Government must listen to business to ‘build army of skilled young people’

​The government is working to overhaul technical training for teenagers in an effort to end the skills shortage afflicting areas such as engineering.

But, according to industry experts, they need to work closely with firms in designing the qualifications, and try to change the story around vocational learning.

In a speech at the British Chambers of Commerce education summit on Thursday, education secretary Justine Greening is expected to call from support from industry. "I want to create an army of skilled young people for British business. But I need your help. Government can't do it alone,” her speech reads.

"Because that's what we need, never more than now - a skills revolution for Brexit Britain. That's the real strategy on migration. Great companies need great people. And my department has a mission to give our young people the very best start, to become those great people."

The Budget in March earmarked £500m funding for technical education, and the Department for Education will start working with firms this autumn to develop a new qualification called T-levels, which will form the core of the new training system.

They’re part of an effort by ministers to give technical training the same status as academic training, and to encourage more young people to take on vocational study after 16. There will be 15 career-based training routes in industries including construction and engineering.

However, previous attempts to reform the technical education system have seen very low uptake from 16-year-olds. It remains to be seen whether this new system will be any different.

"We await to see what the T-Levels will really mean and what they'll really be," Peter Finegold, head of education and skills on the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' policy and research team, told Professional Engineering. "We support the work experience dimension of T-Levels because nothing communicates better the experience of having some authentic exposure to modern engineering."

"The real challenge is that there is a status issue about vocational education in this country which is far greater than in most of our competitors. Young people are not really exposed to technical education as a meaningful and high-status thing."

According to Tim Thomas, director of employment and skills policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, a collaborative approach will be essential if the new system is to succeed. “The commitment towards developing T-Levels is a welcome first step, but working alongside and listening to employers’ needs will be integral to making them a success,” he told Professional Engineering.

“The Government's outlined plan shows the right direction of travel. However, identifying and developing the skills manufacturers will need in the future will require a collective commitment and will, from schools and government, to give vocational and technical training the same party of importance as traditional education route.”

Greening will strike a similar note in her speech to business leaders. "Delivering these reforms will be a challenge," she will say. "I am clear there is only one way to get this right - through a genuine partnership between business, government and education professionals. This means we need a collective plan. That is how we meet those challenges - head on. It's how we build our future."

Finegold said that although the streamlining offered by T-Levels was welcome, the real challenge would be to change the narrative around vocational qualifications. "There's still a huge elitism right the way through our education system which has focussed on university degrees," he said. 

"I would consider T-Levels to be a success when the top independent schools and the best state schools, all schools are framing their education to lead onto T-Levels as a viable alternative to A-Levels."