VIEWS & OPINION Confronting the menace of vaping Comment by SAL McKEOWN, freelance journalist and editor


Vaping is dangerous. The trouble is that because it is so new, we don’t yet know quite how dangerous it is.


Professor Andy Bush, a paediatric chest physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital in west London, says: ‘Young children are being exposed to substances of addiction, substances that are toxic and some of the toxicity is not known. If a teenager starts smoking cigarettes, probably the worst that’s going to happen to them is they’re going to be sick and throw up behind the bike shed. The acute use of e-cigarettes can put them in hospital, can put them in intensive care, things like lung bleeding, lung collapse and air leak, the lungs filling up with fat.’


A survey by the teachers’ union NASUWT, responses from 4000 teachers showed that ‘many pupils between the ages of 11 – 16 are vaping regularly, causing widespread issues with health, safety, behaviour, and damage to school property.’ However, only 20% believed that their schools had effective policies to deal with vaping. Mostly this is a problem in secondary schools, but some primary teachers have caught pupils as young as ten bringing vapes into school.


Fighting back against the attraction of vapes


Whereas tobacco products have plain packaging, must be hidden from sight in shops and carry explicit health warnings, vapes are marketed as being fun. They are often on display near confectionery with attractive eye catching packaging. Fruity flavours such as Peach Ice, Tropical Mango sound like ice cream and who wouldn’t be tempted by Nana’s Own Vanilla Toffee Cheesecake?


The UK Government has launched an open consultation called Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping. It closes at 11:59pm on 6 December 2023. The section on vaping suggests:


• Restricting flavours • Regulating point of sale displays • Regulating packaging and presentation • Considering restricting the supply and sale of disposable vapes • Whether regulations should extend to non-nicotine vapes • Taking action on the affordability of vapes


The final decisions will need to balance the impact on youth vaping with ensuring vapes can still support adult smokers to quit.


Setting up alarms


Simon and Jean Hassett developed VapeGuardian, a sensor that monitors and detects e-cigarette contaminants in the air. It triggers an alert which is sent to teachers within five seconds, so they can take appropriate action. It is not an instant cure but it does work over time. • In 2023 20.5% of children had tried vaping, up from 15.8% in 2022 and 13.9% in 2020 • VapeGuardian sensors are triggered an average of 17 to 22 times a day in their first week of installation


• This figure drops to 8 - 11 times a day in week two • Alerts are at almost 0 per day by week 5 The cost is £349 per sensor and a monthly cost per school or business of £6.99. This monthly fee pays for connectivity between the sensor and VapeGuardian’s system that identifies vaping and issues alerts. With the disruptions that vaping causes in schools, this could be money well spent.


For further information: VapeGuardian: www.vapeguardian.com


Government consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a- smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/creating-a-smokefree-generation- and-tackling-youth-vaping-your-views


Simplifying the education sector Comment by VIKKI SYLVESTER, Founder and CEO of Acacia Training


Every sector comes with its own book of industry specific language, often official and unofficial. In the education sector alone, we can find ourselves using different terms and acronyms that appear commonplace to us, but for someone who isn’t familiar it can be confusing or even alienating to try to decode.


With the learning and education sector constantly developing, the language is continuing to evolve. Terms including SLA (Service Level Agreement), ELC (Early Learning Credits) and AEB (Adult Education Budget) are everyday words for those well versed in the sector, but those coming to learn or those wanting to educate or offer education might find it overwhelming to understand; especially if they haven’t been in education since school.


For courses and learning in specific industries including healthcare and social care, the terminology can become even more complicated due to the scientific nature of the field. What should be simple to understand, can become complex and tricky to process and the language can become a barrier preventing those from accessing education.


Accessing education has become hard to decipher For those keen to learn, the process to education should be simple. Researching a course provider, selecting the right programme or course of study, accessing funding and then enrolling to study should be the route to gaining qualifications. However, it’s not always that straight forward. The changes in language and the field, particularly for those such as healthcare, can also become tricky. Even accessing finance to support learning is ever changing and it can be difficult to know where to turn, with bursaries, scholarships, funding and finance are all options to consider. Additionally, understanding if qualifications and experience are the right fit can be another barrier and if it’s been some time since attending school, then qualifications learners might have can seem outdated. For example, the old


November 2023


scoring system for GCSEs can be hard to compare to the new system and then difficult to understand.


All of these factors culminate in making it harder to attract, train and retain workers in skilled sectors including healthcare, social care, early education and even industries such as digital, beauty and hospitality. With potential talent finding it difficult to access training, it means the education sector will ultimately see less learners and uptake of courses and training. This can adversely affect sectors, which are often struggling for skilled workers and trained professionals in their field.


The barriers to education are stopping learners accessing education Breaking down disadvantages is the key to getting learners into education, and to embrace the qualifications they need to take the next step in their career. For employers wishing to hire, understanding the terminology is still necessary. For those working in sectors such as healthcare or social care, it might be many years since they themselves studied and trained. As curriculum and career pathways have evolved, it might mean that employers are being presented with unfamiliar qualifications, studying and even experience, which can all still be relevant to subjects and learning.


Education and training should be made simpler, but more importantly it should be more accessible.


The future of the education sector


Without barriers to education, accessing more qualifications and development would become infinitely easier. For those already working in much needed sectors such as health and social care, it can mean accessing additional qualifications to upskill or further specialisms which can then benefit the sectors.


As a result of opening up education, it will see more learners choosing to pursue education and for employers it can mean an upskilled and prepared workforce, who can put their learning into practice.


www.education-today.co.uk 29


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