An assumption is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. The need for a university education in order to survive is an assumption – because in reality there is plenty of evidence that suggests that you do not need university qualifications in order to make a professional success of your life.

Henry Ford, Coco Chanel, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Vidal Sassoon and Walt Disney are all examples of very famous, extremely successful entrepreneurs who made their millions without a formal education.

An expensive luxury

The problem is that higher education is now exceptionally expensive. In the States it can cost literally hundred of thousands of dollars. In the UK a three year degree will put a graduate in debt to the tune of, on average, £50,000. With an average starting salary of £24,000, that is a debt that will be hanging over the majority of people for many years to come.

In addition, there is a severe skills shortage in the UK which is worsening year on year. Studies indicate that over 80 per cent of employers struggle to find the skill and calibre of staff they require – a number that is only increasing with the growing impact of Brexit.

Creating new opportunities for growth and expansion

However, half of the London companies questioned believe that Brexit will ultimately have a positive impact on helping to close that skills gap long term, following the introduction of an apprenticeship levy that will increase the skilled talent pool. This is great news for the many businesses involved in house refurbishments in London.

The current skills gap is the direct result of a reduction in applicants for apprenticeships in traditional professions, such as plumbing, electrics and other trades. Meanwhile, many colleges took on the identity of universities, offering degrees in a wide range of different vocational skills that had no real roots in creating strong economic foundations. As a result there has been a decline in the number of practical trades, leaving gaps that have been plugged by the opening up of European borders in the early noughties.

With Brexit, there is an obvious lag between the new generation of apprenticeships reaching the right skill levels. This leaves some real opportunities for energetic, intelligent, but non academic entrepreneurial minded individuals to recognise ways in which these new opportunities can be exploited.

The key to success in this arena is not working towards an academic qualification over the course of three years, and then launch yourself into a job market which is not looking for your particular skills or knowledge, or ha very limited capacity.

Rather, the key is to get foundational knowledge and experience in a skill or trade that is in constant demand in multiple locations, and then create a system whereby you can deliver that service or trade in a way that offers expertise and value for money.

The one things that links the mindset of the most successful people, not just globally, but ordinary local people who have made good, is mindset and attitude.

They demonstrate an ability to think outside the box, to take risks. They take responsibility for the decisions that they take. They are resilient and resourceful, not seeing obstacles as problems, but as opportunities for learning and progressing. They have the patience to let events evolve, and the courage to either stand back, or jump in a change course of necessary. But most important of all, and entrepreneur has an inn ate belief in their dreams and passion – something that is not taught in our educational establishments.