Damian Hinds technical education speech
The Education Secretary set out his plans to get more people into skilled jobs in a speech at Battersea Power Station.
Introduction
Good morning ladies and gentlemen바카라 사이트� Thank you all for joining us here in Battersea바카라 사이트� And thank you to Battersea for providing this very striking venue.
I once came here as Minister for Employment and met some of your apprentices바카라 사이트�
I remember speaking to them about what they were doing바카라 사이트heir future plans바카라 사이트nd being struck - as I often am when talking to someone on a good quality apprenticeship - by their enthusiasm, their ambition, their optimism바카라 사이트� the sense of what is possible in the future.
Young people know when they are genuinely on a path to a good job, a great career 바카라 사이트� just as they know when they바카라 사이트檙e on a route to nowhere.
And, unfortunately, for too long, we바카라 사이트檝e had too many of our young people leaving school without the necessary skills or direction - and ending up on a dead-end route바카라 사이트etting in to work but not able to get on in work and progress to something better.
I am determined now to change this.
Everyone must be given the chance to get on a clear path to a skilled job. That could be an academic path 바카라 사이트� but it could also be a more practical, technical path, as I바카라 사이트檒l be setting out today.
Productivity problem
There is, of course, one dominant theme in any conversation about the UK economy right now바카라 사이트� leaving the European Union. Getting the right deal for our country바카라 사이트he best future trading relationships바카라 사이트� ensuring the stability that businesses need to keep growing and investing바카라 사이트nd sustaining this unparalleled record we have had on job creation.
But there is another crucial issue that pre-dates Brexit and should be focusing minds just as much바카라 사이트� Our great unsolved issue in our economy of the last fifty plus years: productivity.
Clearly, productivity matters바카라 사이트igher output per hour means the economy grows, firms can raise wages바카라 사이트nd when people earn more, they have higher living standards, higher quality of life.
바카라 사이트nd that goes for everyone바카라 사이트檚 quality of life, not just those at the top.
Productivity is also how we afford our public services. When people earn more they can pay more. It바카라 사이트檚 how we afford the best education for our children, the best care for our parents.
So what바카라 사이트檚 the problem?
Today Germany, France, the US 바카라 사이트� all produce over 25% more per hour than the UK. And, actually, this productivity gap with Germany and France first opened up in the late 1960s, further back still with the US.
It is a longstanding problem.
And this gap really matters. Matching German productivity would allow government to spend tens of billions of pounds a year more in our public services.
What has kept our economy growing this last decade, is our growing working age population and our buoyant jobs market.
But바카라 사이트� As the OBR point out, we cannot rely on a growing number of workers keeping our economy growing 바카라 사이트� employment is already at record levels and we바카라 사이트檙e seeing less inward migration.
Our high employment rate is a great strength of our economy바카라 사이트�
But the challenge now is more people working in highly productive industries, in rewarding jobs with the opportunity to progress and earn more바카라 사이트ot just in work, but getting on in work.
Skills and people
So what바카라 사이트檚 the solution?
A year ago today, this 바카라 사이트 set out our first modern Industrial Strategy for boosting our nation바카라 사이트檚 productivity바카라 사이트etting out our ambition to put the UK at the forefront of the AI and data revolution바카라 사이트ncreased investment in Research and Development바카라 사이트 major upgrade to the UK바카라 사이트檚 infrastructure바카라 사이트�
My colleague Greg Clark will be speaking about many aspects of this strategy later today.
Clearly, there is more than one factor associated with low productivity바카라 사이트ut today I want to focus on a critical one that I believe underpins everything else바카라 사이트�
Skills.
Yes you need to invest in high-tech machinery and in the latest technology; but you still need people who are trained to use it.
That바카라 사이트檚 why our Industrial Strategy also promises a major upgrade on the nation바카라 사이트檚 skills.
Right now, when it comes to skills we have an hourglass shaped problem in this country바카라 사이트�
By that I mean that at the top of our hourglass, we have a large number of well-educated people, often with degrees from good universities바카라 사이트� They tend to be in the high skilled, high paid jobs. This is worth celebrating.
But at the bottom of the hourglass, we have a large number of people who either never progressed beyond GCSEs or gained low level vocational qualifications바카라 사이트� They are too often ending up in low skilled, low wage jobs.
If we바카라 사이트檙e ever going to close the productivity gap then we need more people getting into the top half of the hourglass, and essentially we need to change the shape of the hourglass so it bulges out in the middle바카라 사이트ith more skilled jobs for people doing high quality training when they finish school.
In brief: more skilled workers, more skilled jobs.
At the moment, the UK benefits from a growing economy and low unemployment, but it suffers from a skills shortage바카라 사이트�
In 2017, employers reported difficulties finding the right skills, qualifications or experience for 42% of skilled trades vacancies.
Our country needs more computer programmers바카라 사이트ore engineers바카라 사이트ore electricians and chefs바카라 사이트� We need more technicians in fields from advanced manufacturing to healthcare 바카라 사이트onstruction to telecommunications.
Brexit and automation
This shortage is becoming more urgent바카라 사이트or two reasons in particular.
First, the movement of people.
Our businesses, and our society as a whole, has hugely benefited from our diverse workforce, the fantastic contribution of EU nationals and people from other parts of the world바카라 사이트� Everyone working in the UK today, wherever we come from, has an equal stake in our nation바카라 사이트檚 future.
As the Prime Minister has set out, once will leave the EU we will be able to set our own immigration policy바카라 사이트 skills based system바카라 사이트�
In the past the easy availability of ready trained labour coming from abroad has led to some reliance, some might say an over reliance, on importing our skills needs. In future, I want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to develop the complex skills needed to play their part in a vibrant, growing economy바카라 사이트�
Secondly, automation바카라 사이트�
It is impossible to predict the timing or the way automation will impact us 바카라 사이트� although we see various predictions when it comes to the numbers of jobs at risk or may change, no one really knows.
But we must assume it is those with more training that will do better바카라 사이트�
And by more training I mean better literacy, better numeracy, continuing improvement in general primary and secondary education, as well as practical, technical skills바카라 사이트�
Ultimately, it is about how well our whole workforce can adapt to rapid technological change and a changing job market바카라 사이트he challenges and the opportunities.
The educational divide
What does all this mean for our education system?
Now, let바카라 사이트檚 be clear: there is a lot to be proud of 바카라 사이트� standards have risen and, since 2011, we have narrowed the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their better off peers by 10%.
That바카라 사이트檚 a fantastic achievement from teachers and leaders across the country.
And we should also be proud of our strong higher education sector바카라 사이트tudents from all corners of the world compete for a place at our top universities.
But the truth is that while we can boast that our young people have an excellent and clear academic route to a job바카라 사이트 Levels and then university바카라 사이트�
Our vocational, technical routes tell another story. For many, the route is not clear, the expectations are not high enough and the links to a skilled job are too weak.
In fact, around a quarter of all 16 year olds in the education system are essentially churning around 바카라 사이트� switching between course types, dropping back to lower-level learning, or repeating study at the same level.
In recent years we바카라 사이트檝e done a lot of work to improve apprenticeships 바카라 사이트� but before then they바카라 사이트檇 fallen out of favour with employers바카라 사이트� They were too short, with too little off-the-job-training바카라 사이트� The apprentice stayed the apprentice rather than mastering the skills needed.
Behind all of this has been a bit of an attitude problem: as a nation I바카라 사이트檓 afraid we바카라 사이트檝e been technical education snobs.
We바카라 사이트檝e revered the academic but treated vocational as second class - when we do it well, law, engineering, medicine - then we don바카라 사이트檛 even call it vocational.
Why has this has been tolerated for so long? I think the reason is the 바카라 사이트淥.P.C바카라 사이트� problem. For so many opinion formers, commentators and, yes, politicians: vocational courses are POC courses: for 바카라 사이트榦ther people바카라 사이트檚 children바카라 사이트�.
As the Prime Minister has been very clear 바카라 사이트� this has to change.
Young people not on the A-level route have two years of government funded education when they turn 16바카라 사이트recious time, precious investment in the future바카라 사이트� And all too often it바카라 사이트檚 time and money used to train them to a low level in a skill the economy doesn바카라 사이트檛 need.
Let me be clear, the answer is not just encouraging more and more people to go to university바카라 사이트�
It is introducing clear, high quality, technical paths to skilled jobs바카라 사이트� Paths that are as respected and as easy to understand as the A-level-to-degree route.
Partnership
If we바카라 사이트檙e to achieve this, there are two vital partners for government.
The first is Further Education Colleges. For too long, Further Education has been something of a neglected sector, playing second fiddle to Higher Education바카라 사이트� That needs to change.
Colleges will play an essential part in delivering the modern Industrial Strategy바카라 사이트� They will be our key national infrastructure for technical education.
Of course, colleges do many important things for their communities바카라 사이트� But their core purpose is to help people to move into and thrive in work. And providing world-class technical education 바카라 사이트� the knowledge and skills people need for the jobs of today and tomorrow 바카라 사이트� is central to that.
The second partner is, of course, employers. We can바카라 사이트檛 guarantee young people that a qualification is a clear path to a job unless we바카라 사이트檙e working side by side with the people who have the vacancies and the skills needs. That바카라 사이트檚 why we바카라 사이트檙e putting employers at the heart of every reform we바카라 사이트檙e making to technical education.
Ambition
I바카라 사이트檓 not promising an overnight revolution. This is a ten-year project. But in a decade바카라 사이트檚 time I want us to have a completely different perspective on technical education in this country바카라 사이트�
The core test of our reforms will be this:
Today, in the UK, just 65% of our working population have completed upper secondary education, with qualifications at what, in the jargon, we call a Level 3 standard 바카라 사이트� the equivalent of A levels.
So one third do not; they have only GCSE-level qualifications, or below.
In Germany, that 65% is 87%바카라 사이트eaning a better chance at a skilled job, a higher wage, a career taking you where you want to go.
What does that mean in practical terms? Well, the difference to your wages from reaching a Level 3 or A-level equivalent qualification is about 拢40 a week 바카라 사이트� more than 拢2,000 a year.
I don바카라 사이트檛 think our young people are less talented, less ambitious or less capable than those in Germany 바카라 사이트�
In ten years time we should be able to look back on all the reforms we바카라 사이트檝e made, and be able to say, yes, our young people now have the same 바카라 사이트� or ideally better 바카라 사이트� training opportunities than they do in Germany, or Holland, or Switzerland, or other leading systems.
Matching skills with the labour market need
How do we make this vision a reality? I believe there are four key elements.
The first is overcoming our system바카라 사이트檚 failure to match skills with the labour market need바카라 사이트�
Right now, we have a training market that is driven by the choices colleges and other training providers make바카라 사이트� For the people putting on the training there is good reason to go for cheap, popular courses that are easier to put on, easier to pass.
We need a strategy that means both the individuals choosing their courses and the colleges putting the courses on are incentivised to develop skills that match the labour market needs of the future바카라 사이트� With the number of people training in proportion to the number of opportunities likely to be available.
We know, for example, that Germany trains around 11,000 hairdressers per year 바카라 사이트� in England, around 40,000 people train in hairdressing each year, in a country with fewer actual heads.
At the same time, employers in the construction sector struggle to fill over a third of their vacancies because they are unable to recruit people with the required skills.
We need a plan to better ensure supply matches demand바카라 사이트 plan to make sure people are going to be able to find productive, remunerative jobs at the end of their courses.
A big part of our Industrial Strategy is tailoring policy to local needs, the same goes for skills.
Simply put - there바카라 사이트檚 no point in training lots of people to be web designers if a town needs electroplaters.
So, when it comes to our new T Level qualifications, which I바카라 사이트檒l be talking more about in a moment바카라 사이트�
바카라 사이트ur T Level funding consultation proposes that colleges must have regard to local skills plans and strategies before deciding which T levels to offer.
I want to go further. All areas will have Local Industrial Strategies바카라 사이트�. And I바카라 사이트檓 determined that employers should have real influence over what kind of courses colleges in their area are putting on.
Some great colleges are already making this happen 바카라 사이트� let바카라 사이트檚 make it universal.
As a starting point, today I바카라 사이트檓 publishing guidance on the role of our Skills Advisory Panels - local partnerships between public and private sector employers, local authorities and colleges and universities 바카라 사이트� setting out how they will work together to decide what skills are really needed in each local area.
I want this done well 바카라 사이트� so today I am announcing new support for every local area to fully understand and assess their skills needs now and in the future바카라 사이트� Each Panel will get 拢75,000 to analyse their local skills needs, which could include employing a labour market analyst.
Clear paths to a job
The second element is the lack of clear, simple path for young people choosing technical study at 16.
Britain is unique worldwide in offering thousands upon thousands of training courses to our 16-year-olds, more than 10,000 in total.
But it바카라 사이트檚 hard to know for sure which course is actually valuable in the job market.
Often we find that these training courses teach about a broad sector, but they don바카라 사이트檛 help someone develop the depth of skills they need to succeed in the job.
Our new T Levels will change this바카라 사이트� 25 high quality courses, with a clear line of sight to actual job roles 바카라 사이트�
We바카라 사이트檝e worked with employers such as Fujitsu, IBM, EDF, GlaxoSmithKline, the Bank of England, KPMG, and the British Army to design rigorous content바카라 사이트�
Crucially, both in the classroom and during the industrial placement, T Levels will focus on developing the skills needed to get, and perform well in, an actual job.
So looking at the first three T Levels being offered by around 50 colleges in 2020바카라 사이트�
Pass your Education T Level then go and work as a teaching assistant or in an early years setting바카라 사이트�
Pass Digital, Production and Design and apply to be a software development technician바카라 사이트�
Complete the Design, Surveying and Planning T Level and become a civil engineering technician바카라 사이트�
Clear paths to a skilled job.
And we will make sure that we바카라 사이트檙e not letting people who need a little more support fall through the gaps바카라 사이트�
By making a 바카라 사이트榯ransition offer바카라 사이트� available to a number of young people who are not quite ready to do a T Level at 16바카라 사이트� extra training so they바카라 사이트檒l be ready to start by 17.
I바카라 사이트檒l be setting out more details of this offer in the new year.
Today, as part of our T Level Action plan, I am also announcing the next set of T Levels we will roll out in 2021바카라 사이트�
- A Health T Level바카라 사이트�
- A Healthcare Science T Level바카라 사이트�
- And a Science T Level바카라 사이트�
- An Onsite Construction T Level바카라 사이트�
- A Building Services Engineering T Level바카라 사이트�
- A Digital Support and Services T Level바카라 사이트�
- And a Digital Business Services T Level.
When fully rolled out, we바카라 사이트檒l be putting hundreds of millions of pounds in additional money behind T Levels every year바카라 사이트�
Crucially, this will allow us to support the intensive 3 month industrial placements for every T Level student, so they can put into practice what they바카라 사이트檝e learnt바카라 사이트eveloping their confidence and skills.
Already this year employers large and small are offering pilot placements to students바카라 사이트�
But as T Levels are fully rolled out in the coming years we are going to need more and more employers to step up in every town and city, across the country. For businesses 바카라 사이트� this is your opportunity to build up the skills pipeline of the future.
As we roll T Levels out, we바카라 사이트檙e also reviewing the qualifications currently on offer바카라 사이트e don바카라 사이트檛 simply want to add 25 to the 10,000 plus that already exist바카라 사이트�
There are going to be some tough decisions ahead as we think carefully about what we take away from the system as well as what we add 바카라 사이트� we바카라 사이트檒l consult before deciding on the nature of qualifications needed. But I think we바카라 사이트檇 all agree - better to see young people with a smaller number of high quality choices rather than a plethora of often mediocre ones.
A clear path to higher skills
The third element I want to look at is the issue of 卢what comes after your vocational qualification바카라 사이트�
A-level students, of course, often progress to a degree, but what바카라 사이트檚 the next step on your journey once you바카라 사이트檝e completed a T Level or an initial apprenticeship?
Yes, many will now be wanting and, crucially, will be ready to step straight in to a skilled job.
But, equally, some will also be ready for the next level of training that can take them to an even higher skilled job바카라 사이트�
The kind of training that helps you step up from being a cook to a chef바카라 사이트 bricklayer to a construction site supervisor바카라 사이트n aircraft maintenance fitter to an aircraft maintenance engineer바카라 사이트�
According to the CBI, the biggest growth in jobs in the years ahead is expected to be in management and professional and technical roles 바카라 사이트�
And these roles will require the specialist skills which a higher technical training course could provide.
At the moment, people in the sector describe these training courses as 바카라 사이트榣evel 4 and 5바카라 사이트�바카라 사이트�
But a lot of people will look blank at this description 바카라 사이트� which is part of the problem.
Colleges and universities don바카라 사이트檛 offer much training at this level바카라 사이트� Very few students do it compared to the numbers doing a degree or a lower level of technical training 바카라 사이트� partly because it바카라 사이트檚 not available and partly because they바카라 사이트檙e not aware of it.
And employers are also less aware of these training courses바카라 사이트hich means recruitment is often either focused below the level needed or above바카라 사이트ith some jobs being unnecessarily inflated to degree level. Which, it바카라 사이트檚 worth noting, can mean some people are paying for a degree they might not need.
It바카라 사이트檚 not just the lack of college courses that바카라 사이트檚 a problem here either바카라 사이트n recent years, we have not had enough apprenticeships that train people for more highly skilled jobs. When I visited Germany earlier this year I saw for myself how apprenticeships can be a ladder to more and more specialist, well paid occupations.
But in this country바카라 사이트ast year more sixth form and college leavers went to Oxbridge than went on to do a higher level, that is to say a Level 4 or 5, apprenticeship바카라 사이트�
I바카라 사이트檓 determined to properly establish higher technical training in this country 바카라 사이트� so that it바카라 사이트檚 recognised and sought after by employers and young people alike.
Right now, with dozens of different qualifications, courses and brands on the market, it바카라 사이트檚 baffling for employers and students alike.
But we do know there are good quality higher technical qualifications on the market already바카라 사이트� What is missing is widespread clarity and confidence that these qualifications deliver the skills employers need.
That바카라 사이트檚 why I intend to establish a system of employer-led national standards for higher technical education which will be set by employers themselves. Through the Institute of Apprenticeships, we plan to identify and recognise existing and new qualifications that meet the knowledge and skills needed by employers.
I mentioned that Level 4/5 doesn바카라 사이트檛 mean a lot to most of us바카라 사이트� I want us to start calling these courses what they are: higher technical qualifications 바카라 사이트nd develop clear national recognition바카라 사이트�
Ensuring these qualifications are clearly badged and easy to recognise, meaning that employers are able to start looking for them on CVs and application forms, and advertising for them when recruiting to jobs at that level.
This process will be overseen by the Institute for Apprenticeships, who will soon become the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education바카라 사이트� and we will have the first recognised qualifications in place from 2022 바카라 사이트� ready for those first T Level students who will just have completed their course.
We will be consulting next year on how to deliver this new approach.
I expect higher training to be offered by high performing colleges and universities, alongside our National Colleges focused on specific industries such as High Speed Rail and Nuclear바카라 사이트� And by the new Institutes of Technology we바카라 사이트檙e establishing across the country, which will specialise in delivering higher technical training.
Of course, it is essential that different bits of the technical education system also fit together 바카라 사이트� our reformed apprenticeships, T Levels, higher technical training바카라 사이트�
The Institute of Apprenticeships have documented all the skilled jobs and occupations that you can get to through an apprenticeship or T Level바카라 사이트howing how you can progress from one job to another바카라 사이트hat mapping should now extend to Higher Technical qualifications and beyond as well.
In this way, it will be clearer to everyone 바카라 사이트� young people, parents, employers and training providers 바카라 사이트� how, through high-quality technical education, you can get into and can progress to the top of your chosen profession.
Parity of esteem
Time to look at the fourth and overarching element: the issue of esteem. As I바카라 사이트檝e said, we바카라 사이트檝e long been technical education snobs in this country바카라 사이트�
But our ultimate goal is to deliver parity of esteem when it comes to technical and academic routes바카라 사이트qually valid choices.
In order for technical education not simply to be something for other people바카라 사이트檚 children, it has to be something you want your child to do as well. That means it바카라 사이트檚 high quality and leads to a well-paid, rewarding skilled job.
바카라 사이트 can바카라 사이트檛 endow esteem on technical education, you can바카라 사이트檛 legislate for parity in this way바카라 사이트t바카라 사이트檚 our job to make it high quality, then employers and young people themselves will genuinely value it. Quality has to come first. Get that right and esteem will follow.
We also need to make clear to young people, and their parents 바카라 사이트� that a degree is not the only path to a great job.
When it comes to our schools and colleges, although we have published performance tables where destinations to further education, apprenticeships and employment are all counted바카라 사이트�
We show how many students go to specific universities바카라 사이트� without also showing how many students progress to higher technical training바카라 사이트�
So we inherently imply that university is valued more highly than other routes.
This will end. In the future, our performance tables will lead with publishing a new measure바카라 사이트ne measure: young people doing higher learning on either route.
And this could be a degree at university or higher technical training through an apprenticeship or a Higher Technical qualification.
I바카라 사이트檓 clear that the school that gets a young person onto a higher apprenticeship deserves as much praise as when it gets someone to university.
To be clear, the message here is not don바카라 사이트檛 do a degree 바카라 사이트� the message is simply you don바카라 사이트檛 have to do a degree.
With the growth in the knowledge economy and the demands of business 바카라 사이트� we will need a high number of graduates in the future, but we also need more people with higher technical skills.
We want young people to acquire the higher qualifications that lead to high skilled, more rewarding jobs 바카라 사이트� whether through a degree, a higher apprenticeship or higher technical qualifications.
And no longer should schools and colleges feel that they must push students down one route in order to be judged a success.
We also need to make sure that all young people get the advice and guidance they need to make choices about their future. Just over a year ago we published our careers strategy, setting out our plans to build a world class careers system.
Thanks to the hard work of our partners like The Careers & Enterprise Company, we are now seeing real changes in schools and colleges, with over 2000 business volunteers helping to connect young people with employers and I commend them for what they do.
Finally, I want us to break down some of the false barriers we바카라 사이트檝e erected between academic and technical routes바카라 사이트�
I don바카라 사이트檛 see any reason why higher technical training shouldn바카라 사이트檛 be open to certain A-level students as long as they have the prerequisite knowledge and practical skill 바카라 사이트�
Equally, I want T Level students, that want to, to be able to go to university to do relevant technical degrees.
This will of course depend on the T Level subject, but there will be an obvious path for, say, a Design, Surveying and Planning T Level student to then do a surveying degree or for an Accountancy T Level student to then do an accountancy degree. We will identify and work with specific universities well placed to lead the way on this.
And I바카라 사이트檓 pleased to be announcing today that UCAS has agreed to give a T Level UCAS tariff points in line with 3 A-levels. This reflects the size and complexity and demands of the qualification.
T Levels will be graded Pass, Merit or Distinction바카라 사이트nd we are now discussing with UCAS exactly how points will be awarded per grade.
Conclusion
What does all this ultimately boil down to?
A clear quality technical path to a skilled job. More young people gaining higher skills. A more productive economy.
This won바카라 사이트檛 all change overnight 바카라 사이트� this is a ten year project to upgrade our nations바카라 사이트� skills바카라 사이트olleges playing their part as the national infrastructure for technical education, industry playing their part, creating and investing in the workforce of the future바카라 사이트�
And we must see this through바카라 사이트�
Even without the imperative of Brexit, productivity and skills are historic problems that need solving.
We have a modern Industrial Strategy that is all about making Britain fit for the future, in a world of rapid technological change바카라 사이트� But it바카라 사이트檚 people that are at the heart of this strategy. It바카라 사이트檚 people that will make it live.
By investing in our technical education now, we can make sure that everyone is qualified for the jobs of today and tomorrow바카라 사이트� That all our young people have the opportunities they need to succeed.
Thank you.