Challenges and opportunities for vocational education and training in the light of Raising the Participation Age

Abstract

By 2015, all young people must participate in some form of education and training until they are aged 18. This review discusses the challenges and opportunities involved if vocational education and training is to contribute to this raising of the participation age. We argue that as well as ensuring that young people who have made a full-time commitment to a particular vocation have access to high-quality programmes, young people currently not in education, employment or training must also have a suitable offer. We outline seven principles, capturing what vocational education and training should contain, where they should be located, and who should be entrusted with their delivery. We use these principles as a guide to provide an audit of recent vocational education and training. This reveals a need for more programmes with good progression opportunities, high-quality learning environments and access to dedicated professional staff. We describe two case studies which go some way to meeting our principles: the Derby Apprenticeship Pathway aimed at young people who have made a vocational commitment, and the Activity Agreement Pilot aimed at re-engaging young people currently not in education, employment or training. We argue that both types of provision will be necessary if raising the participation age is to be implemented successfully.

Keywords:

• vocational education and training
• raising the participation age
• returns to qualifications
• NEET

Notes

1. There is an acknowledgement that GCSE A*–C may not be attainable within the time of a young person’s study programme. The Department for Education (2012a) has suggested that students can initially take other English or mathematics qualifications that would help them achieve GCSE over a longer period of time. However, it cannot compel providers to offer GCSE and must instead rely on encouraging this through funding arrangements and league table measures.

2. The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) was devised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to recognise more precisely the academic levels of qualifications. It allowed for the provision of an entry level as well as Levels 1–8. GCSE grades A*–C are Level 2 and an example of an equivalent qualification would be Level 2 Key Skills.

3. The evaluation of the AAP involved a longitudinal and qualitative account of the perspectives of different stakeholders involved in the delivery of AAP. This consisted of roundtable discussions with Connexions and managers who were involved in AAP delivery. Between three and seven stakeholders were interviewed in each pilot area using a combination of face-to-face and telephone interviews (Maguire 2011).

4. Inspectors spoke to over 700 young people, interviewed staff from schools and colleges, Connexions services, the voluntary and community sector, local authorities and council members. The inspectors met with focus groups as well as analysing case files and performance data. Visits were made to a total of 28 schools, 18 colleges and 84 voluntary sector, training and other providers.