Research published by the Sutton Trust showed that seven per cent of young men and 11 per cent of young women who were eligible for free school meals take up a Higher-standard apprenticeship, compared to 14 per cent as a whole.
News and press
Centre announcements and CVER in the media
Photo credit: licensed iStockphoto/oatawa
All CVER News and press
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 all our 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
TES (Online)
Vocational Stem courses beat degrees on pay
Snippet: ...es at non-Russell Group universities, new research shows. Researchers at the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) affiliated with the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) - part of the London School of Economics - found that by the ...CVER Research Paper. A comparison of earnings related to higher level vocational/technical and academic education. Hector Espinoza and Stefan Speckesser , April 2019. Paper No' CVERDP019
Links:
TES (Online) - Vocational Stem courses beat degrees on pay
03 April 2019
Centre for Vocational Research (Blog)
Devolution at any cost?
This new report, undertaken jointly by the Centre for Vocational Education Research and the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth provides a real life example of how these questions play out in practice by looking at the impact of devolution of the Apprenticeships Grants for Employers (AGE) to the local level through City Deals.Centre for Vocation Education Research (CVER) Website
What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth Website
Links:
Centre for Vocational Research (Blog) - Devolution at any cost?
06 March 2019
The Times Educational Supplement
At the top, there''s a long way to fall
If you are in any doubt about the influence that the person leading a college has on its performance, look no further than a 2017 research paper by Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela, Camille Terrier and Clementine Van Effenterre (see references, page 53). The academics from the Centre for Vocational Education Research at the London School of Economics set out to quantify the importance of college principals.Effectiveness of CEOs in the Public Sector: Evidence from Further Education Institutions, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela, Camille Terrier and Clementine Van Effenterre. December 2017, Paper No CVERBRF005.
Links:
The Times Educational Supplement - At the top, there''s a long way to fall
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
Camille Terrier webpage
14 December 2018
TES
Female apprentices ''get less money''
Men are more likely to earn more after starting an apprenticeship than women, new research by the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) shows.
The research, published by academics at the London School of Economics’ CVER, considered earnings data for around 565,000 students who left compulsory education in 2002-03, as well as the Labour Force Survey.
Authors Chiara Cavaglia, Guglielmo Ventura and Sandra McNally concluded that while most people do indeed gain from doing an apprenticeship, the extent of this gain varies significantly and depends very much on age and gender. Those with most to gain tend to be male, as well as those who start their apprenticeship at a younger age.
CVER Research Papers
Labour Market Outcomes of Older Versus Younger Apprentices: A Comparison of Earnings Differentials
Steven McIntosh and Damon Morris. September 2018 Paper No' CVERDP016
Do Apprenticeships Pay? Evidence for England Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, Guglielmo Ventura. September 2018 Research Discussion Paper 015
Links:
TES - Female apprentices ''get less money''
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
07 September 2018
Share Radio
Policy Matters: The role of vocational education in modern Britain
In the final episode of the current series of Policy Matters, hosts Franz Buscha and Matt Dickson talk to Sandra McNally, Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey and Director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research.
Links:
Share Radio - Policy Matters: The role of vocational education in modern Britain
Sandra Mcnally webpage
10 August 2018
The Times
Why boys, football and exams are an unfortunate mix
We should also worry about our rather odd exam system. To have high stakes national exams at the age of 16 — GCSEs — is relatively unusual by international standards. It is easy to understand their history: most young people used to leave school at 16, and some measure of attainment at that point made sense. Few now leave at 16. All are supposed to be in some form of education until they are 18. GCSEs have become just one more sorting mechanism. And as some recent work by economists at the London School of Economics has demonstrated, they sort in a way that can be really quite damaging. Using data on the precise marks that students got at GCSE English, the researchers were able to look at the impact of just getting a C grade as opposed to just missing a C grade — literally the impact of getting a single additional mark. The results are disturbing. Missing a C grade in English language by a tiny fraction decreases the probability of enrolling in a higher-level qualification by at least 9 percentage points, with a similar effect on the probability of getting A levels or equivalent by the age of 19. This in turn affects the chances of getting into university and of getting a job with decent progression prospects, and so on. All for the want of a single mark in a single exam aged 16.
Related publications
‘Entry through the narrow door: the costs of just failing high stakes exams’, Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally and Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela, CVER Discussion Paper No.014, April 2018
http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp014.pdf
Links:
The Times - Why boys, football and exams are an unfortunate mix
Stephen Machin webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
04 June 2018
New Electronics (blog)
Closing the gender gap could take 258 years for physics and 60 years for mathematics
In the 'Year of Engineering', engineering skills are taking centre stage and the Skills Commission inquiry, which is co-chaired by Lucy Allan MP, Preet Gill MP and Professor Sandra McNally, is taking evidence as to why women are so badly under-represented within engineering courses, and whether upcoming skills system reforms will encourage more women to go into the profession.
Links:
Sandra Mcnally webpage
23 May 2018
IZA Newsroom
The costly consequences of just failing a high-stakes exam
A new study by IZA fellows Stephen Machin and Sandra McNally with Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela (all researchers at the London School of Economics) analyzes the benefits (or costs) for students who just pass (or fail) to meet a key threshold in these exams. More specifically, evidence is presented on the importance of just obtaining a grade C in GCSE English Language (which is the form of English exam undertaken by 72% of students in the cohort under study).
Links:
IZA Newsroom - The costly consequences of just failing a high-stakes exam
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Stephen Machin webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
07 May 2018
The Irish News
High costs of just missing out on a grade C in GCSE English
Pupils who narrowly fail to achieve a grade C in their GCSE English exam pay a high price, according to new research. A study from the Centre for Vocational Education Research explored what happened to young people who took the exam in 2013. Entry Through the Narrow Door: The Costs of Just Failing High Stakes Exams, was led by Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally and Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela. It used data to show that pupils of the same ability had significantly different educational trajectories depending on whether or not they just passed or failed.
Links:
The Irish News - High costs of just missing out on a grade C in GCSE English
Stephen Machin webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
18 April 2018
TES
‘High price’ paid for narrowly missing C grade spelled out
If teachers and pupils weren’t under enough pressure in the run-up to GCSEs, new research has quantified the potentially life-changing impact missing a grade can have on a young person. According to a study by the Centre for Vocational Education Research, narrowly failing to achieve a grade C in English language decreases the probability of enrolling on a higher-level qualification by at least 9 percentage points by age 19.
Links:
TES - ‘High price’ paid for narrowly missing C grade spelled out
Stephen Machin webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
13 April 2018
TES
Students paying a high price for failing their English GCSE, warns report
Pupils who narrowly fail their English GCSE exams pay a high price, according to a new study by the Centre for Vocational Education Research at the London School of Economics. Researchers at the centre, which is funded by the Department for Education, tracked the progress of more than 49,000 pupils who took their English GCSE in 2013 and got a grade C or D. They looked at how the group fared over the next three years. Those who narrowly missed out on a pass by up to 10 points were more likely to end up dropping out of education and, therefore, at increased risk of poorer prospects in the long term, according to the report.
Links:
TES - Students paying a high price for failing their English GCSE, warns report
Stephen Machin webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
13 April 2018
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) blog
Missing the mark at GCSE English: the costly consequences of just failing to get a grade C
Article by Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally and Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela. New research by the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) [CVER Discussion Paper 014] analyses the benefits (or costs) for students who just pass (or fail) to meet a key threshold in these exams. More specifically, evidence is presented on the importance of just obtaining a grade C in GCSE English Language (which is the form of English exam undertaken by 72% of students in the cohort under study).
Links:
Stephen Machin webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
13 April 2018
Pro Bono Economics via YouTube
Nudge-u-cation: can behavioural science boost education and social mobility
Nudge-u-cation: Can behavioural science boost education and social mobility? Pro Bono Economics' Annual Lecture featuring Dr David Halpern, Professor Sandra McNally and Chris Brown. Over the last decade, governments across the world have begun to revise policy on the basis of more realistic and empirical models of human behaviour. This has led to improvements in employment, public health, tax collection, savings, energy conservation, giving, and reoffending outcomes. Often these improvements have been achieved at dramatically lower cost than through conventional policy levers. Behavioural approaches have also helped encourage the much wider use of experimental methods – notably the randomised control trial – in routine policymaking. In the UK, this empiricism has found expression in the ‘What Works’ movement and network, including the creation of independent What Works centres covering education, crime, early intervention, local economic growth, well-being, better ageing and, most recently, youth social work. This talk will explore the breadth, depth and potential of this movement. It will dig into the area of education and social mobility as an example of the power and cutting edge of this approach, as well as rehearsing some of the key barriers that remain to its even greater impact. We are delighted to feature David Halpern, CEO of the Behavioural Insights Team as well as prominent figures from the education sphere to discuss the rise of behavioural and experimental techniques in education policy.
Links:
Sandra Mcnally webpage
11 April 2018
LSE Business Review blog
Do apprenticeships increase earnings?
Research finds that there's a strong case for providing apprenticeship to young people, write Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura. Is there an earnings differential for starting an apprenticeship over and above the pay of young people who have already had a full-time school or college-based education? Our research looks at people who finished their GCSE exams in 2003 and who were therefore 28 years of age in 2015. We use administrative data to follow them from 2003 through their education and into the labour market.
Related publications
‘Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?’, Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) Discussion Paper No. 10, November 2017
http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp010.pdf
Links:
LSE Business Review blog - Do apprenticeships increase earnings?
Is there a payoff to apprenticeships for young people?
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
20 March 2018
CCR Magazine
New research findings on apprenticeships
New research reports from the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics are highlighted in the Spring 2018 CentrePiece magazine. Among the findings: APPRENTICESHIPS: High potential payoffs but variation by subject specialism; BREXIT: Leave vote benefited from feelings of social and economic exclusion ; HOUSING: Planning policy creates more empty homes and longer commutes; FAMILY FIRMS: The weak management practices of second-generation bosses; PRE-SCHOOL: Free entitlement to early education has failed to deliver benefits; ITALIAN PRODUCTIVITY: Long-lasting stagnation in Europe’s ‘sleeping beauty’; LOCAL LABOUR MARKETS: Tools for analysing effects of place-based policies; LOST EINSTEINS: American evidence on who grows up to be an inventor.
Related publications
‘Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?’, Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) Discussion Paper No. 10, November 2017
http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp010.pdf
Links:
CCR Magazine - New research findings on apprenticeships
Is there a payoff to apprenticeships for young people?
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
01 March 2018
Showhouse
House of Lords lambasts apprenticeship levy
Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, members of the House of Lords demanded an explanation for the alarming drop in apprenticeship starts following the introduction of the levy. Members of the House of Lords discussed the alarming drop in apprenticeship starts at a select committee on 27 February, concluding that the first year of the apprenticeship levy has been “woefully inadequate.” The number of people embarking on apprenticeships fell by 35% in November 2017; and has plunged 60% since the levy was introduced. Lord Forsyth of Drumlean was keen to know why a significant portion of levy money was spent on existing employees, rather than attracting new recruits. “Only 43% of employees on a level two or three apprenticeship were aware they were doing an apprenticeship!” he said. “Was the levy really designed to send senior people on MBA courses? Perhaps I’m being naive, but I didn’t think that was its purpose!” Dr Hilary Steedman, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, explained, “It’s easier for providers who are struggling to recruit apprentices to offer apprenticeships to employees already in place.”
Hilary Steedman webpage: http://cver.lse.ac.uk/about/Expert_Advisors.asp#Steedman
Links:
Showhouse - House of Lords lambasts apprenticeship levy
01 March 2018
PeopleManagement
First year of apprenticeship levy has been ‘woefully inadequate’ says select committee
Dr Hilary Steedman, senior research fellow at the Centre for Economic Performance, described the fall in starts as “worrying, but not surprising”, and called on the government to abandon its target of reaching three million apprenticeship starts by 2020, saying the focus should be on quality rather than quantity. ”While we don’t want opportunities for young people to be restricted in any way, some young people on apprenticeships are not being well-served, and they deserve better,” she said.
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage: http://cver.lse.ac.uk/about/Expert_Advisors.asp#Steedman
Links:
28 February 2018
FE Week
DfE hands out £2m for more FE research
The Centre for Vocational Educational Research had its mid-term review at the beginning of this year. After an initial £3 million grant from the Department for Education in May 2015, and there had been speculation about its long term prospects. It has now been given an extra £2 million to continue until the end of the decade, and has some stirring projects up its sleeve. These include evaluations on FE’s role in increasing social mobility, and the impact of university technical colleges. Its work on the apprenticeship levy, however, is likely to bring the most interest. After gaining recent approval from its steering group, CVER has started planning a major evaluation of the policy, which came into effect last April. “The focus of the work on the apprenticeship levy will be on its effect on training outcomes, overall and by sector,” said Dr Sandra McNally, who leads the centre.
Links:
FE Week - DfE hands out £2m for more FE research
Sandra Mcnally webpage
24 February 2018
The Times
We must act now to prevent the skills gap becoming unbridgeable
The Federation of Master Builders reports that “skyrocketing” skill shortages mean that there are not enough workers available in all the key construction skills. The Black Country Chamber of Commerce says that skill shortages have reached “critical” levels; they are high in manufacturing and have never been higher in services. The CBI said yesterday that, for manufacturers, more companies cited skills shortages as a factor restricting output than at any time over the past four decades. Research for the National Institute of Economic and Social Research shows why we should be concerned. The research, in collaboration with the Centre for Vocational Education Research, shows a worrying decline in the proportion of employed people undergoing training. Over the past ten to twelve years, the proportion of workers who have undertaken learning activities in the previous thirteen weeks has dropped from nearly a third to just over a quarter. The duration of training activities has fallen, too, and is typically less than a week.
Related publications
Industrial Strategy: building a Britain Fit for the Future. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. November 2017.
Consultation for the “Building our Industrial Strategy” Green Paper. Steven McIntosh, Sandra McNally, Stefan Speckesser, Lucia Barbone, October 2017.
‘An analysis of the duration and achievement of apprenticeships in England’, Matthew Bursnall, Vahé Nafilyan and Stefan Speckesser, CVER Briefing Paper No.4, September 2017 http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverbrf004.pdf
Related links
Stefan Speckesser webpage: http://cver.lse.ac.uk/about/Research_Staff.asp#Speckesser
Links:
The Times - We must act now to prevent the skills gap becoming unbridgeable
24 January 2018
The Times
We must act now to prevent the skills gap becoming unbridgeable
The Federation of Master Builders reports that “skyrocketing” skill shortages mean that there are not enough workers available in all the key construction skills. The Black Country Chamber of Commerce says that skill shortages have reached “critical” levels; they are high in manufacturing and have never been higher in services. The CBI said yesterday that, for manufacturers, more companies cited skills shortages as a factor restricting output than at any time over the past four decades. Research for the National Institute of Economic and Social Research shows why we should be concerned. The research, in collaboration with the Centre for Vocational Education Research, shows a worrying decline in the proportion of employed people undergoing training. Over the past ten to twelve years, the proportion of workers who have undertaken learning activities in the previous thirteen weeks has dropped from nearly a third to just over a quarter. The duration of training activities has fallen, too, and is typically less than a week.
Related publications
Industrial Strategy: building a Britain Fit for the Future. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. November 2017.
Consultation for the “Building our Industrial Strategy” Green Paper. Steven McIntosh, Sandra McNally, Stefan Speckesser, Lucia Barbone, October 2017.
‘An analysis of the duration and achievement of apprenticeships in England’, Matthew Bursnall, Vahé Nafilyan and Stefan Speckesser, CVER Briefing Paper No.4, September 2017 http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverbrf004.pdf
Related links
Stefan Speckesser webpage: http://cver.lse.ac.uk/about/Research_Staff.asp#Speckesser
Links:
The Times - We must act now to prevent the skills gap becoming unbridgeable
24 January 2018
TES (online)
Top principals boost students'' outcomes, research finds
College leaders' effectiveness 'seems unrelated to their salary', according to the Centre for Vocational Education Research. Better principals make a positive difference to their student’s educational outcomes, research by the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the London School of Economics and Political Science has found. But while the research found that "leadership does make a clear difference to learner performance", it also suggests that "principals’ effectiveness seems unrelated to their salary". It did, however, find that the best-performing principals employed a higher proportion of female staff and staff on permanent contracts – and tended to pay their teaching staff more.
Links:
TES (online) - Top principals boost students'' outcomes, research finds
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
Camille Terrier webpage
19 December 2017
TES
‘Principals are one of the most effective means to improve college performance’
Article by Jennifer Ruiz-Valenzuela, Camille Terrier and Clémentine Van Effentererre
Principal quality matters for educational performance, argue researchers from the Centre for Vocational Education Research. The past 20 years have witnessed a large increase in research about the role of chief executive officers in the management of firms, although much less is known about the effectiveness of CEOs in the public sector. A better understanding of what makes good public-sector managers is crucial to better inform decisions on leadership and management in key public services such as health, transport and education.
Links:
TES - ‘Principals are one of the most effective means to improve college performance’
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
Camille Terrier webpage
19 December 2017
Bibb.de (Germany)
News: Building apprentices’ skills in the workplace: Car service in Germany, the UK and Spain
The paper published at the London School of Economics is the result of an international collaboration between Hilary Steedman (former member of BIBB's scientific advisory board) and researchers from BIBB.
CVER's Hilary Steedman and colleagues have been looking at training in one area of the automotive sector Car Service is central to the supply chain of the wider automotive sector, identified as a leading performer in the UK government’s 2017 Industrial Strategy. We asked Car Service employers in Germany, UK and Spain about skill shortages and their experience of training apprentices in the workplace. Car Service technicians are trained in apprenticeship in Germany and the UK. The UK Advanced Apprenticeship and German 3-year Apprenticeship aim for a similar set of standards. In Spain, technicians are trained in full-time College courses which include a short period of work experience. In all three countries most firms are small.
https://www.bibb.de/en/index.php
Related links
Hilary Steedman, CVER Expert webpage: http://cver.lse.ac.uk/about/Expert_Advisors.asp#Steedman
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) blog webpage: http://cver-blog.blogspot.co.uk/
Links:
07 December 2017
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER)
Apprenticeship and automotive skills: the UK, Germany and Spain compared
CVER's Hilary Steedman and colleagues have been looking at training in one area of the automotive sector. Car Service is central to the supply chain of the wider automotive sector, identified as a leading performer in the UK government’s 2017 Industrial Strategy. We asked Car Service employers in Germany, UK and Spain about skill shortages and their experience of training apprentices in the workplace. Car Service technicians are trained in apprenticeship in Germany and the UK. The UK Advanced Apprenticeship and German 3-year Apprenticeship aim for a similar set of standards. In Spain, technicians are trained in full-time College courses which include a short period of work experience. In all three countries most firms are small. Using both case study and survey evidence we found that German and UK firms report high levels of satisfaction with apprentices’ practical and theoretical skills. Spanish firms found that the short work placement did not develop the practical competences needed but used the work placement to screen trainees for employment.
Related publications
‘Building apprentices’ skills in the workplace: Car Service in Germany, the UK and Spain’, by Philipp Grollmann, Hilary Steedman, Anika Jansen and Robert Gray", CVER Research Paper 011, December 2017
http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage: http://cver.lse.ac.uk/about/Expert_Advisors.asp#Steedman
Links:
05 December 2017
Ekklesia
Disadvantaged young people less likely to start best apprenticeships
Disadvantaged young people are substantially less likely than their better-off peers to start the best apprenticeships, according to new research published by the Sutton Trust. Just seven per cent of young men and 11 percent of young women who were eligible for free school meals take up an apprenticeship at Level 3– A-level standard – much less than 14 per cent in the cohort as a whole. Better Apprenticeships draws on research by teams from the Centre for Vocational Education Research at LSE and UCL Institute of Education to analyse the current state of play for apprenticeships in England. The Sutton Trust wants to see any young person who starts on a level 2 apprenticeship – GCSE standard – automatically progressing to level 3. It also wants to ensure that all apprenticeships are of high quality, with many more higher and degree level apprenticeships available for young people.
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
Ekklesia - Disadvantaged young people less likely to start best apprenticeships
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
01 December 2017
The Journal (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
Best apprenticeships ''less likely to go to poorer youngsters''
Coverage of apprenticeships research.
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
The Journal (Newcastle Upon Tyne) - Best apprenticeships ''less likely to go to poorer youngsters''
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
01 December 2017
UCU.org.uk (University and College Union)
UCU response to Sutton Trust apprenticeship report
Responding to the Sutton Trust's 'Better Apprenticeships' report, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It's increasingly clear that the government's pursuit of its three million apprenticeship target is coming at the expense of quality and choice within the system, and that this is having a real impact on outcomes for young people in particular. 'Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach which incentivises businesses to push existing employees into apprenticeships, the government should expand the apprenticeship levy to include other forms of high-quality workforce training. 'Most importantly, we urgently need the long-awaited careers strategy to ensure that learners of all ages are well supported to understand their options and progress in their learning.'
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
UCU.org.uk (University and College Union) - UCU response to Sutton Trust apprenticeship report
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
Morning Star
EMPLOYMENT. Poor young adults shut off from best apprenticeships
Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to start the best apprenticeships than their well-off peers, a new report has found.
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
Morning Star - EMPLOYMENT. Poor young adults shut off from best apprenticeships
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
The Times online (News)
Middle-class teenagers hoovering up best
Responding to the Sutton Trust's 'Better Apprenticeships' report, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It's increasingly clear that the government's pursuit of its three million apprenticeship target is coming at the expense of quality and choice within the system, and that this is having a real impact on outcomes for young people in particular. 'Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach which incentivises businesses to push existing employees into apprenticeships, the government should expand the apprenticeship levy to include other forms of high-quality workforce training. 'Most importantly, we urgently need the long-awaited careers strategy to ensure that learners of all ages are well supported to understand their options and progress in their learning.'
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
The Times online (News) - Middle-class teenagers hoovering up best
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
Prospect magazine
More apprenticeships is a good thing - but it''s time to look at the quality
As our latest research shows, disadvantaged young people are less likely to enter the best apprenticeships than their better-off peers. We’ve also found concerning gender gaps, with female apprentices concentrated in sectors with low earnings after completion. These inequities need to be addressed, with better guidance for all young people. This should emphasise the benefits of apprenticeships and should be communicated more widely in schools. The Sutton Trust will be campaigning through 2018 so that in future anyone completing level two should automatically progress to level three, unless they opt out. The focus on apprenticeship starts rather than overall apprentice numbers, and quality, in the government target does a disservice to young people at present.
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
Prospect magazine - More apprenticeships is a good thing - but it''s time to look at the quality
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
The Sutton Trust
Better apprenticeships - Sutton Trust
Better Apprenticeships draws on research by teams from the UCL Institute of Education and the Centre for Vocational Education Research at LSE to analyse the current state of play for apprenticeships in England. ‘Apprenticeship quality and social mobility’, authored by Alison Fuller & Laura Unwin from the UCL Institute of Education, analyses whether sufficient quality indicators are in place to facilitate social mobility for young people (aged 16-24) through apprenticeships. It also provides an analytical framework to support quality improvement through a more ‘expansive’ approach. This is followed by ‘Apprenticeships for young people in England: Is there a payoff?’, from the LSE Centre for Vocational Education Research, which draws on a new analysis that tracks 565,000 young people age 16 to 28, examining inequities in access and labour market outcomes. Authored by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, the report asks whether there is an earnings differential from starting an apprenticeship for young people, whilst looking closely at the stark gender difference in earnings payoffs.
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
The Sutton Trust - Better apprenticeships - Sutton Trust
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
Centre for Vocational Education (CVER) blog
Do apprenticeships pay?
With the proposed increase in the number of apprenticeships, CVER's Chiara Cavaglia, with Sandra McNally and Guglilmo Ventura, discuss the potential payoffs of starting an apprenticeship.
Related publications
"Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?" by Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally, and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Research Paper 010 (November 2017) is available at http://cver.lse.ac.uk/publications/default.asp
This paper is part of the "Better Apprenticeships" project, funded by the Sutton Trust https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/better-apprenticeships/
Links:
Centre for Vocational Education (CVER) blog - Do apprenticeships pay?
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
FE Week
Apprenticeships must not accredit existing knowledge
....And then, among apprenticeships for young people, 60 per cent of places are at intermediate level. New analysis by Sandra McNally for today’s report, of the experience of those aged 16 in 2003 who subsequently embarked on apprenticeships, suggests that fewer than one in four of those who start a level 2 apprenticeship progress to level 3....
Related Publications
"Better Apprenticeships – Access, quality and labour market outcomes in the English apprenticeship system", Alison Fuller, Chiara Cavaglia, Guglielmo Ventura, Lorna Unwin, Sandra McNally. The Sutton Trust, November 2017. https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Better-Apprenticeships-1.pdf
CVER Research Paper,”Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?” Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, November 2017. Paper No' CVERDP010 http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp010.pdf
Links:
FE Week - Apprenticeships must not accredit existing knowledge
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
30 November 2017
Insider.co.uk
Disadvantaged youngsters ''less likely to start the best apprenticeships''
"Disadvantaged youngsters are less likely than their better-off peers to start the best apprenticeships, a new study reveals.
..The research was conducted by the Centre for Vocational Education Research at LSE and UCL Institute of Education."
Related Publications
"Better Apprenticeships – Access, quality and labour market outcomes in the English apprenticeship system", Alison Fuller, Chiara Cavaglia, Guglielmo Ventura, Lorna Unwin, Sandra McNally. The Sutton Trust, November 2017.
https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Better-Apprenticeships-1.pdf
CVER Research Paper,”Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?” Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, November 2017. Paper No' CVERDP010 http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp010.pdf
Links:
Insider.co.uk - Disadvantaged youngsters ''less likely to start the best apprenticeships''
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
30 November 2017
FE Week
Two thirds of apprenticeships ‘convert’ existing employees, report warns
"Two thirds of apprenticeships are merely “converting” existing employees and could be certifying existing skills, rather than focusing on expanding expertise, a new report has warned.
Researchers recommend that Ofsted inspections should check that these existing employees being converted into apprentices are actually learning new skills.
‘Better apprenticeships’, by social mobility foundation the Sutton Trust, looked at whether apprenticeships are of a high-enough quality to boost the life chances of young people aged 16 to 24."
Related Publications
"Better Apprenticeships – Access, quality and labour market outcomes in the English apprenticeship system", Alison Fuller, Chiara Cavaglia, Guglielmo Ventura, Lorna Unwin, Sandra McNally. The Sutton Trust, November 2017.
https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Better-Apprenticeships-1.pdf
CVER Research Paper,”Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?” Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, November 2017. No' CVERDP010 http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp010.pdf
Links:
FE Week - Two thirds of apprenticeships ‘convert’ existing employees, report warns
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
30 November 2017
TES (online)
Many apprentices ''treading water'', warns Sutton Trust
The segmentation of apprenticeship by level puts an artificial break on progression, according to a new report commissioned by the Sutton Trust.
The report, entitled Better Apprenticeships – Access, quality and labour market outcomes in the English apprenticeship system, published today, concludes that there is "no expectation that apprenticeship will enable progression to the next occupational or educational level".
Related publications
" Better Apprenticeships – Access, quality and labour market outcomes in the English apprenticeship system", Alison Fuller, Chiara Cavaglia, Guglielmo Ventura, Lorna Unwin, Sandra McNally. The Sutton Trust, November 2017.
https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Better-Apprenticeships-1.pdf
CVER Research Paper,”Apprenticeships for Young People in England: Is there a Payoff?” Chiara Cavaglia, Sandra McNally and Guglielmo Ventura, November 2017. No' CVERDP010 http://cver.lse.ac.uk/textonly/cver/pubs/cverdp010.pdf
Links:
TES (online) - Many apprentices ''treading water'', warns Sutton Trust
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
30 November 2017
NIESR blog
Industrial strategy should include more support for retraining and upskilling
When the Industrial Strategy was up for consultation earlier in the year, my colleagues in the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) and I emphasised the importance of well-targeted Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP) to help with the re-training and upskilling in an economy increasingly affected by structural changes.
Related links
CVER Response to BEIS Green Paper - Building our Industrial Strategy
Link to consultation | Link to written CVER response (April 2017)
Links:
NIESR blog - Industrial strategy should include more support for retraining and upskilling
Sandra Mcnally webpage
28 November 2017
House of Lords
Debate on lifelong learning
The work of the Centre for Vocational Education Research was referred to by Lord Bhattacharyya (Lab) who is Professor of Manufacturing, Director and Chairman at the Warwick Manufacturing Group at Warwick University. Lord Bhattacharyya's contribution to the debate spoke of research that shows that the percentage of adult employees in learning or training has been falling since the millennium.
Links:
House of Lords - Debate on lifelong learning
27 November 2017
FE Week
Hammond, take care where you sprinkle the skills cash
Article by Sandra McNally
With the UK’s poor economic forecast doing few favours to the skills budget, government must ensure it’s putting money into policies that will actually raise overall productivity, argues Sandra McNally.
Links:
FE Week - Hammond, take care where you sprinkle the skills cash
Sandra Mcnally webpage
23 November 2017
Prospect magazine
More apprenticeships is a good thing—but time to look at the quality
....It is also crucial that the issue of access is tackled. As our latest research shows, disadvantaged young people are less likely to enter the best apprenticeships than their better-off peers. We’ve also found concerning gender gaps, with female apprentices concentrated in sectors with low earnings after completion. These inequities need to be addressed, with better guidance for all young people. This should emphasise the benefits of apprenticeships and should be communicated more widely in schools...
Related Publications
"Better Apprenticeships – Access, quality and labour market outcomes in the English apprenticeship system", Alison Fuller, Chiara Cavaglia, Guglielmo Ventura, Lorna Unwin, Sandra McNally. The Sutton Trust, November 2017.
Links:
Prospect magazine - More apprenticeships is a good thing—but time to look at the quality
Chiara Cavaglia webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
20 November 2017
Further Education Week
FE practitioner research movement gathers pace
Two research centres have also been established in recent years, looking specifically at post-16 education and training: the Centre for Vocational Education Research at the London School of Economics, and the Post-14 Education and Work Centre at the University College London Institute of Education, both founded in 2015.
Links:
Further Education Week - FE practitioner research movement gathers pace
Sandra Mcnally webpage
13 November 2017
Guardian
The Guardian view on the new GCSEs: missing the point
Editorial
The reforms are good ones, but the reformers have their priorities wrong. For too long ministers have focused on the country’s highest-achieving pupils. They should now pay attention to everyone else. Only about a third of 18-year-olds go to university; for the rest the road from education to work is uncertain and full of potholes.
Related publications
‘Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications’, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, National Institute Economic Review, 240(1), May 2017. DOI: 10.1177/002795011724000113
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002795011724000113
Links:
Guardian - The Guardian view on the new GCSEs: missing the point
Post-16 educational choices in England
Post-16 educational choices in England
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
24 August 2017
The UK in a Changing Europe (Kings College London)
Brexit and the skills challenge
Article by Sandra McNally
The UK’s productivity suffered a shock in 2008 from which it has not recovered, and the ‘skills problem’ needs to be addressed. Within the context of a broader industrial strategy, improving skills is part of the solution – but Brexit may well harm these efforts if the feared negative economic effects put additional pressure on public finances. Likewise, Brexit will not help if prolonged uncertainty discourages employer investment in skills; nor if employers substitute capital for labour as a response to migration barriers. However, Brexit does do is bring the skills problem into sharper focus.
Links:
The UK in a Changing Europe (Kings College London) - Brexit and the skills challenge
Sandra Mcnally webpage
21 July 2017
Brighton and Hove News
Hundreds turn out for Save Our Schools rally
According to Sandra McNally, professor of economics at Surrey University, the Conservatives’ figures are misleading. This is because the “per pupil figure” was frozen from 2010 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2016.
She argues that an increase in the core funding for schools is not the same as an increase in the amount per pupil. A freeze in cash terms is likely to result in a reduction in real terms of 6.5 per cent between 2010 and 2020. This reduction has not happened yet and school funding has doubled in the last 20 years
Related publications
CEP Election Analysis: Education and Skills: The UK Policy Agenda, Sandra McNally and Gill Wyness,June 2017 Paper No' CEPEA041. http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/ea041.pdf
Related links
CEP Election 2017 webpage: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/election2017/default.asp
Links:
Brighton and Hove News - Hundreds turn out for Save Our Schools rally
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Gill Wyness webpage
27 May 2017
NIESR Blog
Britain's skills problem
Article by Sandra McNally
It is well known and acknowledged in the government’s Industrial Strategy that Britain has a skills problem: ‘We have a shortage of technical-level skills and rank 16th out of 20 countries for the proportion of people with technical qualifications’. As the Green Paper also says, ‘a bewildering complex array of qualifications, some of which are poor quality, makes the system hard to use for students and employers’. This shortage of ‘technical level skills’ is important because it impacts on economic growth, inequality and social mobility. It also affects a lot of people. Well over half of young people do not do A-levels each year. Furthermore, only about 35-40% of a typical cohort finishing their GCSEs can expect to go to university. The shortage of ‘technical skills’ mainly needs to be supplied by those who choose non-academic pathways. This is a major educational issue and all parties should be addressing it in their manifestos.
Related publications
‘Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications’, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, National Institute Economic Review, 240(1), May 2017
DOI: 10.1177/002795011724000113
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002795011724000113
Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Discussion Paper No.1, July 2016
‘Post-16 educational choices in England’, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura. Article in CentrePiece Volume 22, Issue 2, Autumn 2016
Links:
NIESR Blog - Britain's skills problem
Sandra Mcnally webpage
17 May 2017
National Institute Economic Review, 240(1), May 2017
‘Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications'
Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura
DOI: 10.1177/002795011724000113
Related publications
Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Discussion Paper No.1, July 2016
‘Post-16 educational choices in England’, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura. Article in CentrePiece Volume 22, Issue 2, Autumn 2016
Links:
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Sandra Mcnally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-valenzuela webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
12 May 2017
CVER Press Release
Transforming Technical Education in England: Analysis of promised budget proposals
Trails for the Chancellor’s budget speech on Wednesday promise big new plans for technical education in England. Professor Sandra McNally of the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the London School of Economics, who is available for comment on the proposals, summarises the evidence and her view of what reforms are needed.
http://cep.lse.ac.uk/textonly/_new2014/news/releases/2017_03_06.pdf
Links:
06 March 2017
FE Week
Government silent on adult skills behavioural research centre funding
The government is refusing to say whether more funding will be given to two “pioneering” FE research centres after their start-up grants end shortly.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Vocational Education Research is beginning to publish its own projects after being given a £3 million government grant in May 2015. Dr Sandra McNally leads the centre, and said that in the two years it has been running, her team has focused on “huge administrative data”, such as individual learner records, the national pupil database and longitudinal education outcomes data, in an attempt to process, code and apply it to their research.
Links:
FE Week - Government silent on adult skills behavioural research centre funding
Sandra Mcnally webpage
03 March 2017
BBC Radio 4
The Today Programme
Dr Hilary Steedman discusses IFS report criticising huge investment into apprenticeships.
0725
Is the way in which the Government will fund new apprenticeships a monumental waste of money? Dr Hilary Steedman is a senior research fellow at LSE specialising in apprenticeships.
Links:
BBC Radio 4 - The Today Programme
31 January 2017
Personnel Today
Apprenticeship levy and targets risk being poor value for money
Dr Hilary Steedman, senior research fellow at The London School of Economics, speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, said: “I think the IFS has really overstated their case here. We have a really serious skills problem in this country and we need to raise skills through apprenticeships in order to promote economic growth and improve our productivity levels, which are dire compared to Europe.”
Links:
Personnel Today - Apprenticeship levy and targets risk being poor value for money
31 January 2017
The Times Educational Supplement - TES
'The pen is mightier than the computer for learning'
Pupils make substantially more progress in literacy if they follow a pen-and-paper course than if they take a similar programme online, new research has found. Researchers working with pupils in 51 primary schools found that those following a paper-based literacy programme made 50 per cent more progress than those doing an identical course on a computer. ... Dr Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela, an education researcher at the London School of Economics, who carried out the study for the Education Endowment Foundation, believes that it is not the medium of instruction that makes the difference. Instead, it is the teaching that goes along with it. ''In general, research finds very mixed results about the use of technology in school,'' she said. "There are studies that haven't found very big effects from the use of ICT in learning.This article was published by The Times Educational Supplement on October 28, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
CVER website
Links:
The Times Educational Supplement - TES - 'The pen is mightier than the computer for learning'
28 October 2016
AMEinfo.com
How is your smartphone distracting you and how to control it
Impact on academiaWhile technology has disrupted the educational system across the world, and with tablets and laptops replacing physical text books and the entire teaching and learning experience, smartphones remain to be the most controversial aspect in this regard.
Research conducted by Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, and published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, found that banning mobile phones from school premises adds up to the equivalence of an additional week of schooling for a pupil's academic year.
This article was published online by AMEinfo.com on October 9, 2016
Link to article here
Related Publications
In brief ... Phone home: should mobiles be banned in schools?, Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, CentrePiece Volume 20, Issue 1, Summer 2015
Ill Communication: Technology, Distraction and Student Performance, Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, Centre for Economic Performance Discussion Paper No.1350, May 2015
Related links
Richard Murphy webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
AMEinfo.com - How is your smartphone distracting you and how to control it
In brief... Phone home: should mobiles be banned in schools?
Ill communication: technology, distraction and student performance
09 October 2016
The Irish Times
Solas revamp brings overdue direction to adult education
There have been major changes to Ireland's apprenticeship system over the past few years, and now the overall number of apprentices is expected to increase to about 10,700. And, although Ireland's apprenticeship system is undergoing a much-needed and radical overhaul, to bring in more numbers, the old system couldn't exactly be described as broken. A 2010 report from researchers at the London School of Economics said that ''the duration and standard of apprenticeship training in Ireland is similar to the best European provision and intended to facilitate recognition as skilled craftsmen/women in other EU states''.This article was published online by The Irish Times on September 13, 2016
Link to article here
Related publications
In brief: The state of apprenticeships, Hilary Steedman. Article in CentrePiece Volume 15, Issue 2, Autumn 2010
The State of Apprenticeship in 2010. International Comparisons: Australia, Austria, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland by Hilary Steedman, jointly published by CEP and the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network.
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
CVER website
Links:
The Irish Times - Solas revamp brings overdue direction to adult education
In brief... The state of apprenticeships
13 September 2016
Financial Times
May goes into battle for selective education
Prime minister champions grammar system but critics argue reforms will damage social mobilityBut critics were quick to dismiss the reforms. Professor Sandra McNally, director of education and skills at the London School of Economics' Centre for Economic Performance, said: ''Tests at age 11 are strongly associated with family income,'' she added. ''This change will probably increase social segregation.''
This article was published online by the Financial Times on September 9, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
CVER website
Sandra McNally CEP publications webpage
Links:
Financial Times - May goes into battle for selective education
09 September 2016
This is Money
Tax-free childcare is on the way - but will your family be any better off and how will it compare to childcare vouchers?
The average cost of full-time childcare across the UK for a child under the age of two is £217.57 a week. Part-time care (25 hours, as opposed to the full 50) costs £116.77 a week. Assuming both parents work full-time and get 25 days holiday a year, the average annual bill for 47 weeks of full-time childcare is just over £10,200 and for part-time is close to £5,500. It's hardly surprising then that working mums in lower-paid jobs are being forced to substantially cut their hours or give up work altogether after having a second child, according to a new study from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.This article was published online by This is Money.co.uk on August 23, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) website
Links:
23 August 2016
Times Educational Supplement - TES
'Revolving door' warning
Thousands of 16-year-olds are stuck in an educational ''revolving door'', returning year after year to study low-level qualifications, a major new study has found.The Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the London School of Economics tracked a cohort of 575,000 teenagers for four years to find out what progress they made after GCSEs. The researchers' findings were stark: among the learners who sat GCSEs at the age of 16 in 2009-10, about 10,000 were found to be working towards low-level qualifications for four consecutive years.
This article was published by the Times Educational Supplement (TES) on August 19, 2016
Link to article here
Related publications
Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Discussion Paper No.001, July 2016
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Sandra McNally webpage
Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela webpage
Guglielmo Ventura webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research website
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
Times Educational Supplement - TES - 'Revolving door' warning
19 August 2016
CIPD
Government urges employers to make breastfeeding at work easier
New initiatives planned to end 'unacceptable and unlawful' discrimination against working womenEmployers are being told to do more to help mothers breastfeed their babies at work, as part of the government's latest initiative to tackle workplace discrimination against pregnant women and new mothers. The government's plans aim to encourage organisations to take ''a more progressive approach'' towards female staff who return to their jobs after having children, such as by providing private spaces for breastfeeding mothers to express and store their milk, and places where they can feed their babies while at work. ... In a letter to MPs, James said she wanted pregnant women, mothers and ''all women'' to be able to work ''if they choose to do so''. Her comments follow a study released last week by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, which found that most mothers in low-skilled jobs were forced to give up work after the birth of their second child.
This article was published online by CIPD on August 15, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) website
Links:
CIPD - Government urges employers to make breastfeeding at work easier
15 August 2016
CIPD
Most mothers 'forced to give up work after second child'
Working mothers in low-skilled jobs are being forced to either considerably reduce their hours or give up work altogether after having a second child, according to a wide-ranging study that suggests lack of access to childcare has a profound effect on the labour market. While having one child has a relatively limited effect on workforce participation, women in low-skilled jobs reduced the amount they worked each week by an average of 18 hours after the arrival of their second child, according to the study from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics (LSE).This article was published online by CIPD on August 8, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) website
Links:
CIPD - Most mothers 'forced to give up work after second child'
08 August 2016
The Daily Mail online
Having a second baby forces women into poverty: Childcare costs see mothers in low-paid jobs give up work to look after children instead
The addition of a second child can put families under serious financial strain - and in the case of women on the lowest incomes - convince them to give up work altogether in the face of rising childcare costs, a new study has found. Economists Claudia Hupkau and Marion Leturcq compared women in skilled and low-skilled jobs before the birth of their first child and again after their second.This article was published online by the Daily Mail on August 7, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) website
Links:
07 August 2016
Guardian
For UK women in low-paid jobs, a second child is a mixed blessing
A new study finds that, while the addition of a second child has little effect on the working hours of mothers in skilled jobs, it has a substantial and negative effect on low-skilled women who are forced to reduce their hours considerably or even give up their jobs altogether. The findings reinforce the view that there is a shortage of affordable childcare in the UK, despite successive government attempts to help women into work in recent years. The study, by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, to be presented at this month's annual congress of the European Economic Association in Geneva, examined a group of 3,000 women in the UK aged between 20 and 36 who had their first child between 2000 and 2001.This article was published by the Guardian on August 6, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) website
Links:
Guardian - For UK women in low-paid jobs, a second child is a mixed blessing
06 August 2016
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) blog
Reflections on the employer support for higher level skills report
Article by John DenhamFor the past 20 years and longer, Ministers of all parties have wanted to see more employers support employees and apprentices to gain higher levels skills and higher education. With strong bi-partisan support in a relatively non-ideological area of policy it seems odd that employer supported higher skills have not become a more important part of the skills and education system. In a recent short project for the Institute of Public Affairs I wanted to examine why public policy had apparently failed. I have an interest: I was Secretary of State at the Department for Innovation and Skills from 2007 to 2009 and, more recently, had proposed radical reforms to higher education finance that depended heavily on the expansion of employer supported degrees.
This article was published on the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) blog on August 3, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
In full: Employer Support for Higher Level Skills Report
CVER website
Links:
03 August 2016
CVER blog
If A-Levels aren't for you, choices at age 16 could now get a whole lot simpler
Article by CVER Director, Sandra McNally, on some of the recommendations of the recent Sainsbury ReportThe incoming British prime minister Theresa May has outlined a vision of a country that ''works not for the privileged few but that works for every one of us ... because we're going to give people control over their lives''. A good place for her to start would be to make sure that the government sticks to its promise to implement the 34 recommendations set out in a new report that aims to radically simplify the education choices available for people after age 16. The Sainsbury report, published on July 8, sets out a blueprint for technical education for young people and adults. The report is wide-ranging and ambitious, with recommendations that cover many aspects of the way education is provided. The government's Post-16 Skills Plan, published on the same day, says the Sainsbury recommendation will be accepted ''unequivocally where that is possible within existing budgets''.
This article was published on the Centre for Vocational Education (CVER) blog on July 15, 2016
Link to article here
Related articles
This article was originally published on The Conversation
Related publications
Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Discussion Paper No.001, July 2016
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
CVER website
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
CVER blog - If A-Levels aren't for you, choices at age 16 could now get a whole lot simpler
15 July 2016
The Conversation
If A-Levels aren't for you, choices at age 16 could now get a whole lot simpler
Article by Sandra McNally, Director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER), LSE and Head of Education and Skills Programme, CEPThe incoming British prime minister Theresa May has outlined a vision of a country that works not for the privileged few but that ''works for every one of us ... because we're going to give people control over their lives''. A good place for her to start would be to make sure that the government sticks to its promise to implement the 34 recommendations set out in a new report that aims to radically simplify the education choices available for people after age 16. ... Nowhere is reform more necessary than in the options for 16-year-olds, after they finish their GCSE exams, as my colleagues and I have outlined in a new paper. As it currently stands, the system is obtuse - even for us ''experts''.
This article was published by The Conversation blog on July 13, 2016
Link to article here
Related publications
Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications, Claudia Hupkau, Sandra McNally, Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela and Guglielmo Ventura, CVER Discussion Paper No.001, July 2016
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research website
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
The Conversation - If A-Levels aren't for you, choices at age 16 could now get a whole lot simpler
13 July 2016
CVER News
CVER Discussion Paper Published
Post-16 education and training is still socially and academically divided, research showsThousands of 16 year-olds are stuck in an educational ‘revolving door,’ returning year after year to study low-level qualifications.
And apprenticeships are still failing to attract sufficient numbers of better-off, better-qualified applicants, according to research published today from the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the London School of Economics.
"Post-Compulsory Education in England: Choices and Implications" by C. Hupkau, S. McNally, J. Ruiz-Valenzuela, and G. Ventura, CVER Discussion Paper 001
Links:
CVER News - CVER Discussion Paper Published
08 July 2016
Mail online
The 'neglect' of Britain's young middle achievers: Government accused of ignoring needs of those who don't go to university
A generation of young, 'middle achievers' are being left behind by the Government because they do not go to university, a damning report has claimed. Most youngsters - 53% - do not go on to university or do A levels, yet their needs are often ignored by the Government, a Lords committee has concluded. This 'missing middle' of youngsters who take up jobs or vocational education are allowed to drift through life. They are often given poor career advice and locked into low paid jobs, the House of Lords committee on social mobility warned.This article was published online by The Daily Mail on April 8, 2016
Link to article here
Related publications
House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility Report of Session 2015-16. 'Overlooked and Left Behind: improving the transition from school to work for the majority of young people' (PDF)
Key suggestions from oral witnesses include those from Professor Sandra McNally, Director of CVER.
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER), LSE written evidence: Response to the House of Lords Call for Evidence on ''Transitions from School to Work''
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Hilary Steedman webpage
CVER website
All CEP Responses to Government Inquiries and Consultations webpage
Links:
08 April 2016
www.parliament.uk
Governments have failed a generation of young people, say Lords
53% of young people do not follow the 'traditional' academic route into work. This majority of young people are significantly overlooked in their transition for work by the education system and the focus on apprenticeships is not suitable for everyone, the House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility has found.This article was published on the www.parliament.uk website on April 8, 2016
Link to the article here
Related publications
House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility Report of Session 2015-16. 'Overlooked and Left Behind: improving the transition from school to work for the majority of young people' (PDF)
Key suggestions from oral witnesses include those from Professor Sandra McNally, Director of CVER.
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER), LSE written evidence: Response to the House of Lords Call for Evidence on ''Transitions from School to Work''
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Hilary Steedman webpage
CVER website
All CEP Responses to Government Inquiries and Consultations webpage
Links:
www.parliament.uk - Governments have failed a generation of young people, say Lords
08 April 2016
CVER Conference 2016
Call for Papers
CVER Conference September 2016 - Call for Papers
The Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the London School of Economics (LSE) is holding a conference on the economics of vocational education and training on 5-6 September 2016. Keynote speakers include Professor Eric Maurin (Paris School of Economics), Professor Sarah Turner (University of Virginia), and Professor Stefan Wolter (University of Berne).
We would like to invite papers on any aspect of the economics of vocational education and training. Please submit a full paper or an extended abstract by 30 April 2016 to cver@lse.ac.uk.
The conference will be held in London and will be free to attend but no funds are available for accommodation/travel. The conference will be relatively small and we expect to be over-subscribed. Full papers are preferred over extended abstracts. Decisions will be made soon after the deadline.
Related Links
CVER Special Events webpage
18 February 2016
CVER / OECD Report Launch
Building Skills for All: Review of England
Report Launch - Building Skills for All
Review of England
On 28 January 2016 we hosted the launch of the OECD report on adult skills in England, Building Skills for All, Review of England.
In England there are around nine million people with low literacy or numeracy skills or both. These nine million people might, for example, struggle to estimate how much petrol is left in the petrol tank from a sight of the gauge, or not be able to fully understand instructions on a bottle of aspirin. While basic skills of older people in England compare reasonably well with skills of their counterparts in other countries, younger people are lagging badly behind. This report was commissioned to offer an independent assessment of what could be behind these issues and to recommend some potential policy solutions.
Speakers included: Frank Bowley (Deputy Director, Skills Policy Analysis, BIS), Sandra McNally (Director, CVER) and report authors
28 January 2016
FEWEEK.CO.UK
Good news in Budget - but what does it mean for learners?
Sandra McNally, Director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research, considers the possible impact of Chancellor George Osborne's November 25 Budget.This article was published in FEWeek.co.uk on November 27, 2015
Link to article here. See p.14.
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
CVER website
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
FEWEEK.CO.UK - Good news in Budget - but what does it mean for learners?
27 November 2015
CVER News
CVER gives evidence to the Select Committee on Social Mobility
On 18 November, representatives from the Centre for Vocational
Education Research gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on
Social Mobility, as part of its inquiry into the transition from school to work
for 14-24 year olds, with a focus on those young people who fall between the
route of A-Levels and Higher Education and those classified as ‘not in
education, employment or training’ (NEET).
CVER Director, Professor Sandra McNally, and Dr Stefan Speckesser,
Chief Economist from the Institute for Employment Studies and member of the CVER
consortium, took part in an evidence session on the use of data, its strengths
and limitations, as well as the accessibility of relevant data. The complexities
of vocational education data were described, and the need for merged data to
gain better understanding of people’s participation in education and the labour
market. The importance of generating administrative linked data as efficiently
as possible across government departments was emphasised, as this would allow
greater analysis of the education pathways and subsequent trajectories of young
people in a far more contemporary setting.
A transcript of the session is available online.
The Committee aims to report to the House of Lords with recommendations
in late March 2016 -
http://www.parliament.uk/social-mobility-committee.
18 November 2015
FE Week
Another centre to address lack of FE research as UCL's Institute of Education looks at post-14 education and work
A third FE research centre has launched just a year after Professor Lady Alison Wolf decried how the sector was ''woefully short of good, up-to-date research''. ... The work of the new centre, said Mr Grainger, would complement that of other sector organisations involved in research, including the Further Education Trust for Leadership (Fetl) and the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER). Meanwhile, a fourth research body remains in the planning stages at the Education and Training Foundation (ETF).
This article was published online by FE Week on October 5, 2015
Link to article here
Links:
05 October 2015
Financial Times
Resources on skills supply and demand already exist
We already have two sets of pioneering work being undertaken in the UK to address this very problem. One is the JPMorgan Foundation funded work at the Institute of Public Policy Research working with US business Burning Glass; while the second is the creative use of the US data set O*NET by researchers at the Centre for Vocational Education Research, based at the London School of Economics and funded by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.This article was published in the Financial Times on September 30, 2015
Link to article here
Links:
Financial Times - Resources on skills supply and demand already exist
30 September 2015
CVER blog
The past and future of apprentices
The Centre for Vocational Education Research's Claudia Hupkau looks at what can be learnt from past apprentices growth for the government's 3 million apprenticeship target.
With GCSE results recently out, many students are now facing the decision of whether to do A-levels or whether to opt for different types of further education, for instance an apprenticeship or a college course. Given the recent efforts of the government to encourage firms to increase the number of apprenticeships for young people, they are set to become an ever more relevant option for those recently out of school. The government has set itself a target of 3 million new apprenticeships over this parliament. Measures have been taken to help secure the funding of these 3 million new places via a new apprenticeship levy (see a commentary by Hilary Steedman here). How firms will be encouraged to actually create those places is a question that is yet to be answered.
This article was published on the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) blog on September 1, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research webpage
Links:
CVER blog - The past and future of apprentices
01 September 2015
CVER Event
Minister hosts BIS/CVER Professional and Technical Education Seminar
The Minister of State for Skills, Nick Boles MP, hosted a Ministerial Seminar on Professional and Technical Education Routes, jointly organised by the Centre for Vocational Education Research and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 9 July.Experts were asked to share their vision of what an education system that can deliver high quality professional and technical skills at intermediate and higher levels should look like. Andreas Schleicher, OECD Head of Education and Skills, introduced the meeting with an overview of the state of the English intermediate skills and education compared to other OECD countries (View his presentation). Delegates were invited to address the following broad question, which was then the focus of discussion at the seminar (conducted under 'Chatham House' rules):
What should we do to address the issues that face technical and professional education in this country? Including:
09 July 2015
The Conversation
The divide is growing between what employers and ministers want students to study
Article by Sandra McNallyFrom this September, all pupils at secondary school will have to study English, a language, maths, science and history or geography at GCSE. This is the English Baccalaureate, or Ebacc, which education minister Nicky Morgan has insisted are core academic subjects that should be taken by all children. The director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), John Cridland, does not approve: he has called for GCSEs to be phased out and replaced with an exam system that gives equal value to vocational subjects.
This article was published by The Conversation online on June 23, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Sandra McNally CEP publications webpage
Links:
The Conversation - The divide is growing between what employers and ministers want students to study
23 June 2015
FE Week
New 'data driven' BIS Vet research centre hits the spot
The new aims and role of the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) has become clearer since a consultation event this month, as Andrew Morris explains.The new Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER), funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was the focus of attention at a major gathering of college leaders and researchers this month. Directed by Professor Sandra McNally of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, the new research centre will be developing much needed evidence aimed at improving the delivery of vocational programmes and involvement of employers. A clearer picture of routes to employment and better information about their value should be the result.
This article was published by FE Week on June 22, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) webpage
Links:
FE Week - New 'data driven' BIS Vet research centre hits the spot
22 June 2015
CVER News
CVER at the LSRN Workshop
Sandra McNally introduced the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at the Learning and Skills Research Network (LSRN) Strategic Workshop held in London on June 3rd 2015. The Network brings together those interested in research on vocational education and training (VET) and is an excellent platform for networking between practitioners, researchers and policy makers. The workshop was an opportunity to learn about the work of the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning and the Education Training Foundation (a presentation was given by Richard Atkins, Principal at Exeter College, and Jenny Williams, Director of Vocational Education and Training, ETF).During the discussion following Sandra's presentation, several priorities for CVER were highlighted by participants. These include the following:
03 June 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: the Liberal Democrat's top policies
Article by Ian Preston, Andrew Street, Claudia Hupkau, David Chivers, Peter Beresford and Simon BurgessThe Conversation's Manifesto Check, where academics subject each party's election manifesto to unbiased, expert scrutiny. Here is what our experts had to say about the Liberal Democrats' top policies.
Claudia Hupkau, Research Associate at the LSE
The Liberal Democrats have announced their vision for skills policy over the next parliament in their election manifesto. The proposals mainly focus on increasing the number of apprenticeships, and on the future funding for the skills sector.
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: the Liberal Democrat's top policies
17 April 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: Conservatives hold the course with schools plan
Article by Sandra McNally
The Conservative Party manifesto makes the following commitments in the area of school-age education:
- •A good primary school place for your child with zero tolerance for failure.
•Turn every failing and coasting secondary school into an academy and deliver free schools for parents and communities that want them.
•Help teachers to make Britain the best country in the world for developing maths, engineering, science and computing skills.
The party's ''plan of action'' revolves around the curriculum, school structures (academies and free schools), funding and teachers.
This article was published by The Conversation on April 16, 2015
Link to article here
Related publications
'Schools: the evidence on academies, resources and pupil performance', Sandra McNally, CEP 2015 Election Analyses Series, March 2015
Link to policy briefing here
Related video/podcast
'School Spending'
Spending on schools needs to be protected - in real terms - as research shows that spending matters for a child's education. Sandra McNally interviewed.
View video here
Related links
Sandra McNally webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Centre for Vocational Education Research webpage
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: Conservatives hold the course with schools plan
Schools: The Evidence on Academies, Resources and Pupil Performance
16 April 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: Lib Dems commit to skills, but some policies miss the mark
Article by Claudia HupkauThe Conversation's Manifesto Check deploys academic expertise to scrutinise the parties' plans.
The Liberal Democrats have announced their vision for skills policy over the next parliament in their election manifesto. The proposals mainly focus on increasing the number of apprenticeships, and on the future funding for the skills sector.
This article was posted online by The Conversation on April 15, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: Lib Dems commit to skills, but some policies miss the mark
15 April 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: Conservatives fudge the numbers on apprenticeships
Article by Hilary SteedmanWelcome to The Conversation's Manifesto Check, where academics from across the UK subject each party's manifesto to unbiased, expert scrutiny.
The Conservative manifesto skates over some uncomfortable truths about the development of apprenticeship during their last five years in office. True, as stated in the manifesto, 2.2 million new apprenticeships (apprenticeship starts) were registered between 2009/10 and 2013/14. However, of those starting an apprenticeship in this period, 850,000 were adults aged 25 or over.
This article was posted by The Conversation on April 15, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Hilary Steedman CEP publications webpage
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: Conservatives fudge the numbers on apprenticeships
15 April 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: the Conservatives' top policies
Article by Andrew Street, Catherine Harris , Hilary Steedman , Iain Clacher, Sandra McNally, Susan Milner and William TaylerThe Conversation's Manifesto Check, where academics subject each party's election manifesto to unbiased, expert scrutiny. Here is what our experts had to say about the Conservative's top policies.
Hilary Steedman, Senior Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
The Conservatives' manifesto skates over some uncomfortable truths about the development of apprenticeship during their last five years in office. True, as stated in the manifesto, 2.2 million new apprenticeships (apprenticeship starts) were registered between 2009/10 and 2013/14. However, of those starting an apprenticeship in this period, 850,000 were adults aged 25 or over.
In fact, the coalition government presided over and encouraged a huge increase in adult apprenticeships while numbers of 16-18 year olds in apprenticeship barely changed year on year. Most of those on adult apprenticeships were already in employment and a House of Commons Select Committeefound that many adult apprenticeships offered poor value for money. It is, therefore, depressing to see a bland promise of apprenticeship numbers trumpeted in the manifesto - 3 million over the next five years - with no preference for young people and no commitment to higher quality.
Read more here.
Sandra McNally, Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
On the curriculum, the Conservatives emphasise learning of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy in primary schools, and in secondary schools (where this fails). They are right to prioritise these areas. Inadequate literacy and numeracy is a problem for about a fifth of the adult population, and those aged 16-24 perform worse than those aged 55-65 (unlike in most other countries). Partly as a result, establishing basic literacy and numeracy leads to a high earnings return in later life.
Whether or not changing the curriculum will actually improve in these basic skills is another matter.
Read more here.
This article was published in The Conversation on 14 April, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage
Sandra McNally webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
CVER website
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: the Conservatives' top policies
14 April 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: Labour's top policies
Article by Maria Goddard, Anand Menon, Christine Merrell, Claudia Hupkau, Hilary Steedman, Ian Preston, Jonathan Perraton and Steve HigginsWelcome to The Conversation's Manifesto Check, where academics subject each party's election manifesto to unbiased, expert scrutiny. Here is what our experts had to say about Labour's top policies. Follow the links for further analysis.
Hilary Steedman, Senior Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
Labour's election manifesto promises four initiatives in the area of skills and apprenticeships; the Compulsory Jobs Guarantee, the Apprenticeship Guarantee, the Youth Allowance, and the Technical Baccalaureate. It is not clear whether the party's priority is to cut the benefits bill and take young people off the unemployment register, or to ensure that all young people gain the skills and experience they need to make the transition to a job with a future. Ultimately, Labour's skills policy is a disappointing muddle.
Claudia Hupkau, Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
In its manifesto, Labour proposes a Technical Baccalaureate - but actually, this already exists. It was announced in 2013 by the Department for Education and then-Skills Minister Mathew Hancock. But rather than being a separate qualification it was designed as a measure to use in performance tables.
Hilary Steedman webpage
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Hilary Steedman CEP publications webpage
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: Labour's top policies
13 April 2015
The Conversation
Manifesto Check: 'Labour's skills policy is a disappointing muddle'
Article by Hilary Steedman and Claudia HupkauHilary Steedman, London School of Economics and Political Science
Labour's election manifesto promises four initiatives in the area of skills and apprenticeships; the Compulsory Jobs Guarantee, the Apprenticeship Guarantee, the Youth Allowance, and the Technical Baccalaureate. It is not clear whether the party's priority is to cut the benefits bill and take young people off the unemployment register, or to ensure that all young people gain the skills and experience they need to make the transition to a job with a future. Ultimately, Labour's skills policy is a disappointing muddle.
Claudia Hupkau, Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
In its manifesto, Labour proposes a Technical Baccalaureate - but actually, this already exists. It was announced in 2013 by the Department for Education and then-Skills Minister Mathew Hancock. But rather than being a separate qualification it was designed as a measure to use in performance tables.
Link to article here
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage
Claudia Hupkau webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
Hilary Steedman CEP publications webpage
Links:
The Conversation - Manifesto Check: 'Labour's skills policy is a disappointing muddle'
13 April 2015
FE Week
Election questions from across the FE and skills sector
As the election period officially begins FE Week spoke to figures across the sector to ask them what three FE and skills questions they'd like answered by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the run up to the general election on May 7 - as well as a bonus question on a subject of their choice.Dr Sandra McNally, director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research at the London School of Economics:
What three FE and skills questions would you like politicians to answer before the election?
Sandra McNally webpage
CVER website
Links:
FE Week - Election questions from across the FE and skills sector
30 March 2015
CVER Event
Launch of the Centre for Vocational Education Research
Speakers:To attend, RSVP to Jo Cantlay, email j.m.cantlay@lse.ac.uk
24 March 2015
FE Week
London School of Economics to host new Centre for Vocational Education Research
A new £3m project aimed at researching new ideas for FE will be based at the London School of Economics (LSE).Skills Minister Nick Boles will today announce that a new Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) will be led by Dr Sandra McNally from the LSE and based at its Centre for Economic Performance.
This article was published in FE Week on 24 March 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Profile of Sandra McNally in FE Week
'New vocational research centre 'won't clash' with Education and Training Foundation, FE Week
Sandra McNally webpage
CVER website
Links:
FE Week - London School of Economics to host new Centre for Vocational Education Research
24 March 2015