Children 'leaving school without the skills companies need', warn experts

14 August 2023 , 17:00

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It comes as youngsters prepare to receive A-level, T-level and BTEC results this week (Image: PA)

Teenagers are leaving school without the skills businesses need, experts warn tonight.

As youngsters prepare to collect A-level, T-level and BTEC results on Thursday, education and industry chiefs feared they may not have what firms are looking for. They demanded a shake-up to equip kids with the skills companies want - and called for an overhaul of the T-level qualification.

Writing exclusively for the Mirror, Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief executive Henri Murison and Hartlepool College principal Darren Hankey say: “Many business and education leaders agree that these new qualifications could be part of the solution to tackling widespread skills shortages, particularly here in the North of England.

“Unfortunately, they are suffering from what the Ofsted chief inspector has described as ‘teething issues’ - high dropout rates, huge pressures on colleges and problems with industrial placements.”

Experts fear school-leavers do not have the skills bosses want for industry in the 21st Century (Getty)

T-levels were launched in 2020 to provide a vocational qualification with the same prestige as an A-level. But a Whitehall watchdog which assesses major government schemes, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, slapped a red rating on the rollout - meaning “there are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable”.

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Courses have been hit by high dropout rates according to a recent report from education inspectors at Ofsted, with many students feeling “misled and ill-informed about their content and structure.” Openings for work experience placements - a vital part of the qualification - are limited on the digital, construction and health and science courses.

Some employers have stopped placements halfway through - leaving students unable to complete their course. Students unable to meet tough admission criteria for T-levels can choose BTECs instead.

However, BTEC courses which overlap with T-levels are due to lose their funding in 2025 - leaving many young people without a further education route. Former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield, who chairs the Commission on Young Lives, said: “As we recover from the damage done during the pandemic, we need to ensure there are more, not less, opportunities available for young people.

“There needs to be high-quality, further education pathways for everyone in order to ensure that no young person falls through the cracks. It’s good that the Government has recognised there are problems that need fixing in T-levels as it is concerning to see so many students dropping out.”

Labour peer Lord David Blunkett, a former Education Secretary, said: “There is absolutely no contradiction in improving on the experience of T-levels and at the same time retaining funding for the BTEC National Diploma. Both have a vital part to play in giving young people a genuine choice which meets their needs, and those of employers. It is crucial that the Government put the interests of learners and employers at the forefront of their thinking, rather than preconceptions which bear no resemblance to what is actually happening on the ground, the needs of our economy, or the reality of those living and working in the most deprived parts of our country."

Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief executive Henri Murison and Hartlepool College principal Darren Hankey write exclusively for the Mirror

It is worrying that vocational education is often seen as the poor relation of academic studies.

Investment in people is just as important as physical infrastructure and whenever we speak to businesses about the problems they face, we often get the same response - skills or a lack thereof. Making sure a young person in Bradford can get to a good job in Leeds or Manchester is only half the battle – they also need to have the necessary training and experience to secure that work in the first place.

Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief executive Henri Murison (Twitter)

This is where T-levels come in. Many business and education leaders agree that these new qualifications could be part of the solution to tackling widespread skills shortages, particularly here in the North of England.

Unfortunately, they are suffering from what the Ofsted chief inspector has described as “teething issues” - high dropout rates, huge pressures on colleges and problems with industrial placements. Addressing these challenges will require a joint effort from government and business.

A good first step would be for the Department for Education to cede control to those better placed to deliver, like powerful policy and delivery boards. Alongside this, devolving more of the skills system to local leaders who are better able to join the dots with local industry needs could be a gamechanger.

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Government has made a good start with this in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands but we need to go further and faster in other parts of the country. We also need to see funding maintained for BTECs past 2025 as these courses remain a vital skills pathway for young people who do not meet the strict entry criteria for T-levels.

Vocational education in all its forms needs serious reform and investment. It cannot be an afterthought.

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Ben Glaze