Foreword by the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning John Hayes MP
Little makes more difference to people’s lives than the empowerment they receive from education. But for those young people whose aptitudes and talents are practical, expectations are too often limited and opportunities restricted. For far too long vocational learning has been seen as the poor relation of academic learning.
While there have been many calls over the years for greater parity of esteem between academic and vocation qualifications, in practice this has meant making what is practical more academic, to the detriment of both. It is time, as the Secretary of State has said, that we recognise the ‘inherent value of craftsmanship’ – the intrinsic richness of manual work practical and technical competences.
Recognising the value of practical skills matters for individuals and our society, and it matters for our economy too. Our future prosperity depends on building an advanced economy founded on high-level technical skills. To extend individual opportunity and rebalance our economy we must raise expectations and unleash talent. For those young people who choose the vocational route it must be a highway, not a cul-de-sac.
In September last year, the Secretary of State asked Professor Alison Wolf to investigate how we can ensure that vocational education provides for progression to higher learning and employment. Alison’s report represents a fresh approach. Rather than advocating yet more qualification reform, it recommends that we embrace and extend the forms of vocational learning we know work well, both here and abroad. In particular, Alison identifies Apprenticeships as a key route to skilled employment and national prosperity.
To deliver economic growth with all that means for standards of living and communal wellbeing we must prioritise vocational learning, promote Apprenticeships and so produce a new generation of craftsmen and women capable of building Britain's future.
John Hayes MP,
Minister of State for Further education, Skills and Lifelong Learning.
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