Home > News > February 2004 > 16-Feb-2004

Ofsted publishes report on vocational courses

Vocational courses are held in higher esteem by young people in three countries visited by Her Majesty's Inspectors than in England, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has found.

Pathways to parity - a survey of 14-19 vocational provision in Denmark, Netherlands and New South Wales, Australia - examines the lessons that might be learned in England from a consideration of vocational education and training for 14-19 year olds in the countries visited.

The report sets out concerns that participation of 17-year-olds in education and training in England is low compared with other European countries and that there remains in this country a perceived lack of parity of esteem or value between vocational and academic qualifications.

The survey found that in all three countries:

• Vocational courses are held in higher esteem by young people and others than in England, mainly because they are more often seen as providing clear pathways to higher education and employment.
• Staying-on rates into full-time education or training beyond the end of compulsory education are higher than in England.
• Employers are more consistently and directly involved in determining the content and assessment of vocational courses than in England; this gives the courses and associated qualifications currency and status and helps to ensure that provision is more closely aligned to the needs of the economy.
• Vocational teachers are normally required to have industrial experience, which is regularly updated through industrial placements. This ensures that teaching is firmly embedded in current commercial and industrial practice and that strong links are forged with employers.
• Structured work placements are a much stronger feature of post-16 vocational courses than they are in England, and hence are more often seen as more applied and relevant to young people.
• Vocational education takes place in good quality accommodation which reflects the working environment.
• Careers education and guidance are seen as an integral part of vocational courses.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, said: "This report finds that lessons can be learnt in England about how to give high esteem to vocational courses. We need to raise staying-on rates and do more to exploit the role of employers in developing and assessing qualifications.

"More must be done to ensure young people understand how valuable vocational courses and qualifications can be and to encourage more of them to stay on into full-time education or training beyond the end of compulsory education."

The report found that compared with the other countries, the qualifications system in England is complex and does not always provide clear progression routes for students. There is also a wide variation in the scope and quality of vocational training among institutions and within different parts of the country.

However, the report notes that 14-16 vocational provision in England is increasingly regarded as providing greater flexibility for young people, giving a broad introduction to vocational work without tying them down to one specific type of employment too soon.

About the Report

The report is based on evidence obtained from short visits to each of the countries by members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate (HMI) in March 2003. The visits to each of the three countries involved observing vocational education in schools and colleges and discussing developments with government officials, managers in schools and colleges, teachers, pupils and employers.

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