News and press
Centre announcements and CVER in the media
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Latest
The Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) was launched in March 2015, set up by the then Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and subsequently by the Department for Education.
Below are our latest mentions in the press and media:
TES
Revealed: UTC attainment gap for pre and post-16s
New research finds that while 14-year-olds who enrol at University Technical Colleges (UTCs) get significantly worse GCSE results than their peers, 16-year-olds who enrol at a UTC outperform their peers in skills and technical education. It also uncovers evidence that the age at which students move to UTCs - currently 14 - needs serious policy consideration.
Links:
TES - Revealed: UTC attainment gap for pre and post-16s
Camille Terrier webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
14 October 2020
CVER Blog
Is there a socio-economic gap in students’ academic match?
Young people from less well-off backgrounds are more likely to pursue lower ranked upper-secondary qualifications than their prior attainment would suggest that they can achieve.Recent research from Konstantina Maragkou (University of Sheffield and CVER) examines whether socio-economic inequalities exist in the academic match of students in upper-secondary education.
Links:
CVER Blog - Is there a socio-economic gap in students’ academic match?
Socio-economic inequality and academic match among post-compulsory education participants
27 September 2019
Forbes
How Beneficial Could Apprenticeships Be In The Future Of Work?
A recent study set out to explore how effective apprenticeships were at supporting students as they both learn new skills and make their way into the workplace. The researchers assess young people who completed their GCSE exams between 2003 and 2008. Nineteen percent of this cohort then went on to do an apprenticeship, with nearly all of them educated up to a maximum of either GCSE level (level 2) or A-level (level 3). The apprenticeships were either therefore intermediate (level 2) or advanced (level 3), therefore no higher or degree apprenticeships were analyzed.Links:
Forbes - How Beneficial Could Apprenticeships Be In The Future Of Work?
Do apprenticeships pay? Evidence for England
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
12 July 2019
What works centre for local economic growth (blog)
Make the most of devolution: a lesson from the apprenticeships grant
Dr Chiara Cavaglia Make Devolution is also affecting "education and skills", e.g. with the Adult Education Budget being managed locally form 2019/20. With this in mind, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Apprenticeships (@ApprenticeAPPG) organised a special session to discuss devolution, where we were invited to present findings from our recent study on the devolution of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE). the most of devolution: a lesson from the apprenticeships grant.Links:
Devolving Skills: The case of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Henry Overman webpage
10 July 2019
BBC Radio 4 (7/8/2019 8:36:47 PM)
BBC Radio 4 PM
Snippet: ...'s virtually impossible However good the advice they get is are trying to understand the make your way through that is extremely hard and Professor Sandra McNally runs the centre for vocational education research at the London school of economics agrees that the comp...Links:
BBC Radio 4 (7/8/2019 8:36:47 PM) - BBC Radio 4 PM
Do apprenticeships pay? Evidence for England
Do Apprenticeships Pay? Evidence for England
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
08 July 2019
LSE IN PARLIAMENT
Lord Layard contributes to Lords debate on Apprenticeships and refers to LSE research findings on the economics of T-levels
According to LSE research (from the Centre for Vocational Educational Research) apprentices are earning 20% more than the people who take the full-time college route, Lord Layard said in his contribution to the debate around apprenticeships, their value and the apprenticeship levy.Links:
Do apprenticeships pay? Evidence for England
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Richard Layard webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
04 July 2019
CVER blog
Changing Aspirations and Outcomes in Post-16 Education
In this latest blog post, Steven McIntosh of University of Sheffield discusses CVER contributions to the recent Augar Review of Post-18 Education, and the findings that came out of that research.Individual Consequences of Occupational Decline, Per-Anders Edin, Tiernan Evans, Georg Graetz, Sofia Hernnäs and Guy Michaels. Discussion Paper No 1629, June 2019.
Links:
CVER blog - Changing Aspirations and Outcomes in Post-16 Education
25 June 2019
LSE Business Review blog
Apprenticeships bring returns for young people with low-medium qualifications
However, pay varies among different sectors, which contributes to an earnings gap between men and women, write Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura.Links:
Do apprenticeships pay? Evidence for England
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
21 May 2019
TES (Online)
Exclusive: Manual skills in decline, study shows
Snippet: ...ionally at the heart of most vocational courses, a major piece of research exclusively shared with Tes shows. The report by Andy Dickerson and Damon Morris, at the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the London School of Economics, published today, sa...Links:
TES (Online) - Exclusive: Manual skills in decline, study shows
The Changing Demand for Skills in the UK
26 April 2019
CVER blog
The Changing Demand for Skills in the UK
In this latest blog post, Andy Dickerson and Damon Morris changes in skill utilisation and returns to skills over time in the UK.Links:
CVER blog - The Changing Demand for Skills in the UK
The Changing Demand for Skills in the UK
26 April 2019
CVER blog
Family Matters: how early disadvantage impacts employment outcomes of young people
Dr Stefan Speckesser, Dr Matthew Bursnall and Jamie Moore share the findings of a new report.Links:
CVER blog - Family Matters: how early disadvantage impacts employment outcomes of young people
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
25 April 2019
Guardian
Poorer children ''twice as likely to be out of work in later life''
Dr Stefan Speckesser from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, which conducted the analysis, said the study showed that some local areas were more successfully tackling the negative effects of disadvantage, which are unrelated to education success, on young people’s school-to-work transitions. "From this point of view, the analysis of large data offers a great potential to see where local actors can achieve better outcomes and to learn from good practice," he said.Links:
Guardian - Poorer children ''twice as likely to be out of work in later life''
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
The Times
Change UK offers a clean sheet to tackle injustices that have plagued our society for too long
Links:
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
Metro
Business Briefing: Youths from poor homes more likely to be jobless
Links:
Metro - Business Briefing: Youths from poor homes more likely to be jobless
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
Huffington Post
''Youth Jobs Gap'' Means Poorer Children More Likely To Be Out Of Work Than Richer Peers
Links:
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
Times Education Supplement
Disadvantaged students left behind in ''youth jobs gap''
Links:
Times Education Supplement - Disadvantaged students left behind in ''youth jobs gap''
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
Independent
''Youth Jobs Gap'' Means Poorer Children More Likely To Be Out Of Work Than Richer Peers
Links:
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
Shropshire Star
Study reveals youth jobs gap between rich and poor
Links:
Shropshire Star - Study reveals youth jobs gap between rich and poor
A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education
24 April 2019
The Guardian
Poorer children ''twice as likely to be out of work in later life''
Disadvantaged children who qualify for free school meals are twice as likely to be out of work in later life than their better-off peers, and even when they get good qualifications at school the employment gap remains, according to research.[...]
Dr Stefan Speckesser from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, which conducted the analysis, said the study showed that some local areas were more successfully tackling the negative effects of disadvantage, which are unrelated to education success, on young people’s school-to-work transitions. “From this point of view, the analysis of large data offers a great potential to see where local actors can achieve better outcomes and to learn from good practice,” he said.
Links:
The Guardian - Poorer children ''twice as likely to be out of work in later life''
24 April 2019
The Times
Change UK offers a clean sheet to tackle injustices that have plagued our society for too long
by Heidi Allen MP, interim leader of Change UK
"I’ve had early sight of research released today that magnifies how the most disadvantaged young people in our country are held back because of recurring factors including where they were born and their parents’ income. The charity Impetus has had sight of years’ worth of Department for Education data which shows there is a lingering “opportunity gap” between children growing up on free school meals and their better-off peers.
Its analysis shows that young people who are eligible for free school meals in year 11 are twice as likely to end up out of work, full-time education or training than their wealthier peers. What’s more, there is an “employment gap” between the most disadvantaged and those who are not, at every qualification level right up to A level."
Links:
24 April 2019