VOCATIONAL EDUCATION


Celebration: Students from Gable Hall School in Essex give a show-stopping performance at England’s VQ Day 2011 event


as an equally valuable element of a young person’s school career. Only by dismissing academic snobbery and embracing the value of vocational learning, can we give our young people the very best start in life and ensure the UK has the workforce required to compete on the global economic stage. The fifth annual VQ Day – where the best of the


best in vocational learning is available for all to see is taking place nationwide on Wednesday, June 20. It is an ideal opportunity to find out about vocational learning and the opportunities available to young people in your area. Led by education foundation Edge, which


champions technical, practical and vocational learning, VQ Day 2012 will see schools, colleges, learning providers and employers around the country come together to celebrate the value of vocational qualifications and those who achieve them. National celebration events and award ceremonies


will shine a spotlight on the quality, variety and diversity of vocational qualifications while regional events around the UK will showcase best practice. This is not the alternative to a traditional academic


Vocational Qualifications Day takes place on June 20 this year. Headteacher Sir Kevin Satchwell explains the success his school has achieved through a combination of


complementary academic and vocational learning Master Travel Study Tours


Ladakh Education in


VQ Day D


4 – 17 August 2012 (Remote Northern India)


education it is complementary. Come and meet people, employers and national organisations who really value vocational learning. Moreover, meet the confident young adults and their teachers from the schools and colleges who are pushing the boundaries by creating alternative pathways into employment or university. VQ Day showcases what we all aspire to achieve for students of all abilities. We spend an incredible amount of time and money


riving back from a conference recently, I passed the entrance to a well renowned university that had an eye-catching statement emblazoned on a sign at its entrance. It read something like this: “We are rated in the top 75


per cent of universities worldwide.” It got me thinking. I wonder if I should go one bet-


ter and have something engraved in granite on a sign outside my school saying: “We have been the top per- forming comprehensive school in England for about 10 years.” I quickly came to my senses – there are bigger issues in education than winning bragging rights! But when you are driving it is good thinking time


and I found myself sticking with the sign theme. If there was signage outside our schools, I wondered, what should it say? A few daft ideas went through my head before I


eventually arrived at something that would appeal to all prospective students – but something that for some reason I rarely see as a main agenda item on senior leadership team meetings or even within the myriad of benchmarks used by government statisticians. If we all agree that really the only benchmark that


matters is making young adults employable, how about this sign: “Everyone who comes here gets a job before or after university.” Brave, I know, but very reassuring to young adults. So how do we do it? Schools have become very successful at educating


the academically able students, most of whom reach university through the tried and tested academic route – but what about the other 50 per cent? There is a complementary alternative that we have


been practising for two decades at Thomas Telford School. In simple terms, combining vocational and academic courses has produced remarkable success regarding student destinations. Crucial to this success is a clear undertaking that


everyone will get a job or go to university. Over the past 20 years, we have combined vocational Level 3 courses with traditional A levels, personalising the programmes against students’ career aspirations. In fact, about half of our curriculum provision in


the 6th form now contains a vocational emphasis. And the results speak for themselves. Around 200 students each year go to university, an average of 85 per cent of 6th-formers over the last 10 years, with the remaining 15 per cent all gaining employment. We have now spread this practice to our other sponsored academies, Sandwell and Madeley, with comparable success. In an era where a university education was often


Get a fascinating insight into India’s education system as well as visiting iconic cultural sites en route


Delhi – Leh – Agra – Taj Mahal


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10


touted as the ultimate goal, this blending of academic and vocational education was regarded by many to be a bold move. However, vocational learning carries credibility


in our learning environments, creating a culture of success for students who want to learn in different ways. And our former students are now reaping the rewards of employment at a time when many of their peers are struggling. With this backdrop, I am now urging teachers,


headteachers and school governors throughout the UK to consider the benefits of taking a more holistic approach to educating this nation’s young people. Vocational learning should not be viewed as an alternative to a traditional academic education, but


providing education and training trying to help young adults along the route to employment. Succeed and we will be the world’s best, fail and the only other option is the dependency culture and the related social inequality which can blight our society. When driving back from VQ Day you may


consider that you are in a much stronger position to decide that a sign outside your school or college could read: “Everyone who comes here gets a job before or after university.” Now that would certainly make us world class!


SecEd


• Sir Kevin Satchwell is head of Thomas Telford School in Telford.


VQ award: Clare Jameson (centre) was named as Northern Ireland’s VQ Day Learner of the Year 2011 after completing an Apprenticeship in railway engineering


How to get involved in


VQ Day 2012 It is not too late to get involved in VQ Day 2012 and show your support for the millions of people who gain a vocational qualification every year. Below are just a few suggestions: • Nominate a current or former student for the VQ Learner of the Year Awards – the deadline is tomorrow (Friday, May 18). Visit the VQ Day website to download a nomination form.


• Invite local employers to talk to your students about the skills and qualifications they are looking for in the workplace – or bring back former students to talk about their own experiences.


• Ask your local college to run a WorldSkills UK “Have-a-Go” event to encourage your pupils to try a new skill – or simply contact your college to find out what they already have planned and how you can get involved.


• Arrange careers events where pupils can find out about the various vocational options on offer to them.


• Contact some local businesses and arrange for pupils to take a tour of the premises and learn about what they do.


For more ideas, to find out more about what is happening in your area or to enquire about visiting one of the national VQ Day events, visit www.vqday.org.uk


SecEd • May 17 2012


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