TC
8th April 2007, 23:54
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6536183.stm
Children may leave school with vocational Diplomas recognised only by school sponsors, teachers have warned...
...A London teacher, Michael Davern from Southwark, said young people were being given just enough education to perform one job for the rest of their lives.
In Manchester, academies were being set up to produce workers for the sponsors' firms, he said.
"Imagine leaving school at 16 with a Diploma that is recognised only by the factory up the road."
Coventry teacher Glen Mynott said teenagers would have a very narrow curriculum if they opted to pursue a Diploma.
"What will be the employment options for a youngster with a Diploma in hair and beauty?" he said.
Martin Allen, from Ealing in London, said the expectation now was that people would change jobs many times during their careers.
"Why would anyone want to do a specialised Diploma for four or five years?" he said. "I wouldn't."
The government has said it wants people to be in education or training to the age of 18.
The conference resolution recognised the importance of high quality school or college education for those aged 16 to 18.
But it said that unless work-based training was sufficiently well resourced, and properly rewarded, "young people will be exploited by businesses and used as even cheaper labour".
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Other BBC articles on the diplomas:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6318079.stm
"But existing vocational qualifications would then "wither on the vine" as the partially academic Diplomas took over."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6234063.stm
"To offer them, schools have to go through an accreditation process or "gateway".
They are likely to need to collaborate with outside bodies such as local colleges or businesses to assemble the necessary resources and expertise. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6173366.stm
"The government's new flagship vocational qualifications risk becoming "sink courses" for "someone else's children."
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I think this is incredibly scary. Companies running schools for 14-18 year olds, for the purposes of providing a service to themselves rather than students, turning out a cheap work force that can't get work anywhere else, and this is the "Labour" governments plan for education.
Children may leave school with vocational Diplomas recognised only by school sponsors, teachers have warned...
...A London teacher, Michael Davern from Southwark, said young people were being given just enough education to perform one job for the rest of their lives.
In Manchester, academies were being set up to produce workers for the sponsors' firms, he said.
"Imagine leaving school at 16 with a Diploma that is recognised only by the factory up the road."
Coventry teacher Glen Mynott said teenagers would have a very narrow curriculum if they opted to pursue a Diploma.
"What will be the employment options for a youngster with a Diploma in hair and beauty?" he said.
Martin Allen, from Ealing in London, said the expectation now was that people would change jobs many times during their careers.
"Why would anyone want to do a specialised Diploma for four or five years?" he said. "I wouldn't."
The government has said it wants people to be in education or training to the age of 18.
The conference resolution recognised the importance of high quality school or college education for those aged 16 to 18.
But it said that unless work-based training was sufficiently well resourced, and properly rewarded, "young people will be exploited by businesses and used as even cheaper labour".
-------------------------------------------------------
Other BBC articles on the diplomas:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6318079.stm
"But existing vocational qualifications would then "wither on the vine" as the partially academic Diplomas took over."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6234063.stm
"To offer them, schools have to go through an accreditation process or "gateway".
They are likely to need to collaborate with outside bodies such as local colleges or businesses to assemble the necessary resources and expertise. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6173366.stm
"The government's new flagship vocational qualifications risk becoming "sink courses" for "someone else's children."
-------------------------------------------------------
I think this is incredibly scary. Companies running schools for 14-18 year olds, for the purposes of providing a service to themselves rather than students, turning out a cheap work force that can't get work anywhere else, and this is the "Labour" governments plan for education.