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Lessons to be learned by the new government

It was odd having to write this column before the general election, in the knowledge that it will be published after the result is known.

I could have avoided the topic altogether and talked about assessment. Indeed I tried, but the elephant in the room just shook its head and jabbed its trunk at my polling card. So, here goes.

Whichever party( or parties, if it is a hung parliament) won, it is to be hoped that vocational education and training ride high in the incoming government’ s list of priorities for the duration of the next parliament.

The Conservative government made a start with last year’ s Post-16 Skills Plan, announcing far-reaching reforms to technical education and apprenticeships. There was also an extra £ 500 million for technical education in this year’ s Spring budget.

But, on revisiting the Skills Plan, what struck me was the line about“ weaknesses in the UK’ s skills base” contributing to our“ long-standing” productivity gap with international competitors.

The plan goes on to say that the UK is forecast to fall from 22nd to 28th out of 33 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development( OECD) countries for intermediate skills by 2020. And I found myself thinking, how can it have come to this when so many different governments over the past few decades have waxed lyrical about the importance of skills to the economy?

Our politicians can clearly talk a good fight on education and training. But, notwithstanding some welcome initiatives and investments over the years, it has not been enough – not if the OECD figures are correct.

When writing this column, the editor kindly showed me the review of Learning from Singapore( Books, page 32). The book says that education should not be motivated by short-sighted gains or political agendas, and that good teachers are a strategic advantage for the entire nation. Is it too much to hope that the incoming government has learned something about the way countries like Singapore approach education and training? Time will tell. Pedagogue is a Member of SET

Read the Post-16 Skills Plan at goo. gl / BI0IQj

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The AoC / Hefce Third Scholarship Project Research and Scholarship Conference takes place in Birmingham. For information visit goo. gl / 5vxWZH

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SET regional network event( see story on the opposite page)

SET regional network event( see story on the opposite page)

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