WIREDGOV

New research conducted by national awarding organisation, NCFE, has found that the majority of the general public do not know what is meant by the term ‘technical education’, showing that the government still has much to do in its drive to promote technical education as a strong alternative to the academic route.

An NCFE-sponsored report on reforming technical and professional education, was launched on Thursday 16 March, and made nine recommendations to ensure technical education is prestigious and the reforms are successful. 

NCFE’s survey of 2,000 adults across the UK also revealed that over half of respondents believe the term ‘technical education’ is different from ‘vocational education’. Furthermore, in a survey of 350 hiring managers, over a third of respondents were unsure of the meaning of ‘technical education’.

With the government focusing on reforming and investing in technical education to develop ‘a high quality technical option’ that would have equal status with the academic route, the fact that the public are unclear on the meaning of technical education is concerning and could hinder the government’s hopes of changing public perception.

Esme Winch, Managing Director of NCFE, commented: “These statistics confirm that many people are unclear on technical education. This supports our opinion that, despite all the talk of reform, the government has not yet done enough to define what technical education actually is. The lack of understanding among parents is particularly concerning, as they can’t encourage their children to consider a technical route if they don’t fully understand what this entails.”

This research aligns with a new, NCFE-sponsored report published with the Campaign for Learning and written by independent policy consultant Mick Fletcher, entitled “Reforming Technical and Professional Education: Why should it work this time?

The report raises important questions for the roll-out of the Post-16 Skills Plan and for the reforms to technical education more broadly, and includes nine recommendations of activity that the government should undertake if it is to achieve its aims. The first recommendation on the list is that ‘the government should develop a more convincing definition of technical and professional education and set it in the context of a plan that relates to all type of occupation. In addition it should define and use more carefully the terms STEM, technical education and further education.’

Esme continued: “We believe the principles behind the reforms outlined in the Post-16 Skills Plan are admirable; aligning the skills system to the needs of employers, eliminating ‘low value’ qualifications and ensuring financial sustainability of the system. The promise to increase the numbers engaged with technical education is very attractive and we’re hopeful that the new T-Levels will help to deliver on this. 

“However, we have some concerns about the implementation of these policies, as well as whether the government will be successful this time around. It’s in the interest of all parties that reforming technical education works, so we strongly advise the government to consider the recommendations set out in this report and to really listen to our sector. This will help ensure that reforms are aligned to the needs of educators and employers, and ultimately help learners to achieve their career goals.” 

The report was launched on Thursday 16 March at a roundtable event, hosted by NCFE in partnership with the Campaign for Learning. Held under the Chatham House Rule, the event was attended by representatives from further education industry bodies, colleges and major employers

The full report can be viewed here

Media contact: Alexandra Shaw, PR Officer at NCFE: 0191 240 8829 / 07792 626651 / alexandrashaw@ncfe.org.uk

About NCFE:

NCFE designs, develops and certificates diverse, nationally recognised qualifications which have benefited millions of UK learners in the past 10 years. 

Dynamic and committed to changing lives through learning, NCFE believes that education can help every individual to achieve their full potential. 

NCFE offers a wide portfolio including Apprenticeships, qualifications which support Study Programmes and Traineeships, fundable qualifications for adult learners, high quality distance learning models and V Certs for schools. All are supported by NCFE’s exceptional customer service and unique, friendly approach. In 2015, NCFE expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of the CACHE brand (the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education), which is market leader in the childcare sector. 

NCFE is a registered educational charity with a strong heritage in learning, going back over 170 years.

Visit www.ncfe.org.uk