowledge journalists with important implications for understanding both their popularity and impact.

FORBES: How Super-Achieving 'Knowledge Journalists' Shape Our Thinking

It is more important that universities are satisfied that A-levels enable young people to start their undergraduate degrees having gained the right knowledge and skills, than that ministers are able to influence content or methods of assessment.

BBC: Michael Gove wants universities to create new A-levels