PQE0019
Written evidence submitted by Fair Train
Background
Fair Train is a national charity and the independent voice of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) employers, existing to improve employment and skills development.
We believe in the benefits of workforce development, and that developing skills through work experience should be an opportunity available to all. We are passionate about supporting employers to invest in the development of their workforce and the future generation who will need the skills to ensure that Britain remains at the centre of the global economy. We work with learning and training providers and schools as important stakeholders in this process.
As the Group Training Association (GTA) for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), Fair Train will act as an independent voice for the sector to:
Response to the questions posed by the inquiry
Fair Train believes that the purpose of education should be wider than solely as a means to prepare young people for the world of work, and should also provide them with the skills and inspiration to lead fulfilling lives.
However, as the remit of Fair Train is focused on workforce development and high quality work experience as a means of entry to employment, our response is limited to the questions of direct relevance.
1. What should the purpose of education be?
1.1. Are schools adequately preparing young people for the world of work?
1.1.1. No! According to the British Chambers of Commerce:
76% of businesses say lack of work experience is the reason young people are unprepared for work BUT … only 1 in 4 employers offers any work experience!
1.1.2. There is clearly a mismatch here requiring attention.
1.1.3. Young people with 4 or more work experience type of activities under their belt are 5 times less likely to be NEET.
1.1.4. This is true even for graduates - Those with work experience get better degrees, higher wages and are less likely to be unemployed.
1.2. How can schools best do this? Are there any good examples where it is working well?
1.2.1. It is difficult to expect schools to have the skills and expertise to undertake this when government funding for careers education and guidance has been neglected over recent years, which has had a negative impact on how schools view its importance. When coupled with the fact there is no statutory guidance for high quality work experience for schools, this gives a double negative, and fuels the way in which schools place a value on careers and work experience, which then passes on to their young people.
1.2.2. There is no one single element which on its own will enable schools to adequately prepare young people for the world of work – a comprehensive programme is needed, transcending across school ages – frequent, continuous and progressive experiences of the world of work, which build up the preparation for the transition to employment, recognising that this will be at different stages for different young people. A single period of compulsory work experience alone, for example, will not achieve this.
1.2.3. This needs to start in primary school, and requires a joined up approach across primary, secondary and tertiary phases of education.
1.2.4. London Ambitions, which offers a “100 hour entitlement” to experiences of work for all young people in London, is the best example of good practice which we have seen, and has been made more effective as it was backed by Boris Johnson, has attracted a lot of positive PR, and the pace of change is very swift, enabling those involved to see quick results. https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/shaping_report_interim_19_june_sp.pdf
1.2.5. Page 24 of the document gives a very practical visual example of different experiences of work activities which can be undertaken across educational phases, which together comprise a comprehensive programme to prepare young people for the world of work.
1.2.6. London Ambitions takes account of particular issues within the London conurbation, and links this with the London economy, placing great weight on the involvement of key partners to make it a success. This model could easily be rolled out effectively in other areas.
1.2.7. The Studio Schools model is also working well, where work experience is embedded into the curriculum, rather than being a bolt on. Sir Frank Whittle Studio School in Lutterworth is a particularly strong example of good practice, with well planned, relevant and challenging work experience opportunities contributing to the educational offer for young people.
1.2.8. Fair Train is keen to ensure that any work experience activity, which could include Apprenticeships and Traineeships as well as internships, volunteering and traditional work experience placements, is of high quality, to have maximum benefit for both the young person taking part, and also the employer hosting the placement. This symbiotic relationship is important to recognise.
1.2.9. Fair Train would like to see schools utilising the national Work Experience Quality Standard accreditation as a framework for development, to help them to plan, implement and evaluate high quality work experience programmes for their pupils.
1.2.10. Funded by UKCES, and developed in partnership with The Department for Education and Ofsted, as well as a range of industry employers and learning providers, the Work Experience Quality Standard aims to ensure that organisations deliver an experience that is well planned and valuable, and meets legislative and inspection requirements, ultimately helping participants to become more employable.
1.2.11. The Work Experience Quality Standard covers ALL experiences of work, from Apprenticeships and Traineeships to internships, volunteering and traditional work experience placements, and would work well in the context of the holistic programme suggested above. This would ensure that learners achieved maximum benefit from their work experience programmes, adequately preparing them in the best possible way for the world of work.
1.2.12. The Work Experience Quality Standard should also be used by employers offering work experience placements to ensure that they are high quality. This would have a number of benefits to schools, who would be assured that all of their learners were receiving consistent and high quality experiences. It would also save valuable time for schools to allow them to focus on teaching and learning rather than administration – the Work Experience Quality Standard has robust external assessment methods undertaken by an independent charity, which will assure schools that adequate due diligence has taken place, and that risks have been effectively managed.
1.2.13. As the accreditation development has already been funded by government there is very little cost associated with this solution.
1.3. Are ‘soft employability skills’ such as communication and time management promoted enough in schools? If not, how should they be promoted?
1.3.1. No! This could be an integral part of a comprehensive experiences of work programme, such as the London Ambitions example given above, which could be integrated across all curriculum areas, instilling the importance of skills such as communication and time management for life, rather than solely focusing on employability.
1.4. Is work experience given enough priority in schools? How important is it in preparing young people for employment?
1.4.1. No! According to the British Chambers of Commerce:
76% of businesses say lack of work experience is the reason young people are unprepared for work BUT … only 1 in 4 employers offers any work experience!
1.4.2. There is clearly a mismatch here requiring attention.
1.4.3. Young people with 4 or more work experience type of activities under their belt are 5 times less likely to be NEET.
1.4.4. This is true even for graduates - Those with work experience get better degrees, higher wages and are less likely to be unemployed.
1.4.5. There is a postcode lottery of opportunity with work placements and related activities more readily available in areas with higher economic performance. “Employers in the south of England are more likely to offer placements, whilst London is the internship capital of the UK.” UKCES, 2015. The education system should be aware of the national and local picture, and support young people in preparing themselves for employment.
1.4.6. Schools could play a major role in redressing social mobility issues. “Word of mouth and personal recommendation is still the primary route by which employers recruit young people” (UKCES, 2015)1. Schools need to have consideration for trends in the local labour market in preparing their employability programmes.
1.4.7. Please see suggestions in 1b above, about how to ensure high quality work experience for all young people.
1.5. Careers advice – what are the current issues, how should it be delivered better in schools?
1.5.1. Assuming that high quality work experience should be an integral part of careers education and guidance in schools, we have no further comment to make.
2.1. Should destination tracking be introduced?
2.1.1. There is an argument in favour of this, since “what gets measured gets done” is particularly true within the current education system.
2.1.2. However, the issue is complex and Fair Train is not sure that the amount of investment (both in organisational time and financially) is warranted.
2.1.3. Issues include:
2.2. Is it possible/desirable to measure employability skills?
2.2.1. Yes, it is possible, but the desirability has to be questionable.
2.2.2. Surely a robust economy, with high employment rates, low youth unemployment, and support measures in place to assist those with additional needs is the best measure of employability skills?
2.3. Should there be a measure on quality work experience placement?
2.3.1. Fair Train believes passionately in the value of high quality work experience, not just for those young people looking to kick start their careers, but also for employers looking to recruit the best talent and see the best results for their businesses, and for the economy as a whole.
2.3.2. There is currently too little work experience being offered by employers and learning providers, despite government policy such as the 16-19 study programmes, which have a mandatory work experience element.
2.3.3. Whilst implementation of much of the 16-19 Study Programmes package is going well, many providers are still struggling to come to terms with the requirements for the integration of meaningful work experience, with the aim of supporting young people to develop employability skills.
2.3.4. At a time when the British Chambers of Commerce lament the fact that school leavers are not ready for employment2, due in the main to a lack of work experience; and the CBI is calling for young people to be better prepared for the world of work3; demand for high quality, meaningful work experience has never been higher.
2.3.5. There is clearly a need for providers to improve their work experience programmes, with a recent Ofsted report4 finding that: ‘Very few providers are able to arrange sufficient good-quality, work-related learning, including external placements with local employers, for all their learners’. So, why then are providers not accessing the tools available to them to assist with this?
2.3.6. Fair Train would like to see schools (and all learning providers) utilising the national Work Experience Quality Standard accreditation as a framework for development, to help them to plan, implement and evaluate high quality work experience programmes for their pupils.
2.3.7. Funded by UKCES, and developed in partnership with The Department for Education and Ofsted, as well as a range of industry employers and learning providers, the Work Experience Quality Standard aims to ensure that organisations deliver an experience that is well planned and valuable, and meets legislative and inspection requirements, ultimately helping participants to become more employable.
2.3.8. The Work Experience Quality Standard covers ALL experiences of work, from Apprenticeships and Traineeships to internships, volunteering and traditional work experience placements, and would work well in the context of the holistic programme suggested above. This would ensure that learners achieved maximum benefit from their work experience programmes, adequately preparing them in the best possible way for the world of work.
2.3.9. The Work Experience Quality Standard should also be used by employers offering work experience placements to ensure that they are high quality. This would have a number of benefits to schools, who would be assured that all of their learners were receiving consistent and high quality experiences. It would also save valuable time for schools to allow them to focus on teaching and learning rather than administration – the Work Experience Quality Standard has robust external assessment methods undertaken by an independent charity, which will assure schools that adequate due diligence has taken place, and that risks have been effectively managed.
2.3.10. As the accreditation development has already been funded by government there is very little cost associated with this solution.
2.3.11. Even if the Government was not minded to make it mandatory, referring to it within departmental guidance to schools would be effective in raising the profile and value of the standard, and clearly demonstrating the benefits to schools and young people.
2.4. How can the quality of careers advice be ensured and measured?
2.4.1. It is frustrating that the old careers services had systems in place to ensure the quality of careers advice and guidance, and the use of independent and impartial careers advisers in schools overcame the current issues, such as schools not adequately promoting the full range of career choices (e.g. Apprenticeships) to young people in Year 11 in order to encourage more pupils to stay on in the school sixth form, with resulting positive funding implications.
2.4.2. Fair Train would like to see funding for independent careers education and guidance re-established, and supports a three pronged approach for the quality assurance of careers education and guidance, namely:
2.4.3. Fair Train endorses the points within the Gatsby Benchmarks for good career guidance alongside high quality work experience, remembering that benchmarks 5 and 6 will complement high quality work experience, and should not be seen as a replacement.
http://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/programmes/good-career-guidance
3.1.1. Fair Train believes that there is significant room for improvement within the current education system. Contact with the world of work should be an ongoing part of every young person’s education, and this is simply not happening. The fact that much of the current guidance around work experience and careers education and guidance for schools is not statutory means that schools are failing to identify and prioritise these as significant elements of an holistic and effective education system. However, a comprehensive programme such as the London Ambitions example cited above, tailored to individual area needs; coupled with the assurance of high quality work experience for all young people, underpinned by the national Work Experience Quality Standard accreditation and frameworks, would provide a simple yet effective solution to benefit young people and the wider economy.
This submission is made on behalf of Fair Train. Fair Train would welcome the opportunity to work with Government to provide a solution to some of the issues highlighted.
References
1UKCES (2015) Catch 16-24: Youth Employment Challenge Feb 2015
2British Chambers of Commerce (2014) Workforce Survey 2014
3CBI (2011) Action for Jobs
http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/getting-the-uk-working/making-young-people-job-ready/
4Ofsted (2014) Transforming 16 to 19 Education and Training
January 2016