Rid vocational skills of poor relation image, says UK Skills

UK Skills today called for the Government to consider national vocational skills competitions for 14 to 19 year olds as part of its review of Mike Tomlinsonís landmark 14-19 Report.

Speaking last night at the UK National Training Awards Gala ceremony at Londonís Guildhall, Dr Graeme Hall, Acting CEO of UK Skills, said:

The National Training Awards have shown us for 18 years exactly how skills events can help drive development in the workplace, at a personal and a business level.

We should now consider applying the same principle to vocational education. At a basic level, it could mean school skills days, on a par with the traditional sports day. At the other end of the scale, it could mean a national skills league for schools.

Charles Clarke has shown genuine enthusiasm and commitment to the skills agenda. One year on from the launch of the Skills Strategy, perhaps itís time to consider extending the Governmentís successful vision for national skills events to our schools.

The Government is due to publish a White Paper early in the New Year in response to the Final Report of the Working Group on 14-19 Reform, chaired by Mike Tomlinson. Vocational education is expected to figure prominently in the White Paper.

Dr Hall continued: Vocational training is still considered the ípoor relationí to academic study in the UK, even though itís clear that well-taught vocational education is capable of attracting large numbers of young people to participate in advanced level study.

We need to rid vocational education of its image as ísecond bestí. If we are to achieve true parity of esteem between academic qualifications and vocational training, we must look at new ways of motivating and rewarding young people that choose a vocational path.

Every young person should have the chance to show off his or her skills. Skills events are just one way to encourage them to attain excellence in their chosen field, by showcasing and winning recognition for their achievements on a local or national stage.

Dr Hall joined Chris Humphries, CBE, Chairman of UK Skills and Director General of City & Guilds; Ivan Lewis, MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills and Vocational Education; and television personality Carol Vorderman, at the National Training Awards ceremony.

The National Training Awards, which are run by UK Skills on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills, reward training and personal development. Organisations and individuals from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and nine regions across England are eligible to enter. Now in their 18th year, the awards are often viewed as a barometer of the UKís changing attitudes to training.

This year, 1,000 entries were whittled down to 300 finalists. The finalists then attended awards ceremonies throughout October, to discover if they had won a training award for their area or a national award. The 50 national award winners that were chosen then attended last nightís ceremony, where 16 of them were presented with Special National Training Awards for outstanding achievement through training and development. These included: National Grid Transco; Jobcentre Plus and Energy & Utility Skills; and Airbus UK and Deeside College.

The areas with the largest number of winners (national and special awards) are: the West Midlands (14%), London (13%) and the North East (13%), followed by the East of England and the North West (11% each).

The areas with the biggest rise in the number of winners since 2003 are: the West Midlands (200%), the South East (67%), the North East (60%) and the East of England (40%).

Of the 23 industry sectors represented in the awards, those with the largest number of winners (national and special awards) are: manufacturing (17%), education (14%) and the NHS (6%), followed by construction and financial services (5% each).

Overall, this year, 54% of entrants were from the private sector, 28% from the public sector and 7% from the voluntary sector.* This represents a 37% rise in private sector entrants since 2003, a 21% increase in public sector entrants and a 14% increase in voluntary sector entrants.

Of the organisations that reached the final stages of the competition, 61% classified themselves as Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), with fewer that 250 staff. There has been a 40% rise since 2003 in the number of SMEs reaching the final stages, compared to a 5% rise in companies with over 250 employees.

The National Training Awards are supported by Investors in People, Learn Direct, the Learning and Skills Council, PKF Accountants and Business Advisors, NHSU, Skills for Business and Henley Management College.