In this article, Dick Evans explores how poorly thought through targets, linked to productivity are ironically proving to be the cause of continued decline rather than its salvation. The debate on this country’s productivity continues at a pace. However, one has to be cautious about stating how productivity is measured. It is now widely acknowledged that this country’s productivity in a whole range of employment areas is well down the international league tables. Many factors impinge on this complex factor. Clearly one major element of interest here is the need to create a highly qualified workforce and at the heart
Browsing 49 Articles Originally Published in: “T Magazine”
Short on skills: Part 5
Languages This article by Dick Evans, Principal of Stockport FE College, is the penultimate in a series looking at issues associated with a number of strategically important subjects, and skills. Others have included engineering, manufacturing, construction, mathematics and science. The difficulties with these subjects reflect fundamental problems we are experiencing in terms of competing successfully in a global economy, producing and sustaining a highly qualified workforce and improving productivity. Skill shortages in this country are often associated with science and technical subjects but one that has been very longstanding, and, in some ways has a number of different causes from
The Maths Problem
Dick Evans continues his analysis of training needs and skill shortages with a look at the world of numeracy. The Government has three distinct strands for its educational agenda, namely standards, skills and widening participation. A large number of reforms and initiatives continue to be introduced to realise these important elements of the wider agenda to develop a culture of lifelong learning and to raise the competitiveness of the workforce in this country. A number of these reforms and initiatives include: Reforms to the national curriculum, including more rigorous testing of pupils throughout their school lives. The introduction of programmes
Learning Banquet or Dog’s Dinner?
Dick Evans helps us make sense of the Learning and Skills Bill and the changes that will affect us all in the years ahead. In December 1999, the DfEE published the Bill that will establish the Learning and Skills Council for England. The Bill set out the range of responsibilities for the Council, which would include: * planning and funding post-16 further education and work-based training. * assuring the quality of provision that the Council funds, and * taking forward a strategy for quality improvement. As a result the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) will take over the funding responsibilities
Building Foundations
The key Government agendas in education and training are standards, skills and widening participation. How will they be realised? FE College Principal, Dick Evans, looks at the new building blocks. The Government has set an objective that half of all young people should benefit from higher education by the age of thirty. The belief is that once standards in schools and colleges are raised, they then expect to see a significant increase in the demand for places in higher education. Raised levels of achievement will inevitably raise expectation by students to progress on to HE programmes of study. This additional
A Real Skills Shortage (Part 2)
Part Two of Dick Evans article explores the issues and the current health of education and training in engineering and related disciplines in the post-16 sectors. It is at the post-16 stage that a clearer picture emerges about the future shape of engineering education and training. After the compulsory stage of education one can become more confident (or pessimistic) of the likely ‘flow’ of engineers and potential engineers into employment and/or further and higher education studies. Further Education The first difficulty presented when investigating further and vocational education training in FE is the lack of a reliable and up-to-date statistical
A Real Skills Shortage (Part 1)
In a two-part article, Dick Evans, Principal of Stockport College, considers the current state of education and training of people wishing to take up careers in engineering and manufacturing based industries. In spite of the dramatic (and much discussed) decline in this country’s engineering and manufacturing base, it still represents a significant proportion of our exports and gross domestic product. The UK engineering and manufacturing industry operates in such areas as aerospace, automotive components, general machinery and equipment and process industries. The industries employ approximately 1.7 million people and accounts for 50% of all our fixed investment expenditure of £50billion.
Short on skills: Part 4
Science. Dick Evans continues his series looking at issues associated with a number of strategically important subjects, for example engineering, manufacturing, construction and mathematics. The difficulties with the subjects above reflect many of the issues associated with the fundamental problems that this country is experiencing in terms of competing successfully in a global economy, producing and sustaining a highly qualified workforce and improving productivity. The previous articles have shown that a number of the difficulties are associated with the education and training programmes, whether at school or post-school stages. This article focuses on science as, along with mathematics, it is
Learning on Whose Account?
Dick Evans looks at the problems and possibilities of Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs). Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) are one of the major elements of this Government’s campaign to develop a culture of lifelong learning. The national framework for ILAs will be launched in April 2000 and will operate UK wide, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Between April 2000 and March 2002 the focus of the ILA national framework will be on the world of work with a potential coverage of 27 million individuals (but,it is important to note, not the unemployed) and approximately 3 million employers. During this
To Learn or Not to Learn?
That is the basic question says FE College Principal Dick Evans. A recently-introduced government performance indicator focuses on graduates obtaining employment and the new national target regarding participation rates for 16 to 19 year olds. This has provoked reflection on student retention, achievement and the wider aspects of people who do not participate in education and training. Student retention and achievement justifiably continues to be an important issue for colleges and universities. Obviously they wish to see all their students succeed and have value added to them through their studies and the associated learning opportunities and experiences afforded to them