One of the least commented on aspects of the schools chapter of the draft manifesto launched last week by David Cameron was the reference to and support for vocational and technical education. For business this was probably one of the most welcome of the many positive messages in the chapter.
One of business’s perennial criticisms of the British educational system is the inadequacy of vocational education. Concomitantly, the improvement of the technical skills levels of would-be employees has long been high on business’s wish list of priorities to help their overall competitiveness.
This was confirmed at a roundtable discussion for senior manufacturing industrialists held by Civitas, where I am the director of their manufacturing project, and the ERA Foundation which was held at the Royal Academy of Engineering last November. The top issues they believed should be tackled urgently by any incoming government included...
- competitive energy costs
- promoting the importance of manufacturing to Britain’s future
- encouraging the young to consider working in industry and
- the improvement of technical skills.
We will leave the need for competitive energy costs until another day – but changes to our secondary schools could do much to address the other three.
The neglect of satisfactory vocational pathway has run in tandem with the Government’s target of sending 50% school leavers to university. Critics of this target have been persistently dismissed as élitist and backward looking. But ironically the emphasis on the target has been divisive and élitist. By prioritizing the “school to university” route as the high-status, high-esteem mainstream route, whilst omitting to provide an equally prestigious “school to work” pathway, many who are not considered suitable for university entrance feel as if they have failed.
Unsurprisingly many school attendees become disillusioned and, partly reflecting this, a third of secondary school students failed to achieve five good GCSEs last year, despite endemic grade inflation, and currently one in ten of 16-18 year olds are not in employment, employment, education or training - the “NEETs”.
Britain’s hang-up about having selective academic and vocational pathways in secondary schools is not shared by Continental Europe. Germany for example has broadly three types of schools: vocationally oriented schools leading to apprenticeships; schools which prepare their students for middle level, non-professional careers; and schools which concentrate on preparation for university entrance. All three streams are noted for their rigour – albeit in different ways. Whilst there would be major problems is transplanting the German educational system to Britain, it must be clear from my comments so far that I feel far more must be done to improve vocational education for 14-19 year olds.
The recently introduced vocational diplomas are a step in the right direction and all efforts should be made so that they succeed as the basis for a coherent vocational pathway in schools. But they need to be less quasi-academic and have more emphasis on technical practicalities than at present.
And, another, potentially hugely important, step in the right direction is the development of “university technical colleges” for14-19 year olds, the brainchild of former Conservative education secretary Lord Baker. These will be established under the Academy programme and will be solely focused on delivering diplomas and other vocational courses. Crucially they have been endorsed in the schools chapter of the Conservative party’s draft manifesto, which has committed the party to setting up technical Academies across England, starting in the twelve biggest cities, as well as funding other vocational courses.
These are exciting, positive developments which can at last, if developed with commitment, start addressing the inadequacy of vocational education for young people. They must be given every support.
