The status of vocational education must be improved to match academic studies, observes Ben Howlett, National Chairman of Conservative Future
Over the last 18 months as the National Chairman of
Conservative Future, the youth wing of the Conservative Party, I have been
taken aback by the sheer number of young people who contact me on a subject
that two or even three decades ago was not at the forefront of young people’s
minds.
Young people from backgrounds in higher and further
education and those who went straight into work have almost universally said
that they would have liked more opportunities to have the choice to decide what
to do with their future.
With the recent Iron
Lady film out in cinemas, the issue of the status of vocational
education has become even more topical as people address the legacy of
Thatcherism. As Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher created a society of
aspiration, one where individual self-improvement became a conventional
doctrine. A society was created where class divisions homogenised into a
single class where virtually an entire population considered themselves middle
class, or at least aspired to be middle class. This had a massive impact
on the education of young people. It created a situation where almost
everyone aspired to attend university, where a degree became the certificate
for society. Unfortunately, this was at the expense of vocational and further
education.
Of course this aspirant middle class had its long-term
benefits to both society and the economy. Home ownership soared,
standards of living rose, the economy was rebalanced away from the public
sector to the private sector, allowing Britain’s entrepreneurial society to
boom, producing jobs, growth and ultimately more tax revenue to invest into UK
Plc. and our public services, including higher education.
Let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with going to
university. Quite the contrary, as someone who went to University, I do
not want to deny anyone the same opportunity. However, what about those
people not offered any real choice about their futures? What about the
young person who wants to go into further education or get an apprenticeship?
Why should they feel that their qualification is socially any less worthy than
a degree?
This Government is doing something that has never existed
in further and higher education. They are introducing competition based
on the informed choices of students. Young people will be able to look at
the evidence about what is the best course for them, and which course offers
them the best prospects for the future, and make a decision. The Government is
releasing much more information about courses, for example on future
employability and incomes, so young people can make up their own minds.
This is a hugely positive step going forwards for young people.
It is a tragedy that young people in vocational and
further education have felt second-class citizens. In reality those
workers with a vocational education or an apprenticeship became vital
contributors to our economy and helped produce substantial growth.
There are huge benefits from the Government putting so
many resources into creating apprenticeships, but this isn’t just about
money. We need to ensure that we learn the lessons of New Labour. A
Government cannot throw money at a problem in the inane hope that it will
automatically provide positive results. Instead, the underlying problems
must be tackled head-on. In this instance the Government must continue to
improve the status of further education. Over the coming months
Conservative Future will be putting together recommendations on how this can be
achieved via a high profile campaign. It is a difficult campaign to mount
as it is one that needs to begin to change preconceptions amassed over 20-30
years.
This change in mind-set may not happen instantly, however
Conservative Future members are the future of the party and our views will
shape policy for decades to come. Conservative Future looks forward to
future generations of young people being given the opportunity to aspire to a
life where they can socially and economically benefit as a result of the
choices that they make. The future looks brilliant for vocational and
further education if we work together to ensure a greater reputation for this
education sector.