- Helping to tackle the ongoing scandal of the near one million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by making an element of school funding conditional on pupils progressing post-16;
- Using this funding to transform careers guidance in those schools with a NEETs problem, and using local employers to help build a fit-for-purpose careers advice system across England;
- Creating an aspirational new ‘National Baccalaureate’ for all school leavers which includes rigorous, stretching and labour-market responsive vocational qualifications for the ‘Forgotten 50%’ and skills, character building and workplace learning for all;
- Confronting England’s poor international standing in maths and English by ensuring all young people continue to study maths and English to 18.
Tristram Hunt MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the Taskforce plans for the ‘Forgotten 50%’, said
“This report is an excellent contribution to Labour’s thinking on education and skills. The talents of the Forgotten 50% - those young people who wish to pursue a vocational route through education – are being overlooked by this Government. For David Cameron, vocational education is, at best, an after-thought.
"Labour will deliver for the Forgotten 50% through a Technical Baccalaureate with rigorous vocational qualifications, requiring schools and colleges to collaborate to reduce NEETs and transforming careers advice by working with local employers so young people have the best chance of succeeding in the job market. And under Labour, all young people will study maths and English to 18.
"David Cameron’s ambivalence to vocational excellence will cost our country dear, prising young people out of the global labour market. Reforms must focus on driving up standards in maths and English, strengthening character and resilience and equipping the labour market of the future with the skills set it needs. More of the same just won’t do.”
Professor Chris Husbands, Chair of the Skills Taskforce, said:
“Successful economies and successful societies depend on developing all their young people. In Britain, we have a poor record of delivering high skills and effective qualifications for the forgotten 50%: the half of young people for whom the current qualifications regime simply does not deliver.
"The tragedy is that other countries do better. They have more efficient qualifications systems, better vocational education and strong routes through to the labour market. We have to do better. If we do not, we let down young people, we make it more difficult for business to compete and we store up years of costs.
"The Taskforce has set out plans for radically improved information and advice which will help young people negotiate an ever more complex labour market, and for a deliverable National Baccalaureate - a simple framework for qualifications and skills which will make it easier for all young people to make the transition to adulthood. What we have set out is do-able and practical. Our economic and our social future depends on getting this right.”
BACKGROUND
Labour has welcomed a report on reforming 14-19 education produced by Labour’s independent ‘Skills Taskforce’, chaired by Professor Chris Husbands (Director of the Institute of Education) to be published in full tomorrow (Monday). This report will form part of Labour’s Policy Review and the Party will now consult on the recommendations.
TACKLING THE NEET SCANDAL
Currently, too many young people are dropping out of education or training, with nearly one million NEET. There is a widely held consensus – shared by Ofsted, the business community and the Education Select Committee – that current careers advice and guidance provision is ‘inadequate’, lacks independence and does not serve our young people well. Michael Gove ruled out any reforms to careers advice under this government at a hearing of the Education Select Committee in December.
Labour will examine Skills Taskforce recommendations to:
- Place a responsibility on schools to track the destinations of all their students, with an element of funding conditional on passing learners onto the next stage of their education or training. Funding withheld from schools where pupils have not progressed post-16 should be diverted to support the delivery of an enhanced IAG service for these school to help prevent future NEETs.
- Develop a new national framework for Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), to be brokered by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) based on the needs of the local labour market and delivered through strong partnerships between schools and employers.
A ‘NATIONAL BACCALAUREATE’: HIGH ASPIRATIONS FOR ALL SECONDARY EDUCATION LEAVERS AND A CLEAR ROUTE FOR THE FORGOTTEN 50%
The IPPR has highlighted the link between strong vocational education and youth unemployment, with the percentage of pupils in upper secondary education taking vocational courses in the United Kingdom at 32 per cent and the youth unemployment rate is 21 per cent. In the Netherlands the figures are 67 per cent and 10 per cent, in Norway 54 per cent and 9 per cent.
Labour will examine Taskforce recommendations for:
- An exit qualification for all learners from secondary education - a ‘National Baccalaureate’ available as either a ‘Technical Bacc’ or a ‘General Bacc’. An intermediate level Baccalaureate would be available for young people achieving at Level 2 (GCSE level) which would demonstrate skills and learning to employers and allow for later progression to Level 3;
- The Taskforce recommends this National Baccalaureate should comprise of four components:
- core learning (qualifications such as A’ levels or business and industry accredited level 3 vocational qualifications);
- Maths and English;
- A personal skills development programme; and
- An extended project.
DRIVING UP OUR INTERNATIONAL STANDING IN MATHS AND ENGLISH
The latest PISA OECD data showed we need to perform far better in maths and English if we are to keep up with standards in the best performing systems internationally.
The Taskforce recommends:
- All learners to continue to study maths and English throughout their education participation, up to 18, whatever learning or training programme they are on and as one of the four compulsory components of the National Baccalaureate.