As part of its inquiry into the future of post-16 qualifications, the Education Select Committee took evidence from the British Chambers of Commerce and small and medium sized enterprises this week. The session looked at the post-16 landscape of qualifications, T-Levels, apprenticeships, and the knowledge, skills, and employability of students.
Chair of the Committee, Robert Halfon MP, opened the session by asking whether or not the current curriculum prepares pupils for the world of work. He noted that the 2019 employer skills survey suggested that there were more vacancies proving hard to fill because of lack of qualifications or relevant skills and experience than at any point since 2011.
Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, pointed to further data on this issue. She said they had recently polled their network of 53 accredited chambers, representing 70,000 businesses. 30% said that young people were not ready for the work when they left school, with businesses saying that applied and contextualised learning was missing.
Chris Pont, founder and chair of IJYI Ltd, said that his industry is very experience based. The curriculum, he said, prepares candidates for high-level concepts, giving students a background and baseline. However, he said that until students actually get into the world of work, it is very difficult for them to get real experience.
Lisa Silcock, interim group HR manager at Naylor Industries, agreed, saying that at present the curriculum is too academic based and is designed to set students up for university. She said she wanted to see a greater focus on practical skills.
These themes were picked up by all those giving evidence. Peter Cadwallader, owner of The Port Hotel, said that we have too much of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ education system. He said we needed earlier identification of what skills students have, to avoid pushing all down one route. He also expressed concern about the lack of focus on practical skills, particularly communication skills.
Matthew McCarrick, Director of McCarrick Construction, added that work experience could stop someone heading down the route of a degree or further education in something that they have no interest in at all.
In our Manifesto for North East Education, published in 2019, one of our key recommendations was to ensure all pupils can access an appropriate curriculum. It is concerning then that the recent Schools White Paper sees a return to using non-contextualised grades as a measure of success. Through our roundtables and surveys, school leaders have said this focus on grades would likely impact on the ability of schools to develop a broad and balanced curriculum. We will continue to feedback these discussions to key educational stakeholders.
