Skills Task Force
Research Paper 5
Jungle Trekking: Vocational Courses and
Qualifications for Young People
Lorna Unwin
University of Sheffield
Centre for Research in Post-Compulsory
Education and Training
288 Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2JA
Tel 0114 222 8097
Fax: 0114 2796236
Email: l.unwin@sheffield.ac.uk
September 1999
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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Introduction
1.
The jungle-like landscape of post-compulsory education and training (PCET)
provision in the United Kingdom (UK) would prove challenging to the most
intrepid explorer. Since the late 1970s, the landscape has been affected by a
series of regular and significant policy eruptions affecting academic and
vocational curricula, the relationship between and status of education and
training providers, funding levels and targets, the roles and responsibilities of
teachers, trainers and guidance workers, and the choice and nature of routes
available to school leavers. There was an attempt in 1985 to clear the jungle
when the Review of Vocational Qualifications was established. Ironically, this
led to the introduction of yet another layer of qualifications (National
Vocational Qualifications) and did nothing to bring about the much needed
simplicity and coherence called for by employers.
2.
This paper explores the PCET landscape from the point of view of provision
for young people and with specific reference to vocational qualifications and
the work-based routes. The definition of 'young people' is problematic as the
funding for Youth Training (YT), National Traineeships and Modern
Apprenticeships is available for 16-25 year olds whereas full-time education
for school leavers is limited to 16-18 year olds. It is important to remember
that many young people can and do participate in some form of governmentsupported education and training (other than higher education) well beyond
the age of 18. The implications for the PCET system of an extended period
of transition from dependent to independent adulthood are of concern across
Europe.
3
Key questions for the paper are as follows:

Do vocational qualifications act as a barrier to young people's
participation in vocational education and training?

How credible are vocational qualifications and vocational courses in
the eyes of young people and employers?

How might vocational qualifications and vocational courses be
improved and strengthened?

How are vocational qualifications and vocational courses viewed by
education and training providers?
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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
How do vocational qualifications and vocational courses relate to their
academic counterparts and how might that relationship be improved?
4.
In order to analyse the situation of vocational qualifications and related
courses, it will also be necessary to pay some attention in the paper to the full
range of options open to young people. Two important aspects of young
people's experiences of PCET provision in the first two or three years after
completing compulsory schooling are worth noting at the beginning of the
paper: firstly, significant numbers of young people switch from their initial
post-16 destination, often within the first two or three months of leaving school
and may try up to six different options before settling (see Unwin, 1995,
Hodkinson et al, 1997, Wardman and Stevens, 1998); and secondly,
destination patterns differ considerably from region to region . The gap
between the regions widens further when destination data for 17 year olds is
examined.
5.
One of the difficulties facing researchers who investigate post-16 participation
and attainment levels is the unreliability and fragmented availability of
statistical data. Two examples illustrate this: firstly, the Qualifications and
Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the various awarding bodies have different
methods for collecting statistics on the take-up and achievement of
qualifications; and secondly, the DfEE cannot supply exact figures on
completion and drop-out rates for the Modern Apprenticeship because it relies
on the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) who differ considerably in
their response rates. At local level, every Careers Service attempts to pull
together destination data but admits that its initial snapshot of the destinations
of 16 year olds in any one year rapidly becomes out of date as the young
people switch to new destinations within the first year of leaving school.
Significant numbers of young people are lost from the local statistics each
year. Attempts are being made in some areas of the country to introduce
tracking systems which would allow the Careers Service to follow young
people up to the age of 18, but there is no national policy on this, although
from April 1999, Careers Services will be set targets by the DfEE to reduce
the numbers of young people with whom they lose contact.
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6.
Currently, 16 year olds face the following routes as they approach the end of
their compulsory schooling:
1.
Continue in full-time education either in school, sixth form college or
further education (FE) college and enter an academic or vocational
track;
2.
Leave full-time education to seek employment (full-time or part-time
work);
3.
Leave full-time education to enter government-supported training
(Youth Training, National Traineeship, Modern Apprenticeship);
4.
Leave full-time education for a mixture of part-time further education
and part-time work;
5.
Leave full-time education but do not participate in any further
education, training or mode of employment.
7.
There are two possible reactions to the route map above: one reaction is to
applaud the choice on offer to young people; the second reaction could be to
agree with Evans et al (1997, p.5) who assert that "despite numerous
attempts at reform over the last fifteen years, provision for young people
remains fragmented and incoherent, with a number of competing pathways of
varying status and value". The competition between the pathways reflects the
market-led nature of PCET and means that education and training providers
compete vigorously for young people at local level. Before examining how
and why young people choose particular pathways, it is important to briefly
summarise the effect of the market on the providers and other agencies with
a stake in post-16 provision.
8.
PCET provision in England and Wales involves a range of agencies and
providers including: the Careers Service, Training and Enterprise Councils
(TECs), colleges of further education, sixth form colleges, schools, and public
and private sector training providers. These organisations meet under
various so-called partnership guises such as education-business
partnerships, local strategic fora, and groups formed to deal with specific
cross-sector initiatives such as the New Deal or New Start. For the most part,
however, these organisations do not work in partnership but seek to advance
their different interests. Hence, in the summer term when prospective school
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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leavers are examining their post-16 choices, schools and colleges, in some
areas of the country, take out advertising space on the sides of buses and on
local radio programmes offering young people financial inducements to
register with them for a post-16 course (see Ball et al). At the same time,
TECs are desperate to persuade young people to enter a National
Traineeship or Modern Apprenticeship in order to meet their annual targets.
9.
The education and training programmes on offer may bear little relation to the
real needs of local or regional labour markets and have everything to do with
the power of marketing. It is funding which drives the system and the post-16
funding methodology for both providers and TECs demands they put 'bums
on seats'. In addition, there is no incentive for providers to spend much time
worrying about how their curriculum maps onto labour market needs in order
to help reduce skill shortages or in anticipating future skill demands. If a
college of further education can fill its full-time classes with students in
business studies (the cheapest courses to run), it will do so at the expense of
the more capital intensive areas such as engineering and construction
regardless of the needs of the local labour market. And if a TEC can meet its
Modern Apprenticeship targets by recruiting as many young people as
possible to a sector such as hairdressing, which has a high turnover of young
employees, then, again, it will do so rather than waste time trying to persuade
employers in other sectors to invest in apprenticeship training.
10.
At local level, post-16 provision varies considerably. Some of that variation is,
of course, a reflection of local economic circumstances and demography but
it also reflects the difference in power of the various agencies in any one
locality. In addition, colleges, private training providers and TECs vary in their
ability to maximise the funds available to them (see Evans et al, 1997,
Felstead, 1998, Felstead and Unwin, 1999). The DfEE has acknowledged the
complexity of post-16 funding and consulted on ways to amalgamate the
different funding streams and methodologies. At the moment, however, the
extent to which a TEC and/or local provider can make the most of the
available resources will have a significant impact on the quality and breadth of
opportunities open to young people.
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Exchange values and the dominance of A Levels
11.
In choosing a post-16 route, young people have to assess how far each
route will take them in achieving their post-school goals. In the late 1990s,
young people know only too well that staying-on in full-time education to take
A levels still carries the most status and, providing they pass a couple of A
levels, some university somewhere will accept them onto a course. They
know A levels have status because most schools and sixth form colleges
select their A level students on the basis of GCSE results and channel those
who are deemed to be 'not capable' of studying at A level into GNVQ
courses (see Edwards et al, 1997). Good A level results are important for
school league tables and teachers are known to value them over and above
vocational qualifications when advising pupils on their post-16 options (see
Unwin and Wellington, 1995, for a discussion of how young people on the
Modern Apprenticeship said it was teachers, more than any other category of
adult advisers, who tried to put them off the work-based route).
12.
Being an A level student also carries weight within the young person's peer
group and local community. Parents, employers and the public at large
understand that A levels have one clear purpose (to select people for higher
education), recognise they test academic ability and assume (because the
Government continues to tell them so) that A level standards are still worthy
of the label ‘gold’ despite rising levels of achievement. Becoming an A level
student does not require explanation whereas choosing any of the other
alternative routes sends out the message that a young person is either not
capable of studying at that level or, if they are academically able, has
deliberately chosen to flout convention.
13.
For the young person who rejects or is rejected by A levels, the other post-16
choices are all less straightforward in terms of their exchange value and
status. and are discussed in more detail later in this paper. Significant
numbers of young people, however, do reject A levels and there has been
constant pressure on governments since the early 1980s to replace them with
a more broadly based post-16 qualification. Whilst A levels remain, however,
their sovereignty over post-16 education and training clearly affects the status
and attractiveness of all other routes and tracks.
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Destination patterns
14.
Local variation in the nature of post-16 provision is mirrored by the different
levels of participation in each of the routes. Table 1 shows the destinations of
16 year olds who completed compulsory schooling in England in 1997.
Table 1 1997 Destinations of 16 year olds in England
Route
% of cohort
Number
Full-time education
67.9%
381,046
Government-supported training
10.0%
55,858
Employment
8.4%
47,546
Unemployed
6.5%
36,421
Moved out of CS contact
2.3%
12,861
Unknown
4.9%
27,470
Note: Unemployed means the young person is registered with the Careers Service and seeking a
destination. Moved out of CS contact means the young person has left their local Careers Service
area. Unknown means the young person has not responded to the Careers Service's follow-up calls
after completing Year 11.
Source: DfEE Careers Service Activity Survey 1997, DfEE Statistical Bulletins, 1998
Regional differences in destination patterns are illustrated in the following examples:
Lowest full-time education rates
Sunderland
51.9%
Manchester/Salford/Trafford/Tameside
55.7%
Highest full-time education rates
Barnet/Enfield/Haringey
79.5%
Brent/Harrow
83.1%
Lowest Government-supported training (GST) rates
Camden/Westminster/Hammersmith & Fulham/Kensington
& Chelsea
2.4%
Brent/Harrow
2.6%
Highest GST
St. Helens
21.8%
Cleveland
22.7%
15.
To further illustrate the gap between the national and local patterns, Table 2
gives figures for 1997 school leaver destinations in Sheffield collected by the
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Sheffield Careers Service in December of that year in order to take account of
track switching in the first few months after leaving school. The total cohort of
eligible school leavers for 1997 was 5,322. The figures show that Sheffield
has 10% less of its 16 year olds remaining in full-time education than the
national average and twice as many unemployed. The city also records that
just under 20% (approaching twice the national average) of its school leavers
are not participating in education, training or employment.
Table 2 1997 Destination data for Sheffield
Percentage
Number
Full-time education
Sixth Form
21%
1114
College
38%
2042
Total in FTE
59%
Government-sponsored training
National Traineeship/YT
12%
650
Modern Apprenticeship
2%
113
Total in GST
14%
Employment
Employment
8%
411
12%
662
7%
329
Unemployed/Unknown
Unemployed
Miscellaneous/Unknown
Source: Sheffield Careers Guidance Services
16.
Both the national and regional data show that the numbers of young people
remaining in full-time education at 16 have been largely static since 1993
following a period of steep increase from 1987 when staying-on rates stood at
just over 40% nationally. The figure rose to 68% in 1993, 68.1% in 1994,
dropped back to 67.6% in 1995, rose again to 68% in 1996 and has dropped
to 67.9% in 1997. Whilst the numbers entering government-supported
training programmes have been dropping since the end of the 1980s, there
has been a rise in the number entering jobs straight from school. There has
also been a steady rise, nationally, since 1992, in the numbers of young
people whose destination is unknown.
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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17.
Clearly there are complex decision-making processes, and cultural and
structural factors at work behind the destination statistics (see, inter alia,
Furlong and Cartmel 1997). As well as geographical background, class, race
and gender all impact on young people's post-16 careers. Black and Asian
young people are more likely to continue in full-time education (usually in
college rather than school) than their white peers, who in turn are more likely
to seek employment at 16 (see Pearce and Hillman, 1998). And the
racialised and gendered participation of the Modern Apprenticeship is a stark
reminder of the lack of progress in terms of equal opportunities in the workbased route. In the childcare (97%), travel (86%), hairdressing (91%) and
business administration (79%) sectors, the vast majority of apprentices are
female, as opposed to the electrical installation (98%), engineering
manufacturing (96%), construction (98%) and information technology (70%)
sectors where most apprentices are male. (DfEE, 1999) Of the 75
occupational sectors which offer the Modern Apprenticeship, less than one
third have recruited more than 4% of their apprentices from the ethnic
minorities.(ibid) Table 3 shows the gender differences in national destination
patterns.
Table 3 1997 Destinations of 16 year olds in England by gender
Route
Male
Female
Full-time education
63.3.%
72.7%
Government-supported training
11.7%
8.1%
Employment
10.3%
6.5%
Unemployed
7.0%
6.0%
Moved out of CS contact
2.3%
2.3%
Unknown
5.3%
4.9%
Source: Careers Service Activity Survey 1997, DfEE Statistical Bulletins, 1998
18.
This paper will also draw on research into young people's decision-making
but will link this to an analysis of their experiences of the different routes in
order to find ways in which the work-based routes in particular can be
improved. It should be noted that there is under-achievement in both the fulltime education and work-based routes. Of those who remain in full-time
education at 16, almost 30% fail to complete their course and less than half
progress from intermediate to advanced level (see FEFC, 1998, Green and
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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Steedman, 1996) In 1996/97, just over half (55%) of trainees on YT gained a
full or part NVQ at the end of their period on the scheme (DfEE, 1998), and
there is considerable drop-out from the Modern Apprenticeship.(DfEE, 1999)
Despite the need for improvement, however, young people are demonstrating
that they want access to an alternative route to full-time education and that
the doors to all routes should stay open to allow them to find the most
appropriate route as they make the transition from youth to adulthood.
Routes, tracks and qualifications
19.
Those young people who choose to remain in full-time education at 16 or
enter a government-supported training programme are then faced with a
further choice as to which track to follow within the education or training route.
For those who stay in full-time education, two tracks are available:
20.

Academic (A, S and AS level qualifications)

Vocational (GNVQs, NVQs and traditional vocational qualifications)
Advanced Levels (A Levels), Advanced Supplementary (AS levels equivalent to half an A level)) and Special levels (S Papers - standard above
A level) are available in 18 subjects. Most A Levels are linear and assessed
by public examination at the end of two years. Some A Levels are modular
and assessed by course work plus a terminal exam. General National
Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) are unit-based qualifications available in
15 subjects at three levels: Advanced; Intermediate; and Foundation. The
subjects are: Art and Design; Business; Construction and the Built
Environment; Engineering; Health and Social Care; Hospitality and Catering;
Information Technology; Land and Environment; Leisure and Tourism;
Management Studies; Manufacturing; Media-Communication and Production;
Performing Arts and Entertainment Industries; Retail and Distributive
Services; and Science. Key Skills, assessed separately are a mandatory part
of GNVQ. Part One GNVQs are currently being piloted for 14-16 year olds in
schools.
21.
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are competence-based
qualifications available in 11 framework areas at five levels. The areas are:
Tending Animals, Plants and Land; Extracting and Providing Natural
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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Resources; Constructing; Engineering; Manufacturing; Transporting;
Providing Goods and Services; Providing Health, Social and Protective
Services; Providing Business Services; Communicating; and Developing and
Extending Knowledge and Skill. In 1998, there were 862 NVQ titles available
in the framework.
22.
There are still 17,000 traditional vocational qualifications (VQs) which are not
NVQs or GNVQs. They include highly regarded qualifications such as the
BTEC National Diploma as well as single skill certificates in typing and
shorthand accredited by such awarding bodies as RSA. The Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is currently consulting on ways to incorporate
these qualifications into the national qualifications framework.
23.
The range, availability and possible combinations of these qualifications
varies according to which school, sixth form college or college of further
education (FE) the young person attends. Some schools require students to
have gained GCSEs at Grades A-C in the subjects they wish to study at A/As
Levels, and not all providers allow students to combine A levels with GNVQs.
24.
For those who choose the government-supported training route, there are
currently three tracks available:

Youth Training (training to minimum of NVQ Level 2)

National Traineeships (intended to eventually replace YT)

Modern Apprenticeship (training to minimum of NVQ Level 3 and
mandatory Key Skills -in some apprenticeships, notably engineering,
chemicals and steel, a traditional VQ and specific skill certificates are
also included)
25.
These tracks vary in status. Modern Apprenticeship can be seen as the
premier track as it leads to NVQ Level 3 and employers differentiate between
apprentices and YT trainees by demanding higher GCSE scores and/or more
evidence of personal skills. However, in some occupational sectors (notably
retailing, child care, and health and social care) TECs have achieved their
Modern Apprenticeship targets by converting existing YT places. That TECs
can change the label from YT to apprenticeship raises serious questions
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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about the substantive difference between the two tracks and may lead to a
diminution of the status of Modern Apprenticeship in the eyes of young
people and their parents. The introduction of National Traineeships may
overcome some of these problems if they are properly positioned as a
stepping stone to apprenticeship and a clear distinction between the two
programmes is maintained.
26.
Just as the provision of the academic and vocational tracks within full-time
education varies, so too does provision within the training tracks. The
following vignettes of young people on YT and Modern Apprenticeship in the
North West of England and in Yorkshire illustrate the considerable variability
which exists:
Karen is 19 and has been employed under YT in the design and architecture section of a national
brewery company since she left school three years ago with average GCSEs. She has just completed
a BTEC National in Building Construction plus associated occupational NVQ Level 3 and will transfer
from the YT scheme to standard employment with the company. The employer has paid Karen a wage
well above the YT allowance since she started: £80 in year one; £100 in year two; and £120 in year
three. The company has told Karen it will fund her progression to an HND or degree course at the local
university.
Shafeeq is 18 and is on a Modern Apprenticeship in catering with a large town centre hotel. He left
school at 16 with four GCSEs at Grades A-C and joined the hotel on a YT scheme, but was upgraded
to the apprenticeship after the first year. He is working towards NVQ Level 3, and spends one day a
week at the local college. He wants to retake GCSE Maths to increase his grade from a D but his
working hours leave little time for further study.
Andrew is 20 and has been on Modern Apprenticeship for six months since gaining 3 A levels in
Chemistry, Physics and General Studies at school. He works for a large car manufacturer and is
working towards an NVQ Level 3, a BTEC National, GNVQ Key Skills, a number of specific skill
certificates, and GCSE German. He may be fast-tracked on the apprenticeship and join the
company's franchised engineering degree programme with a local university.
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Pauline is 17 and in her second year of YT with a chain of hairdressing salons. She has struggled with
the Level 2 NVQ in Hairdressing and has four GCSEs all below Grade C. Her employer pays her the
YT weekly allowance of £35 for a 17 year old. Her NVQ training is all done in the salon which is one of
several in the region owned by a private training provider who delivers YT and Modern Apprenticeship.
Pauline does not have the opportunity to improve her literacy and numeracy skills.
27.
The variability in the training tracks is partly due to funding issues (discussed
earlier) and to the freedom employers have to either stick to the minimum
requirements (e.g. NVQ Level 2 on YT) or build on them in order to make the
most of the young person's potential. By making NVQs (with some additional
key skills) the only mandatory qualification for the work-based route, some
young people are exposed to a particularly narrow training diet which simply
develops the on-the-job skills they require to perform the job they hold today
and does little to enhance their trainability.
28.
All the qualifications (even A Levels) offered within the academic, vocational
and training tracks have been under constant review and subject to change
during the 1990s. This on-going lack of stability in the system creates anxiety
and often cynicism amongst all the stakeholders (young people, parents,
employers, and education and training providers) who struggle to make
judgements about the relative value of the different qualifications in the PCET
and employment marketplace. Some commentators have long called for all
post-16 qualifications to be replaced by a single Diploma structure within a
unified framework (see in particular Spours and Young, 1997). The 1996
Dearing Review of 16-19 Qualifications proposed a number of changes which
would go some way towards a more unified system (e.g. an Advanced
Diploma, and the breaking down of GNVQs into smaller chunks) but saw A
Levels as the great untouchable 'gold standard'.(Dearing, 1996)
29.
Two years on from Dearing, QCA, in conjunction with the Further Education
Development Agency (FEDA), is investigating the possibility of introducing a
unitised credit framework in which every qualification would be divided into a
number of units, each of which could then be funded, studied, assessed and
accredited separately. This would make it easier for adults to gain credits for
prior learning both in and out of the workplace, and for providers to customise
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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programmes for employers Such a transformation of the current qualifications
structure would have massive implications for all concerned.
30.
The supporters of unification believe it is vital in order to break down the longstanding divide between the academic and the vocational, and to provide a
flexibility of study more in tune with young people's lifestyles and learning
needs. To overcome the danger of complete atomisation of the post-16
curriculum, it is suggested that a common core of units be established
incorporating such areas as key skills and citizenship. The notion of
curriculum entitlement would also be central to the new system to ensure that
young people had access to appropriate educational guidance. There are
dangers, however, in moving to a unitised system of qualifications for young
people. It may lead to combinations of units which lack coherence and which
fail to stretch students, and some young people may settle for a minimum
number of units and not bother to complete a full qualification.
Achievement of Vocational Qualifications
31.
The problems with collating statistics to gain a picture of the annual
completion rates for vocational qualifications was referred to earlier in this
paper. Spours (1998) in a study of qualifications reform from 1986 to 1996
notes how the statistics at Level 3 cause particular problems because it is
difficult to identify separate figures for those candidates under 21. He
calculates, however, that across both the academic and vocational tracks,
there has been a "slowly improving pattern" but that neither track is
performing well enough to meet the revised national targets for education and
training.
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Table 4 Moving annual total of certificates awarded by level and framework area as at end of June 1998
TOTAL FOR EACH
FRAMEWORK AREA
LEVEL
FRAMEWORK AREA
1
No
Tending Animals, Plants and Land
2
% of Total
Area
No
3
% of Total
Area
No
4
% of Total
Area
No
5
% of Total
Area
No
% of Total
Area
No
% of Total
Area
3,728
31
6,859
57
1,282
11
60
1
0
0
11,929
100
25
2
879
87
101
10
0
0
0
0
1,005
100
Constructing
5,982
23
14,471
56
5,266
20
27
0
0
0
25,745
100
Engineering
4,292
9
31,483
65
12,553
26
259
1
0
0
48,587
100
Manufacturing
4,062
25
11,783
72
492
3
3
0
0
0
16,340
100
Transporting
2,109
20
8,142
79
94
1
9
0
0
0
10,354
100
28,270
21
88,298
66
16.042
12
169
0
0
0
132,779
100
3,989
10
23,174
59
11,702
30
484
1
10
0
39,359
100
Extracting and Providing Natural Resources
Providing Goods and Services
Providing Health, Social and Protective Services
Providing Business Services
19,306
13
80,836
53
44,912
29
7,592
5
1,076
1
153,722
100
Communicating
0
0
124
28
158
36
160
36
0
0
442
100
Developing and Extending Knowledge and Skill
0
0
113
2
4,692
76
1,354
22
1
0
6,160
100
71,763
16
266,16
2
60
97,293
22
10,117
2
1,087
0
446.422
100
TOTAL
NOTES: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. See Table 7 Report 1 for percentages by level.
SOURCE: Data Evaluation (VQOS)
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
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Table 5: Joint Council for National Vocational Awarding Bodies - GNVQ Achievement for the Year Ending 31 July 1998
Full Awards
Title
Foundation Level
Art and Design
Business
Construction and the Built Environment
Engineering
Health and Social Care
Hospitality and Catering
Information Technology
Land and Environment
Leisure and Tourism
Manufacturing
Performing Arts & Entertainment
Industries
Science
SUB TOTAL
Intermediate Level
Art and Design
Business
Construction and the Built Environment
Engineering
Health and Social Care
Hospitality and Catering
Information Technology
Land and Environment
Leisure and Tourism
Manufacturing
Media: Communication and Production
Performing Arts & Entertainment
Industries
Retail and Distributive Services
Science
SUB TOTAL
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
Active
Cands
Pass
Merit
Dist
Part Awards
Total
%
one or
more voc
units
%
Key Skills
Addit
%
Total
836
4,104
2,419
973
5,806
644
1,737
102
2,500
499
22
266
143
1,037
711
187
1,362
178
434
13
613
107
6
34
99
574
114
89
799
44
195
289
21
2
20
45
186
23
15
172
5
54
81
6
4
287
1,797
848
291
2,333
227
683
13
983
134
8
58
34.3%
43.8%
35.1%
29.9%
40.2%
35.2%
39.3%
12.7%
39.3%
26.9%
36.4%
21.8%
227
937
564
210
1,354
180
313
9
573
190
7
31
27.2%
22.8%
23.3%
21.6%
23.3%
28.0%
18.0%
8.8%
22.9%
38.1%
31.8%
11.7%
97
316
276
85
389
51
126
2
205
58
3
11
11.6%
7.7%
11.4%
8.7%
6.7%
7.9%
7.3%
2.0%
8.2%
11.6%
13.6%
4.1%
45.9%
51.5%
46.5%
38.5%
46.9%
43.2%
46.6%
14.7%
47.5%
38.5%
50.5%
25.9%
19,908
4,825
2,246
591
7,662
38.5%
4,595
23.1%
1,619
8.1%
46.6%
8,357
22,246
700
4,374
16.613
1,296
9,740
91
15,185
955
2,035
366
248
3,746
2,061
6,265
140
1,267
4,307
385
2,065
11
4,190
198
386
50
51
853
1,509
4,933
72
744
3,473
132
1,480
10
2,702
129
373
62
34
623
575
1,356
18
151
916
38
457
7
654
36
120
28
11
156
4,145
12,554
230
2,162
8,696
555
4,002
28
7,546
363
879
140
96
1,632
49.6%
56.4%
32.9%
49.4%
52.3%
42.8%
41.1%
30.8%
49.7%
38.0%
43.2%
38.3%
38.7%
43.6%
1,392
2,990
161
623
2,470
261
1,720
9
2,409
197
405
62
31
656
16.7%
13.4%
23.0%
14.2%
14.9%
20.1%
17.7%
9.9%
15.9%
20.6%
19.9%
16.9%
12.5%
17.5%
615
1,039
132
426
979
105
1,075
9
1,044
113
273
43
8
432
7.4%
4.7%
18.9%
9.7%
5.9%
8.1%
11.0%
9.9%
6.9%
11.8%
13.4%
11.7%
3.2%
11.5%
57.0%
61.1%
51.7%
59.2%
58.2%
50.9%
52.1%
40.7%
56.6%
49.8%
56.6%
50.0%
41.9%
85,952
22,229
16,276
4,523
43,028
50.1%
13,386
15.6%
6,293
7.3%
57.4%
15
Table 5: Joint Council for National Vocational Awarding Bodies - GNVQ Achievement for the Year Ending 31 July 1998 (continued)
Part Awards
Advanced Level
Art and Design
Business
Construction and the Built Environment
Engineering
Health and Social Care
Hospitality and Catering
Information Technology
Land and Environment
Leisure and Tourism
Management Studies
Manufacturing
Media: Communication and Production
Performing Arts and Entertainment
Industries
Retail and Distributive Services
Science
SUB TOTAL
TOTAL
Active
Cands
6,321
29,467
1,695
2,808
11,780
2,574
5,837
34
13,502
63
303
2,279
197
223
2,986
Pass
Merit
Dist
Total
%
1,109
4,115
117
195
1,774
166
524
4
1,434
23
36
364
36
23
237
4,143
15,288
600
1,208
6,414
1,030
2,762
6
7,133
41
170
1,170
100
96
1,187
65.5%
51.9%
35.4%
43.0%
54.4%
40.0%
47.3%
17.6%
52.8%
65.1%
56.1%
51.3%
50.8%
43.0%
39.8%
fewer than
6 voc units
393
1,729
113
213
867
157
504
915
7
30
158
21
24
228
1,258
3,850
186
462
1,613
403
936
2,446
8
74
221
26
32
388
1,776
7,321
297
551
3,027
461
1,302
2
3,253
10
60
585
38
41
562
80,069
11,903
185,929
38,957
19,286
10,157
41,346
51.6%
5,359
37,808
15,271
92,036
49.5%
%
Full Awards +
6.5%
5.9%
6.7%
7.6%
7.4%
6.1%
8.6%
0.0%
6.8%
11.1%
9.9%
6.9%
10.7%
10.8%
7.6%
6 or more
voc units
761
4,786
236
511
1,353
425
883
5
1,851
4
36
310
41
51
617
6.7%
11,870
35,21
0
18.9%
%
12.0%
16.2%
13.9%
18.2%
11.5%
16.5%
15.1%
17.7%
13.7%
6.3%
11.9%
13.6%
20.8%
22.9%
20.7%
6 or more
voc units
4,904
20,072
836
1,719
7,767
1,455
3,645
11
8,984
45
206
1,480
141
147
1,804
%
77.6%
68.1%
49.3%
61.2%
65.9%
56.5%
62.4%
32.4%
66.5%
71.4%
68.0%
64.9%
71.6%
65.9%
60.4%
14.8%
53,216
66.5%
Key Skills
Addit
%
Total
522
3,682
201
361
984
338
663
1,260
6
28
254
37
32
564
8.3%
12.5%
11.9%
12.9%
8.4%
13.1%
11.4%
0.0%
9.3%
9.5%
9.2%
11.1%
18.8%
14.3%
18.9%
73.8%
64.4%
47.3%
55.9%
62.8%
53.1%
58.7%
17.6%
62.2%
74.6%
65.3%
62.5%
69.3%
57.4%
58.6%
8,932
11.2%
62.8%
16,844
9.1%
58.6%
NOTES
ACTIVE CANDS shows the number of candidates reported as intending to complete by 31 July and who have taken a test or have had unit achievement reported in that year.
GNVQ Advanced Level and part-time access at any level may be assessed over more than one year.
FULL AWARDS shows the number of active candidates issued with certificates at each level and grade in the year to 31 July, each candidate having been reported as successful in all units required for the award.
Total Full Awards are shown as a percentage of active candidates.
PART AWARDS shows the number of active candidates who did not complete but who have full unit accreditation towards Advanced vocational units. Part Awards are shown as a percentage of active candidates.
KEY SKILLS shows the number of active candidates who did not complete but who have full unit accreditation in the three compulsory key skills units at or higher than the level required for the award. Key skills
achievement is shown as a percentage of the active candidates. The final percentage is the total of all candidates who have achieved all three key skills, ie includes all candidates who achieved the full award.
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
16
32.
Statistics for NVQ completion are given for each certificated unit rather than
full awards, hence QCA report that in the 12 months up to the end of June
1998, 446,000 NVQ certificates had been awarded, an increase of 7% on
1997 (see Table 4). If we examine the NVQ results by framework area, we
see that the majority of certificates were awarded in two areas, Providing
Goods and Services and Providing Business Services, and at Level 2.
Providing Business Services out-performs all framework areas at all levels.
Similarly, Business is the most popular GNVQ title, followed by Health and
Social Care; and Leisure and Tourism (see Table 5). Under half (49.5%) of
all GNVQ candidates achieved their qualification, compared to a pass rate at
A Level of over 80%.
33.
The concentration of NVQ awards at Level 2 raises serious questions for skill
formation given the concerns raised since these qualifications were
introduced about the relative paucity of Level 2 compared to qualifications
offered in other countries, notably Germany (see Steedman, 1998). Although
NVQs and GNVQs serve different purposes, it is interesting to note how they
map each other in terms of the dominance of Business. This may have been
encouraged by providers as business studies is the cheapest type of
programme to deliver. Colleges of FE have been closing their capital
intensive departments such as engineering and construction in favour of
business studies, and leisure and tourism.
Strengths and Weaknesses of NVQs and GNVQs
NVQs
34.
The methodological basis of NVQs has been heavily criticised since their
introduction in 1986 (see Eraut, 1994, Wolf, 1995, among many others).
Whilst it is not the intention of this paper to provide a detailed critique of
NVQs, it is important to briefly summarise their deficiencies given that these
qualifications are the mandatory outcomes for all government-supported
training for young people. Indeed, a significant reason for the take up of
NVQs at levels 2 and 3 by employers is because they are mandatory for
government-sponsored programmes funded by TECs (see Robinson, 1996,
Evans et al, 1997).
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
17
35.
Paradoxically, the one aspect of the NVQ model which has been widely
welcomed is itself highly problematic for young people and relates to the
discussion of a unitised curriculum earlier in this paper. Whilst it may be very
beneficial to adult employees (particularly for those with no other
qualifications) and their employers to have their skills accredited on a unit-byunit basis and according to the specific internal needs of the workplace, this is
a very limited approach to adopt for young people who should be encouraged
and enabled to gain full qualifications (see Hogarth et al 1997). This is
especially so when we remember that many of the young people who enter
YT, National Traineeships and employment straight from school have poor
GCSE results (see Pearce and Hillman, 1998, Steedman and Green, 1996).
As with adult employees, the emancipatory potential of NVQs should be used
to develop young people's self-esteem by recognising each small step
towards competence, but only as part of a broader-based training programme
which delivers knowledge and understanding as well as skills.
36.
The clearest indication from employers that NVQs are not adequate on their
own as a basis for training young people has come from the Modern
Apprenticeship where sectors such as engineering, chemicals and steel have
added a traditional VQ (such as the BTEC National Diploma) to the
mandatory Level 3 NVQ in order to cover the technical knowledge required in
those industries. The relationship between some of the National Training
Organisations (NTOs), who are responsible for the Modern Apprenticeship
frameworks for their sectors, and the employers in their sectors should be
explored to see the extent to which some NTOs are listening to employer
criticisms about NVQs. Equally, we might also question whether some
sectors should be allowed to deliver apprenticeships which appear
impoverished when compared to those in other sectors. The popularity of
traditional VQs is curiously under-researched yet widely accepted. It would
seem that they are recognised by employers as providing the underpinning
knowledge which is important for skill development and to ensure the trainee
can progress to a higher level of training.
37.
Brown et al (1994) found that engineering employers considered the NVQ
approach to be inconsistent with new management styles which focus on
teamwork and TQA requirements; the task-centred NVQ was too focused on
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
18
outdated ways of working. Most engineering employers in Senker's (1996)
survey preferred the previous training process based system of training and
assessment and linked to traditional VQs which stressed underpinning
knowledge. They were wary of NVQs gained in one part of the industry
because they might be too narrow. Companies which favoured NVQs
generally had no formal apprenticeship system and so used NVQs to set up
initial training systems and/or to accredit existing employees' skills.
38.
Waymark's research (1997) into the impact of NVQs on secretarial training
found that the curriculum offered in colleges had been narrowed by the
removal of complementary subjects such as book-keeping, an understanding
of business organisation and general management theory. Critically, the
generic role of secretary which combines myriad skills involving dealing with
people, working at speed, processing documents, performing functions of a
domestic nature and so on was not served by the NVQ structure in which the
evidence requirements "are so atomised that they are frequently undertaken
as discrete elements, which leads to a diminution of the secretarial role".
(p.115)
39.
Smith (1997), in a UK-wide survey, estimates that NVQs/SVQs (SVQs being
the Scottish equivalent of NVQs) are currently on offer to 20% of the nation's
workforce and that use of these qualifications is concentrated among the
larger employers with 70% of employers with 200plus employees making use
of NVQs/SVQs. They are still, however, offered alongside traditional VQs
and only 5% of employers in the sample had plans to replace traditional VQs
with NVQs/SVQs. Smith maintains that the use of NVQs/SVQs by larger
employers reflects their more structured human resource management (HRM)
strategies which draw on a range of approaches to training. Hence these
employers are more likely to try out NVQs/SVQs though even then they tend
to be restricted to a minority of their employees. Smith sees little sign that
more employers will take-up these qualifications and even amongst those
who do, "there is only a small drift towards the critical mass that will
encourage their fuller integration across the full breadth of HRM activities".
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
19
GNVQs
40.
Introduced in 1992, GNVQs were immediately criticised for being tainted with
the same problems as NVQs: lack of academic and technical rigour; too
bureaucratic; lack of external assessment; and too narrowly focused. Several
make-overs later, GNVQs are now a central part of the post-16 provision in
most schools and colleges. Exactly what GNVQs are for, however, is a
lingering and stubborn question. One answer is that GNVQs provide an
activity-based and work-related curriculum for young people who either lack
the ability or the desire to study for A Levels. Edwards et al (1997) indicate
that schools divide young people into A Level and GNVQ tracks based on
GCSE results. Initially, GNVQs were intended as a broad-based qualification
for entry to the labour market but employers prefer to select employees on the
basis of GCSE results as they provide an academic benchmark. Early
evaluations showed that young people saw a different purpose for Advanced
GNVQs; as an alternative entry qualification for higher education. They may,
over time, be proved right in this regard. Of the 24,000 Advanced GNVQ
students who applied to university in 1998, 95% were offered places. (DfEE,
1998b) The status and value of the Intermediate GNVQ remains problematic
if it is not recognised by employers as a useful selection tool.
41.
Despite the ambiguities surrounding the purpose of GNVQ, the qualification
has proved popular with students and teachers who enjoy its emphasis on
learning processes such as group work and discovery learning, and the
opportunities for project work in the local community. It is to be hoped that
the new procedures which QCA is introducing to make GNVQs more
knowledge-based and to incorporate A level style examinations do not
overpower the very characteristics which have made it appealing to young
people. Meagher's detailed observations of GNVQ and A level classes
illustrate the difference between GNVQ and A Level delivery:
42.
In A Level courses, although students may sometimes sit together
in groups, they are likely all to be doing the same thing rather than
working collaboratively, and very little use is ever made of IT. In
GNVQ courses, topics are habitually referenced to vocational
contexts, and students have much more control over their methods
of working. They sit together in groups most of the time, often work
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
20
collaboratively and frequently use low level IT skills. (Meagher,
1997, p.93)
43.
There is, however, an aspect of GNVQs which is proving to have less appeal
to some students, that is the mandatory requirement to acquire a range of
Key Skills. Given that Key Skills are regarded as central to the Government's
education and training strategy and, as been noted earlier, are mandatory in
Modern Apprenticeship, the next section of this paper will examine their role
and the reactions of young people to them.
Key Skills
44.
Key Skills (previously known as 'core' skills) are central to the UK's on-going
debate about how best to ensure that qualifications for young people have
breadth as well as depth. They are defined by the DfEE as being "the generic
skills which individuals need in order to be effective members of a flexible,
adaptable and competitive workforce and for lifelong learning". (DfEE, 1998c)
The current UK government, like its predecessor, has made a commitment to
the inclusion and assessment of key skill units ( in communication, application
of number, and information technology) in all post-16 qualification pathways
via a new single Key Skills qualification. (Three further groups of key skills are
being developed: working with others; improving own learning and
performance; and problem solving.) Key Skills are also included in some
degree courses in higher education (see Murphy et al, 1997, and Havard et
al, 1998).
45.
Critics of Key Skills argue that they neither tackle problems in basic skills nor
enrich the vocational curriculum. For example, Green (1997) argues that Key
Skills represent:
...an impoverished form of general education, which is
neither adequately delivering the minimum basic skills
normally associated with an effective general education,
such as verbal articulacy, logical skills and mathematical
literacy, nor even attempting to impart a foundation of
scientific and humanistic culture adequate to the demands of
active citizenship in modern societies. (p.100)
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
21
46.
Although there is an absence of any longitudinal or even substantive
research into the impact of key skills on learners, teachers and trainers, the
studies which do exist suggest that there is a gulf between the concept of Key
Skills as espoused by policymakers and the lived reality of Key Skills as
practised in classrooms and workplaces. Skilbeck et al (1994) raise
interesting questions about the 'ownership' of these skills and raise doubts
about their acceptability among people for whom they are presumed to be
relevant yet whom were not consulted about their definition or development.
Spours (1995) showed that teachers were concerned about the language (or
jargon as they saw it) in which Key Skills are expressed and were confused
about how to teach and develop them in young people.
47.
In his study of GNVQ students, Abbott (1997) found that whilst they were
generally satisfied with their GNVQ courses, the one aspect they consistently
said they disliked was the Key Skills component: "Many students failed to see
the relevance of key skills and they claimed that the time devoted to this area
of work could have been better utilised on other activities". He also notes that
many of the students who expressed dislike of Key Skills had had difficulty
with mathematics and English during their compulsory schooling phase.
48.
Although it has been generally agreed that the Modern Apprenticeship is
offering a broader and more substantive VET programme for young people
than previous youth training schemes, the place and implementation of Key
Skills is proving to be problematic. Development work is being carried out by
some of the NTOs who design the apprenticeship frameworks, particularly in
relation to the process of assessment of Key Skills. Fuller (1996) in her
research on Modern Apprenticeship suggests that the problems of delivering
and assessing Key Skills point to deeper deficiencies in VET structures and
pedagogies in the UK. Employers do, of course, require employees to be
able to demonstrate a range of Key Skills and have long criticised education,
including higher education, for not paying enough attention to them.
Currently, however, there is confusion as to the difference between the
concept of Key Skills and basic skills. If we take the basic skill of numeracy,
we see that it now appears as the Key Skill application of number. Applying
numeracy in a workplace setting will vary enormously from one context to
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
22
another. The danger is that a young person might be assessed as having
achieved the Key Skill of application of number yet still have a very low level
of numerical ability. Similarly, a young person may be very effective in terms
of verbal communication but have a low level of functional literacy. Young
people who leave school without GCSEs in Maths and English need to
improve their literacy and numeracy and for that they need access to basic
skills (as opposed to Key Skills) tuition.
Young People's Perspectives on Vocational Courses and Qualifications
49.
The point at which young people engage with vocational courses and
qualifications has changed considerably over the last decade. It should be
recognised now that the fragmentation of people’s domestic lives, changing
social structures and the disappearance of the concept of a ‘job for life’ put
young people in a much more vulnerable position than their parents and
grandparents. As Evans (1998, p.74) says, “The issue now is the interplay
between structure and agency arising from ‘manufactured uncertainty’ uncertainty created by acceleration of the information and knowledged-based
society and the increase and diversity of ‘risk’ situations felt in individual
lives”. A recent NFER (1998) survey of over 2000 Year 8 and Year 11 pupils
in 42 secondary schools in England found that academic performance was a
strong influence on their decision not to remain in full-time education. The
year 11 pupils who were planning to leave school were expecting poor GCSE
results, whilst the Year 8 pupils, who were contemplating leaving at 16,
graded their school work as average or below average. They did see the
importance of continuing with education and training but not in a full-time
capacity. Reasons for leaving school were:
50.

desire to earn money

dislike of school and belief that life would be better outside school

school was a waste of time

schoolwork not relevant to getting a job or coping with life
Unwin and Wellington's (1995) study of young people in the prototype year of
the Modern Apprenticeship found that even among those who had achieved
good enough GCSE results to remain in full-time education, there was a
strong desire to continue learning via a work-based route. These young
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
23
people spoke of the workplace as somewhere which gave them "the chance
to shine", to show their talents in ways denied them at school. And, of course,
the workplace is no stranger to most young people today. An important
starting point in recognising the realities of the relationship between young
people, working life and studentship would be an acknowledgement of the
fact that the concept of the full-time student is fast becoming obsolete (see
Huddleston and Unwin, 1997). It has been widely accepted for a long time by
teachers, parents and employers (particularly those in supermarkets and
restaurants) that the majority of young people have part-time jobs. There has
existed a conspiracy of silence about this phenomenon. New research is
emerging, however, which will make it harder to ignore the scale of activity
involved. In their study of over 2,000 school, college and university full-time
students, Lucas and Lammont (1998) found that part-time work was an
accepted part of their lives. A study of school and college students in
Cheshire showed that they were working an average of 15 hours per week,
virtually the same number of hours they were expected to attend for A level
and GNVQ classes (see Unwin, 1995).
51.
The old divisions between the academic and the vocational seem to be being
overcome. Hence, young people with GNVQs are entering higher education
whilst some young people with A levels have chosen to join the Modern
Apprenticeship where they will work towards NVQs related to their
occupational area. Interestingly, the academic/vocational divide no longer
maps on to a divided system of institutions. In 1998, a young person can
study for A levels, GNVQs and NVQs in a school sixth form, a sixth form
college or an FE college. Similarly, NVQs at Levels 4 and 5 now form part of
the curriculum in some universities. Yet it would be premature and naive to
believe that such deep-rooted divisions can easily be discarded.
52.
The national qualifications framework purports to give 'parity of esteem' to
the academic and vocational qualifications which it embraces. An
Intermediate GNVQ is, therefore, said to be equivalent to 4 GCSEs (grades
A-C) and to an NVQ at Level 2, whilst an Advanced GNVQ is said to be
equivalent to 2 A levels and to an NVQ at Level 3. Robinson (1997) has
argued that the framework's notion of equivalencies, based on levels (ie. 4
GCSEs is equal to an NVQ Level 2), does not translate into earnings as
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
24
someone with 4 GCSEs will actually earn a similar amount to someone with
an NVQ Level 3. In other words, at each level, academic qualifications
produce earnings similar to those for vocational qualifications one level
higher. Evidence from the Youth Cohort Study supports Robinson in that it
found that at ages 23/24, young women's earnings were higher if they had
remained in full-time education (see Payne, 1995).
53.
Educational 'parity' can also be challenged in terms of the status afforded to A
levels as against vocational qualifications. As was noted earlier, research
suggests that teachers have steered their 'brightest' pupils towards A level
and filled GNVQ classes with those youngsters who, given improved labour
market prospects, would normally have left school at 16 (see Higham et.al,
1996).
54.
Given these problems of parity, we need to find ways to ensure that those
young people who choose a vocational or work-based route graduate with
qualifications that have real exchange value in the marketplace. The young
person who completes an Intermediate GNVQ is much more likely to find a
job if they have improved their GCSE grades in Maths and English. But
employers too have to improve their own awareness of the changes to post16 qualifications and find ways to better use them in their recruitment and
selection practices. Greater partnership is needed between education and
training providers to enable young people to access the learning resources
they need. A recent study in the North West of England has found that
qualifications are highly valued by young people but their routes to them are
often hindered by domestic, financial and other barriers (see Halsall et al,
1998). Greater flexibility of provision and a much more inclusive approach
which allows diagonal movement backwards and forwards across the national
qualifications framework is required. It should be accepted and understood
that if a young person switches from an academic to a vocational qualification
or vice versa, there will always be some deficit of knowledge and skill to make
up (see Bloomer and Hodkinson, 1999).
55.
The work-based route is, of course, subject to the changing nature of the
world of work at large. We have also to consider the reality of young people’s
experiences in and out of the contemporary workplace:
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
25

they may be working alongside a casualised workforce that offers little
to them in the way of a community of practice or allows space and time
for older, more experienced workers to pass on their skills and
knowledge beyond the minimum needed to survive from day to day.

they may be in a non-unionised workplace

they may be in a trades union which has little to offer in the way of
educational provision

their social life will probably be top of their priorities, taking up any
spare cash and time

their educational experience in school may have left them resentful of
anything that smacks of ‘education’

they may have poor basic skills preventing them from taking up
courses.
Conclusion
56.
This paper began by setting out the routes available to young people and
then explored the tracks within those routes. As they trek through the post-16
jungle, young people face many obstacles to realising their aspirations. In
addition to those obstacles, young people know only too well that some tracks
may bring them greater rewards or earn them more brownie points from their
parents, peers and local community. The fact that up to a third of the cohort
nationally, and as much as 50% in some regions, choose a route other than
full-time education at 16 suggests that significant numbers of young people
want to participate in or would at least benefit by participating in a vocational
or work-based route. Of those who remain in full-time education, many now
study for vocational qualifications.
57.
To return to the questions at the start of the paper, the evidence suggests
that vocational qualifications as such are not a barrier to young people's
participation but they could be considerably improved. These qualifications
still lack credibility with some employers and with schools who cream off their
'brighter' students into A Level classes. The Modern Apprenticeship has
shown, that the work-based route and vocational qualifications can attract
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
26
academically able young and that some employers are investing in broadbased training leading to a range of educational as well as work-related
outcomes.
58.
We need to improve our understanding of how the current vocational
qualifications work in practice, in both the training centre and the workplace.
Vocational teachers and trainers need to be trained to a higher standard.
And we need to incorporate the most innovative workplace practices into our
vocational education and training curricula and pedagogies. It is, perhaps,
worth noting that the UK does not have an institute dedicated to the
development of vocational education and training unlike some other
European countries.
59.
In order to improve vocational qualifications and courses, a range of factors
need to be addressed together as all impact on each other. Those factors
are as follows:
1. Improve and support the providers
It is important to remember that a web of agencies has developed since the first
youth training initiatives of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many of the education
and training providers that got involved then have had a continuous direct
involvement in Post-16 funded initiatives for over 20 years. In terms of their
organisational culture, these organisations are steeped in the language and goals of
government-supported training. This is not, necessarily a positive feature as, for
example, some of the personnel in these organisations suffer from 'initiative fatigue'
and a general scepticism which has stifled creativity and done little to improve
standards. There has been little attention paid to the meaningful professional
development of the training and support personnel in these organisations, including
the colleges. In spite of ever-decreasing resources and stiff competition, however,
many of these providers, along with their associated employers, have delivered
effective vocational education and training.
2. Give young people access to the learning opportunities they need to improve on
their entry level qualifications
This will mean allowing young people in the work-based route to attend GCSE
and/or basic skills classes in working time. It also means ensuring GNVQ students
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
27
graduate with a meaningful set of qualifications that allow them to progress to the
next level.
3. Recognise the workplace as a site for learning
Significant advances must be made to ensure that the role of workplaces as sites for
learning is properly understood and utilised. The best workplace practices need to
be identified and shared with education and training providers (see Fuller and Unwin,
1998).
4. Re-establish in a contemporary setting the community basis of apprenticeship
Interviews with apprentices who served their time in the 1950s and 1960s highlight
the importance of belonging to a community (see Fuller and Unwin, 1999). The
notion of community can be translated in three related ways: firstly, the apprentices
were part of a learning (or pedagogical community) in both the workplace and
training school or college; secondly, the apprentices were part of an occupational
community with shared understandings about knowledge and skills, customs and
habits; and thirdly, the apprentices felt they had some status in the local community
by virtue of being on a respected training programme with an employer who was
prepared to invest in their future.
60.
Finally, the quality of vocational courses and qualifications ultimately depends
upon the recognition at policy level that the country’s VET infrastructure
needs significant conceptual as well as financial investment.
Recommendations for policy
1.
Create a national database of all relevant statistics (attainment of
qualifications, participation in the different programmes, retention rates etc).
2.
Bring in statutory requirements for the training of all teachers and trainers in
post-compulsory education and training.
3.
Create and fund a dedicated research programme for vocational education
and training to improve content and pedagogy, and to develop the potential of
the workplace as a site for learning.
4.
Ensure there are clear progression routes from all vocational qualifications
and that their exchange value is understood by young people and employers.
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
28
5.
Move to broad-based programmes of vocational education which prepare
people for the workplace and provide for a return to academic education
when required.
6.
Recognise that Key Skills cannot be a substitute for basic skills and that
young people need to reach a recognised threshold in literacy and numeracy.
7.
Review funding arrangements to ensure that the more expensive vocational
education programmes can be delivered by colleges and other providers.
8.
Review sectoral differences to judge whether some sectors are not suited to
the more advanced vocational education programmes such as Modern
Apprenticeship.
9.
Recognise the fact that the majority of young people work part-time and that
the concept of the full-time student is fast becoming obsolete.
10.
Recognise the fact that if we offer a range of options to young people, then
we encourage them to try more than one. We need to have strategies and
support mechanisms in place to ensure young people can switch routes
sensibly.
Skills Task Force Research Paper 5
29
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