Science and TechnologyWritten evidence submitted by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust

Summary

1. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust is supporting the development of University Technical Colleges (UTCs) throughout England. Two are open already and a further 32 will open within the next two years. Very soon, over 20,000 young people will be enrolled at UTCs. This will make a very positive difference to the status of technical education and encourage more young people to become engineers.

2. During Key Stage 4 (years 10 and 11), UTC students spend 40% of their time in practical and technical learning. They need and deserve qualifications which fully recognise their achievements. Originally, UTCs expected to offer the Diploma in Engineering, which consisted of principal, generic and additional and specialist learning. More recently, UTCs planned to offer the principal learning component as a stand-alone qualification, the Engineering Principal Learning Qualification (PLQ). However, the level 2 PLQ will in future count as equivalent to only one GCSE in Key Stage 4 performance tables, even though it takes the same time to deliver as four GCSEs. The Royal Academy of Engineering has now proposed a suite of four qualifications to take the place of the PLQ. This is a most encouraging development, which we support.

3. Ministers are already taking action to raise the status of technical, practical and vocational education, not least through their welcome commitment to University Technical Colleges. Organisations including the Edge Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, awarding organisations, the Association of Colleges, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers and engineering organisations are also working hard to raise the status of technical, practical and vocational education.

4. The Government should:

(a)ensure that the pre-14 curriculum includes a significant element of practical and technical learning so that all young people can make informed choices at 14, 16 and 18;

(b)retain Design and Technology in the pre-14 National Curriculum;

(c)support efforts to widen young people’s horizons through visits to workplaces, FE colleges and universities from an early age, together with opportunities for young people to meet Apprentices, students and young people already in work;

(d)explain the benefits of technical education to young people, parents and teachers, making it clear that technical education is just as valuable as any other form of learning;

(e)increase investment in excellent technical education at all levels, including mainstream schools, UTCs, further and higher education and apprenticeships; and

(f)set an immediate target to open at least 100 UTCs before the next general election.

About the Baker Dearing Educational Trust

5. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust is a charity dedicated to establishing a network of University Technical Colleges in England. It was founded by Lord Baker of Dorking and the late Lord Dearing.

Does the current engineering skills base meet the needs of employers? Do employers in the engineering sector prefer an academic or a vocational profile?

6. The Committee is likely to receive detailed evidence about skills shortages in engineering. We will therefore comment only briefly on this question before describing our contribution to meeting future skills needs.

7. For many years, employers in Britain have found it difficult to recruit talented young people for demanding roles in engineering and technology. As a result, there are marked shortages of engineers and technicians in many sectors. A report by the Institute for Employment Studies for the Gatsby Foundation1 found that the UK has a lower proportion of technicians than our European competitors, particularly at the intermediate skills levels, and that this damages our economic competitiveness. At the same time, young people, parents and teachers do not appreciate the tremendous career opportunities offered by engineering and other technical occupations.

8. Technical schools (“Realschule”) have been a prestigious part of the German educational landscape for many decades. Their continued existence helps to explain why Germany has retained a tradition of excellence in technical and vocational education, linked to world-class manufacturing industries. It is notable, too, that fewer young people are NEET (not in education, employment and training) in Germany than in the UK.

9. Lord Baker and Lord Dearing spoke to many employers, who explained that they need (and will continue to need) recruits who have both academic and technical abilities. They were convinced that a new generation of technical schools, to be known as University Technical Colleges (UTCs), would help meet future needs for technicians and engineers and help rebuild the reputation of technical and vocational education in this country.

10. With support from the previous Government, two UTCs are already open: the JCB Academy in Staffordshire, and the Black Country UTC in Walsall. The Coalition Government has pledged further support, and another 32 UTCs will open over the next two years.

11. UTCs provide full time courses which combine practical and academic studies for students aged 14 to 19. Each UTC is supported by a university and a number of employers, who between them form a majority of the governors and are involved from the start in shaping and delivering the curriculum. Each UTC will have around 600 students when fully operational. Students attend through choice, not selection. They receive a broad education including English, maths and science combined with practical and technical qualifications which are recognised by employers and universities. They also develop business and financial literacy.

12. UTCs prepare young people for further study and a wide range of careers. Except in the context of post-16 Apprenticeships, they do not provide specific occupational training. After completing studies at a UTC, students may progress to further education, higher education or jobs with training, including Apprenticeships.

13. The first full set of qualifications will be awarded to JCB Academy students this summer. Students have done well not only in their chosen technical subjects, but also in their general education. Indeed, many students are achieving better results in English and maths than their previous schools predicted, because they enjoy the curriculum and want to do well. In addition, mainstream subjects are linked, wherever possible, to the chosen technical specialism. Students learn more and remember better when subjects are put into a meaningful context, such as maths for engineering.

What impact will recent changes relating to engineering qualifications in England have on the uptake of technical subjects and the skills base needed by the engineering sector? 

14. Many employers—large and small—were actively involved in developing the Engineering Diploma, ensuring that it reflected the needs of the modern economy. Employers were equally committed to helping schools and colleges deliver exciting curriculum projects based on problems and challenges encountered in the workplace. The Diploma provided breadth rather than focussing narrowly on the skills needed to do a particular job. It also emphasised skills such as teamwork and problem-solving, which employers regard as essential, together with functional skills in English, maths and ICT.

15. The Higher Diploma (level 2) consisted of the following three components which—collectively—required 800 guided learning hours (GLH), approximately the same as seven GCSEs:

(a)principal learning (420 GLH, including at least 210 GLH applied learning);

(b)generic learning (200 GLH); and

(c)additional and specialist learning (minimum 180 GLH).

16. The Advanced Diploma (level 3) also consisted of principal, generic and additional/specialist learning, required 1,080 GLH, and was equivalent to three and one-half A levels.

17. The Engineering Diploma seemed ideally suited to the new generation of University Technical Colleges, both at Key Stage 4 (14–16) and post-16. It was therefore at the heart of early plans for UTCs.

18. However, mainstream schools and colleges found the Diploma complex. It was difficult and costly to deliver all elements of the Diploma, and a whole new bureaucracy—the Diploma Aggregation Service—was needed to keep track of each student’s achievements.

19. The Coalition Government decided in 2010 not to fund the future development of the Diploma, and it was announced that the Diploma Aggregation Service would be withdrawn. Nevertheless, awarding organisations said they would continue to offer the most important element of the Engineering Diploma, the Principal Learning Qualification (PLQ).

20. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust and the Edge Foundation commissioned the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) to identify qualifications which would command respect in the engineering profession. The report, “Respected”, listed qualifications which UTCs could consider offering to Key Stage 4 and post-16 students. These included the PLQ, based on “the significant, continuing and well documented employer and University input into these qualifications”.2

21. The PLQ in Engineering therefore seemed set to be a qualification of choice in most UTCs.

22. In the wake of the Wolf Report on Vocational Education, however, the Government decided to simplify Key Stage 4 (KS4) performance tables. From 2014, no qualification will be deemed equivalent to more than one GCSE.

23. Some UTCs may continue to offer the PLQ to students in KS4, because it is popular with students, teachers employers and universities. When KS4 performance tables are published, however, these UTCs will appear to perform less well than schools which offer a larger number of smaller qualifications. A high-performing UTC student might gain six GCSEs at A* to C plus the PLQ in engineering—a total of seven qualifications. A high-performing student in a mainstream school might gain ten GCSEs at A* to C. They will have worked equally hard, for the same number of guided learning hours; but the performance tables will not give full credit to the UTC.

24. Against this background, Professor Matthew Harrison (Royal Academy of Engineering) has drafted proposals to split the PLQ into four discrete qualifications, each requiring 120 GLH. Taken together, they would cover essentially the same ground as the PLQ. We fully support this development and have been working closely with Professor Harrison, employers and awarding organisations to make it happen as soon as possible.

25. There are, of course, other qualifications available to UTCs. Few level 1 and 2 qualifications met the criteria for inclusion in the RAEng report, “Respected”, but most of those which did will be included in future Key Stage 4 performance tables. All being well, the removal of many qualifications from the performance tables will enhance the reputation of the few that remain. Again, however, no qualification will be deemed equivalent to more than one GCSE, no matter how many guided learning hours they require.

26. It is unfortunate that the qualifications best suited to the UTC curriculum have been caught up in the wider reform of vocational education. It would be even more unfortunate if young people, parents and the general public gained the impression that technical subjects are less valuable than academic subjects: they are not. Employers need more people with technical and vocational qualifications. Technical subjects can be every bit as demanding as academic subjects. And most important of all, many people enjoy practical learning, do well in it and go on to excellent careers in engineering and other technical occupations.

Could the Government and others do more to raise the status of technical subjects?

27. English education has been biased towards certain forms of learning for well over a hundred years. In the 19th century, grammar schools came to the fore by offering a curriculum based on the classical traditions of public schools. Factory work was deemed to require little education of any kind. This was in marked contrast with Germany, which invested heavily in technical and vocational education—a tradition which survives to this day not only in the secondary school system, but also in the famous “dual system” of apprenticeships supported by classroom study.

28. In present-day England, many children, young people and adults find the best way to learn is by making, doing and trying things for themselves. This is how young people develop their abilities in art, music and sport, for example.

29. Worryingly, however, hands-on learning is less common in other subjects, particularly in secondary schools. Even in science, there have been growing concerns that children undertake fewer practical experiments today than they would have done 20 or 30 years ago.

30. We believe all young people should experience some “learning by doing” as part of a broad and engaging curriculum throughout Key Stages 1–3. Teacher training programmes (including continuous professional development programmes) should help teachers deliver effective hands-on learning to all age groups.

31. For young people who actively prefer practical and technical learning, there should be opportunities to combine it with core academic subjects at Key Stage 4 and beyond—precisely what UTCs will offer. We are therefore delighted that the Government has supported the development of UTCs. 34 have already been approved instead of the 24 promised in the 2010 Budget. There is demand for many more, and we recommend the Government should set an immediate target to open at least 100 before the next general election. This will undoubtedly help to raise the status of technical subjects.

32. Equally, the Government is committed to expanding Apprenticeships. Young people are starting to see Apprenticeships as a genuine alternative to direct entry to higher education: they can earn a wage while learning, and can move on to higher education at a later stage if they wish. New Higher Apprenticeships will further broaden the appeal of this important path to success.

33. We welcome the Government’s clear commitment to high quality UTCs, Apprenticeships and other vocational pathways. Ministers should take every opportunity to explain the vital importance of technical and hands-on learning. They must challenge the idea that academic learning is inherently superior to technical and vocational learning. Over time, this will make a real difference to the status of technical subjects.

34. Obviously, this is not a matter for Ministers alone. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust has been generously supported by the Gatsby Foundation, which has campaigned to raise the status of technicians, and by the Edge Foundation, which champions technical, practical and vocational education. Working with awarding organisations, colleges, training providers and universities, Edge organises an annual celebration of vocational success, VQ Day. This year’s event takes place on 20 June. Other significant annual events include Colleges Week, National Apprenticeship Week, Adult Learners Week and a large number of skills competitions, which will—from this year—culminate in the Skills Show at the National Exhibition Centre, from 15 to 17 November. All these events should be seen as part of a concerted annual programme to raise public recognition of the value and success of technical and vocational education.

What more should be done to attract and retain a more diverse technically skilled workforce?

35. UTCs are keenly aware that more young men than young women choose engineering and other technical specialisms, such as construction. In health, the opposite applies. This is not a new phenomenon, and it is not unique to the United Kingdom.

36. We have not shaken off the outdated image of engineering as a male occupation involving dirty, noisy working conditions and a lot of heavy manual labour. The reality is that growing numbers of women are engineers; that a lot of engineering requires clinically-clean conditions; and that many engineering operations are controlled using computers, not by wielding spanners.

37. A lot of good work is already being done to promote careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) occupations. Some are specifically targeted towards girls and women; others work with black and minority groups and people with disabilities. These efforts are making a difference and must continue.

38. However, we believe more needs to be done to introduce children to technical and engineering occupations from primary school upwards, and to enable them to experience practical and technical education throughout their time at school.

39. This does not mean we should steer children prematurely into particular careers. UTCs recruit at 14 precisely because young people need the full benefits of what R A Butler called “the common mill” of education throughout the first nine years of compulsory education. Even then, choosing to attend a UTC at 14 does not commit young people to specific jobs or careers: because UTCs offer a broad curriculum, they can change direction at 16 or 18 if they wish.

40. Instead, we believe all young people should have opportunities to visit workplaces, colleges and universities, to meet people from many walks of life, and to find out from people a few years older than them why and how they chose their current job, Apprenticeship or course of study.

41. Young people should also experience practical learning at both primary and secondary school. We are particularly concerned about proposals to downgrade the status of Design and Technology: we firmly believe it should remain part of the National Curriculum, and that there should be a concerted drive to improve the way it is taught. This should include better links with employers, so that young people can appreciate the direct relevance of Design and Technology to the world of work. Teacher training and development should include techniques for delivering engaging and effective hands-on learning at all ages.

42. UTCs are of course keen to play their part. They will offer open days and taster sessions to younger students, and will work in partnership with teachers in neighbouring schools and colleges to enhance the practical curriculum. They will also support campaigns to promote diversity in STEM careers.

June 2012