Education: What's the point?

I was applying for a BBC Internship recently that meant I would be helping with popular childs TV program, Blue Peter. After lots of work experience and reaching education at a foundation diploma level, I was surprised when I read the following two statements in the job criteria:

For those who find the font too small, I'll just rewrite those out for you.

"Anyone with- or without- GCSE's or A levels is eligible to apply. In fact you may not even have a GCSE qualification in English and Maths (A-C) but you'll need to be able to work at this level"

"You are not eligible to apply if you already received or are currently working towards a Level 4 or equivalent qualification (i.e. degree or foundation degree, Level 4 apprenticeship) and above." 

Okay, okay so yes, at first this seems completely commendable. It shows that massive media corporations are willing to take on people who may not have had the opportunity to receive a good education, or may have diverted from the expected educational route. That's great and really commendable, as not everyone goes beyond GCSE's, for a whole multitude of reasons. Not everyone goes to university, or studies beyond compulsory education, and that is fine. 

What's not okay is that at the same time, they are penalising those who do choose to continue with further education! Myself, I did not attend university, but I have studied a level 4 foundation diploma...and thanks to my eagerness to further my education, I can now no longer apply for what would be an excellent job that, other than being over educated, I am totally qualified to do. 

It's not the first time I have seen this either- it is common on many media based applications, including the BBC, Sky and Channel 4. Sky and Channel 4's small print even goes as far as to say- in so many words- that it favours ethnic minorities and people with disabilities over anyone else who applies! 

I find this incredulous. Not because I am racist or discriminatory towards any kind of person, because I definitely am not. But to me, a job application should be based entirely on the experience you have and the quality of your application. If qualifications are needed, it should be based on those as well, but I understand that these are not always relevant. 

Why should somebody get a job over me because they have had less of an education than me? If I had paid for university, I would be fuming. If I had paid for further education to boost my employment chances, to see an application that stated what I have screenshot above, I would be beyond angry. So you're penalised for being educated? Wonderful. If this sort of thing does anything, it encourages people not to get a proper education because they know they can get a good job with a good company regardless!

I understand that this helps people who haven't had the chance to receive education beyond GCSE's, I do, and like I've said, I think that's great! But don't exclude those who have been able to get further education! If its about equal opportunities, then just make a basic application form and ask about experience that each applicant has had, qualities they possess and forget about qualifications altogether. That is more fair than excluding someone who has tried to better their opportunities! 

There we go. Rant over. I'd be interested to hear what you guys think- am I being unreasonable or is this unfair? Let me know in the comments below! 

Love from,

Florence Grace