EPI response to Secretary of State announcement on technical education

In a speech this morning the Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds, set out new reforms to technical qualifications, which aim improve the status of non-academic pathways, and boost UK skills and productivity.  
 

Responding to the new measures outlined by the Secretary of State, David Robinson, Director of Post-16 and Skills at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said:    
 

“Our research confirms that England suffers from an overemphasis on bachelor's degree level study, and we welcome the government’s renewed focus on higher level technical qualifications, which have long been undervalued. Giving employers a greater role in the development of these qualifications will help ensure that young people gain the specialist skills to meet the needs of the labour market both now and in the future.

“The government is also right to broaden the way that it measures the destinations of school leavers, to consider the level, rather than just the type of institution, that young people go on to study at. It should go further by developing these measures to also take into account the ability of each school’s intake, so that meaningful comparisons can be made between schools.”