Why No Licence to Practise?

Posted 23 January 2014 by Richard & filed under Viewpoint.

I would like to focus on three inter- related issues namely the existence of rogue traders and training providers and the reluctance of this country to introduce a licence to work for a number of occupations. These issues have sadly created an unfair and negative view of a number of professional trades including, construction, hairdressing, hospitality, plumbing and the majority of practitioners employed within them.

These issues continue to be highlighted by the media and press but in spite of some recent high profile cases little is done to tackle let alone resolve the problems. Interestingly very little is ever discussed in any vocational context about the concept of a licence to work. A number of long standing historical practices have contributed to this unsatisfactory state of affairs. There is a British culture of laissez- faire and reluctance to introduce effective mandatory regulation, robust inspection regimes and long term national strategies. This is coupled with the espousal of voluntarism regarding accountability and standardisation which is engrained/endemic and largely responsible for a wide range of historical and current weaknesses in many aspects of British society and employment practices.

A culture of amateurism and continued neglect of science and technology coupled with an indifference to entrepreneurialism and innovation also weakened the development of an effective technical education and training system. This latter point contributed to a perception that technical subjects were inferior to the so-called academic ones and that people working in the practically orientated occupations/trades did not require a licence to work as had been introduced in other countries. Throughout the 19^th, 20^th century and even today this culture of voluntarism has continued in spite of evidence internationally showing that we lack effective national systems for technical education and training and employment legislation in a number of practical and technical professions. Legislation if it exists is too often lax, inconsistent and ambiguous and open to abuse.

This unsatisfactory situation has allowed unscrupulous employers, some individuals and training organisations to exploit situations and find loopholes around existing legislation and thus create the so-called rogue culture. Practising professionals who provide a quality and ethical service are sadly often identified with this negative and damaging image. Legitimate operators who conform to professional practices and existing legislation have been penalised financially by being inundated with bureaucratic systems and submerged in paperwork whilst attempting to run honest businesses. The operation of the free market, particularly since the 1980s has also allowed other unscrupulous people to establish training organisations that offer high cost but totally inadequate training with promises of an accelerated entry into work. Gimmicky incentives are often offered including free tool kits and ridiculously short training programmes with very little work-based learning, further producing unqualified people apparently entitled to entry the labour market. Recent evidence, some shown in the media, highlights a number of these outfits operating almost with impunity because of the lack of any really effective inspection regime and which allows them to exploit the lax legislation. Even when identified they close down and reappear under other company names and in some cases with different managers.

In order to begin to tackle these rogue cultures a licence to work needs to be introduced as quickly as possible into this country and practitioners should be required to undertake continuing professional development programmes (CPD). This is important as apprenticeship programmes become prominent in providing practitioners. Training providers must also be subjected to more rigorous inspection regimes and be named and shamed if they attempt to circumvent the law. Many practically orientated occupations deserve to be recognised as a strategically important profession carrying high status and engendering confidence in the eyes of society. Legitimate practitioners need to be recognised as such and the areas in which they work valued and not denigrated by a few rogue operators.

Professional bodies representing trades must campaign hard to rectify the current situation and lobby for a licence to work and require practitioners to become members of their institutions/bodies. A robust and active membership will greatly assist the credibility of the professional bodies and add to the influence they have when approaching the government on key issues and concerns. In addition they should strengthen their CPD programmes to elevate the skill levels of practitioners and be very involved in apprenticeship programmes.

(An amended version first published in Education and Training Matters (ETM) for CIPHE by SNG Publishing Ltd. In Spring 2013.

January 2013

Thomas Huxley (1825-1895)

Posted 16 January 2014 by Richard & filed under Biographies & Pen Portraits.

Thomas Huxley (1825-1895).

Author, Biologist, Educator and Research Scientist.

Thomas Huxley was born in Ealing in 1825 son of a mathematics teacher. Mainly self taught he began a medical apprenticeship and soon won a scholarship to the Charing Cross Hospital where he gained an MB degree in 1845 from University of London. At the age of 21 he signed on as an assistant surgeon and was involved in surveying the seas around Australia and New Guinea aboard H.M.S. Rattlesnake. During this time he continued his studies and carried out fundamental research on marine invertebrates the detail of which he sent back to England. On his return the England he found that his research papers had been enthusiastically received and some had been read at the Royal Society and as a result he was soon acclaimed as a pioneering and brilliant biologist in his own right and was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851.

In 1854 he became a lecturer in Natural History at the Government School of Mines that later became the Royal School of Mines and was later appointed as the first Dean of the Normal School of Science that eventually became the Royal College of Science (RCS) in 1889. He remained as joint Dean of both colleges until his death in 1895. He was a very strong advocate of technical education and like others before him e.g. Lyon Playfair and George Birkbeck fought hard for the subjects to be more fully recognised, valued and funded. He realised the importance of good science teaching and how essential it was that scientists and technologists received an effective grounding in the sciences and technology. He actively supported the various Parliamentary Bills on Education and was often used as an expert witness or as a full member on a number of Royal Commissions e.g. the Devonshire Report. Thomas Huxley was appointed a Member of the School Board of London in 1870 and played a major part in establishing the London elementary education system. As a Board member he argued strongly for liberal education. He frequently lectured to working men’s’ classes and believed that the detail of even the most complex topic could be communicated if carefully and sympathetically explained.

He met Charles Darwin in 1856 and became a great friend and supporter of his ideas. Following the publication of the ‘Origin of the Species’ Huxley became a passionate supporter and defender of the theory of evolution so much so he became known as ‘Darwin’s Bulldog’. He also helped to refine the theory and published a seminal book ‘Evidence on Man’s Place in Nature’ just five years after the ‘Origin of Species’. Huxley was an energetic individual pursuing a wide range of causes and interests. Throughout his life he worked incessantly as a researcher, scientist, teacher and writer. He lectured widely including at the Royal Institution where he held the Fullerian Professorship.

Huxley wrote a fascinating and influential book entitled ‘Science and Education’ in 1883’ (1). The book is a collection of his writings and lectures and contains a number of very interesting essays including one on ‘Technical Education’ written in 1877 (pages 402 to 426) and an ‘Address on behalf of the National Association for the Promotion of Technical Education’ delivered in 1887 (pages 427 to 451).

He was elected President of the Geological Society in 1869 and was President of the Royal Society between 1883 and 1885.

References:

(1) Huxley. T.H. ‘Science and Education.’ Macmillan. 1905.

The Importance of Apprenticeships

Posted 3 December 2013 by Richard & filed under Articles.

There’s still a great deal of empty rhetoric about the urgent need to rebalance the country’s economy but so far little evidence of any real long term action. The politicians have fixated on the need to re-establish an effective manufacturing base neglecting or avoiding the other equally important aspects that caused the problems in the first case. They remain wedded, indeed addicted, to the financial services and the city which is now widely discredited and to a large extent got us into the current crisis. Baling out the banks and financial institutions and printing money through quantitative easing reinforces the view that the country’s economy will continue to be based on consumerism and housing bubbles and a misguided belief in a debt and loan regime.

One crucial element in creating a more balanced economy with a revitalised and effective manufacturing base is a highly qualified workforce. This is where apprenticeships play a key role in producing a highly qualified workforce and must become the top priority on the education and training agenda. I would also suggest that for this to become a reality the apprenticeship programmes must be preferentially treated in order to attract and retain people. Apprenticeships along with technical and vocational education and training have been perceived as second best when compared with the supposed academic programmes such as GCSE/GCEs/Degrees.

One aspect that should not be introduced is a load regime and yet that is exactly what the government has done, mirroring the model for HE students with all the attendant problems that will cause. Apprentices aged over 24 starting on level 3 or 4 programmes can take out a loan for their tuition fees and the on-job training if the employer cannot or will not cover these costs. The apprentices will start paying back the loan when their income reaches £21,000 per annum. Any loan scheme will most certainly deter people of all ages from enrolling on these programmes; quite rightly they will be reluctant to incur such debts. The new Advanced and Higher-level apprenticeship programmes must encourage and attract committed and enthusiastic people who will include precisely those who would have been deterred by the HE loan regimes. The evidence already (November 2013) indicates that only 77 have applied against the target set by the government of 25,000 for the period of 2013/2014.

The massive challenge facing this country can be exemplified in the recent survey carried out by the Royal Academy of Engineering that highlighted the need to create 830,000 professional scientists, engineers and technologists between 2012 and 2020; that represents over 100,000 per annum. Bearing in mind the pathetic number of graduates currently in these disciplines from Further and Higher Education Institutes, private training providers and apprenticeship programmes these targets represent an impossible task whatever the government says. The additional money promised, namely £49 million, is totally inadequate to tackle this problem considering it could take a generation to tackle and resolve the problems in supplying people with qualifications involving scientific and mathematical specialisms.

The long standing reluctance among people to pursue these subjects particularly in the technical and vocational e.g. engineering and applied science disciplines has cultural roots and has been a major contributing factor to the low supply of people into engineering and manufacturing industries. Current 25% of skilled workers in manufacturing and engineering are immigrants – some commentators put the figure closer to 50%. Other problems associated with engineering apprenticeships are the high costs of such programmes and that demand for places far exceeds the supply. The time to recoup the costs of a typical engineering apprenticeship programme is 3.5 years and there are already 11 applicants for every place currently available. This latter point is due to the fact that there are relatively few engineering companies in the country and equally worrying is the fact that employers still adopt a short term view of investment in training – another example of the British disease of short termism which fails to see the long term benefits in investment.

There has to be a fundamental shift in government policy across a wide range of issues including massive investment in technical and vocational education, training and apprenticeship programmes. This must be coupled with developing consistent policies and longer term support to colleges, employers and students wishing to pursue such disciplines even if it means introducing positively discriminatory and preferential approaches for financial support for the apprentices. In fact because of the importance of this issue cross party support is urgently needed with effective partnerships between professional bodies, employers and employer organisations and other interested parties.

Equally important, as has been said many times, an effective system of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) has to be introduced which provides valid, honest broker ship and up to date data and information on the economic and business futures to people of all ages. Employers must also be encouraged through tax incentives to offer programmes of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to all their employees to make certain that they are members of a flexible, adaptable and productive labour force. Industries must also increase their productivity, creativity and competiveness in order to compete in the ever expanding global markets. Recent surveys have stressed the importance of apprenticeships, with the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Barclays identifying that the economy could be boosted and benefit by £4.4 billion pounds a year with apprentices entering the workforce. One survey estimates each apprentice could contribute £214 per week to the economy on entering the workforce.

Yet Another Report!

Posted 1 December 2013 by Richard & filed under Viewpoint.

The recently published Perkins Report (1) highlights again the woeful state of the supply of qualified people especially females into engineering and the manufacturing industries. As usual it is a worthy and at times an insightful document but it joins innumerable ones addressing the same issue published over many decades. This country shows very few world class attributes but one is the ability to commission committees to write reports focussing on strategically important themes whose recommendations the government of the day or its departments then fail to seriously consider or action the recommendations and as a result no meaningful resolutions of the presenting problems results. Inevitably the reports after being considered by government departments or its advisers are placed on shelves where they gather dust. Many reports, Committees of Enquiry and working parties over many decades, indeed centuries, have identified the long term problems of low take up by students at all levels of education and training in technical and vocational orientated subjects and careers in engineering and manufacturing. Too often many of these reports and enquiries create vapour trails with no real substance or long term impact and too often fail to identify the more fundamental problems that have created the situation. At the heart of this long standing problem is the reluctance indeed at times hostility towards studying such subjects as mathematics and the physical sciences and I have highlighted over a number of years the prevalence of this cultural element.

What always intrigues me when such reports are published is how they are received by the politicians and some individuals; inevitably they welcome them and provide the press with all sorts of sound bites promising to carefully consider the recommendations and take positive action but rarely does any real meaningful action occur. Even more perplexing and depressing is their inability to recognise and acknowledge that previous reports have highlighted similar concerns, which is another classic example of political amnesia! Finally what really gets to me is, as in this case where senior politicians state that urgent action must be taken before it becomes a crisis, and the reality is it has been critical for decades; a wonderful example of how politics and politicians are detached from the real world. The fundamental causes of the crisis in the supply of qualified people into engineering and manufacturing are complex and to be resolved the following issues must be faced and acted on:

A long standing cultural hostility towards scientific, mathematical and technical subjects must be recognised as it has resulted in failure to create a home grown workforce – this was recently identified by a survey showing that 20% of skilled people in employment are immigrants.
To resolve the problem a long term and consistent set of policies need to be implemented recognising that it cannot be a short term fix and it must be accepted could take a generation before positive results are forthcoming. Also throwing money briefly at the problem will also fail to deliver long term solutions; any investment must be carefully managed and monitored long term.
Colleges and training providers need to be adequately supported over a long period and a comprehensive set of apprenticeship programmes introduced across key industries ensuring that parity of esteem is at last given to technical and vocational qualifications
One worrying feature following the financial crisis of 2008 is that people leaving the workforce now are more qualified and educated than those currently entering employment – this reflects the declining standards of education and training in this country over a couple of generations and concurrent with an emerging freelance economy which creates employment that is part time, poorly paid and often requiring low skills. Instead an economy should be created that is based on sustainable skilled jobs and living wages i.e. real jobs and real wages.

The Perkins Report does not highlight these key factors rather, preferring to provide a set of recommendations tempered as usual with nods towards the high regard they attach to the so called academic qualifications and that Britain has a great record in engineering achievement – true – but as history shows many of the great engineers, inventors of the industrial revolution never attended any formal educational institution (2). They were self taught or came through an apprenticeship programme. In addition history is replete with examples where many great inventions and their inventors were seldom supported by the banks or government e.g. the jet engine, hover craft, the tilting train.

It will be interesting to see if the Perkins Report has any real lasting impact on this strategically important issue.

References

J. Perkins’. DBIS. November 2013.
See references to this on this website.

Rebalancing the Economy

Posted 24 November 2013 by Richard & filed under Articles.

What are the key elements for rebalancing the economy of this country? A great deal has been said about one essential element namely the restructuring and rebalancing of the manufacturing base of the country. Although this is a crucial element there are other equally and challenging aspects after the disastrous situation following the financial crisis of 2008. The obsession and addiction with the financial and banking service which created the crisis continues unabated in spite of statements by the government and other political parties for major reforms. The politicians still seem wedded to an economy that is dominated and disproportionally skewed towards consumerism and property and founded and driven by a culture of permissive debt accumulation. Currently little has been done to carry out any fundamental reforms or to bring to account the financial terrorists, market manipulators and banksters who created the crisis coupled with the attitude by government that banks and financial institutions are too big to fail and must be bailed out! It is as if the country is in a coma where economic policy is involved. with politicians unable or unwilling to rethink new and more radical solutions. At present it seems that we are coming to the end of this particular industrial age along with the financial operations that underpinned it – a new paradigm is urgently required. The current financial architecture is fundamentally flawed and requires a radical review and reform.

One major element in rebalancing the economy is to establish a totally different paradigm of running the economy moving way from one based on debt and loans to one based on savings and a set of sound fiscal policies. It seems the politicians have learnt nothing about the causes of the financial crisis and the activities of banks and financial institutions which has become more like a gambling casino industry. Many commentators have argued that this culture has prevailed with little regulation, high risk taking, and market manipulation, an obsession with derivatives driven by over complex, abstract and suspect algorithms. In addition the use of high-speed/frequency trading further highlights the criminality of the stock exchange. It seems as the pure mathematicians rule the roost in the City and Wall Street! These coupled with a blind trust in a largely unregulated market and the disproportionate influence of multinational organisations. In a sense bank vaults have become casinos full of roulette wheels and other gambling games managed by accountants and pure mathematicians! Require banks and other financial organisations to establish methods of financial support to employers that are more conducive and appreciative of their problems during a period of recession. That financial support must be less bureaucratic and intrusive and encourages companies to grow and contribute to a revitalised export recovery. SMEs particularly should be preferentially treated in terms of interest rates and periods of repayments.

Again artificial bubbles are being created around housing and stocks and shares and inevitably both will collapse – note that the current household debt is £1.43 trillion! compare this with the GDP of the country which is approximately £2.40 trillion. But note there are other debts e.g. pensions, corporate etc. which when totalled far exceed the GDP. Also the policy of privatisation is flawed and should be reversed asap!

In order to restructure the country’s’ economy a new fiscal policy must be established with tight regulation of the financial and banking services and closer monitoring of multinational corporations with practices of the past consigned to the dustbin of history. At present there is a real danger of repeating the mistake of the past by perpetuating the debt culture and a zombie economy through quantitative easing; printing money and allowing companies to trade while hiding irrecoverable debt and maintaining the false belief that the stock exchange represents the real economy is no way forward. Many of the activities of the financial world are on a spectrum much of which is invisible so that people have no or little idea what is going on. Couple this with weak regulation arising from the fact that a number of the regulators/inspection agencies are working both sides of the equation being in league with the banks, financial organisations and the multi-nationals. The current problem was caused by debt and surely the solution is not further debt creation. London and the city have a reputation of being the international centre for financial terrorism and operating the most lax and permissive financial control in the world attracting tax dodgers and speculators from around the world – nothing to be proud of!

The continuing imbalance in the economy is very unfair in a number of ways banks, financial institutions and international corporations are protected at the expense of the individual. It is a culture that takes money from the have not’s and gives it to the have yacht’s! The 1% are ok whilst the 99% are not.

In order to rebalance the economy and address the current fundamental problems a series of long term consistent reforms are needed. Only an economy that produces products and services that are high up the value chain that the rest of the world wants will succeed in the long term in the global economy. It must also have a productive, flexible and adaptable work force with an adequately resourced and supported education and training system (see other articles on this website). This country destroyed its manufacturing base and replaced it with a service based economy largely dependent on financial and banking services with the City, London and the South East as the epicentres. This has now been shown as a false and unsustainable philosophy. There needs to be a redistribution and devolution of resources and powers to the other regions of England as well as a continuing policy of devolution for the home countries. With a more equitable distribution of powers and increased local and regional governance each part of the country can play its part in contributing to its own economic health as well as the rest of the country.

If the EU vote happens let’s hope the result is to stay in – if the country votes to leave the results will be dire for manufacturing, productivity, competitiveness and global activity.

Summary:

To rebalance the economy the following actions have surely to be considered and implemented:

Re-establish a viable, innovative manufacturing base producing high quality products and services with a well trained and versatile workforce. Promote apprenticeship programmes by treating them preferentially in terms of funding and apprentice and employer support (see article on apprenticeships on this website). Create a real economy based on sustainable skilled jobs and living wages i.e. real jobs and real wages instead of the free lance/ (rip-off) economy that now exists.
Create an export led recovery coupled with long term investment in infra-structure.
In the country we only produce 25% of the engineers we need, ( whilst other commentators say the figure is near 50%), and as a result the country has to import skilled workers from abroad.
Raise the profile of engineering as it is sadly as a low level occupation requiring few skills e.g. just repairing cars and domestic appliances etc.
Improve productivity levels which continue to be very low in comparison with other countries.
Improve the essential skills and quality of managers across all sizes of companies.
Support new business flotation and SMEs through tax incentives and low interest loans.
Adequately support colleges and other training providers to produce sufficient qualified people for the newer industries and technologies with a particular emphasis on technical and vocational disciplines. (A recent survey be the Royal Academy of Engineers highlighted the need to produce 830,000 professional scientists, engineers and technologists between 2012 and 2020 – that is even before a reinvigorated manufacturing base is created – if that ever happens!?) The country needs engineering technicians, incorporated and chartered engineers who comprise the engineering teams (see article on this website) that are fundamental to successful manufacturing organisations.
Introduce an effective system of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) on learning, jobs and the economy for young and older people. A recent survey showed that 78% of students said they did not receive enough information about careers in engineering.
Make a fundamental shift away from an economy that is based on finance and banking particularly bearing in mind that this country has been massively discredited as a trustworthy leader in finance at home and abroad so it will be difficult for it to re-establish its global influence in this area. This essential transition will hopefully create a more sensible and balanced economy with a wide range of strong industries producing high quality products and services for domestic and overseas markets.
Create a more balanced manufacturing base with a significantly reduced dependency on the armaments and defence industries with their highly questionable export activities to nations with poor human rights records which have been sadly supported by successive governments.
Reduce the influence and powers at present centred on London and the South East by devolving powers to the regions and the larger cities of England that would allow them greater freedoms to innovate and build of their undoubted strengths.
Introduce independent regulatory and inspection bodies that will monitor financial institutions and multinational companies and call them to account promptly.
Emphasis national creation and growth that is based on carefully considered, consistent and long term investment in industries that are productive and responsive to world markets.
Move away from the linear economy that operates at present to a circular economy namely to one that recycles products and reduces waste. A linear economy justifies its existence by making products that have a limited life of possess built in redundancy with little intention to recycle or renew existing products.

However rebalancing the economy will not be easy as long as the government remain committed to the ideological belief of the financial-politico complex/axis.

Footnote (added July 2014).

A few of the factors that will contribute to this country failing to re-establishing and rebalancing its economy and manufacturing base include:

Continuing low productivity levels – yet again international surveys highlight that the country has the lowest levels in the G7 nations and one of the lowest in the EU being approximately at 20% lower when compared with other EU countries.
The continuing decline in levels of numeracy and literary. A recent OECD skills survey highlighted that England is the only country in the developed world where adults (55-65) are more literate and numerate than the younger adults. Even so and more concerning is that 24.1% of adults have mathematical skills equivalent of 10 years of age. So approximately 8.5 million adults possess very low mathematical and literary skills being at the foundation levels.
The continuing decline in educational standards across all sectors of education and training. Just read the international tables when they appear.
The reluctance to learn other foreign languages at schools/colleges and universities e.g. since the year 2000 44 Universities have closed foreign language programmes.
The continuing inability of creating a nation-wide high speed, efficient and secure broad band network according to a recent FSB survey (July 2014) is having a negative impact on more than 47,000 SMEs who have to use phone connections. The future shape of the British economy will critically depend on the creation of more successful SMEs and micro companies. In regard to broadband provision at present providers Sky/BT/Virgin/Talk Talk et.al. find it more profitable to install their delivery systems e.g. fibre optic into domestic properties. The packages that are so profitable include elements that commercial companies do not require e.g. downloading films and music but these are the aspects that make money SMES and micro companies urgently require tax incentives and a far more sympathetic and supportive banking and financial services. Also empty and vacuous headline grabbing statements from politicians about the importance of SMEs that lead to no positive long lasting action are not wanted.
An educational and training system that recognises and addresses the issues of skills shortages and gaps and what skill sets are required in the future. Providers must be supported by government and employers to create a long term policy on skills without misguided policies.
The creation of a very high set of quality apprenticeships frameworks with the major players being employers and professional bodies.

Final comment:

Increasingly employers are employing people who ‘can do things and not necessarily those that know things’ and the increasingly academic curriculum being created in the country does not recognise this reality and continues to ignore the consequences of this approach. This example of continual academic drift further significantly weakens the so-called commitment by the government to introducing vocational elements into the national curriculum. It casts aside the development of manipulative skills that are so important in providing a sound foundation to many vocational and technical disciplines and reinforces the low regard for such programmes.

Note: Many of the associated themes raised in this article appear in the viewpoints, the histories and other articles on this website.

Plumbing Matters!

Posted 17 November 2013 by Richard & filed under Viewpoint.

A campaign about the importance of the qualifications and standards associated with training for plumbing and other equally important practically-orientated occupations is urgently needed. The title above is not empty sloganising; after all the mantra ‘water is dangerous’ has significant meaning bearing in mind the deaths and serious accidents each year from scalding, legionnaire’s disease etc. A plumber is now confronted with an array of complicated factors that go well beyond connecting pipes. Sadly the majority of people seem to imagine it is an occupation that requires little knowledge and skill. Plumbing systems include computer controlled devices in electrical and gas boilers and other components. There are also wider issues associated with water safety and the need to factor in serious green issues. Safety issues include the recent concerns about possible water supply contamination from brass and copper fittings as well as residual issues with lead pipes. The dangers of brass and copper fittings was first identified in 1998 by the EU stating that contamination levels had to be reduced by 2013 – as usual the directives was largely ignored. Surely society must recognise that plumbing is an essential and challenging profession where the required skills and knowledge are becoming increasingly more complex and contribute to the safety and health of the population.

At present the landscape is still populated by a number of rogue trainers and traders , a situation not helped by governments’ apparent unwillingness to tighten regulatory bodies oversight in order to rectify this highly unsatisfactory situation; this is in spite of occasional alarmed coverage in the media. The campaign to raise the status of plumbing must address and action all the issues identified above. Equally important are the issues related to training and the standards that underpin the qualifications. The minimum required qualification must be at level 3 for a person to become a practitioner. Other occupational areas e.g. gas and electrical are set at level 3 so it is absolutely essential that plumbing follows suite. Equally important is the removal of the age limit for entitlement to funding to undertake and achieve the full qualification; the country urgently needs highly qualified practitioners. The training programmes wherever delivered must also include effective and realistic programmes of work based training and experience. The qualification and its content must be up to date and reflect the complexity of the activity. Once successfully completely the person will have gained a credible qualification that will be fit for purpose to operate. The icing on the cake would be a licence to work (see previous edition of ETM). – we can but hope!

For the campaign to be successful all interested parties must be involved otherwise parochial and vested interest will come into play. Divide and rule tactics are ever present in this country; governments capitalises on it. Professional bodies, subject interest groups, industry members, colleges and training providers, awarding bodies and employers must present a unified front to the government and its relevant departments and lobby strongly to get positive and lasting results. The CIPHE CEO and professional staff are committed to campaigning and lobbying about these strategically important issues in a variety of ways including press releases, its website and this journal. Colleges and lecturers also have a key role to play in these endeavours as too often they have been marginalised by college management. It is surely an opportune time during this recession and its resultant high levels of unemployment especially amongst young people to instigate the campaign and so raise the qualification level and status of plumbing.

Summary:

Launch a wide ranging campaign to raise the profile of plumbing involving all the key stakeholders
Publicise the critical importance of water safety and the need to recognise and tackle green issues
Engage more fully with the industry – not just the employers, as the industry is far wider than just the employers
Comprehensively review and reform the curriculum for plumbing to include a minimum of level 3 qualification dispensing with the level 2 qualification
Introduce a licence to work.
Continue to lobby for higher level qualifications i.e. >4
Remove rogue traders and trainers from the scene
Once and for all strengthen and create more effective regulation and inspection bodies that are more publicly accountable
Provide adequate funding for colleges and training providers
Abolish the age criteria for funding to encourage and maximise the number of committed learners
Support the creation of effective apprenticeship programmes
Make CPD programmes compulsory for practitioners and lecturers/trainers

I am confident that the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) will continue to campaign for this strategically important profession!

First published in Winter 2013 in the Education and Training Matters Journal.

Informal Vocational Learning

Posted 14 September 2013 by Richard & filed under Viewpoint.

Learning occurs everywhere and at all times people acquire new skills, knowledge and competences just by the virtue of one’s existence i.e. it is truly inclusive. Learning can occur in a number of different ways largely determined by the context, resources available whether they are physical, human or financial. The OECD identifies three kinds of learning namely: formal, non-formal and informal.

‘Formal learning is always organised and structured and has learning objectives. From the learner’s standpoint, it is always intentional: i.e. the learner’s explicit objective is to gain knowledge, skills and/or other competences.’ (Characteristics of current formal learning; highly institutionalised, managed with heavily prescribed curricula and dominated by examinations and tests).

‘Informal learning is never organised, has no set objective in terms of learning outcomes and is never intentional from the learner’s standpoint. Often referred to as learning by experience or just as experience.’ (The learner creatively ‘adopts and adapts to the changing situations and circumstances in everyday life’).

Non-formal learning is mid-way between the other two.’ (Non-formal learning provides more flexibility between the other two modes of learning).

This article will focus on informal learning. The distinctions and relationships between informal, non-formal and formal learning can be complex and only be understood within particular contexts and situations.

One of the interesting and fascinating features of informal learning is that the learning can be unintentional and knowledge and skills developed consciously and unconsciously by the individual. Research has shown how important informal learning is and its outcomes are increasingly seen as having significant value in employment and society in general. The research has shown that approximately 70% of learning in the workplace is informal and is the most predominate learning mode for the majority of adults namely approximately 90%. Most of the learning is through self-discovery and interaction with colleagues, associates and friends and all without an education or training institution in sight! The expression ‘sitting next to Nellie’ has in the past been used to describe this process. Clearly in some workplace contexts a guide/mentor can greatly assist the learning process mirroring the approach used in the master/apprentice model albeit in an unstructured way. The value of workplace learning is clearly evidenced by the value of work experience/shadowing/sampling programmes for learners when at school/college/university. The informal learning process involves observation and trial and error in order to perfect a particular vocational or technical skill. A vast range of skills and knowledge can be acquired this way including manual, language/ cultural awareness, ICT, interpersonal —–

Key factors involved in informal learning and the resultant acquisition of skills that have been identified and include:

Experiences in the workplace
Networking in the workplace and in society in general
Using museums, libraries, cyber cafes etc.
The role of colleagues acting as mentors/coaches in the workplace
Consulting instruction manuals etc.
Through voluntary, cultural activities etc.
Travelling abroad

There are a number of distinct advances of informal learning that makes it relevant to vocational, technical and commercial disciplines and particularly where resources are limited e.g. in developing countries. Some of these advances include:

The learners are more often motivated and prepared to learn and keen and curious to find out information and develop skills because of the context especially the workplace which is real and allows them the opportunity to try out the idea or new skill
Overall it is more efficient and effective in terms of time, cost when compared with formal learning.
Informal learners can feel less pressured than when in formal learning situations

Being realistic there are some downsides to informal learning namely; it can take up colleague time, usually asked when the learner needs it and not when it is convenient for the colleague who is acting as an unofficial mentor/coach and also some of the learning and learning process can be inconsistent and sometimes wrong.ways

Therefore as a result of these factors informal learning is the most elusive and difficult to define and validate but its importance must not be underestimated or undervalued. It must be recognised that informal learning is of critical importance to a person’ intellectual and social development throughout their lives. is

At this time many countries are emphasising the urgent need to recognise more fully an individual’s knowledge, skills and competences wherever acquired and this highlights the importance of informal learning.

Credible mechanisms to identify, record, assess and validate the experiences and the skills and competences so acquired need to be developed. Such recognition and validation could facilitate progression for further studies and/or in work. The success of APL/APEL using such tools as portfolios/records of achievement/critical diaries could be further refined to accredit and validate informal learning. At this time of recession and the need by many countries to rebalance their economies recognising the value of informal learning could motivate the existing workforce and assist more people to make significant contributions to sustainable growth.

Finally to reinforce the role, centrality and importance of informal learning the OECD definition of lifelong learning comprises all three learning modes e.g. formal, non-formal and informal.

A slightly amended version of this article first appeared in November 2013 in the City and Guilds Skills Development Centre e-zine section –

www.skillsdevelopment.org

Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) and Enterprise Skills

Posted 5 August 2013 by Richard & filed under Articles.

Definitions:

IAG: Information, Advice and Guidance is a range of services including the provision of impartial, learner-centred, advice and guidance, to assist in making appropriate career decisions and choices, which are informed and well thought through. It enables people to apply their knowledge, understanding, skills and experiences to manage their career and make informed decisions about their education, training, qualifications and ultimate employment.

Enterprise Skills: Enterprise is a set of skills, dispositions and attitudes that include creativity, individuality, communication, leadership and commercial awareness. Other titles used for these essential skills were critical business skills or work attributes and formerly called soft skills which really did not convey the true meaning of these skills.

In the current recession and with the totally unacceptable high levels of youth unemployment across Europe and beyond, IAG within the education and training system has never been of greater importance. There needs to be a series of radical reforms at all levels of education and training to create and resource more effective IAG systems. Equally important is the urgent need to put a greater emphasis on enterprise and employability skills in order to prepare learners to more effectively respond to the changing requirements and demands of the labour market and the continuing impact of the emerging new technologies and the global economy.

Introducing more comprehensive IAG to programmes/qualifications especially at entry and equally importantly during the programme along with enterprise skills into existing curricula will present major challenges to the education and training systems which are already experiencing substantial cuts in their budgets. However, if a country is serious about rejuvenating and rebalancing its economy these reforms are both essential and urgent. Rebalancing also applies to the range of programmes that are offered. Schools, colleges, training providers and universities must accept and manage the impact not only of the current financial crisis but the massive transitions that are occurring globally. People leaving education and training programmes must possess appropriate skills and capabilities for sustainable employment and an ongoing capability to cope with the changing demands of the work environment.

IAG will play a central and critical part in these reforms including in the development of enterprise skills, complementing the mainstream curriculum but not as a voluntary bolt-on activity. It must be totally impartial, operate on an honest brokership basis and be unbiased. Though free from pressure by employers and education and training providers at the point of delivery it is crucially informed by up to date knowledge of employers as they reconfigure their businesses and workforce needs. It must also take full account of other factors affecting and impacting on future labour market information.

In addition it must be equally accessible to all learners and people in general seeking information and guidance on jobs and relevant qualifications and be developed and delivered by qualified, skilled and experienced staff who follow an agreed code of practice. Effectively managed IAG will motivate learners to make informed and well thought through decisions about their further studies and employment options. The process involves a multitude of activities including advising, advocating, assessing, counselling, enabling, feedback, informing, innovating, managing and networking. This is not an easy set of attributes to achieve but is essential for the process to succeed. Many teachers do not have any experience of employment outside education and therefore other professionals need to be employed.

Another absolutely essential activity in developing enterprise skills are effective and relevant work placement/experience programmes particularly at school level for 14-18 year olds. So the recent ruling by the British government to withdraw funding to schools to facilitate placements following a misguided recommendation by the Wolf Review is totally bizarre. Such programmes in all their manifestations e.g. work experience/placement/sampling/shadowing should be an essential feature of the school curriculum and compulsory on college and university vocational programmes. Evidence over many decades has shown the benefits of sandwich and work experience programmes and has proved an invaluable activity in helping learners to determine more confidentially their future studies and employment aspirations.

One only needs to look at the many elements that comprise the culture of enterprise skills to see that an effective IAG system is an essential part in the curriculum to develop creativity, employability, a sense of independence, innovation, personal responsibility, problem solving, risk taking, self belief/motivation etc. Enterprise skills , critical business skills or attributes are often referred to as soft skills are essential in preparing people for employment. It is essential they are developed in the school/college curriculum and during work experience programmes. Clearly if IAG is to be seen as relevant it must be integrated into the mainstream curriculum and include compulsory work experience programmes in order to reinforce the importance of enterprise and other basic skills. If countries want highly qualified flexible workers who are innovative and creative and able to gain sustainable and rewarding employment and support economic development and international competitiveness then enterprise skills are essential along with effective IAG programmes. This is particularly important in Britain with the development of the TechBacc and an increased range of apprenticeship and vocationally orientated programmes.

Statistics for Technical and Commercial Examinations.

Posted 29 July 2013 by Richard & filed under Statistics for Technical and Commercial Examinations.

Updated May 2017.

In this section a miscellany of information by way of facts and figures provides additional detail on technical and commercial examinations to reinforce material in the other sections of this website. The material will where possible be provided in chronological order. I hope readers will find the information of interest. I have also started including information of the Welsh, Scottish and Irish technical education systems.

In 1839 ULCI founded.

In 1846 College of Preceptors founded

In 1847 the Union of Lancashire and Cheshire Institutes (ULCI) held its first examinations.

In 1853 the College of Preceptors began to examine boys and girls in school subjects.

In 1854 first examinations for the Indian Civil Service offered.

In 1855 first entrance examinations held for the Royal Military College, Woolwich, London.

In 1856 (Royal) Society of Arts began to offer examinations.

Examination Results for (R)SA in 1857 (Second year of operation and held at two centres namely London and Huddersfield):

Subject	Pass (London centre)	Fail (London centre)	Pass Huddersfield centre	Fail Huddersfield centre	Total number of candidates at both centres
Arithmetic	39	4	25	8	76
Bookkeeping	11	17	5	13	46
Algebra	16	14	19	9	28
Geometry	23	5	20	4	52
Mensuration and Surveying	19	4	12	7	42
Trigonometry	13	3	10	2	28
Conic sections	9	–	2	3	14
Nautical Astronomy	–	1	1	2	4
Statics and Dynamics	3	1	4	3	11
Practical Mechanics	1	2	3	3	9
Hydrostatics and Pneumatics	4	1	4	–	9
Electricity	4	–	–	3	7
Heat	4	1	4	–	9
Chemistry	10	5	5	2	22
Physiology	–	–	–	–	–
Botany	2	–	–	–	2
Agriculture	2	–	–	–	2
Total (Sciences):	160	58	114	59	391
Political and Social Economy	5	–	1	–	6
English History	5	2	17	–	26
Geography	12	1	13	2	28
English Literature	8	–	7	2	17
Roman History and Latin	8	4	5	2	19
French	16	5	10	7	38
German	3	4	7	1	15
Free hand drawing	1	1	1	–	6
Mechanical Drawing	2	1	–	–	–
Total (Commercial):	60	18	61	16	155
Grand total:	220	76			546

Source: Journal of the Society of Arts. June/July 1857.

In 1858 299 candidates sat for London University matriculation examinations and by 1890 had increased to 3,000.

In 1858 Oxford University offered its ‘Middle Class Examinations’.

In 1858 Number of candidates attending SoA examinations at Huddersfield.

Institute	Candidates
Huddersfield	32
Leeds	9
Bradford	12
Halifax	10
Wakefield	11
Other Institutes	31
Print Science	17
Total	122

(Source 17^th Report of the Committee of Huddersfield Mechanics’ Institution Jan. 1858)

In 1860 821 candidates entered the College of Preceptors examinations by 1870 it was 1,517, in 1880 11,208 and in 16,269.

In 1860 a Faculty in Science was established at London University and the degrees of B.Sc. and D.Sc. were introduced into England.

1862 – 1882 Teaching of Science in Schools.

Year	No. of Schools	No. of Candidates	No. of Classes
1862	70	2,543	140
1872	948	36,783	2,803
1882	1,403	68,581	4,881

In 1873 Oxford and Cambridge Examinations Board founded often called the Joint Board

In 1873 First technological examinations staged by (R)SA – only 6 candidates.

Examinations Entries for (R)SA Technological Examinations Between 1873 and 1878 Before CGLI Assumed Responsibility for the Examinations:

Subject	1873	1874	1875	1876	1877	1878
Cotton Manufacture	1	10	13	19	17	60
Paper Manufacture	–	–	–	–	–	–
Silk Manufacture	–	–	–	–	1	1
Steel Manufacture	2	14	16	26	28	36
Carriage Building	3	3	4	3	2	15
Manufacture of Pottery and Porcelain	–	–	1	–	–	1
Gas Manufacture	–	7	6	10	11	34
Glass Manufacture	–	–	–	–	–	–
Cloth Manufacture	–	2	3	2	1	8
Agriculture	–	–	2	–	–	2
Silk Dyeing	–	–	–	–	–	–
Wool Dyeing	–	–	1	1	2	4
Calico bleaching, dyeing and printing	–	–	–	–	–	–
Alkali Manufacture	–	–	–	–	6	6
Totals:	6	36	46	61	68	167

Source: Annual Report of SA on Technological Examinations 1873-1878.

(As can be seen initially examinations were not popular with very few employers interested.

In 1878 CGLI began to offer examinations transferred from (R)SA.

In 1878 London University degrees opened to women.

In the 1880s CGLI offered a number of examinations in the trades and technical subjects and had its own college in Finsbury.

In 1880 CGLI examinations: 24 subjects and 816 candidates.

In 1881 1,563 candidates and by 1890 49 subjects with 6,607 candidates.

In 1884 list of subjects offered by the Society of Arts (SoA).

Arithmetic	Book-Keeping
German	Italian
Domestic Economy	Sanitary Knowledge
Spanish	French
Theory of Music	Political Economy
Commercial Geography and History	Practical Music
Shorthand (Phonography)	English (composition, correspondence and précis writing

In 1889 CGLI staged 100 classes with 2,639 students in Lancashire, 48 classes with 1,262 students in Yorkshire, 5 classes with 92 students in Derbyshire and 1 class with 7 students in Buckingham shire.

In 1890 Manchester Technical School started a course and examinations on Sanitary Engineering.

In 1890 over 6,000 candidates took examinations in 49 CGLI technical subjects.

In 1890 The London Chamber of Commerce began to offer examinations.

Entries/Papers Worked in (R)SA examinations between 1890 and 1949:

Year	Number of Entries/Papers Worked
1890	2,315
1900	9808
1905	23,803
1911	30,000
1919	31,000
1925	71,000
1929	100,000
1949	154,000

Source: Hudson and Luckhurst. ‘RSA 1754-1954.’

In 1902 After 1902 the development of grouped courses accelerated.

In 1903 Northern Universities Joint Matriculation Board established – Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield.

In 1908-1909 session1,500 candidates entered the three levels of the London University School Examinations along with 6,700 who entered the London Matriculation Examinations

In 1911 approximately 1,500 0f secondary school pupils took examinations offered by the Oxford Local Examinations Delegacy or the Cambridge Syndicate.

In 1911-1912 session only 2,558 candidates entered the BoE Higher Examinations with 985 passes.

In 1911 the elementary examinations were discontinued and in 1915 the advanced examinations in science.

In 1917 Secondary School Examinations Council founded.

In 1919 First School Certificate Examinations number of science candidates-8,017 (Botany), 9,110 (Chemistry), 513 (General Science) and 5,089 (Physics).

In 1920 Ordinary and Higher Certificates and Diplomas started –jointly staged by the BoE and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers – followed later by other professional bodies such as Institution of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, Institute of Builders and Institute of Naval Architects.

In 1922 1,017 candidates from 46 schools and colleges sat for ONC Mechanical Engineering with 521 passes.

In 1922 The ‘Mechanical National’ first examination held – 1,125 candidates from 50 colleges – a prototype of the National Certificate scheme.

In 1926 First School Certificate Examinations number of science candidates-13,627 (Botany), 21,527 (Chemistry), 1,340 (General Science) and 13,255 (Physics).

Growth of Ordinary and Higher Certificates and Diplomas between 1923 and 1944:

Year	1923	1931	1944
Ordinary Awards	663	2,043	4,070
Higher Awards	168	749	1,405

Source: MoE Education 1900-1950

Examination Entries for CGLI by Industrial Groupings for 1892 and 1992:

Industrial grouping	Number of Entries (1892)	%	Number of Entries (1992)	%
Extractive Industries	90	1.5	293	0.01
Process Industries	358	4	53,993	2.3
Production and Maintenance Eng.	1,221	14	145,530	6.2
Electrical, Electronic and Informatics Eng.	689	8	193,841	8.3
Vehicle and Plant Maintenance	212	3	247,189	10.6
Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Leather	3,650	43	7,137	0.3
Construction and Construction Services	1,929	23	220,303	9.4
Media and Communication Industries	256	3	9582	0.4
Creative Arts, crafts and Leisure Pursuits	29	0.5	20,688	0.9

Agriculture and Allied			82,400	3.5
Furniture and Furnishing			12,340	0.5
Hotel, Catering, Travel and Recreation			152,827	6.5
Personal Services (Hairdressing, Health Education)			369,790	15.8
Retail , Wholesale, Distribution			157,408	6.7
Business and Commerce			41,343	1.8
Services to Industry and Commerce			120,838	5.2
Utilities			3,522	0.2
General Education and Work Preparation			424,698	18.2
Special Services			19,250	0.8
HM Forces			17,346	0.7
Joint CGLI/Foras Aisenna Saothair			7,497	0.3
Senior Awards			2,168	0.1
National Examining Board for Supervisory Management			25,055	1.1
Totals	8,534	100	2,335,005	100

Source: ‘CGLI History.’ ISBN 0 85193 0107. 1993.

University Population of Science and Technology Students in 1922/23 and 1938/39:

Subject	1922-23	1938-39
Science	5,970 (19.3%)	6,061 (16.2%)
Technology	3,882 (12.5%)	4,217 (11.3%)
Total number in all faculties	31,079	37,433

Interesting to note the relative stagnation in these key subjects during this period.

In 1934 from the beginning of the National Certificate and Diploma Scheme to 1934 total number of awards made 25,000 comprising: Mechanical and Engineering – 13,454 (from 1923). Chemistry – 1,584 (from 1923). Electrical Engineering – 7,688 (from 1924). Naval Architects – 106 (from 1927) and Building – 2,202( from 1931)

In 1938 number of students studying in the 7 National Institutions in Scotland was 1,600 this increased to 2,000 in 1954.

In 1938 number of ONCs 5,797 candidates with 3,313 passes. 1,668 HNCs with 1,137 passes. 144 ONDs with 95 passes and 61 HNDs with 37 passes. see below:

In 1938 95 successful OND students and 37 HND students – note the very low take up for FT programmes!

Between 1938/39 and 1964/65 the number of craft and technician apprenticeships increased from 41,000 to 496,000 ( however only 79,000 girls were released in 1964/65!).

In 1939 3,999 ONCs and 1,331 HNCs were awarded.

Ordinary ad Higher Certificates and Diplomas in Science and Engineering awarded between 1945 and 1955:

Year	ONC	OND	HNC	HND
1945	5,135	116	1,844	60
1946	5,544	130	2,069	82
1947	5,805	110	2,479	61
1948	7,997	N/A	4,509	N/A
1949	9,483	348	4,147	287
1950	10,581	337	4,961	293
1951	10,617	299	5.564	351
1952	11,302	253	6,226	250
1953	10,898	214	6,452	312
1954	11,957	361	6,827	248
1955	13,458	412	7371	229

Sources: Annual Surveys and Technical Education Cmnd .9703 1956 MoE

(Interesting to note the relatively low entries for the full-time programmes i.e. OND/HNDs)

University Degrees awarded in Science and Technology between 1938 and 1956:

Year	Pure Science	Medicine	Dentistry	Technology
1938	7,661	11,883	1,488	5,288
1947	12,516	12,496	1,584	8,767
1948	14,544	13,414	2,144	10,146
1949	16,099	14,094	2,547	10,884
1950	16,917	14,147	2,724	10,993
1951	17,168	14,201	2,885	10,591
1952	17,053	13,910	2,889	10,215
1953	17,001	13,511	2,715	9,993
1954	16,971	13,239	2,564	10,036
1955	17,327	13,088	2,583	10,586
1956	18,133	13,341	2,651	11,379

Sources: Annual Abstract of Statistics

ONCs Awarded in Various Sciences and Technologies 1938+:

Subject	1938	1949	1955	1956	1957	1958
Mechanical Eng.	1,449	5,245	7,013	7528	8,063	8,599
Chemistry	151	512	985	1,176	1,263	1,437
Electrical Eng.	917	2,468	3,227	3,512	3,595	4,271
Naval Architecture	16	64	103	97	75	100
Building	544	1,035	1,216	1,381	1,436	1,597
Textiles	104	150	136	105	132	129
Commerce	132	106	328	377	381	380
Production Eng.	Not awarded	–	–	–	–	–
Civil Eng.	Not awarded	–	–	–	–	–
Applied Physics	–	29	143	183	254	405
Metallurgy	–	107	275	296	288	373
Applied Chemistry	–	23	19	23	20	22
Chemical Eng.	Not awarded	–	–	–	–	–
Mining	–	–	477	540	669	715
Mine Surveying	Not awarded	–	–	–	–	–
Totals:	3,313	9,739	13,922	15,218	16,176	18,028

HNCs Awarded in Various Sciences and Technologies 1938+:

Subject	1938	1949	1955	1956	1957	1958
Mechanical Eng.	502	2,113	2,924	3,260	3,590	3,926
Chemistry	62	194	646	670	755	852
Electrical Eng.	379	1,116	2,036	2,153	2,048	2,165
Naval Architecture	–	23	37	46	76	47
Building	137	369	690	677	758	929
Textiles	57	74	131	106	94	49
Commerce	–	20	5	1	9	7
Production Eng.	–	232	422	425	521	542
Civil Eng.	–	32	234	243	270	278
Applied Physics	–	–	48	94	112	169
Metallurgy	–	59	138	205	222	269
Applied Chemistry	–	9	28	43	32	30
Chemical Eng.	–	–	17	24	36	61
Mining	–	–	103	147	181	205
Mine Surveying	–	–	48	79	92	118
Totals:	1,137	4,241	7,507	8,173	8,796	9,647

ONDs Awarded in various Technologies 1938+:

Subject	1938	1949	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958
Building	17	195	69	90	91	95	77
Electrical Eng.	33	42	42	43	21	19	11
Mechanical Eng.	45	111	250	279	305	245	290
Mining	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total:	95	348	361	412	417	359	378

HNDs Awarded in Various Technologies 1938+:

Subject	1938	1949	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958
Building	7	143	55	81	65	66	77
Electrical Eng.	9	55	86	89	87	126	110
Mechanical Eng.	21	89	107	117	187	190	246
Mining	–	–	–	52	70	104	135
Production Eng.	–	–	–	–	–	3	5
Total:	37	287	248	339	409	489	573

In 1943 1,051 first degrees gained and 65 higher degrees in applied science. (Subsequently reached a maximum of 1,600 per annum). It was estimated at the time that the demand would be 3,000 per annum.

In 1944 1,225 HNCs awarded in electrical and mechanical engineering.

Between 1945 and 1952 teacher certificates (CGLI) had been awarded in Dressmaking-1,149, Needlework-401, Tailoring-8, Millinery-25 and 532 in cookery.

In 1945 some technical science subjects taught in universities included:

Aeronautics – Cambridge, London and Southampton.

Brewing – Birmingham, Manchester.

Building – London, Manchester.

Colour Technology and Dyeing – Leeds and Manchester.

Concrete Technology – London.

Diary Technology – Reading.

Fuel Technology – Leeds, London, Nottingham and Sheffield.

Glass Technology – Sheffield.

Leather – Leeds.

Metallurgy – London, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds and Liverpool.

Oil Technology – Birmingham and London.

Technical Optics – London.

Textiles – Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham.

In 1946 number of part-time students in the Scottish National Institutions were: 1,238 day, evening only 5,844 giving a grand total of 7,082.

In 1948 7,997 ONCs and 4,509 HNCs awarded.

In 1949 Number of institutions offering degrees – 69, DipTech -, HND (full-time) 20, HNC (part-time) 143, OND (full-time) 24 and ONC (part-time) 252.

Entries for City and Guilds (CGLI) and the Regional Examining Boards (REBs) for Craft Qualifications in 1952 and 1955:

Awarding Body	1952 Entries	1955 Entries
City and Guilds (CGLI)	70,856	88,511
Union of Lancashire and Cheshire Institutes (ULCI)	46,300	56,926
Northern Counties Technical Examination Council (NCTEC)	21,059	24,403
East Midlands Educational Union (EMEU)	20,525	30,122
Union of Educational Institutions (UEI)	24,165*	38.944
Total:	182,905	238,906

Includes some double counting as the figure refers to worked examination papers and not students.

(These important examinations recognized the competence in craftsmanship and were highly valued by employers. The examinations were robust tests of the student’s grasp of his/her trade as the results show below).

Number of Entries and Passes in the CGLI Craft Examinations between 1952 and 1955:

Year	Entries	Passes	%
1952	70,856	44,390	62.6
1953	75,363	47,510	63.0
1954	82,094	49,922	60.8
1955	88,511	54,973	62.1

In 1950 technical degrees and diplomas awarded 3,593.

In 1951 number of students on London University internal degrees in Engineering 504, Pure Science 571, Commerce and Econimics 109, and Arts 27 – total 1,211.

In 1951 number of students on London University external degrees in applied sciences 504 this declined to 333 in 1953 and 218 in 1955.

In session 1951/52 class entries for needle crafts and entries to CGLI examinations: Dressmaking-307,278 CGLI entries 1,275. Millinery-4,846 CGLI entries 28. Needlework and Embroidary-130,561 CGLI entries 475 and Tailoring-29,125 CGLI 79. Grand total 470,810.

1951 Between 1951/52 and 1956/57 London University degrees awarded to non-university students declined from 731 (internal) to 460 and rom 1727 (external) to 1174.

In 1952 only 130 entries for CGLI housecraft examinations.

In 1952 some qualifications gained by Technical College Students: London University degrees- internal-591, external 1,102 – grand total 1,693). Other University degrees 338, ARIC 179, HNDs 250 and 6,311 HNCs.

In 1952 number of students on HND 250, HNC 6,311 and other university degrees 338 (Awarded by other universities affiliated with the colleges.

In 1952 the number of advanced programmes (> GCE A level) gained in technical colleges in science was approximately 1,000 and 500 in the technologies.

In 1953 number of students on London external degrees: Engineering 336, Pure Science 598, Commerce 136, and Arts 32 – total 1,102.

In 1952/53 The Associateship of the Royal Institute of Chemistry (ARIC) awarded to 179 candidates out of 615 entries.

In 1952 23,052 candidates for NCTEC examinations.

In 1952 First Insignia Award in Technology awarded (CGLI).

In 1952/53 23% of successful students taking HNC Mechanical Engineering came from secondary modern schools -(total of successful students 2,700).

In 1952 during session 1952/53 ONC/HNC in Mechanical Engineering.

Previous education of candidates: Grammar Schools ONC – 47% and HNC – 45%.

Secondary Technical Schools ONC – 29% and HNC – 32%

Secondary Modern Schools ONC – 26% and HNC – 23%.

Total nuber of ONCs 5,872.

In 1953 number of GCE candidates from secondary modern schools was 4,068 this increased to 41,621 by 1960.

In 1953 90 FT students attended the Heating and Ventilation National Colleges.

In 1953 there were approximately 800 examination centres for RSA.

Up to 1953 76,000 candidates had taken CGLI examinations in the so-called women’s subjects with 8,800 gaining the teachers certificate.

In 1953 444 Intermediate and Final Diplomas were awarded for the DMS.

In 1954 HNCs in Chemistry awarded 637. HNCs in Applied Chemistry awarded 16.

ONCs in Chemistry awarded 937. ONC in Applied Chemistry 18.

In 1954 >15% of Scottish students gaining National Certificate in Chemistry were girls and in pharmacy 40% were females.

In 1954 number of Scottish students in National Institutions were: 4,422 day, 10,349 giving a grand total of 14,771.

In 1954 the number of students taking the Scottish Leaving Certificates 7,418 sat mathematics, 8,499 English and 4,861 science.

In 1954 technical degrees and diplomas awarded 3,359.

In 1954 approximately 900 short post graduate courses taught in science and technology subjects.

In 1954 637 HNCs in Chemistry awarded compared with just 16 in Applied Chemistry.

In 1954 in the UK 2,800 university graduates in engineering and other applied sciences and holders of diplomas awarded at university also 8,100 awarded HNCs.

In 1954 Average student hours per annum FT-833hrs. number of students 56,481. PT-153hrs. number of students 353,049. Evening programmes: Technical-64hrs. number of students 700,158. Art-63hrs. number of students 92,508. Evening Institutions-41hrs. number of students 1,036,519.

In 1954/55 number of sandwich course students was 1,400 and this increased to 9,000 in 1959/60.

In 1954/55 output from advanced classes from technical colleges in England and Wales was 9,500 of which 50% became professional scientists and technologists.

In 1956/57 31,835 candidates for ONC examinations (16,176 passed). 12,568 candidates for HNCs examinations (8,796 passed).

In 1956 approximately 4,200 pure science degrees were awarded and 1,850 in technology.

Number of Students in Universities and Institutes of Technology in 1955/56 and 1957/58:

Year

Pure Science

(University)

Technology

(University)

Dip Tech

Degree

HND

College Diploma and others

Totals

1955-56

17,500

11,200

–

2,971

2,279

1,616

35,566

1957-58

21,707

13,850

1,391

3,576

3,927

3,691

48,141

Results in 1956 and 1958 for Other National Examinations Provided in some Technical Colleges:

Subject	1956	1958
National Bakery Diploma	91	72
Higher National Bakery Diploma	4	7
National Craftsman’s Certificate (motor vehicle repair)	677	858
Diploma in Management Studies	276	324
Intermediate Certificate in management Studies	490	681
National Retail Distribution Certificate	101	120
National Diploma in Design *	968	1,085

187 publicly maintained art establishments prepared students for this award.

Numbers of Students Enrolled on Sandwich Courses Between 1954/55 and 1957/58:

Year	Courses approved	Dip Tech	London University	College Associates*	HNDS?HNCS	Others	Totals;
1954/55	70	–	4	140	1,125	150	1.419
1955/56	103	–	52	571	1,373	331	2,327
1956/57	148	510	207	728	2,142	392	3,979
1957/58	203	1,391	307	973	3,254	539	6,464

In 1957 first cohort of Dip. Tech students 965 students from 37 courses. Dip Tech was created in 1956.

In 1957/58 there were 1,700 full-time university agricultural and forestry students and there were 1,100 students in agricultural colleges.

In 1957 24,972 ONCs and 848 ONDs awarded.

In 1958 Number of HNDs awarded in Science 0, In Engineering 298. Number of HNCs awarded in Science 25. In Engineering 3,953. Number of Professional Association Awards in Science 237. In Engineering 814. Other Awards (CGLI et.al.) in Science 5. In Engineering 1,181. (Interesting to note the low numbers in science).

In 1958 34 candidates gained Dip.Tech. and by 1964 this number had risen to 1,221.

In 1958 Number of institutions offering: degrees 62, DipTech 12, HND (full-time) 39, HNC (part-time 187, OND (full-time) 40 and ONC (part-time) 291.

1958 An award higher than the examination Diploma in Technology. NCTA. Oct.

In 1958 During 1958/59 session there were 263 sandwich courses offered in 95 technical colleges. (Salford Royal Technical College offered 17 courses).

In 1958 35,572 ONC entrants only 18,028 passed. 13,854 HNC entrants only 9,647 passed. Note very low pass rate 50% for ONC and 30% for HNC.

In 1958 failure rates for OND were approximately 44% and for HNDs approximately 19%. These are better than the rates for ONCs and HNCs but still very high.

In 1958 18,000 National Certificates and 10,000 Higher National Certificates were awarded to students on day-release or part-time-evening mode of attendance.

In 1958/59 session > 50,000 students on Preliminary Courses in FE. 200,000 students on courses for craftsmen and technicians. 140,000 students on ONCs and <40,000 on HNCs. 1,600 students on ONDs and 3,100 on HNDs.

In 1959 first examinations for the Mechanical Engineers Craft courses staged. CGLI.

Enrolment Data for Dip Tech in 1959:

Subject	Number of Courses	1^st year	2^nd year	3^rd year	4^th year	Total
Aeronautical Eng.	5	64	22	–	–	86
Applied Biology	1	9	6	–	–	15
Applied Biochemistry	1	5	–	–	–	5
Applied Pharmacology	1	5	–	–	–	5
Applied Chemistry/Chemical Technology/Industrial Chemistry	10	103	58	34	9	204
Building	1	8	–	–	–	8
Chemical Eng.	3	37	22	2	–	61
Civil Eng.	3	23	3	2	–	28
Electrical Eng.	13	358	299	143	67	867
Instrument and Control Eng.	1	10	9	–	–	19
Mathematics	4	40	14	–	–	54
Mechanical and Production Eng.	10	361	274	127	40	802
Metallurgy	4	32	34	26	6	98
Physics	9	116	88	47	15	266
Grand totals:	66	1,171	829*	381	137	2,518
			*Includes 145 students not recognized by the NACEIC.

In 1959 66 Dip.Tech courses in existence in CATs – 13 FT and 53 Sandwich. Distribution across the CATs Birmingham 9 Sandwich, Bradford 2 FT and 5 Sandwich, Bristol 5 Sandwich, London – Battersea 8 FT, 6 Sandwich, Chelsea 2 FT, 1 Sandwich and Northampton 8 Sandwich, Loughborough 2 FT, 4 Sandwich,, Salford 7 Sandwich and Wales 3 Sandwich. Grand totals 14 FT and 48 Sandwich,

1960 ONC Business Studies introduced.

In 1961 the National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design (NCDAD) established.

In 1961 80,862 candidates took 231,757 papers in FE colleges for the examinations offered by the Union – REBs.

In 1961 the Scottish Council for Commercial Education (SCCE) established.

In 1961 there were 23 CGLI schemes for end-on T courses – 26 in 1968.

In 1961 138,000 candidates from Britain and the Commonwealth sat CGLI examinations at 1,200 centres

In 1961 OND Business Studies introduced.

In 1961 G1 courses in Engineering started.

In 1961 Students on advanced technology courses was 15,150 from degrees 125, Dip Tech 619, HND 1,054, NC 11,717 and other courses 650.

In 1962 HND in Business Studies introduced with 380 enrolled and by 1964 this had increased to 1,848.

In 1962 G* and G2 courses started in Textiles.

In 1962/63 between 1962/63 and 1976/77 number of day and evening students on HE (excluding teacher training) increased from 100,000 to 125,000.

In 1963 qualifications included ONC which comprised 3 years of part-time study with at least 150 hours of instruction per year (S1, S2 and S3).

OND which comprised 2 years full-time study (OND1, OND2). HNC which comprised 2 years part-time study (A1, A2 or HC1,HC2). HND which comprised 3 years sandwich or 2/3 years full-time (HD1,HD2 etc).

In 1963/64 there were 124 Dip Tech courses at 30 colleges mostly at CATs and Regional Colleges.

In 1963 Certificate of Office Studies introduced.

In 1963-1964 session 405,000 pursuing CGLI courses.

In 1963-1964 session CGLI offered 24 courses foe operatives in such areas as boiler operatives’ certificate, concrete practice and power plant operation etc.

IN 1963 Majority of certificates holders were engineers – 21,318 ONCs and 12,130 HNCs.

In 1963 608,000 part-time students enrolled in colleges.

In 1963 G courses started in Mining.

In 1963-1964 session 3,207 1st year students from 124 courses for Dip. Tech. programmes – 1,069 graduated in this session.

In 1963/64 CGLI offered 24 operative courses in such subjects as boiler operatives’ certificate, concrete practice and flour milling.

In 1964 the National Examinations Board in Supervisory Studies (NEBSS) established.

In 1964 there were 113 craft and 110 technician courses being run by CGLI.

In 1964 G courses started in Science, Shipbuilding and Construction.

In 1964 Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) received its Royal Charter. Students on Business Courses leading to Recognised Qualifications:

1964/65 Students on Business Courses leading to recognised qualifications: Certificate in Office Studies 5,686, ONC in Business Studies 12,734, OND in Business Studies 5,188 and Other non-advanced business courses 52,642 giving a grand total of 76,250.

In 1964 number of ONCs awarded 23,030, ONDs awarded 1,174, HNCs awarded 12,790 and HNDs awarded 1,550 in England and Wales.

In 1964 number of ONCs awarded 1,749, ONDs awarded 49, HNCs 1,119 and HNDs 18 in Scotland (Source for these stats DES 1965).

1964/65 Students on Business Courses leading to recognised higher qualifications– HNC in Business Studies 2,956, HND in Business 1,848, First degrees in Business Studies 1,399, other advanced Business Studies 21,978 giving a grand total for advanced business courses 28,181.

In1964 198,000 examination entries for CGLI, with 27,000 from overseas (66% overall pass rate achieved).

1964 Some Examinations Schemes Modelled on National Certificate and Diploma Schemes (England and Wales:

Course Title	No. awarded
National bakery Diploma	98
HND National Bakery Diploma	4
National Craftsman’s Certificate in Motor Vehicle Service Mechanics	1,542
National Diploma in Hotel-Keeping and Catering	140
National Retail Distribution Certificate	368
Certificate in Retail Management Principles	56
Diploma in Management Studies (new scheme)	498

In 1964 Advanced Qualifications at Central Institutions:

Course	Entries	Successes
University degrees		144
College associateships and diplomas	1,346	1,236
HNC	1,828	1,119
HNC (supplementary certificates)	1,091	777
HND	23	18
SCCE Advanced Commercial and Secretarial Certificates	208	96
Diploma in Management Studies		13
Certificate in Business Administration		19
College associateships and diplomas (supplementary certificates)	38	38

Sec of State for Scotland: Education in Scotland in 1964. 1965.

In 1965 Honours Degrees introduced in Business Studies.

In 1964/65 16,000 of the 20,000 advanced sandwich students in colleges were either studying for a Dip Tech or HND.

1966 G courses started in Printing. Interestingly to note G courses not staged in Scotland.

In 1967-68 Students on Business Courses leading to recognised qualifications: Certificate in Office Studies 8,807, ONC in Business Studies 13,962, OND in Business Studies 6,458 and Other non-advanced business courses 61,671 giving a grand total of 90,898.

1967/68 Students on Business Courses leading to recognised higher qualifications – HNC in Business Studies 5,247, HND in Business Studies 4,364, First degrees in Business Studies 7,604, other advanced Business Studies 35,047 giving a grand total for all advanced business courses 52,262.

In 1968 Number of Candidates for Business Qualifications:

ONC Business Studies: Entries 3,935 – passes 2,188. OND Business Studies: Entries 2,366 – passes 1,684. HNC Business Studies: Entries 1,695 – passes 1,310. HND Business Studies: Entries 1,554 – passes 1,216.

National Certificate Retail Distribution Certificate: Entries 723 – passes 348. Certificate in Retail Management Principles Part A: Entries 117 – passes 79. Part B: Entries 133 – passes 97.

Certificate in Office Studies: Entries: 2,632 – passes 2,114.

In 1968 number of students in art establishments in England and Wales were:

Men: 14,653 (full-time), 36 Short full-time < 18 weeks, 126 Sandwich, 14,451 Day release, 2,960 Other part-time, Evening only 17,254 giving a grand total of 49,480 students.

Women: 11,866 (full-time), 117 (Short full-time), 55 Sandwich, 1,556 day release, 18,473 Other part-time, 30,281 Evening only giving a grand total of 62,348 students.

Above figures do not include university departments.

In 1969/70 81,000 students in Full-time and Sandwich Public Sector HE. Also there were 109,000 students in teacher training.

In 1970/71 total student numbers on art and design courses were:

9,844 full-time, 3,551 part-time giving a grand total of 13,39

Institutions offering art and design provision:

54 Art Colleges, 20 Polytechnics, 7 Specialist Colleges and 95 other FE Institutions giving a grand total of 176 Institutions.

In the 1970s 60% of CGLI awards were in Engineering.

In the 1970s degree courses were offered in 48 universities and university colleges, 28 polytechnics and 12 other institutions

In 1974 there were 6,500 subject entries for the Certificate of Extended Education (CEE).

In session 1974/75 first Dip. HE programmes started and by 1980 there were 45 programmes in operation.

In 1974/75 there were 102,000 students in full-time and sandwich courses and 108,000 in teacher training.

In 1975 30,000 students taking courses leading to recognised qualifications in Art and Design of whom 18,000 were on non-advanced courses – art and design students only constituted 1.5% of all the students enrolled on recognised courses in FE colleges.

In 1975 there were approximately 22,000 students taking agriculture courses leading to recognised qualifications in over 40 FE Colleges in England and Wales – 15,000 on part-time day release mode.

In 1975 (Nov) CGLI courses enrolled 235,000 students in the 16-19 age group 16% were on full-time or sandwich programmes

In 1974 (Nov) 25,700 students taking OND programmes – 10,500 on Business Studies, approximately 9,000 on Engineering and Technology programmes.

In 1977/78 session 3 FE Colleges were offering the International Bacc with approximately 100 students most from overseas.

In 1977/78 session approximately 50 Dip HE courses existed with approximately validated by CNAA and the remainder by universities.

In 1977 350 colleges introduced 1,200 new TEC programmes with approximately 37,500 students.

In 1977 over 1,200 candidates from more than 200 courses were assessed for the SIAD diploma.

In 1977 there were 182 CNAA first degrees in Art and Design with approximately 13,350 students.

In 1977 CGLI Foundation courses enrolled 1,700 candidates in over 150 programmes.

In session 1977/78 6,442 candidates were enrolled on 169 DMS courses.

In 1978 TEC appointed 2 full-time moderators and 230 part-time moderators.

In 1980 approximately 1,000 CNAA degree programmes existed.

In 1983/84 approximately 4,000 students enrolled on Dip Tech in England and Wales – note it was not adopted in Scotland.

In 1986 approximately 250 professional bodies examining and awarding qualifications.

In 1989 school leavers highest qualifications in UK were: 15% (2 or more GCE ‘A’ levels). 40% (1 ‘A’ level or below i.e. ‘O’ level). 35% (below ‘O’ level) and 10% with no qualification. Compare these figures with similar for France namely 35%. 55%. 10%. (CBI 1989).

In 1990 NCVQ had accredited 170 NVQs in over 40 major UK industries and occupations representing 30% of UK employers.

1991 between 1991/2 and 1995/96 number of NVQs and SVQs awarded increased by 354,000.

In 1992 in session 1992/93 number of NVQS/SVQS awarded in UK was 153,00 – 67.5% at level 2, 23.1% at level 3 and 5.9% at level 1.

In 1992 GNVQs introduced.

In 1993 -1994 session 70,000 students enrolled on GNVQs increased to 165,000 by session 1994-1995 – mainly in the 16-19 age range.

In 1994 there were 500 NVQs covering 150 0ccupations this represented 80% of all jobs.

In 1994/95 13% of HE was delivered in England by FE colleges – equivalent figures in Wales 5%, 16% in NI and 27% in Scotland.

Up to 1995 986,907 NVQ certificates awarded compared with 346,528 in 1995/96 and 444,117 in 1996/97.

In 1995 43% of 16 year olds in education and training studied at FE or 6th form colleges – 14% of year olds in education and training chose the work-based route.

In 1995 240,000 NVQs awarded while in 1997 the figure was 368,000 and in 1996 446,000 awarded each year.

In 1995 75% of 16-18 year olds on some form of structured education or training scheme – in 1990 the figure was 66%.

In 1995/96 354,000 NVQs/SVQs awarded and 84,000 GNVQs.

In 1995/96 percentage of females taking NVQ/SVQs approx. 53%, GNVQ/GSVQs approx. 53% and other vocational qualifications approx. 51%. Most NVQ awards were in service sector with only 50,000 engineering programmes. Other vocational awards namely 219,000 were in areas of computers, electrical and electronic engineering and 32,00o in engineering production and industrial design.

In 1995/96 423,000 other vocational awards (OVAs) awarded.

In 1996/97 459,000 NVQs/SVQs awarded and 93,000 GNVQs.

In 1996/97 439,000 other vocational awards given.

In 1996/97 CGLI awarded certificates in: GNVQs 16,393, Customised 19,229, Other general education 85,442, NVQs 192,442, Other vocational 350,998 and at the following levels: at level 1 -235,785, at level 2 – 267,052. at level 3- 105,834, at level – 4 44,565 and at level – 5 1,443.

In 1996/97 RSA started introducing text processing awards (Stages II and III).

In 1997 there were 11 NVQs at level 5, 125 at level 4, 316 at level 3, 357 at level 2 and 110 at level 1.

In 1997 over 45,000 candidates achieved NCFE competence based certificates.

In 1997/88 number of entries to SVQs was 35,000.

In 1998/99 the top three FMA programmes being studied were Business Admin 17%, Retail 14% and Hairdressing 12%.

In 1998 2,223,523th NVQ awarded.

In 1998 other qualifications by level awarded were as follows: Entry- 164. Level- 1 1,378. Level 2-1,765. Level 3-2,015. Level 4 and above- 584.

Examples of areas of award 1st aid, Hygiene and Nutrition, Key Skills, Language Certificates. Office Skills/Secretarial and Sports Coaching etc.

In 1998 NCFE offered over 70 qualifications.

In 1998 26,600 young people had begun national traineeships (Nov.).

In 1998 320,000 applicants for university places.

In 1998 Number of NVQs/SVQs programme areas: 11 at level 5, 125 at level 4, 316 at level 3, 357 at level 2 and 110 at level 1.

In 1998 Qualifications listed in FEFC Qualification database: GCSE 1,598, GCE ‘A’ and ‘AS’ 1,752, Access to HE 1,155, NVQ 1,811, GNVQ 216 and Other Qualifications (OQs) 7,881. (Note Other Qualifications in spite of government attempts to reduce them continue to dominate the qualification scene).

In 1998/99 number of FMA starts in England and Wales 41,900 an increased to 96,000 in session 1999/2000, 81 approved sectors for AMAs and 50 for FMAs. Percentages for FMAs by programme : 17% Business Admin. 14% Retailing and 12% Hairdressing.

Percentages for AMAs by programme: 13% Engineering Manufacturing and 12% Business Admin.

In 1998/99 session NOCN recorded that OCNs more than 630,000 learner registrations (an increase of 27% on session 1997/98), awarded over 1,200,000 credits to learners, worked with over 3,100 members or user organisations and reached and provided certification for a wide range of learners with 87% were over 18 years of age and 42% were unwaged or unemployed.

In 1999 number of students taking National Certificate modules decreased by 7% with 60% studying at FE colleges in Scotland (SQA). Entries for Higher National units and awards increased by 2%.

In 1999 the highest qualification level held by people of working age was as follows:

Age 16 – 19: Level 4/5 – 1%. Level 3 – 20%. Level 2 – 42%. <Level2 – 24%. None – 13%.

Age 20 -24: Level 4/5 – 23%. Level 3 – 30%. Level 2 – 22%. <Level 2- 18%. None – 7%.

Age 25 – 29: Level 4/5 – 30%. Level 3 – 18%. Level 2 – 22%. <Level 2 – 22%. None – 8%.

Age 30 – 39: Level 4/5 – 26%. Level 3 – 17%. Level 2 – 21%. <Level2 – 26%. None – 10%.

Age 40 – 49: Level 4/5 – 26%. Level 3 – 17%. Level 2 – 20%. <Level – 19%. None – 17%.

Age 50 – 59: Level 4/5 – 21%. Level 3 – 16%. Level 2 – 19%. <Level – 17%. None – 27%.

Age 60 – 64: Level 4/5 – 18%. Level 3 – 22%. Level 2 – 21%. < Level 2 – 11%. None – 28%.

All 16+: 23% (4/5) 18% (3) 22% (2) 11% (<2) and 15% (None) .

In 1999/2000 the top 12 registrations for subjects for CGLI examinations (in ‘000s) were: General education 210, Business and Commerce 172, IT Services and Services to Industry 151, Care and Related Occupations 70, Education and Training 60, Engineering 58, Construction 55, Management 46, Hairdressing and Beauty 43, Hotel and catering 35, Retail Wholesale and Distribution 34 and Creative Art and Craft 21.Registration by level: 25.62% at level 1, 44.14% at level 2, 26.62% at level 3, 3.32% at level 4 and 0.32% at level 5.

In 1999/2000 80.3% of students on FEFC provision were adults but only 7.3% were on full-time full-year programmes whilst 19.7% of students under 19 years of age were on FEFC provision of whom 71% were on full-time full-year programmes.

In 2000 drop outs overall 11-12%, For MAs 5%, NTs 10% and other training programmes 20%.

In 2000 entries for GNVQ Part 1 increased by 41% to 32,350.

In 2000 Pass rate in summer examinations was 58.8% for Advanced GNVQs.

In 2000 achievement rates for distance learning mode was: for GCE ‘A’ Level 36% (all modes of learning 77%), GCE ‘AS’ 46% (all modes of learning 58% and for GCSE (Grade C+) 33% (All modes of learning 42%).

In 2001 (March). Just over 3.2 million NVQ Certificates had been awarded with 60% at level 2 and 19% at level 3.

In 2001 Vocational ‘A’ level results: Advanced VCE Double Award entries 6,949 with pass rate of 54.4%, Advanced GNVQ Double Award 70,717 entries with pass rate of 59.8% and ‘AS’ level/VCE 5,719 entries with pass rate of 66.4%.

In 2001 4,229 students had studied foundation degrees – 70 FD programmes available in 90 UK institutions.

In 2001 since 2001 4,229 students started foundation degrees – with over 52% with vocational or work-based qualifications.

In 2001/02 3,775 enrolled on Foundation Degrees increased to 12,000 in session 2002/03.

In 2001/02 705 level 4/5 students enrolled on NVQ courses – 2.5% of all NVQ 4/5s were awarded by HEIs.

In 2002 up to June total number of NVQs awarded 3,715,057 (An increase since 2001 of 365,000).

In 2002 there were 527 different Scottish Vocational Qualifications.

In 2002 approximately 200,000 students were studying for HE qualifications in FECs.

In 2002 vocational ‘A’ level results:

Advanced VCE Double Award 42,291 entries with pass rate 82.7%. Advanced VCE Single Award 32,246 entries with pass rate 78.7% and ‘AS’ level/VCE 12,411 entries with pass rate of 74.6%.

In 2003 Number of entries to GCE ‘A’ levels in physics and Mathematics 31,543 and 50,602 respectively.

In 2008 in session 2008/09 number of NVQs/SVQs awarded in UK was 958,000.

In 2009/10 There were 1,215,900 under graduate students in UK HE Institutions and 298,000 post graduate students.

IN 2013 over 340,000 learners from over 2,000 colleges, schools and training providers took NCFE awards.

In 2013 Number of entries to GCE ‘A’ level Physics and Mathematics 35,569 and 88,060 respectively. In 2013/14 there were 1,351,800 under graduates in UK HE Institutions and 305,400 post graduates.

In 2014 41% of the work force had a qualification at NVQ level 4 or better – 41% in England, 36% in Wales, 32% in Northern Ireland and 45% in Scotland held a qualification at SCQF level 7 or higher.

42% of females had a qualification at NVQ level or higher compared with 39% of males .

50% of 30 to 39 year olds had a qualification NVQ level 4 or higher compared with 29% of 19 to 24 year olds and 35% of 50 to 64 year olds.

Total expenditure on education £83.4 billion in 2014. 6% of 16-19 year olds started apprenticeships in 2014/2015.

In 2015 There are 19,00 regulated adult vocational qualifications in England. 47% of graduates were employed in jobs that did not normally require higher education qualifications.

532,300 people entered HE the highest number recorded so far. 35% of 18 year olds applied for university. There are 8 vocational qualifications for every GCSE.

In 2016 30% of UK students take vocational training compared with 75% in Germany.

The TechBacc – What Chance of Success?

Posted 15 June 2013 by Richard & filed under Viewpoint.

The latest attempt to introduce a vocational and occupational qualification, the Technical Baccalaureate (TechBacc), has been announced to begin in September 2014 and results will be reported in the performance tables in 2017. As usual the initiative is launched with all the usual political hype and well worn rhetoric – namely it will be an alternative choice and possess parity of esteem with ‘A’ levels , be attractive to students of all abilities and of the highest quality ensuring that the students have the skills employers want. This will be achieved through a programme comprising three elements namely:

A level 3 vocational award *that is endorsed by employers
A level 3 ‘core’ mathematics qualification which will include AS level mathematics
An extended project that will test additional skills such as writing, communication, research, self-discipline and self motivation

*Examples could be CGLI, BTEC. Cambridge Technical Diplomas or at least two GCE ‘A’ levels in science and/or technical subjects – note the continuing presence of GCE ‘A ‘level which will undermine the TechBacc.

The hope is that the TechBacc will provide students with a high-quality vocational programme supported by relevant basic skills such as literacy, mathematics and the wider employability and interpersonal skills necessary for employment or progression onto apprenticeship programmes or FE studies. The TechBacc framework draws upon existing and proposed national qualifications and will provide progression to apprenticeships, FE/HE, further training and employment. The TechBacc will be based on achievements rather than courses and will require evidence from different learning experiences including from a work place. Students will have a choice depending on their interests and intended occupation e.g. academic, artistic, technical and vocational – note that an academic theme is included which will again surely dilute the intentions of the award! After all, is the TechBacc a serious attempt to create a true alternative of equal value to ‘A’ levels or not!

Little reference is made to the multitude of previous initiatives that have gone before and the reasons why some of these worthy attempts failed e.g. TVEI, GNVQ, and Vocational Diplomas etc. No matter how good this latest initiative is, very fundamental and persistent problems exist, many of which have been discussed ad nauseam over decades. These include:

The cultural hostility to practical/technical disciplines
The prevailing preference for the so-called academic subjects over vocational ones
The destructive influence of the supposed gold standard of GCE ‘A’ levels supported by successive governments, public schools and some universities. In spite of innumerable attempts at reform they have remained largely the same since 1950
Recent research has shown that employers place a low premium on higher levels of skills for their employees and this acts as an inhibitor to up-skilling the workforce and those wishing to enter employment. 33% of employers do not possess a business or training plan let alone a training budget for their workers
Insensitive funding regimes for colleges which have disadvantaged vocational, technical and commercial subjects coupled with too much choice. Learners have opted for softer subjects that they perceive as easier and assume they provide a greater opportunity for employment

So will it succeed even if these fundamental issues are resolved? Early evidence shows little promise. There are already divisions are appearing between the political parties and awarding bodies. Different models are being proposed e.g. by CGLI and Lord Baker. CGLI have a strong case and with their reputation for vocational and technical qualifications and having attempted to develop a Technical Baccalaureate in the 1990s where they trade marked the terms Technical and Technological Baccalaureate when GNVQs were abolished.

It is hoped that graduates from the TechBacc will enter employment in technical roles in such areas as Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) occupations e.g. construction, engineering, IT, and laboratory technicians, service roles e.g. hospitality, personal and retail and creative technicians e.g. design, digital and other media, material/textile occupations

This initiative joins two others as the government attempts to raise the profile of vocational education namely University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and Studio Schools (SSs). Only time will tell if these institutions on the already cluttered and fragmented education and training landscape will led to any significant improvement and allow this country to be on a par with Germany, Japan and South Korea! But there is a very steep path to climb as in England 60% of students leave full-time education at 16 whilst in Japan the figure is 4% and 10% in Germany and the USA.

May 2013

Why No Licence to Practise?

Thomas Huxley (1825-1895)

The Importance of Apprenticeships

Yet Another Report!

Rebalancing the Economy

Plumbing Matters!

Informal Vocational Learning

Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) and Enterprise Skills

Statistics for Technical and Commercial Examinations.

The TechBacc – What Chance of Success?

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