After years of upheaval over qualifications in the 16 to 19 age range, new proposals by Sir Ron Dearing, endorsed by all the politicians, herald a calmer future. But will employers be convinced?
DEARING DOES FOR QUALIFICATIONS
A major shake-up of qualifications for 16 to 19 years olds is certain following the government’s acceptance of most of the recommendations of the chairman of the School Curriculum Assessment Authority, Sir Ron Dearing, published on March 27. His proposals – some 200 in all – set the four existing qualifications (GCSEs, A Levels, NVQs and GNVQs) into a single coherent framework, with a National Diploma taken at 18 for students achieving two A Levels, an Applied A Level (the renamed GNVQ) or an equivalent NVQ. The National Record of Achievement is to be reintroduced and youth training relaunched as National Traineeships, run jointly by employers and colleges, leading to Modern Apprenticeships.
Sir Ron emphasised the importance of core skills for employment – literacy, numeracy and information technology. The proposals have been broadly welcomed by many employers groups and will be introduced from September 1997. Contact DfEE Enquiries on 0171 925 5555
DISADVANTAGED YOUNGSTERS
The week before the Labour Party published new proposals on 14 to 19 year olds, echoing many of the Dearing findings. In particular, it wants a new overarching certificate, the Advanced Diploma, incorporating both A Level and vocational routes. It also highlighted the needs of disaffected 14 to 16 year olds, proposing a new partnership between schools, employers and FE colleges, to keep them within the system; they could leave school but remain in education through further education colleges with close links to work.
Labour has also dropped its plans to levy a compulsory charge on employers who do not invest in training and is now proposing individual learning accounts. Announced on March 28, the new policy promises a skills revolution based on:
Learn As You Earn smartcards, funded with ?150 from government and ?25 from individuals, with companies able to top up the account; initially this will be targeted at about one million people, including part-time workers, those seeking career changes, small businesses and people wanting to train in IT;
offering financial incentives for small firms to join the Investors in People scheme;
a new University for Industry, through distance learning at home or at work.
Contact Liz Allen, Labour Party Policy Directorate, on 0171 701 1234
MPS PRAISE TECS
The House of Commons Employment Committee has recommended that the government drop the requirement that business people serving on TEC boards should be at company chairman/chief executive level. Published in February, it recognises the “modest” success of TECs since 1990 but makes detailed recommendations for improvement in four main areas: accountability and responsibility to government, parliament, local communities and trainees; structure of the network; funding and costs; performance and measurement. The findings received a cautious welcome from TEC National Council. Contact Chris Humphries, TEC National Council, on 0171 735 0010
TRAINING BENEFITS
Companies will only improve their international competitiveness if both employers and employees adopt new approaches to evaluating the benefits of training. According to the Institute of Personnel and Development, only 3% attempt any cost benefit analysis. The Institute launched a programme at its annual conference on March 19 to encourage evaluation, looking at both financial returns and intangible benefits like cultural and behavioural change. Contact Memuna Forna, IPD, on 0181 263 3237
IGNORANT DIRECTORS
Four in five directors of small and medium sized companies say school leavers and graduates fail to meet basic literacy and numeracy standards. The findings come from a survey of members of the Institute of Directors published on March 6. Nearly half the directors do not know what NVQs are. Contact Ruth Lea, IOD, on 0171 839 1233
COLLEGES AND EMPLOYERS
The Institute for Employment Studies has published an employer’s factfile (ISBN 1 85184 229 2, ?16) about the further education sector, describing recent developments and the new qualifications framework covering the 456 colleges which enrol 3.2 million people each year, educating 40% of 16 and 17 year olds in vocational courses and A levels. The IES has also published the detailed findings of a study in six regions on the responsiveness of the FE sector in meeting the needs of employers. (ISBN 1 85184 226 8, ?25). Contact BEBC Distribution on 0120 271 5555
Comment
Peace has broken out. First, Labour’s abandonment of the levy effectively means it intends to build on the structure set up by the present government, if given the chance, rather than tearing it down and starting again.
The cornerstone of that new building is the learning account which will, as the jargon goes, empower individuals to take ownership of their own skills enhancement. If the idea can be made to work and captures popular imagination, companies will soon be under pressure to contribute, although making this mandatory is not part of the Party’s plans.
Second, Sir Ron Dearing has achieved what most thought impossible – given enough of the protagonists in the great academic versus vocational qualifications debate enough of what most matters for them to agree broadly the way forward.
So why the uneasy feeling that Sir Ron’s efforts are just too good to be true? Not because he has brought order to the muddle of the 16 to 19 age range. He has. Rather because the fundamental problem starts younger.
NVQs were introduced because industry wanted measurable, relevant, portable vocational qualifications to replace the time-serving of old apprenticeships and sit along side the academic gold standard, A Levels. But fewer than one in ten companies employing more than 500 staff are actually using them. There’s no certainty that the Beaumont Report changes, endorsed by Sir Ron, will significantly improve take-up.
What employers really need, first of all, are employees who can read, write and add up. They simply don’t trust vocational qualifications to give that. No amount of emphasis on core (key) skills between 16 and 19 can make up for failures in the basics before 16. That’s why continued company involvement in schools is so absolutely vital. Of which more below.
Corporate Citizenship Briefing, issue no: 27 – April, 1996
COMMENTS