Cicero Policy Briefer

Issue 12, May 2007

Back to School: Learning to get reforms in education right

By James Allen

The Government is currently pushing through a series of ambitious reforms in 14-19 education. The very fact that so many people will not have heard about this, given that pilot 14-19 diplomas across several economic sectors will be starting in less than 18 months’ time is somewhat worrying. And it is doubly frustrating given the excellent work that many Sector Skills Councils have been doing, and the fact that the content of the policy itself is strong.

I was fortunate enough to hear the CBI Director-General Richard Lambert in April deliver a hopeful, if cautious, message on government education reforms at a policy conference on the future skills agenda. Lambert is optimistic about the future of the diplomas, though he shares the concerns of many about timing and adequate resources being in place.

It was refreshing to note that Lambert consciously avoided the somewhat tired rhetoric of many in the business community, who bemoan the lack of skilled graduates and school leavers while harking back to some mythical bygone era when the British education system produced armies of bright-eyed, ultra-literate and numerate young people itching to get into the workplace.

Nevertheless, it is clear that skills levels in the UK remain too low, and that this is a key area for reform if we are to continue to enjoy economic growth and inward investment through remaining a competitive and attractive place to do business. Raising skill levels across the board will also be essential if we are to sustain record high levels of employment in the context of global trade and offshoring and increasingly liberal markets allowing free movement of people and capital. In addition to these challenges, the UK will face ever more fierce competition from across the globe.

Another area for improvement if the benefits from the new skills agenda are to be maximised, as identified by Lambert, is in careers advice in British schools. Alarmingly high numbers of young people go through school receiving little or no formal careers advice, and the advice that they receive is often of poor quality. This poses a challenge for government: not only is there a social imperative to deliver good quality advice, but the Government’s own ambitions in vocational training (including creating a ‘parity of esteem’ with academic courses) will fail unless careers advice improves.

The Government’s objectives in skills policies do have broad support, but there remain key concerns. Firstly, there is some apprehension that, by introducing pilot diplomas by September 2008, the Government is running the risk of sacrificing quality for speed. There does not appear to be a fully worked out plan for retraining teachers, and some major teaching unions have expressed concerns about the ability of their members to deliver the new courses.

Creating a well understood, well resourced system of vocational education is long overdue in order to move beyond the myth that academic success is the only worthwhile educational path to pursue. If the Government is serious about achieving this very laudable goal, then a good starting point would be for the Secretary of State to publicly and unequivocally back the new 14-19 diplomas and set out exactly how resources will be allocated to ensure that the level and persistency of funding will be adequate.

There needs to be a high level of interest and support for the new diplomas, which must be generated through far more concerted efforts to publicise the reforms and the new opportunities that they will bring to providers, parents and, most importantly, the students themselves. Finally, if the diplomas are to be as valuable as academic qualifications, and the disastrous attempts of the past in vocational education finally put to rest, then a sceptical Higher Education sector will need to be convinced that the diplomas should satisfy their entry requirements.

The Government owes it to this generation of young people to get these reforms right. Policy is generally moving in the right direction, but it is essential that there is no repeat of the somewhat chaotic implementation of the Curriculum 2000 reforms in the implementation stage.

James Allen can be contacted on +44 (0)20 7665 9530 or click here to email.

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