In a speech at the Council of Europe standing conference
of ministers of education, Minister Halfon discussed the renewal
of the civic mission of education.
The former US President Theodore Roosevelt once said:
“No nation can be really great unless it is great in peace, in
industry, integrity, honesty. Skilled intelligence in civic
affairs and industrial enterprises alike; the special ability of
the artist, the man of letters, the man of science, and the man
of business; the rigid determination to wrong no man, and to
stand for righteousness-all these are necessary in a great
nation.”
Which is why we are undergoing a skills revolution in our
country. We have been drawing on the best of Europe, including
countries like Germany, Austria and Finland to revitalise our
skills education.
Our aim for this revolution is that through education and reform,
we create a skills ladder of opportunity with social justice at
its heart. The top rung of that ladder is jobs, security and
prosperity.
Apprenticeships are a key rung on the skills ladder of
opportunity.
We have reformed apprenticeships to provide the skills that
learners and businesses need. Over 680 apprenticeship
qualifications have now been carefully re-designed with the
relevant industries, in professions as diverse from aeronautical
to zoology.
We’ve also introduced T Levels for 16-year-olds - a new gold
standard qualification that brings rigorous technical education
to a new generation.
The government is also bringing through rigorous higher technical
qualifications at levels 4 and 5, qualifications which have been
designed by employers.
We are also introducing a lifelong learning entitlement to
education and skills. Individuals will be able to use it to fund
quality courses throughout their working lives. Like getting on
and off a train, learners can alight and board their post-school
education, building qualifications at their own pace.
The entitlement’s positive impact will be greatest for
disadvantaged students, who are less likely to be in sustained
education after 18.
Our recent reforms to higher education ensure that all students
can be confident that they can get the skills they need for jobs
that will benefit them, our workforce and economy.
We have established ground-breaking, tertiary education
institutes of technology (IoTs). These are partnerships between
higher education, further education and employers to provide the
higher technical skills our industry needs.
President Roosevelt had a similar aim to the Council of Europe.
It was a civic mission and it is the reason why all these reforms
are part of my broader focus on ensuring skills are synonymous
with social justice.
