Apparently, as the UK is preparing to leave the European Union, discussion about practice-oriented education is becoming prominent amongst the stakeholders of the economy, the government and even academia! The following article was published in The Times of London on Tuesday the 9th of October and contains some interesting arguments! Most of all though, it is an indication to the fact that the “Bologna” shaped market has not come unharmed from the crisis and everybody is looking eager for new, more practice-oriented schemes. EurEta is working on this since many years already and we are now happy to observe that things are moving as we were predicting….
“A system similar to that used by universities should be introduced for technical education, further education and apprenticeships to spread course information and make applying easier, say MPs.
In a report on apprenticeships the Commons education committee said that not enough young people were getting the high-quality training they needed.
The MPs recognised good work being done by many further education colleges and independent training providers, but called for clearer oversight of training and assessment and a tougher approach to poor-quality training.
The number of approved providers of apprenticeship training has tripled in recent years, leading to concerns about the quality of what is offer. MPs recommended a bigger role for Ofsted inspections and a cap on the amount of training that new institutions could offer before they have proved their credentials.
The committee called for redoubled efforts to recruit apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them up the “ladder of opportunity”.
MPs want more bursaries, an increase in the minimum wage for those in apprenticeships, subsidised travel and more incentives for small and medium-sized businesses and social enterprises to take on apprentices.
They said that the procedures for applying for an apprenticeship were too chaotic and a simple process similar to Ucas, the universities’ body, would help youngsters to navigate the complex and confusing system.
Robert Halfon, chairman of the committee, said: “The reality today is that there is not enough high-quality apprenticeship training, which is letting down apprentices and employers. Apprenticeships can offer an extraordinary ladder of opportunity for young people to get the skills, training and jobs they need to ensure security and prosperity for their future.”
Neither employers nor apprentices “can have genuine confidence that quality training is being provided” by many new organisations, he said.
“It’s time for a cap on the amount of training which new providers can offer until they prove they are up to scratch. It’s time to get tough on sub-contractors, who too often seem to offer training which doesn’t deliver for the apprentice or the taxpayer, and lead providers who cream off large management fees while providing nothing of value themselves,” Mr Halfon added.
He said that youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds found it too difficult to get an apprenticeship for reasons that included the fact that the apprenticeship minimum wage is £3.70 an hour compared with £4.20 for 16 to 17-year-olds in work.
The number of apprenticeships has been falling since last year, when a levy on businesses that aimed to raise £3 billion a year was introduced. Businesses with a wage bill of £3 million or more have to pay 0.5 per cent of payroll costs into a central apprenticeship fund which they can then draw upon to pay for training but the system has been criticised as inflexible and badly managed.”