Tristram Hunt: ‘My mission for vocational excellence’
Specialist ‘Institutes of Technical Education’ to transform technical and vocational learning
Speaking at the Association of Colleges conference in Birmingham, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt MP will build on Labour’s theme of the ‘forgotten 50 per cent’ of young people who do not go to university, setting a new agenda for vocational and technical education. The speech accompanies the publication of a new report by Labour’s independent skills Taskforce.
Tristram Hunt will argue that the Tory-led Government has neglected to focus on rigour and raising standards of vocational education, setting out how under a future Labour Government education standards in vocational education will be transformed. Unqualified teachers will not be tolerated and standards in colleges will be raised.
Speaking at the Association of Colleges conference in Birmingham, Tristram Hunt will say:
“I welcome today’s report from Labour’s Skills Taskforce. Building on the Taskforce’s recommendations, Labour will give FE colleges a central role in delivering our vision for the forgotten 50 per cent of young people. We will transform the best colleges into new specialist Institutes of Technical Education, licensed to deliver our Technical Baccalaureate and apprenticeships training. Only colleges with top quality teaching, strong employer links and high standards in English and maths will gain a license and be able to offer our Tech Bacc so we drive up the quality of technical education in this country.
“As in schools, Labour will insist that college teachers must be qualified. A contrast to this Government’s downgrading of the status of teaching. Under Labour college lecturers will have to obtain a teaching qualification to ensure standards are high.”
He will also say that:
“Transforming vocational education is about social justice and social mobility. But it is also a matter of absolute economic urgency.
“For Michael Gove, vocational education is an afterthought. The Tories talk incessantly about the ‘global race’ as if they think we should be competing in the same way as the BRIC countries. Low wage, low skill, when they say ‘race’ what they mean is a race to the bottom. There is no future for Britain in that model.
“We languish 21st out of all OECD countries in terms of technical skills. 31 per cent of high-tech manufacturing firms have forced to import labour from overseas due to the skills shortage. And there are one million young people unemployed.”