I went to a meeting today about the new 14-19 diplomas. For those who don't know, these are proposed to be an additional or alternative qualification for young people and the idea is that there is a distinctive work place flavour.
I felt desperately frustrated. We were all either high school teachers or local authority representatives. Where were the employer champions? The students? Parents? Higher Education folks?
We seemed to get a bit hung up on the idea of offering every single possible strand available. We were looking specifically at creative and media today. Surely the idea is to develop young people who are creative in their thinking and who are open to seizing opportunities - open to aspiration - open to saying, "Hey! I've just realised what I want to be!"
The first cohort will be 20 the year I turn 60 (2016). It would be great to feel that they were ready to take up the baton partly as a result of something I had helped to develop.
Is there a work based champion out there who will come forward and help us to realise our aims of changing the perceptions of young people?
Hi Jan
ReplyDeleteEven tho I will only be 49 in 2016, I am feeling like this is deja vu - or Groundhog day! Without wanting to give a potted CV, in 1995 I went to work for City & Guilds as a "General Education Development Co-ordinator" - my job was to develop GNVQs (remember them?) in Science, Hospitality and Catering, and Leisure and Tourism. This was a hoot to my friends who knew that I struggled to get O level Biology, burn toast and have never run more than 5 yards for anything! An additional job I inherited was that of promoting a TechBacc - a Technological Baccalaureate. This was a Baccalaureate equivalent that drew on various GNVQs, added some key/core skills and was offered by something like 6 centres in the country. I recall a June day in '95, in Swansea, talking to everyone who manned a stall at an HE/careers conference, convinced that my TechBacc was the future of vocational education..... I don't know what happended to it, but i spent 18 months immersed in vocational qualifications and using the term 'parity of esteem' to desciribe the need for the country to see other forms of occupational training in a slightly more positive light than they did.
Those were the days!
Of course my colleagues in NVQs had the attention of the industry;most of my development consultants (the people I got to sort of write the GNVQs) were FE folk.
I am encouraged to know that there is to be a second bite at the cherry for those who do not want to study Henry VIII 's wives until they are old enough to drink. I feel strongly that we have to find some way of equipping our young folk with skills they want to use once they leave school - not to mention the fact that they may actually attend and benefit from school a little more if there was more consideration of "Whats In It For Them."
Surely there are employers out there who would love to help shape the future versions of them?
I echo your plea!
And will watch the development of the diploma with interest.