31 March 2010
I've just read this report from the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) and, in case others have missed it, I thought I'd draw it to people's attention. It is primarily about improving the progression from Apprenticeships into Higher Education but it also has interesting things to say about progression for people with other vocational and applied learning qualifications. I rather liked the distinction they drew between learning applied or contextualised to an industry sector and vocational learning designed to equip people with the knowledge, skills and competence required to work effectively in that sector. Other interesting nuggets include the map of progression routes (p.14), models of apprenticeship progression to HE (p.41) and examples of different online progression tools and resources (Annex 10).
From an IAG perspective, the most interesting part of the report is the section on Information, Advice and Guidance (p.30-31). The report claims that there is still a bias in schools towards academic learning that in turn influences parents so that vocational and applied learning pathways are less highly regarded as routes into HE. The report is also concerned that Connexions advisers have their hands full with the hard to reach and disengaged and do not know enough about vocational pathways into HE. The authors have also picked up on the Milburn report recommendation which has not been accepted yet by the Government (there is to be a review in 2011) that there should be a careers adviser in every school and how damaging that could be if those advisers absorbed the academic bias in schools. What price impartiality then?
Has the report got it right? Post a comment here if you've got a view on the subject. There's a lot more to the report. I was also interested in the examples of progression agreements between post-16 providers and their local universities. I'm sure others would like to hear from you if you have any such agreements on your patch.
You can download the report at http://www.uvac.ac.uk/downloads/0401_publications/UVAC%20BIS%20Progression%20Report%20March%202010.pdf
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