Yet another review?

I welcome the Wolf Review of Vocational Education but fear that, like all well intentioned moves to bring about greater recognition  of Vocational Education, little if anything will change. The good thing about this review is that the Coalition Government wants to  encourage greater participation in qualifications which equip people with technical skills. They believe that this will help improve the nation’s ability to compete in a global economy.

In order to do so, we must have the types of businesses which require higher level technical skills. Many BACH members will have experienced the difficulty of trying to find employers willing to take on apprentices. This begs the question that if we encourage more people to pursue a vocational education where will they be able to practise their skills if the employers are not there to provide the work place where competencies can be assessed.

School teachers, parents and others in our society still believe that A levels are the most important measure for ability. It is difficult to see how a culture focused on the gold standard built up over many years is likely to change this.

There is some evidence to show that change is in the wind now and that many young people leave university with a degree but are unable to find employment. Employers complain that they do not have what they are looking for. I listened to the Head of Personnel from a major supermarket chain talk about their experience of trying to recruit 20 managers for their graduate recruitment programme. They had hundreds of applicants and at the end of the selection process were unable to appoint to the vacant positions.

What then are the skills individuals are getting at University, and is a Higher Education experience preparing all students for the world of work? One of my daughters is studying for her degree at a well known University in London. One of her house mates has one lecture per week and is then left to determine what he does with the rest of his time. Is this really a good use of his time and are there structures in place where the discipline and skills for an individual to become an effective employee exist?

It could be argued that when the Coalition Government talks about raising the profile of vocational education, that what they are really saying is that they want young people better equipped for the world of work. I would contend that time spent in any sphere of our education system should result in the recipient learning what employers are looking for. Maybe through the Wolf Review it is time to determine that work skills should form a mandatory part of our education system.

Sector Skills Councils

Do Sector Skills Councils really represent the interests of employers or are they turning into supporters of cartels?

New technologies require new skills and it seems that, if some SSCs have their way, existing employers will be the sole beneficiaries of those who can become qualified. It is right that the safety of the public is not put at risk by unqualified individuals. But then the solution is for the SSCs to seek ways of increasing the supply of suitably qualified individuals rather than look after existing employer interests by making access to training dependent upon existing skills.

What we are seeing is growth by manufacturing companies training individuals to install their products and that many of these individuals have no prior experience in the related industry. Maybe the SSCs should embrace these changes and help support appropriately qualified people?

Let me know your views.

Ray Dowd