‘To encourage all pupils to continue down a purely academic route is little short of scandalous’
Schools have a duty to help every student choose the right path after GCSEs, says David Allison – and that doesn’t necessarily mean more formal education…
In the last 20 years there has been a significant increase in the length of time young people have stayed in formal education.
Some may celebrate such statistics, but with a growing skills gap and stubbornly high youth unemployment rates in the UK, the question should be asked as to whether this trend towards continuation of formal schooling after GCSEs contributes to an appropriately skilled workforce.
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 627,000 unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK from December 2015 to February 2016 – yet at any one, at GetMyFirstJob we have an average of 8000 live apprenticeship vacancies that offer young people the chance to learn whilst earning at range of highly reputable companies, universities, colleges and training providers across the UK.
The system behind school funding has a considerable amount to answer for, in terms of the pressure felt by many schools to ensure their pupils continue on to A-Levels, despite other options being open to them.
Narrowed choices
Recent cuts to schools’ sixth form funding have created a perverse financial incentive; many schools need to hold on to more pupils for longer simply to remain viable. Small cohorts of ‘unpopular’ subjects must be dropped. In my home county there are now no ‘A’ level German students in the state system. The fact that I continue to meet fluent English speakers completing a UK placement as part of their German apprenticeship in my visits to the UK’s largest automotive manufacturers speaks volumes.
Furthermore, equal funding across all subjects creates further distortions in ‘practical’ subjects, at a time when UK plc is shouting out for more young people to further their knowledge in STEM subjects.
These very real financial pressures do not create a solid foundation for impartial careers advice or the broadest and most relevant curriculum. This is then, of course, compounded by the unyielding emphasis placed on school league tables and crude measures such as the Ebacc, where for some reason history is seen as a valid choice but economics is not.
Such burdens and constraints unfairly put many schools in a position where they may have to choose between their institution’s needs and the needs of individual pupils. Students have a variety of capabilities and unique skills sets, and a ‘one size fits all’ funding or performance formula does not suit every individual.
The recently introduced Degree Apprenticeship schemes, which allow apprentices to earn a qualification of equal calibre to a university degree whilst working, have made positive strides in changing the perception that apprenticeships are of lesser merit than what can be achieved from continuing study at A-levels and university. But there is still much work to be done.
Different pathways
Of course, continuation of school education is right for some. For pupils with aspirations toward careers that necessitate a university degree, A-levels should naturally be advised and encouraged. However, many pupils who would benefit from other routes are indiscriminately pushed down the same path as the masses – continue schooling to 18, and on from there into a university degree.
Many graduates will now owe £30,000 to £40,000 by the time they leave university.
Based on the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s own data, much of this debt will remain unpaid by the graduate; heaping further problems onto future governments as they try to address the public sector borrowing requirement. The system is borrowing from future generations, and yet not providing the skills that are relevant to compete in the future economy.
In a climate where house prices and living costs are astronomical, and where public debt continues to exceed all forecasts, to encourage all pupils to continue down a purely academic route – irrespective of the skills needed in society or their own career aspirations – is, in my opinion, little short of scandalous.
Alongside my work with future apprentices, I teach regularly at Loughborough University and have been fortunate enough to have a long career working within primary and adult education. I truly advocate all forms of education, and believe that each young person deserves support to ask the right questions before starting on the most appropriate career path for them – whether that be higher education or qualifications achieved through vocational learning.
David Allison is founder of GetMyFirstJob – a web platform that works with employers and training providers to match young people to the right apprenticeship. For more information, visit GetMyFirstJob.co.uk or follow @getmyfirstjob
