In a venue more familiar with a battle of the unsigned bands, Progress friends and family gathered to listen and share how to best unleash talent with workplace skills in the new economy.
Chaired calmly by Dan Jarvis MP, the panel were introduced. Lord Maurice Glasman had to go soon, we were told, so was invited first to speak.
Glasman began in prescriptive fashion, offering a well-rehearsed narrative on the UK’s ills coming from our over-reliance on financial services in recent decades. He compared the UK as having ignored its vocational heritage by failing to value non academic routes and integrate employers and employment to apprenticeships and better training rewards, as they do in Germany. A vocational economy is required, Glasman continued, if we are to sustain our economy going forward. Financial market growth had boomed with huge percentage returns only to later reveal it was all based on speculation, not real production. And so, boom to bust. Too true.
Glasman advocated we better categorise and divide vocational and academic pursuits, a suggestion which was not met with agreement during the Q&A that followed. While the emphasis here aims to improve the value of vocational routes this policy would surely serve to further entrench the mind set that people are either one or the other. Recent learning over the last decades indicate that students and learners of any age learn best with a multiple of approaches.
Following an impressive summary of the work undertaken by Unionlearn, Tom Wilson concurred with the view that vocational education is not valued enough. He parted with Glasman on the conclusion that the last Labour government had not done enough for vocational education and like so many of Labour’s achievements, a view I share, the investment and successes were there but we failed to tell a good enough story about the real achievements, particularly in FE.
Lord Glasman had to be elsewhere after his contribution such is the demand for the Blue man at #Lab2011.
Tom Wilson returned to the need to take a better look at tax relief to incentivise employers to do more training and urged us to let it be known how a small amount of training at the right time can have a profound affect on someone and on the productivity of the business.
Money matters, Wilson reminded us as a trade unionist, and this was one way of changing the vocational values. Young people would be better attracted to vocational routes if they learned of the volume of money that could be made. Young people are very quick to ask what salary is for what.
I am not sure we’ve made anything like a big enough case for starting their own business. Surely, the most productive and liberating option for any vocational ambition should start with being their own boss and employing others?
The excellent Kate Shoesmith from City & Guilds pointed out that the 50 per cent university target was understood but it may have sent the wrong message to the other half. Labour did forget the other half for a little too long, it would appear. Kate came the closest to discussion about start-ups or entrepreneurial activity though no mention of it. Enterprise and contextual learning was key, Shoesmith reminded us. Transferrable skills was the right focus – this was more like it – and a far greater appreciation of skills to help young people and all ages, get on in life. This is a complex and much overlooked area of policy but its a crucial one, largely ignored by the Tories who don’t do State considered complex human issues. They can afford not to need to.
Gordon Marsden was fully on top of his brief and spoke in detail about Labour’s record on skills and the work undertaken to improve apprenticeships, FE and training for all ages. His biggest and most well received point came in reference to Information Advice and Guidance and the current governments ignorance towards this vital part of any process to get a job or simply understand what jobs are out there. He too referred to the crucial need to ensure we arm young people and those of all ages with self employment options or at the very least, the ability to hone portable skills in an ever competitive marketplace. Rightly, he pointed out the weakened role between employers and skills policy in education with LEPs having an unclear mandate. Lord Leitch even got a mention.
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Recently appointed to Labour’s Future Candidate Programme, James Frith is the Managing Director of U-Explore and Labour councillor for Elton, Bury North. U-Explore provide creative digital products and services to Education, Voluntary and Corporate sectors. James was elected in May 2011 defeating the Tory candidate and becoming the first Labour councillor in Elton for over 10 years.