Vocational education and the development of human capital

Question 1

vocational education is

Answer 1

the emphasis on developing what Schultz called human capital, by preparing young people for work and making education meet the needs of the economy

Question 2

Functionalists/New Right tend to

Answer 2

view vocational education as beneficial and helping to boost the economy

Question 3

Marxists tend to

Answer 3

view vocational education as a second-rate education for working class students, concerned with producing a passive and conformist workforce to support a profit-making capitalist society, whilst the middle class have a more academic education leading to well-paid, powerful and influential jobs

Question 4

The main focus of vocational education in temporary Britain is

Answer 4

• improving the basic skills of the workforce, particularly 14-18 year olds, especially due to high levels of unemployment among young people
• ending the status division between academic and vocational qualifications, so that technical/practical vocational education is integrated with academic learning, so that they have more value in the labour market

Question 5

In February 2024, 12.8%

Answer 5

of 16-24 year olds in the UK was unemployed and not in full time education (ONS)

Question 6

It was thought that, by making the education system produce a more skilled and flexible labour force,

Answer 6

this would better meet the needs of employers and enable Britain to maintain a successful position in the world economy, whilst also enabling young people to take advantage of the wide range of jobs and careers opening up with globalisation

Question 7

Globalisation definition

Answer 7

the growing interconnectedness of societies across the world, with the spread of the same culture and consumer goods and economic interests across the globe

Question 8

Measure to encourage a more skilled and flexible labour force: work experience programmes for school and college students

Answer 8

to ease the transition from school to work, and help them to get jobs successful and carry them out well, with a better understanding of work and the economy

Question 9

Measure to encourage a more skilled and flexible labour force: An expansion of post-16 education and training

Answer 9

• T levels were introduced in 2020 as a result of the 2016 Sainsbury review which identified the need for better technical education - equivalent to 3 A levels and 20% of the course is industry placement
• GCSEs, AS levels and A levels were made more demanding so students were better qualified
• apprenticeships and traineeships were developed to provide nationally approved and recognised qualifications/training

Question 10

% of UK students (upper secondary) in vocational education courses

Answer 10

44 (OECD - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2024)

Question 11

Measure to encourage a more skilled and flexible labour force: A stronger emphasis on key skills

Answer 11

the use and application of numbers, and in communication, IT, problem solving, basic literacy/numeracy are all emphasised in the curriculum

Question 12

Criticisms of vocational education

Answer 12

• work exp is often seen as boring and repititive
• apprenticeships are often seen as being used as a form of cheap labour (apprentice minimum wage is £4 less than for over 21s)
• vocational education schemes are often seen as being aimed towards reducing proportion of NEET (not in education, employment or training) young people
• vocational education are often seen as being lower status, leading to less university entry and more lower-status, lower-paid jobs, so parents, teachers and students view them as inferior
• working class students are more likely to be in vocational education, so it reinforces class divisions

Question 13

Birdwell et al (2011) - criticism of vocational education

Answer 13

suggested that secondary schools routinely neglect pupils in with vocational aspirations, and focus on brighter children destined for higher education. Schools failed to help teenagers prepare for the world of work (lack of career advice or help finding jobs). Their report found that many vocational qualifications turn out to be worthless, work-related training is often low quality and schools undervalued the importance of part-time work, after-school clubs and volunteering in building up young people’s skills and experience.