Edge response to consultation on post-16 qualifications at level 2 and below
Amidst the Government’s considerable efforts to reform post-16 qualifications at level 3, it is promising to see the Department for Education turning well-needed attention towards post-16 qualifications at level 2 and below.
Level 2 qualifications are a crucial pillar in supporting the numerous pathways for young people and adults to develop in their chosen careers. For many, level 2 qualifications can be used to enter the workplace, progress onto further education and to retrain into a different profession. Participation at level 2 and below also supports a range of positive personal and social outcomes for adult learners, including – improved self-esteem and well-being; increased civic participation and community engagement; and more confidence to complete everyday tasks[1]. With this in mind, there is more we can do to support learners to level 2 – presently only 18% of adults aged 19-64 are not qualified to at least level 2[2].
At the Edge Foundation, we believe there are significant changes that can be made to the skills system in order to create a more relevant, productive and useful system for all. Here we summarise our key response to the consultation:
Combining academic and practical skills
We must move away from the binary separation between academic, vocational and technical streams. Instead, learners should be encouraged to combine different learning styles, including a mix of academic and technical routes, as this will ensure learners have a greater range of robust skills to support their journeys into the workplace. The recent House of Lords Youth Unemployment report stated that ‘while the national curriculum plays an important role…it is too narrowly focused to ensure that it prepares all young people for the modern labour market and the essential, technical and creative skills it requires[3]. With this in mind, instead of encouraging students to make binary choices about their future career paths, learning should be kept broad with a greater emphasis on meaningful work experience and career discussions at a younger age.
Progression should not be the only ambition
The government’s current proposal places a strong emphasis on progression to level 3. While this is an important goal for some, it may not suit all learning styles, especially those with caring responsibilities or those who may strongly feel the pull of employment. Instead, we should celebrate those individuals who wish to step off into work at level 2 and ensure they have viable options and support in order to do so. Some of these may well complete a level 3 or higher qualification at a later date once they have increased their confidence and workplace experience.
Embedding essential skills
It is encouraging to see Government’s recognition of essentials skills through their proposal of the Personal, Social and Employability (PSE) Qualification. It is sensible that these supplementary courses are offered to individuals with SEND backgrounds who may need extra support. However, we also believe that essential skills such as leadership, problem solving, team-working etc., should be embedded across all qualifications, rather than taken as supplementary courses. Our friends at the Skills Builder Partnership have developed a universal framework for essential skills and how these skills can be embedded into the curriculum and workplace.
A desire to reduce complexity
Finally, a central ambition of this consultation is to reduce complexity across the qualifications system. While we agree that the technical and vocational landscape is extremely complex, we do not believe that the solutions proposed by this consultation will fix these issues. Government must seek to engage in meaningful conversations with stakeholders, in order to produce solutions that have learners at the heart of their design.
The UK is also unique for the number of Awarding Organisations – at present the UK has over 160 awarding bodies[4]. While this offers a rich variety of qualifications, it can also lend to complexity within the system and an overwhelming menu of choice for learners. There may be an opportunity for Awarding Organisations to work together to rationalise qualifications and make the landscape more navigable for learners.
Government to signpost direction of travel and provide stability
With all this is mind, the education sector is experiencing a considerable churn of reform without being given the time to implement meaningful change. We encourage the Government to clearly state the direction of travel, and then to work closely with the sector to implement change. Given the impact of the pandemic, the exacerbation of mental health concerns, and the impact on teaching staff, frontline staff and students, the sector now needs a relative period of calm and consistency.
Our full response to this consultation can be read here.