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Five ways the U.K. is failing 50% of our children. (A short thread about technical education and FE colleges.)
Only 50% of our children do A levels. Most of the rest do technical courses. The problem is they are not very good. Why? 5 reasons.
1. Poor courses
The point of a technical course is to end up competent at a skilled job. Too many courses miss the mark. Rather than an end assessment set by employers, students do a bit of coursework, some work experience & are told that's a technical course. It's not.
The point of a technical course is to end up competent at a skilled job. Too many courses miss the mark. Rather than an end assessment set by employers, students do a bit of coursework, some work experience & are told that's a technical course. It's not.
2. Broken market
We rely on FE colleges competing to raise standards. Wrong. There is no market in the world where low margins, high capital costs & competition leads to quality. Why? Because only a fool invests in capital equipment if the upside is uncertain and v small.
We rely on FE colleges competing to raise standards. Wrong. There is no market in the world where low margins, high capital costs & competition leads to quality. Why? Because only a fool invests in capital equipment if the upside is uncertain and v small.
The result of competition and low margins? Colleges rationally focus on low cost courses. In other words not technical courses.
3. Low funding
Colleges need more money. Imagine if your local school could only afford 15 hours a week per student (incl help with Maths & English). Standard practice in colleges. Why is Europe beating us at technical education? Partly because their students learn all week.
Colleges need more money. Imagine if your local school could only afford 15 hours a week per student (incl help with Maths & English). Standard practice in colleges. Why is Europe beating us at technical education? Partly because their students learn all week.
4. Pressure
In the Netherlands, colleges have 3 years to get a student competent for a skilled job, we give our colleges 2 years & whack them if someone fails to complete a course. The result? Students do easier courses than they need to, leaving under skilled & poorly paid.
In the Netherlands, colleges have 3 years to get a student competent for a skilled job, we give our colleges 2 years & whack them if someone fails to complete a course. The result? Students do easier courses than they need to, leaving under skilled & poorly paid.
5. Not enough great leaders
We have some brilliant leaders and governors. Genuinely amazing. But not enough. Colleges are complex - too complex - to run. Plus they face extreme challenges with a board of entirely voluntary trustees.
We have some brilliant leaders and governors. Genuinely amazing. But not enough. Colleges are complex - too complex - to run. Plus they face extreme challenges with a board of entirely voluntary trustees.
I haven't even included here the fact there is no incentive to ensure courses are actually needed by the local economy. Instead colleges are paid to get bums on seats. Which may explain why we have so many people training to be hairdressers and music technicians.
These five problems are what we need to fix. Next thread: a manifesto to transform technical education in the U.K..
