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Why Young Minds Are Better Served

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In recent decades it has become almost de rigeur for young people to go onto higher education, and 2013, according to UCAS figures, saw the highest uptake ever recorded with almost 50% of students going on to university (UCAS, 2013). However, although it’s long been a government objective to reach this level of university attendance, there’s a school of thought which suggests that the UK is now educating too many young people to degree level and that those same youngsters, and the current job market, would be better served by a greater focus on vocational training. This debate, about whether young minds are better served focussing on practical skill acquisition over theory and deeper understanding, has been progressing in the UK for many …show more content…

OECD, 2012) that there is often a strong scrutiny of government policies when it comes to implementing a successful balance of knowledge based and practically applicable courses.
This paper aims to initially consider the scope, development and impact of the wider academic vs. vocational divide. Within this, however, consideration will be given to the implementation and relevance of various governmental policies central to the future of this key topic. The key areas to be considered include: the funding requirements and provision for vocational courses linked to government based learning objectives and institutional student quota criteria; the potential impact of raising the school leaving age and the needs of both learners and employers – are they being met? The aim of the paper is to establish a perspective on this interesting topic that is equally historical, current and future looking, as well as to understand the ways that Government based education policies are implemented and integrated at the institutional and staffing levels.

History
When shaping any discussion on the prevalence of the academic/vocational (AV) divide, it is prudent to first outline some working terminology. The UNESCO Convention (1989) describes vocational education and training as:
“All forms and levels of the education process involving, in addition to general knowledge, the study of technologies and related sciences…the acquisition of practical skills, know-how, attitudes and

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