157 Group welcomes review of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds
16th September 2010
Thursday 16 September 2010
157 Group welcomes review of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds
The 157 Group of 28 large further education colleges in England has welcomed a Department for Education (DfE) announcement that Professor Alison Wolf is to lead a review of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds.
Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said, "Bridging our skills gaps and being able to compete in an increasingly globalised economy depends on young people having access to high-quality vocational education that meets their needs and is tailored to the requirements of employers. The further education sector is already a major contributor to workplace training, basic skills courses and apprenticeship programmes, and we see that role expanding as more and more young people and their parents begin to recognise the value of vocational routes to employment.
"Allowing young learners the choice of more practical and vocationally relevant learning can boost motivation and improvement, and the 157 Group recommends that 14 and 15-year-olds should be given greater access to practical and work-related programmes at college, in some cases on a full-time basis.
Frank McLoughlin CBE, chair of the 157 Group, said, "An apprenticeship with a good employer offers an excellent foundation for working life, and 157 Group colleges work with large numbers of employers to help provide apprenticeships. We are all too aware, however, that the number of apprenticeship places falls well short of the numbers of young people wanting to take them up, and we hope that the review will address this key issue.
"We expect the review to be based on robust evidence and practitioner experience and wisdom. It should also take into account that colleges are well equipped to fulfil the role envisaged for a new generation of university technical colleges; we have the expertise of industrially qualified staff and can provide the expensive practical facilities needed for delivering high-quality vocational education.
"The 157 Group looks forward to contributing to the review and to the introduction of arrangements and qualifications that encourage flexibility, innovation and excellence."
