Vocational Courses Scrapped

Around 20,000 vocational courses will be scrapped and replaced with 15 new qualifications for teenagers in England.

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According to the Post-16 Skills Plan, sixteen-year-olds will have either academic or practical options.

The practical courses will be directed at a set of skilled occupations and will contain a collective core of English, Maths and Digital Skills.

The government says the plans will help to enhance the nation’s flair.

The plan was introduced after Lord Sainsbury’s Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education, which suggested simplifying the existing system of practical education is delivered through “15 high-quality routes”, with criteria being set by employers.

The report found the contemporary “over-complex” system which “fails to provide the skills most needed for the 21st century” and emphasizes that this has severe consequences for the country’s efficiency, economy and competitiveness.

Issuing the plan, Skills Minister Nick Boles said a practical education system was required to harness the nation’s faculty.

“The Skills Plan is the next step towards that goal, building on the progress we have already made by investing in apprenticeships and creating a skilled workforce that is the envy of every other nation.

“This won’t just help our young people get the best jobs but it will also boost our economy, benefitting us all.”

The government said: “Thousands of ineffective courses that short-changed employers and young people would be replaced with straightforward routes into technical employment.”

Lord Sainsbury said that at the moment, young people who are considering a practical education had to select a course out of more than 20,000 courses provided by 160 different organisations.

The government says that it is not crystal clear which course will give them the best opportunity of getting a job.

For example, a growing engineer can choose from a potential of 501 courses.

Every individual course will be offered by a solitary course provider, who will be granted an élite license in a competitive procedure.

The first routes will be available from 2019 and will take place in either college or at a work placement through apprenticeships.

The Association of School and College Leaders said it was vital that the government supports its plan with additional funding for colleges.

They added: “The amount of funding they currently receive is woefully inadequate and this situation needs to be urgently addressed.”

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