The University of ExeterDr Andrew Dean a.dean@ex.ac.uk

LOCATION

Exeter 2.5 hours from London Mild climate & high quality of life - 20

minutes to beach in region of natural beauty

“Exeter is very easy to fall in love with. It has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, in one of the most beautiful counties in Britain." Virgin Alternative Guide to British Universities, 2005

Marchmont Observatory

• Labour Market Observatory

• Specialist Research centre in Skills and employment policy and practice

• Supporting the exchange of ideas and good practice

• Regional and local specialisms

• History of EU Project working (Horizon 2020/FP7, LLP/erasmus+, Progress etc)

• Action-based research

http://www.marchmont.ac.uk

Education, Training and Work in the UK

1. Academic versus Vocational2. Labour Market Priorities3. Historic Tensions and Market Failure4. Current Priorities5. Qualifications6. Guidance7. Policy Direction8. England’s New Structures

9. How Wales is different

http://www.marchmont.ac.uk

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VET in England

Decentralised & Market Driven

Principle is VET should be provided by employers who require & will use the skills they are creating, not by the state / formal

education institutions

Historic tension in policy – spontaneous order or spontaneous disorder

State’s concern is with identifying and rectifying market failure

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Qualifications‘Licenses’ to practice are rare in the UK

Qualifications system has been praised for its focus on ‘progression’ through Level 1 to Level 8

Employers are involved in establishing ‘occupational standards’, i.e. competencies required at a given level to perform a job

Many exam boards exist, creating competing qualifications linked to these standards

This makes it easy for new qualifications to be created quickly

But it is confusing for employers, leading to periodic efforts to reduce the number of qualifications that exist, or are state funded.

http://www.marchmont.ac.uk

GuidanceWhose demand? ‘The career aspirations of teenagers at all ages can be said to have nothing in common with the projected demand for labour in the UK between 2010 and 2020.’

IAG is the responsibility of schools/colleges & National Careers Service– No ring-fenced funding for schools

– Declining in number of young people leads to concerns re impartiality

– ‘Gap’ in provision for 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education

– National Careers Service is new – online, phone & face-to-face. First face-to-face session is free for all. Two additional sessions if low skilled, claiming benefits, at risk of redundancy.

Changes seen by almost all as an error... weakening link with work...

http://www.marchmont.ac.uk

Schools

Schools – massive liberalisation and aggressive ‘marketisation’- free schools (faith, geography, specialism etc)- academy schools- University Technical Colleges- Studio Schools (sectoral)- as well as private schools/independent schools and existing state schools and grammar schools and Colleges

No role for local government in most new schools and academies

Education leaving age extended (17 then 18)

Also de-regulation of teacher training

http://www.marchmont.ac.uk

New Structures and Priorities - ENGLAND

Goodbye Regions – Hello Local...

Local Enterprise Partnerships - all pursuing ‘Growth’- all have some responsibility for ‘skills’ funding (inc apps)- all responsibility for allocating EU (ESF/ERDF funds)- all see link between work and education as important

All are ‘demand-led’ – with employer dominated ‘Boards’ (but delivery is by (increasingly impoverished) local government – huge tensions!!!

I’m looking to learn about practical examples of better links between education, training and work...

Takk!

Dr Andrew Dean a.dean@exeter.ac.uk