Report: Apprenticeship policy and practice

Topic: Education & Skills
Date: July 2006
Source: LSN

Overview:

This review from the Leaning and Skills Network (LSN) takes a historic look at apprenticeships and considers how some of the policy and practice has developed over the last two decades. It aims to enhance the understanding of planners and practitioners within the learning and skills sector about the issues associated with apprenticeships, and about ways in which policy and practice might be developed to better meet the underlying objectives of apprenticeships.

The review draws on a range of work from the old Leaning and Skills Development Agency on aspects of apprenticeship policy and practice, as well as recent articles from academic journals and other published material which comments on and discusses apprenticeships.

ETB linked activity:

One of the issues raised in this report is the attitudes towards apprenticeships in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The report observes that some of the main barriers to the take-up of apprenticeships by these companies were found to be lack of knowledge, lack of relevance, lack of support, and lack of suitable young people.

The lack of knowledge and lack of suitable young people are just two of the key reasons behind the EEF Apprenticeship Brokerage. This service allows the EEF to offer employers access to qualified young people interested in engineering and provides a service for engineering companies to advertise their apprenticeships. The ETB are pleased that we are able support this initiative through free online hosting and technical support for their website.
 

Further information:

To download the LSN apprenticeship review visit their website.

To visit the EEF Apprenticeship Brokerage visit www.apprentices.co.uk

Report: How young people make education choices

Topic: Careers
Date: June 2006
Source: DfES

Overview:

In order to support young people’s decision-making at a time of greater and more complex choices, the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned NFER to explore how young people make the educational choices required of them at ages 14 and 16.

Key findings include:

• Few young people, particularly at age 14, made the link between careers education and guidance activities and the personal decisions about courses and pathways they were making, suggesting the need for schools to make such links more explicit.
• Vocational qualifications were not always recognised in the same way as ‘academic’ qualifications for entry onto A Level courses, leading to restricted student choice in some areas. This is important given that vocational courses are compulsory in some schools.
• The findings suggest that teachers were essential to the decision-making process; young people were influenced by discussions they had with teachers. However, questions were raised about whether teachers had the necessary knowledge to provide the information and guidance young people needed.
 

ETB linked activity:

These findings mirror the outcome of our ETB Year 9 study to determine how students (and indirectly their adult influencers) could be better supported with advice and background information relating to career opportunities in the SET sector.

Our report findings indicated that over two-thirds (68%) of the Year 9 students had some degree of interest in science, engineering or technology (SET) careers but generally appeared to lack knowledge about the variety and range of SET careers, and understanding about what they might involve. The report also highlights the importance of subject teachers in providing this information as 88% of the surveyed students identified them as a source of careers information.
 

Further information:

To download the DfES report visit the NFER website.

Report: Physics in schools and universities

Topic: Education
Date: August 2006
Source: University of Buckingham
 

Overview:

This report has been produced by Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson at Buckingham University. It examines student numbers for different A-level subjects over the past five years. Identified within is the decline in physics as students opt to take the so-called ‘soft’ options. Latest figures show that less than 4% of 16 year olds opt to take physics A-level (28,119).

The report concludes that physics is in the grip of a long-term trend in which diminishing numbers of students are choosing it as an A-level subject. This decline impacts on the numbers going to university to study this subject which in turn “points to the impoverishment of science education for many pupils lower down the schools.”

ETB linked activity:

The ETB is aware of this annual problem and is supportive of the work done to redress this issue. In 2006 we took over the support and secretarial duties for the Engineering Education Alliance. This is an independent group of over 30 Professional Engineering Institutions and Affiliates who collectively represent in the region of 230,000 engineers.

Through this group the ETB is working with members to redress the decline in students taking SET subjects, at A-level or degree. Most recently, EEA members responded to the Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-2014: next steps consultation. Copies of individual member responses can be found below.

Further information:

This report can be downloaded from the University of Buckingham website.

IET response to the Science and Innovation Investment Framework.

IOP response to the Science and Innovation Investment Framework.

 
Report: Skills in England

Topic: Skills
Date: August 2006
Source: LSC
 

Overview:

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the organisation responsible for making England better skilled and more competitive, has launched their annual series of reports on Skills in England. The reports contain information on the demand for, and supply of, skills as well as mismatches between demand and supply.

The reports conclude that there are significant skill gaps for technical and vocational skills in manufacturing and construction sectors. In most cases, this gap is due to the lack of supply rather than the pace of growth in demand, many people being unwilling to work in these sectors. These areas with the most significant skill shortages and gaps tend to also be the sectors and occupations in which employment levels are falling.

The report recommends that:

• Refocus training for the young. Most training remains focused on the best qualified, while those most in need get least.
• There is a greater need to focus on adults, especially those who have missed out on basic numeracy and literacy skills.
• More also needs to be done to encourage employers to focus their training on future skill needs (as opposed to induction and health and safety, important as these are).
 

ETB linked activity:

The ETB believes in taking an evidenced based approach to education and skills initiatives. Many of the gaps in data identified in the 2005 Engineering UK report, our statistical guide on the supply and demand of labour in engineering and technology, informed our 2006 edcuation and skills research agenda. Three projects worth highlighting are:.

• A study on ‘Employer Engagement in Foundation Degrees’ which is in partnership with Foundation Degree Forward and the Engineering Subject Centre;
• A study looking at the data available on 16-19 vocational education and providing statistical information based on qualitative research on areas such as progression, drop out rates and widening participation; and
• A third project which will be a mapping of progression from advanced apprenticeships to foundation degrees.

Further information:

Skills in England 2005 can be found on the LSC website.

Copies of Engineering UK can be found on the ETB website.

 
ETB Skills Conference 

The ETB is hosting its first annual skills conference on Thursday 12th October in Central London. This year the conference focuses on the issues of supply and demand in engineering and technology vocational skills.

To register your interest in this conference, contact Debbie Young on 020 7324 4364 or e-mail debbie.young@neilstewartassociates.co.uk
 

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