Has HE become the modern day equivalent of the “world tour” for the privileged classes, providing little value to its students, and leaving them seriously in debt. Dick Evans explores. The recent fiasco about the funding of Higher Education has again highlighted the Government’s lack of a long-term strategy on this sector of education. In spite of the financial difficulties faced by the universities they still continue to promulgate the 50% participation rate for under 30 year olds. Many commentators have argued strongly that the figure is highly questionable in the light of the other problems confronting HE. It is
Browsing 49 Articles Originally Published in: “T Magazine”
Manufacturing –a Terminal Case?
A Personal Perspective “In June 2002 manufacturing output fell by 5.3% the largest decline since 1979” “500,000 jobs lost in manufacturing since 1997”. Here Dick Evans offers a detailed explanation of the causes and suggests some practical ways forward. Hardly a day passes without the press and media reporting the ongoing problem with manufacturing in this country. This state of affairs is not new – it’s been occurring over the past few decades with many commentators predicting the impending demise of this essential and strategically important activity. The issue of manufacturing in this country has not really seriously figured
21st Century Skills
Realising Our Potential, The Skills Strategy White Paper. This was a real opportunity to provide a lead in combating future skill shortages, however Dr Dick Evans wonders whether anything tangible has been offered. The aim of the national Skills Strategy is to ensure that employers have the right skills to support the success of their businesses and individuals have the skills they need to be both employable and personally fulfilled. I intend to adopt a different perspective in reviewing the White Paper. Other contributors to ‘t’ magazine will provide a detailed analysis of the proposals and recommendations contained in the
Technical Education Matters
Dick Evans, well known to T Mag readers as a regular contributor, tells us why it’s important to stay up to date with history As a former student at a further education college, and having been employed in the sector for over thirty years, it’s natural that I have strong views. Many of you have been kind enough to listen to them over the years, not least in these pages. So you won’t be surprised to hear that one of the things I feel most strongly is that the area of technical education and training is not given the attention that
‘A’ Levels and The Baccalaureat
How would a broader based curriculum along international lines improve the ‘gold standard’- Dr Dick Evans investigates. Following the fiasco of the introduction of Curriculum 2000 (C2k) the Secretary of State has suggested the possible development and introduction of a baccalaureat type examination to replace the GCE ‘A’ level. The supposed gold standard protected and cherished by successive governments has suddenly lost its lustre as a result of this year’s problems with the GCE ‘A’ level results. The current arrangements for post-16 qualifications and the new national qualifications framework introduced in 2000 followed largely from the major review carried out
General Further Education Colleges.
Dick Evans takes time out to examine the role of General Further Education (GFE) colleges and suggest that league tables and inspection criteria often fail to recognise the role and scope of these institutions. Are changes necessary and what might happen if these don’t occur? General Further Education Colleges (GFEs) have always occupied an important place in the FE sector. These institutions form part of the FE sector along with others institutions such as sixth form colleges, tertiary colleges and specialist/ mono-technical institutions when managed by the FEFC and now are part of the extended network of providers under the
Mature learners.
Now is the time to recognise that older learners need just as much advice, support and encouragement as the 16-18 year olds. Here Dick Evans explains why and sets out an agenda for action. The current government policy, like many others before, on how to increase and widen participation of mature learners and realise their concept of lifelong learning is full of contradictions and paradoxes. In order to improve the knowledge, understanding, skills and competences of its citizens to cope more effectively with life and the challenges of the global economy and to recognise and prepare for the rapidly changing
Labour Market Research and Information
Three key questions successive Government have failed to tackle adequately are: How is the supply of sources of labour and skills changing? How is the demand for labour changing? How is the balance between supply and demand changing? In this article Dick Evans examines the consequences. These are the questions that drive and in form labour market research and information. In spite of an immense amount of effort over many years skills gaps and shortages continue to occur. Skills gaps and shortages occur when there is an imbalance in the labour market namely a mismatch between the demand for and
The A-Z Study Revisited
All too often innovative and informative studies get waylaid with the passage of time and replacement of Governments. In this article Dr Dick Evans re-examines one such study and illustrates just how relevant its findings around employer requirements still are. One of the interesting facts of existence is the persistent inability of politicians to acknowledge let alone learn from history. New policies and initiatives abound without reference to or knowledge of previous attempts to tackle and develop public policy on the same issues and this sad reality is true in most areas of political life. Perhaps it is an inevitable
50% Participation in HE: Realistic or just a Dream?
Rather than just plucking targets from the air, the UK deserves a systematic analysis of the expansion of Higher Education. Dick Evans explains why. The present government has set a target of a 50% participation in Higher Education, by the year 2010 for people under the age of 30. Obviously it’s an important and worthy aspiration but is it realistic or possible? As Barry Sheerman (Chair of the Commons Education Committee) stated, “If it is a figure plucked from the air it could seriously distort the higher education system. The priority now is immediate action to raise pay in universities