“Engaging pathways for all”
2 nd Annual Edge Lecture, Wednesday November 2 nd , 2011
Stephen Twigg MP, Shadow Education Secretary
Introduction
I am very pleased to be with you today in my new role as Shadow
Education Secretary.
Education is my passion and it was a privilege to serve as Schools
Minister in Tony Blair’s second term working alongside such brilliant colleagues as Estelle Morris, Charles Clarke and David Miliband.
A good friend of mine said to me yesterday that the central unanswered question in our policy debate is “what is Education for?”
I believe passionately in the inherent value of education- for personal development; for cultural enrichment and to enable people to be good citizens. Of course, Education is rightly valued as a vital tool of economic policy. Effective investment in Education should help the workforce of tomorrow- and indeed today- to get jobs.
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Education is also an important tool for social justice and social mobility.
When I worked as a Minister I led the London Challenge- to achieve a step change in secondary education here in our great capital city.
For me, innovation and reform are vital if we are to truly improve educational opportunities for all. That is why I took the decision in 2002 to give the go ahead to the brilliant Teach First programme.
And it is why as the Minister for Primary Schools I was always keen to ensure that high standards of Literacy and Numeracy were achieved.
Of course when politicians emphasise Literacy and Numeracy we open ourselves to the risk of being caught out by the media. I remember my colleague Stephen Byers talking about numeracy and being asked by a journalist “What is 7 times 8” and replying “54”.
It is a pleasure to be delivering my first key note speech as Shadow
Education Secretary at an Edge Foundation event. Few have done so much to raise the status of technical, practical and vocational education.
For example, the important role that you have played in the studio schools movement.
There are many pathways to success. I look forward to working with
Edge and other partners over the coming months and years. Edge’s manifesto, set out in 2009, holds relevance today and offers an
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important contribution to the debate on the future of vocational education in England.
It is a particular pleasure to be here with Lord Baker. A champion of vocational education who has made a huge contribution to shaping this debate. The birth of the University Technical Colleges owes much to his vision. His bi partisan work with my good friend Lord Adonis, the former
Schools Minister, is a brilliant demonstration of the progress that can be made across party lines.
There will always be differences between the parties on Education
Policy but if we can achieve a greater national consensus on the key areas of the future curriculum and the quality of teaching that will be a very positive development.
I look forward to working with Lord Baker, Lord Adonis and colleagues across Parliament and beyond to strengthen the rigour and status of vocational pathways for young people in England.
Today, I want to offer some initial thoughts on the crucial role that vocational education has to play in offering educational progression for many young people and on my vision for vocational education.
But first, let me consider Labour’s record.
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Many pathways, not one
Labour’s focus on widening participation in Higher Education is something that we are proud of. The target of getting 50% of 18- 30 years olds into Higher Education has been criticised. Yet, radical transformations in society often require radical prescriptions. And that’s what we delivered.
When I went to university in 1985, only 14% of my age group went to higher education. By 1997 there had been a big rise to 34%. And by
2009/10 that figure had risen to 47%. In other words, an opportunity denied to 6 out of 7 of my age group is now available to almost 50% of young people, 25 years later.
I do fear that the trebling of tuition fees combined with the abolition of
Aim Higher and EMAs could reverse this positive trend.
We will monitor carefully the impact of the new fees system on participation levels, and in particular on widening participation.
My view is that the problem with the 50% target wasn’t the target itself but that we did not focus enough on the remaining 50%.
The title of today’s lecture ‘Engaging pathways for all’ reminds us to move on from thinking that university is the only high status means for
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progression. We know this is not the case and perhaps we should have done more in Government on vocational education.
We achieved great things in Education

The Literacy and Numeracy Strategy delivered huge gains in attainment at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4.
At Key Stage 2, 80% of pupils achieved level 4 or better in English in 2010, compared to 63% in 1997. 80% of children achieved level
4 in mathematics in 2010, compared to 62% in 1997.
At Key Stage 4, 76.1% of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieved 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent in 2010, compared to 42.5% in 1997. The proportion of pupils at the end of
KS4 achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics
GCSE was 55.1% in 2010, compared to 32.5% in 1997.

Poorer children narrowed the educational achievement gap on children from wealthier backgrounds during Labour's time in office.
Findings from a recent piece of research by the Financial Times support this. This narrowing of the gap is the result of more and better teachers, stronger school leadership, a relentless focus on
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literacy and numeracy and the introduction of specialist schools, academies and trust schools.

We legislated to raise the education leaving age, not the school leaving age, as is commonly claimed. I draw this distinction so as to emphasis the focus that we attached to continued learning to 18 for all, not just for those who chose to pursue an academic route by staying on at school.

We delivered new levels of apprenticeships. From 65,000 people on apprenticeships in 1996/ 97, by the end of our time in government there were 279,000 apprenticeships

And on investment in Further Education, the recent Institute of
Fiscal Studies report- Trends in Education and School Spending- identified FE as one of the fasting growing areas of investment for
Education spending under the previous Labour Government.
Real achievements were made but the figures on young people not in education, employment or training remain stubbornly high.

There are currently over 1 million 16- 24 year olds not in education, employment or training. And whilst the vast majority of
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those people categorised as NEET churn between education, employment and short term spells of unemployment, there remains a critical 10% who stay NEET for over a year. Addressing this group continues to be an especially difficult and important public policy challenge.

Adult illiteracy
The Literacy Trust reports that 1 in 6 people in the UK struggle with literacy. In its Manifesto ahead of the 2010 General Election, the Trust reported that 12.6 million people would have struggled to read the manifesto. Making progress on adult literacy is important in addressing labour market needs and social mobility for adults and, of course, for their children.

We did not achieve the step change in access to high quality vocational education to match the step change in Higher Education
That is not to say that we rested on our laurels.
Our policies for vocational education: Diplomas
Over the final 5 years of the previous Government, Labour introduced
Diplomas, providing young people with the choice of a vocational pathway from the age of 14. The diplomas were designed around two components: principal learning- the ‘hands on’, practical side- and
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functional learning- knowledge based learning relating to English, Maths and ICT.
James Dyson, a leading innovator of this generation, wrote in March
2010 of the need for the education system to develop ‘hands and brains’ people. In a submission to the Conservatives- he wrote:
‘Hands’, in that they can solve problems, have no fear of failure, and follow their theories through into practice by actually making things.
‘Brains’, in that our best engineers and scientists have the theoretical and scientific foundations to inform their work. And the intelligence and creativity to follow a logical course of development.’
It was that same desire that led us to devise the Diploma. To offer technical and practical hands on education, with the supplementary dimension of a critical thinking component.
On the Diploma, Ofsted has reported that in the most effective lessons of principal learning, learners were motivated by practical and active learning and the opportunities to apply their learning to work-related contexts. As a result, pupils made good progress.
Whilst the take up of Diplomas has not been as high as we had hoped, diplomas introduced an alternative pathway.
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Re-examining the relationship between the principal and the functional learning for 14- 19 education will be important for determining our offer going forward. Frankly, this applies to what we traditionally call academic subjects as well as vocational.
The Government announced last week that it would be reviewing vocational qualifications and their place in school performance tables.
Labour supports rigour in vocational education. Young people need to know that they are working towards qualifications that will help them progress in education and achieve employment. We want to make sure that their hard work is going to count for something. At the same time, we need to know that where a course and qualification are rigorous, we can be confident that the system will recognise and value young people who are achieving high standards and making good progress.
There is, of course, some tension amongst educationalists and policy makers as to the point at which vocational education should start. Lord
Baker and others have sought a rigorous offer from 14, whilst Professor
Alison Wolf, whose report I will return to, has proposed that at least 80% of the curriculum be academic until 16. Indeed some have argued that there be no vocational component at all until 16.
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Clearly, there is a danger if young people specialise too early. But equally, if we want rigour, high standards and a policy that promotes educational and labour market progression, we need a range of rigorous academic and vocational choices.
Earlier this week I visited the City Academy Norwich. Two years ago, it was in the bottom 10 schools in England with fewer than 10% getting 5
GCSEs A*-C including Eng. & Maths (as Earlham High). It is now one of the most improved schools in England, jumping from 26% in 2010 to
41% getting 5 GCSES A*-C incl. Eng. & Maths in 2011.
I was very interested to learn of the model that is being implemented there, with Key Stage 4 starting a year earlier- enabling young people to take a broader range of options- both academic and vocational.
I am very keen to learn from this and other positive examples from schools and colleges across the country.
On apprenticeships
Labour more than quadrupled apprenticeships.
Ed Miliband is determined to go much further on this.
Ed set out in his conference speech in Liverpool that all major government contracts should go to firms who commit to training the next
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generation with decent apprenticeships. And none should go to those who don’t.
The Government has pledged to build on Labour’s progress on apprenticeships. Yet despite its efforts to spin the figures, the data on the number of young people undertaking apprenticeships in the last year is worryingly low.
According to The Guardian, fewer than 7% of the new places for the
Academic Year 2010-11 have gone to 16- 18 year olds
The number of new apprentices under 25 accounted for just 16% of the figures for this year. That’s just 1 in 6 new apprentices at a time when youth unemployment is almost one million.
Within the Government’s own defined target sectors, modest increases can be seen in construction, engineering, planning and the built environment. I welcome these increases, while remaining concerned about the lack of apprenticeships for young people.
Apprenticeships, like other vocational pathways, cannot reach parity of esteem with non vocational options simply by the grace of a ministerial announcement. Simply saying something has parity of esteem does not make it happen.
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Creating rigorous and high standard “on the job” pathways, not rebranding existing jobs as apprenticeships, must surely be the way forward.
Apprenticeships risk becoming a tainted brand unless rigour is applied
I want Apprenticeships to be seen as the Gold Standard of post-16
Vocational Education. For parents to be as proud of their child securing a top apprenticeship as they are of their child going to university.
I will work with employers and educationalists to shape this Gold
Standard
UTCs and vehicles of delivery
I want to welcome the progress of University Technical Colleges.
Whilst they will not be the only means to raising standards and the status of vocational education, they offer an important vehicle.
There are some excellent examples, including of course, the JCB
Academy in Staffordshire, which I look forward to visiting soon.
However, currently, the Government is funding new UTCs but simultaneously, its policy undermines the value of the courses they offer.
I want to make the argument for a Technical Baccalaureate. It cannot be right that where UTCs offer high value qualifications- enabling
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educational progression and developing a workforce that meets the needs of a new economy, that such qualifications are not recognised.
My predecessor Andy Burnham did fantastic work in this area.
Lord Adonis and Lord Baker have pressed the Government to reconsider its decision not to explore in more detail the prospect of a
Technical Baccalaureate, to sit alongside the E Bacc.
I endorse their call.
We will consider a range of vehicles by which vocational education can best meet the needs of young people- both for those who attend school or college and those who choose to go into the work place.
On Wolf
Passionate experts have made passionate cases in debating the future course for English vocational education. I want to turn to one important contribution
That made by Professor Alison Wolf in her review of Vocational
Education
Professor Wolf’s Review presents some critical policy challenges
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Today’s labour market is not a secure place for young people seeking employment.
Professor Wolf identifies that for many 16 and 17 year olds, their experience moves between short term stints in education and employment.
The Review also recognises the huge barrier to young people’s life chances in that 50% of 16- 18 year olds do not achieve Maths and
English at GCSE A*- C.
We must consider what can be done to address the disincentive for schools and colleges to provide 16 -18 year olds with a second chance at securing these crucial foundations.
As Professor Wolf notes ‘English and Maths GCSE (at grades A*-C) are fundamental to young people’s employment and education prospects.
Yet less than 50% of students have both at the end of Key Stage 4 (age
15/16); and at age 18 the figure is still below 50%. Only 4% of the cohort achieve this key credential during their 16-18 education.
’
It cannot be right that so few young people get the chance to re-sit
English and Maths.
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In 1997 Literacy and Numeracy in primary schools was David Blunkett’s top priority. 14 years later it is time for a similar focus on Literacy and
Numeracy from the age of 16.
So on Literacy and Numeracy I am with Professor Wolf. Where I depart from her is on the value of vocational education for disengaged young people.
Professor Wolf and Department for Education analysis argues that vocational education is not significant in raising the motivation, behaviour and aspirations of disengaged young people to stay in education. However, this analysis has relied heavily on data obtained from a cohort of young people who undertook GNVQs and Applied
GCSEs.
Critics (notably the Edge Foundation) argue that GNVQs and Applied
GCSEs are not sufficiently vocational as they offer relatively little
“learning by doing” and rely a lot on learning by listening, writing and reading.
Many in the field tell me that rigorous and work based vocational qualifications- such as the BTEC- motivate young people to stay in education and make progress as a result.
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Strengthening the evidence base for making this case will be important for Edge and others for the argument to be successful. My instincts are that Edge is right on this but I will make an evidence based judgement on this.
In closing
In the weeks and months ahead, I will consider the evidence, from home and abroad, in developing our policy. I am interested in looking at examples from other countries, including Holland and Singapore.
I look forward to this Great Debate on the future of vocational education.
It is one in which we must engage young people, schools and colleges, employers and the wider public because it is a debate that strikes at the heart of social justice, social mobility and the future of our economy.
No party in government has ever got this right.
The challenges are clear:
Delivering high status, rigorous pathways in vocational education
Addressing the Literacy and Numeracy levels post 16, which obstruct personal development and act as a barrier to economic progress
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And fostering high class and high status institutions- such as the UTCs that are striving to become the exemplar model - in vocational education
I look forward to working with the Edge Foundation and others to meet these challenges.
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