What if you had the opportunity at school to learn how to take a car engine apart, learn how to install electrical wiring for a building or learn the principles of constructing a bridge?
Well, the introduction of Technical Colleges which will teach students these practical skills means you could soon have to access to these opportunities.
The first proposed Technical college is in the pipeline for 2012, sponsored and run by Aston University in Birmingham. Students at the age of 14 will be given the option to attend a Technical College, learning practical courses such as engineering and construction, alongside the core GCSE subjects of English, Maths and Science.
Those who support the idea suggest that giving students the opportunity to learn practical work skills much earlier on may make school more interesting to them. Also because industries such as construction and engineering require skills in Maths and Science, students interest may be raised as they will be able to view these more traditional subjects from a different angle and understand how they are applied practically.
Although Technical Colleges have yet to be launched, there are existing projects such as Craftspace which are piloting the initiative – and it appears to be working*. Technical Colleges are certainly not a new idea. They have been around since the 1940’s originally intended for the poor working class to become more skilled, whilst those more privileged went into professional roles.
Times have changed, but the fear is that the re-introduction of Technical Colleges could return a two layer system for the haves and the have not’s with students taking the Technical College rout potentially missing out on other subject areas such as languages. National Union of Teachers’s (NUT) Head of Education John Bangs firmly believes this, recently saying:
“How do you know at 14 whether you want to go down either the academic or vocational route? …You are not ready to take that decision.”
A point often raised by employers is that students are often not up to speed on core skills required for the workspace. Those in support of the Technical Colleges say that they would assist in resolving this issue. A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said in a recent BBC article:
“The bottom line is this is about giving young people a far greater choice in what to study, according to their strengths. And by working alongside employers, it will give industry the well-rounded, skilled workers they are demanding for the future.”
So which is the right direction? There is no question that more can be done to make school more interesting for students and undoubtedly Technical Colleges provide an option to those students whose interest lies, and can be captured outside of, traditional academic subjects. However, the real success of these Colleges may well rely on their ability to allow students to change their path with ease whilst helping them to extend, and not limit their opportunities and potential.
So what do you think? If you’re 14, do you already know what direction you want to take? Or do you think everyone should have the same pre-16 education and make their choices afterwards? Discuss.
*Independent article – Can crafts close the Gender Gap?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/can-crafts-close-the-gender-gap-1795489.html
Related Links
For more information on vocational training visit the apprenticeships site:
http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/
Information on everything relating to Engineering
http://www.enginuity.org.uk/
