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Education: Consultation on the Science Diploma
Topic: Education & Skills
Date: September 2006
Source: QCA
Overview:
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority are launching a consultation on
the idea of a specialised diploma in science. The specialised diploma is a
new qualification, set out by the Government in the 14 -19 White Paper
“14-19 Education & Skills” February 2005, aiming to provide a broad
programme of applied and other learning, underpinned by essential skills.
Specialised diplomas will exist in 14 occupational areas and at 3 levels up
to advanced level. QCA would like to obtain views on whether this programme
should be extended to include a 15th diploma in science. The type of
questions they are seeking to answer are:
• Do we need one?
• Who would it be for?
• Is it providing anything new?
• What effect might it have on existing qualifications?
• What would it look like?
• What progression should / could it offer?
ETB linked activity:
The ETB responded to the original survey to asses whether there should be
a specialised diploma in science. With caveats we were supportive of this
development. A science diploma could significantly raise the profile of
other specialised diplomas and address the perception that A-levels are gold
standard for entry into Higher Education.
If this diploma is developed, there needs to be well defined progression
routes from L2 science diploma to A-level science and then into HE, avoiding
the problem with progression in the current Applied Science GCSE. This
should provide young people with another valuable route into Higher
Education.
Further information:
To respond to this consultation please visit the
QCA website.
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Report: Supply And Demand for STEM Skills in the UK
Topic: Education & Skills
Date: 2006
Source: DfES
Overview:
The Department for Education and Skills have published a new report into
The Supply and Demand for Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics Skills in the UK Economy. This paper assesses the extent to
which the supply of these skills is likely to meet increases in demand over
the next 10 years.
Key findings include:
• The entrants to higher education are quite steady, but there are
falling numbers of UK-domiciled degree entrants in engineering and the
physical sciences, particularly chemistry.
• The flow of A-Level qualifiers in some STEM subjects is declining,
particularly mathematics; STEM A-levels have an important role in
progression to STEM at higher education.
• Projections suggest that the demand for workers with professional
level skills in science and engineering is likely to increase over the next
10 years.
ETB linked activity:
The ETB are due to publish the next edition of Engineering UK, our
digest of engineering statistics, towards the end of this year. Previous
editions of Engineering UK can provide further analysis of these
figures.
For example, although there has been a decline in domiciled degree entrants
in engineering and the physical sciences, over the last decade the number of
UK and foreign students completing undergraduate programmes in engineering
and technology has actually remained relatively steady at around 20,000.
During the same period the number of students completing programmes in
biological sciences has grown by nearly 120%, with computer science courses
also up by 159%.
The data indicates that there has been an upward trend, affecting all GCSE
mathematics and science subjects, in the percentage of students reaching a
grade C or above. A-level students who achieve grades A-C have also seen an
encouraging trend over the last decade. Mathematics is contributing a
similar number of A-level grades at A-C in 2004 than seen in 1994. Biology
has seen an encouraging increase of 31% in grades A-C; chemistry has seen an
increase of 20% and physics has a 6% increase.
Further information:
To download the DfES report visit their
website.
Copies of Engineering UK can be found in the
ETB website.
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Report: Education at a glance
Topic: Education
Date: September 2006
Source: OECD
Overview:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has published
its latest report into international education systems. The 2006 edition of
Education at a Glance enables countries to see themselves in the light of
other countries' performance.
Within international comparisons Britain compares favourably. We have one of
the highest entry rates for 'vocational' tertiary education, improving our
ranking from 6th to 5th between 1998 and 2004, and we top the 30 OECD
nations in 'educational expectancy', the number of years that people spend
in education.
However, the report also shows that Britain has slipped down the graduate
league table because schools are not producing enough suitable candidates
for university, in terms of the proportion of graduates, Britain dropped
from second place in 2000 to ninth in 2004. This is one per cent below the
average for participation in higher education, compared to the eight per
cent above the average in 1998.
ETB linked activity:
This report was published at the same time as the A-level and GCSE
results were published, which mirror the positive result from this OECD
survey. This showed that:
• Overall entries for A-level maths have increased by 7.5% with the
biggest percentage increase in entries in A-level further maths (22.5%);
• The science subjects remain popular. Chemistry, physics and maths
still made up a greater proportion of A-level entries than communication
studies, computing, expressive arts/drama, ICT, media studies and psychology
put together;
• Physics and chemistry entries increased this year. Physics entries
up 3,467 or 6.6% from 52,568 in 2005 to 56,035 in 2006. Chemistry entries up
3,336 or 6.2% from 53,428 in 2005 to 56,764 in 2006.
Whist this is very positive we would sound a note of caution. As the OECD
report acknowledges, the UK already has one of the highest entry rates for
'vocational' tertiary education. We, however, feel more could be done to
urge pupils with an ability and interest in maths and science to seriously
consider pursuing a vocational pathway via a paid advanced apprenticeship.
Further information:
Copies of the OECD report can be ordered from their
website.
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Research: Small Firm Survey
Topic: CPD
Date: September 2006
Source: Skills for Business
Overview:
The latest research from Skills for Business shows that many small firms
are failing to invest in employee training.
In the survey of more than 13,000 employers, more than a third of SMEs
admitted they don't provide training for their staff, rising to 40 per cent
of the smallest employers.
According to the research, the barriers to providing training include:
• Financial cost – almost 50 per cent of employers are put off
training because of fears of costs;
• Worries about demands for higher wages – a third think that training
could mean their staff will ask for higher salaries;
• Work disruption – more than half of employers believe that training
would provide disruption to work.
ETB linked activity:
The ETB in 2005 produced a series of reports into CPD within
Manufacturing Small to Medium Sized Enterprises. This report, Skills for
Manufacturing SMEs, very closely mirrors the findings of the Skills for
Business report.
Our report found that although active CPD was a feature of 19% of the
businesses surveyed, 32% of the SMEs did not even know what it was and a
further 34% were found not using CPD practices despite being familiar with
the concept.
CPD faces a number of challenges for the future. Those who are not
addressing it at present believe that their resources are too limited and
that they are too small to run a CPD programme. Our survey also highlighted
the fact that many SMEs have limited opportunities for people to change jobs
and progress within the company and are therefore unsure as to how CPD would
work in that context.
It is important to the ETB that we continue to promote CPD. It is vital to
the UK economy, and given predictions of demographic changes and potential
skill shortages, it is essential to have an effective system for retraining
and updating skills.
Further information:
The report can be downloaded from the
Skills for
Business website.
ETB report can be downloaded from our
website.
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National Science and Engineering Week
In March 2007, The BA (British Association for the Advancement of
Science) is expanding the UK’s National Science Week programme to become
National Science and Engineering Week. National Science and Engineering Week
(which also includes Social Science Week) is supported by £280,000 of
funding from the Department of Trade and Industry.
The BA is working in partnership with the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB)
to broaden the scale and scope of the programme and to celebrate the vital
contribution that engineering makes to society.
The ETB is providing an engineering project officer to support the programme
and liaise with professional engineering organisations including the IET,
Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the
Royal Aeronautical Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and others to
stimulate the 500 additional engineering-focused events.
Engineering organisations or engineers who are interested in getting
involved in National Science and Engineering Week 2007 should visit
www.the-ba.net/nsew where they can
find a wealth of information including details on regional briefing
evenings, advice on running events and free challenge packs to down load.
For additional information please contact Stuart Robinson on
srobinson@etechb.co.uk or 07771
921 127.
Below is a link to web banners and skyscrapers, which we would be very
grateful if you could include on you websites.
Banners and skyscrapers:
http://www.scenta.co.uk/_db/_downloads/nsew_banners.zip
Further detains on National Science and Engineering Week 2007 please visit:
www.the-ba.net/nsew
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