Memorandum submitted by the Trades Union
Congress (TUC)
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is the
national centre for trade unions representing 6.5 million workers
in 65 affiliated trade unions. The TUC welcomes the opportunity
to contribute to the Select Committee's inquiry into the ongoing
development of the 14-19 Specialised Diplomas. These new qualifications
are central to the Government's aim of developing high quality
and popular vocational pathways for young people.
1.2 It is therefore imperative that great
care is taken with the planning and implementation of the introduction
of the Diplomas in order that they can achieve their maximum potential.
The Select Committee's inquiry offers a timely opportunity to
address key challenges on this front and also to address some
longer-term issues, especially the implications of the recommendations
in the final report of the Leitch Review of Skills.
THE POLICY
CONTEXT
1.3 Along with many other stakeholders,
the TUC had welcomed the recommendations of the final report of
the Tomlinson Working Group on 14-19 Reform and expressed disappointment
that they were not fully implemented by the Government. However,
the TUC did agree that the 14-19 White Paper set out the foundations
for an improved vocational offer for young people. Since then
the TUC and its affiliated unions, in particular the education
unions have been supporting the Government in its efforts to introduce
the Diplomas as successfully as possible.
1.4 The publication of the final report
of the Leitch Review of Skills has heightened the importance
placed on the successful implementation of the Diplomas. The TUC
welcomed the commitment in the report to introduce compulsory
education and training up to age 18, although this was qualified
on the basis that a change in the law would only be implemented
once it could be shown that the Government was on track to successfully
deliver the new Specialised Diplomas.
1.5 This means that effective delivery and
take-up of the Diplomas in the first instance will be key to transforming
the 14-19 landscape. But the downside is that early teething problems
with implementation could significantly delay the move to introducing
a requirement on young people to remain in education and training
up to 18. This would be a huge disappointment and would make it
very difficult for the Government to achieve its target of increasing
post-16 participation rates to 90% by 2015.
1.6 The structure of this submission addresses
the three main issues highlighted in the Select Committee's press
notice but it also covers some related and longer-term issues
that we think the inquiry should also be considering. It should
be noted that the TUC submission draws heavily on the submissions
to the inquiry made by the affiliated education unions.
DESIGN AND
DEVELOPMENT OF
DIPLOMAS AND
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
1.7 A major concern of the TUC and its affiliated
unions is that the introduction of the Diplomas does not lead
to a repeat of the problematic phasing in of the "Curriculum
2000" reforms. These reforms were hampered by inadequate
testing, piloting and evaluation and other limitations relating
to the development of curriculum materials and workforce development
programmes. There are concerns that the relatively tight timescales
for phasing in the new Diplomas could lead to similar problems,
especially as a number of other reforms are to be implemented
in 2008-09 (eg introduction of the revised Key Stage 3 National
Curriculum and the new functional syllabi for maths and English
GCSEs).
1.8 The TUC is particularly concerned that
the new Diplomas are not viewed as qualifications that are inferior
to GCSEs and A levels and largely aimed at students who are not
deemed capable of pursuing the traditional academic route in school.
This would further embed the entrenched divide in the UK between
general and applied learning and would prove hugely damaging to
the Government's stated aim to bridge this divide and to offer
opportunities for all young people to achieve their full potential.
It is therefore crucial that if the Diplomas are going to succeed
in a significant way, young people and their parents need to be
convinced from the very beginning that these qualifications are
accorded a high status by schools and colleges, and also of course
by employers. It is also crucial that young people and their parents
are given appropriate and timely advice and guidance about the
new Diplomas and the Government should prioritise this in their
ongoing reform of careers advice for young people.
1.9 Teaching and support staff in both schools
and colleges (and the leadership in these institutions) need to
be well prepared in advance of the introduction of the first set
of Diplomas. In addition to meeting workforce development provision
for teaching and support staff, schools and colleges will need
to be in a position to demonstrate to young people and their parents
that the new Diplomas will offer educational and labour market
opportunities on a relative par with the GCSE/A level route. In
order for this to happen, it is imperative that a strong partnership
approach between trade unions and the relevant government bodies
and agencies is in place whilst the Diplomas are being designed
and developed.
1.10 There are currently a number of mechanisms
in place to enable trade unions to participate in the ongoing
design and development of the Diplomas. There are a number of
trade union representatives on the DfES 14-19 Stakeholder Group,
but there are no trade union representatives on the higher level
14-19 External Advisory Group chaired by the Minister. Trade union
involvement in the Diploma Development Partnerships (DDPs) appears
to be more patchy, although in principle Union Board members on
the relevant Sector Skills Councils should at least be getting
a report-back on progress.
1.11 In spite of these consultative mechanisms,
there are a number of concerns among some of the education unions
in particular that there has not been adequate consultation with
the bodies representing the workforce in schools and colleges
during the design and development stage of the Diplomas. Ultimately
this workforce will be responsible for delivering these qualifications
and it is imperative that they are fully equipped to undertake
this role from day one of implementation.
1.12 The TUC is therefore recommending that
the Government reviews the existing consultative and stakeholder
engagement arrangements in order to look at means of improving
proactive input by trade unions representing the workforce in
schools and colleges. Workforce development planning is one particular
area where it is essential that trade unions and the relevant
government agencies are working closely together.
1.13 While the TUC is not in a position
to provide detailed responses to all the questions in the press
notice relating to the design and development of Diplomas, we
are certainly aware of general concerns (e.g. recent reports of
comments by the Chief Executive of the QCA that "people felt
there was a lack of clear management" of the process).[7]
If nothing else, the Select Committee should call for an immediate
and rapid review of the existing management process in order to
pinpoint any problem areas that could be resolved fairly speedily.
1.14 However, it is inconceivable that the
existing framework for managing the process could be significantly
changed at this stage and the focus should be on identifying and
resolving blockages and also improving the overall collaborative
approach. There are also a number of longer-term issues relating
to the design and development of the Diplomas, in particular relating
to the role of employers, which are covered in the final section
of this submission.
CO-ORDINATION
BETWEEN SCHOOLS
AND COLLEGES
1.15 Effective co-ordination between schools
and colleges must be at the heart of the rollout of the Diplomas
and there are a number of challenges in making sure that this
occurs uniformly across all local authority areas. A recent 14-19
implementation update by the DfES highlighted that "there
is considerable variation in how far people have progressed in
implementing 14-19 reform" and that this has been influenced
by a number of factors,[8]
including involvement in previous pilots and also the prioritisation
given to this reform agenda by each local authority.
1.16 The two bodies leading the co-ordinated
delivery of Diplomas will be local authorities (LAs) and the local
partnership teams of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). While
LAs have been given the lead role, the LSC will also be pivotal,
not least because it has direct responsibility for the funding
of post-16 learning and skills provision. What is not yet clear
is what the exact institutional relationship will be between the
LSC partnership teams and the LAs in implementing the Diploma
programme at the local level and how this will be reflected in
a co-ordinated approach between schools and colleges.
1.17 It is to early to provide an assessment
of the Gateway process whereby consortia of providers have put
forward bids to deliver the Diplomas. However, it is essential
that the Government also looks forward to the implementation phase
and ensures that all local authorities are adopting a strategic
approach and establishing structural mechanisms in support of
this, such as servicing high-level task groups that involve all
major partners in the locality. The TUC is particularly concerned
that trade unions representing the workforce in local schools
and colleges are given the opportunity to have a real say in the
strategic approach adopted at the LA level. And the regional LSC
must continue to ensure that there is a coherent and strategic
14-19 agenda across the piece at the regional level.
1.18 Whilst there is a need for a degree
of flexibility in the coordination of delivery of Diplomas at
the local level (eg to meet the particular needs of rural areas),
it is also important to recognise that there must be an infrastructure
to deliver on some key commitments. For example, it is not clear
what the arrangements will be to ensure that each local authority
meets the 14-19 National Entitlement commitment or to ultimately
deliver all 14 Diplomas in the locality. There is a case for some
degree of prescription by Government to ensure some level of uniformity
around the coordination of activities by schools/colleges and
the LA and LSC, both before and after implementation of the Diplomas.
The final section of this submission also raises some concerns
in this area in relation to the recommendation in the final report
of the Leitch Review of Skills to further streamline the LSC.
1.19 Finally, there are increasing tensions
between the new collaborative approach required to underpin planning
and delivery of Diplomas at the local level and the Government's
increasing emphasis on giving schools greater autonomy and this
needs to be addressed. Furthermore, while it is welcome that the
Government is currently looking at reforms to the assessment and
testing of school pupils that will give greater emphasis on measuring
the progress of all pupils, the introduction of Diplomas will
potentially raise further question marks around this aspect of
educational policy. With many more secondary pupils accessing
a number of different educational institutions in the locality,
league tables based on individual school performance will become
increasingly anomalous and not truly reflective of these new patterns
of learning.
SOME LONGER-TERM
ISSUES
1.20 The success or otherwise of the new
Diplomas will to a large extent depend on the willingness of employers
to support the new initiative and the TUC believes that the Select
Committee should be addressing this central issue in its current
inquiry. For example, there will be a much greater call on employers
to provide work experience placements than at present as a result
of the introduction of the Diplomas and related government initiatives.
1.21 The final report of the Leitch Review
has recommended giving employers an even bigger say on the design
of the new Diplomas but it says much less about the reciprocal
obligations that should be required of employers. There is a need
for the Government to press all the employer bodies to make a
clear commitment that they will be urging their constituents to
support the introduction of the new Diplomas by giving them due
recognition in their recruitment processes and also by providing
a greater number of work experience placements than at present.
If employers do not make a viable contribution to the rollout
of the Diplomas, their status in the labour market will be seriously
undermined and this will seriously devalue their worth among young
people and their parents.
1.22 There are also concerns among a number
of stakeholders about the extent to which the Leitch Review
has proposed a largely employer-led skills system rather than
the social partnership model advocated by the TUC. In regard to
the 14-19 agenda, there is a particular concern about the recommendation
to give employers even more control over the design of the Diplomas
in the future by giving the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) an even
greater remit. The TUC has therefore stated that it will be "calling
on Government to set out a framework to give employees and trade
unions a significant voice in the new institutional skills framework
that will be established as a result of Lord Leitch's recommendations
[and that] in particular, unions will need to have a significant
stake in the new Commission for Employment and Skills and also
increased representation on the relaunched Sector Skills Councils."[9]
1.23 It is particularly important that the
workforce, through trade union representation, is able to influence
the new powers that SSCs are to be given around the design and
approval of vocational qualifications. A recent report by the
Sector Skills Development Agency highlighted the benefits of sectoral
approaches in other countries incorporating a significant employee
voice in sector bodies, which ensures "that both the wider
public functions of qualifications and the sector-specific needs
of employees are met".[10]
At present SSCs are only obliged to have one union representative
on their governing Board and the remainder are generally employer
representatives. It is imperative that this framework of representation
on SSCs is rebalanced to ensure that the design of vocational
qualifications in the future meets the needs of young people and
the workforce at large as well as the needs of employers.
1.24 There are also a number of longer-term
funding issues in relation to the increasingly important role
that FE colleges will play in the delivery of the new Diplomas.
In particular, there remains an urgent need for Government to
address the funding disparity between FE and other parts of the
education system. The Government has made a welcome commitment
to reduce this funding gap over time but there needs to be greater
urgency on closing this gap completely as soon as is feasible.
In addition, the continuing disparity between salary levels for
teachers in schools and lecturers in colleges (estimated to be
around 10-12% by UCU) will become even more difficult to justify
as more college staff take on joint responsibility for teaching
secondary school pupils undertaking the new Diplomas.
1.25 The TUC is also concerned that the
recommendation in the final report of the Leitch Review proposing
further streamlining of the LSC does not undermine its important
role in contributing to the planning, coordinating and funding
of the Diplomas in the coming years. It is not feasible to expect
an employer-led skills system to replicate this role and there
should be a clear recognition that the LSC should continue to
have a high-level role in working closely with local authorities
to ensure effective delivery of the Diplomas both in the rollout
phase and also over the longer term.
1.26 Finally, the TUC remains concerned
that the full potential of the new Diplomas will continue to be
undermined by the competition that they will face from the pressure
on pupils from all quarters to continue to pursue the GCSE/A level
route. On this basis, there is a strong case for the Government
to widen the planned review of A levels in 2008 to consider whether
there is a case for further integration between the new Diplomas
and GCSEs and A levels. In this context, the recent proposals
by Government on widening access to the International Baccalaureate
are interesting and it is welcome that schools and colleges offering
this qualification will also have to offer the new Diplomas.
January 2007
7 As reported on the BBC Education website, Wide
concerns over new Diplomas, 5 January 2007. Back
8
"A Message from Jon Coles, Director 14-19 Reform",
14-19 Education and Skills Implementation Update, DfES,
Autumn Term 2006. Back
9
Reaction to Pre-Budget Report, TUC Press Release, 6 December
2006. Back
10
Lessons from Abroad, Sector Skills Development Agency,
2006. Back
| 
