CIPD response to A-level results 2005

Debates about standards at exam level risk diverting attention from the real challenge, for job applicants and employers alike, of differentiating between candidates with similar exam grades, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Responding to the record pass rates for this yearís exams, Angela Baron, CIPD adviser on organisation and resourcing, argues that this challenge is not unique to this or other recent years, and requires employers and employees to focus more clearly on matching individual skills to specific job requirements.

Angela Baron said:
ìAcademic qualifications such as A-levels can only act as a basic selection tool for employers. Potential to develop, other job related skills and life skills are often more important than exam grades.

ìCarefully designed recruitment processes have always been essential for employers seeking to differentiate between job applicants with similar exam grades, and match them to specific job requirements. Continuing debates about exam standards do not change this. Each yearís results can only provide an academic benchmark of one student against another, irrespective of small changes in overall pass rates from year to year.

ìThe adoption and promotion of lifelong learning, and the ability to identify skills relevant to the workplace are the real challenges for students, employers and government alike.

ìStudents will increasingly need to recognise that their A-level results represent the start of a journey, not the end of one. Modern workers needs to recognise that to remain attractive to employers they will need to continuously acquire skills relevant to the workplace, and be able to demonstrate these throughout their working lives. They also need to get better at using job applications to present themselves as complete and rounded individuals in a way that is relevant to the job, rather than simply relying on exam results to tell the story for them. Life-skills and experience gained outside of formal exams are important too.

ìThe challenge for Government remains that of closing the perceptions gap between academic and vocational qualifications. The Tomlinson report made many sensible suggestions and recommendations. Although some of these have been shelved for the time being, we hope that Government will keep the matter under close review. There is a strong argument for a carefully considered integration of vocational qualifications with the existing academic framework, so long as any new system remains clear and credible for employers and students alike.

ìFrequent changes to exam systems over a number of years, coupled with rising standards have often left employers confused by post-16 qualifications, and lacking confidence in them. The objective of any further change should be to create transparency, constancy and integration of academic and vocational qualifications with the needs of employers firmly in mind.î