How does England's education and training system
compare with Germany and Ireland’s? Is there too much emphasis in
England on sending young people to university to study for
full-time three-year degrees? Does England’s system lead to a
shortage of people with intermediate
skills?
These are some of the questions
the House of Lords Economic Affairs
Committee will be asking two panels of witnesses
on Tuesday 16 January 2018.
At 3.35pm the Committee will hear from:
-
Dr Robert Hancké, Associate Professor, London
School of Economics
-
Ellen Hazelkorn, Director, Higher Education Policy
Institute.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask them
include:
-
What is the relationship between a country’s
industrial profile and its education system? Does Germany have
a strong technical education system because of its
manufacturing sector or vice-versa?
-
How does England compare to other countries in
terms of provision for lifelong learning?
-
Germany has an independent, overarching body with
responsibility for quality in technical education and
apprenticeships. Apprenticeships in Ireland are overseen by a
national Apprenticeship Council. How does England’s
apprenticeship system compare?
-
Do you think there is too much emphasis in England
on sending young people to university to study for full-time,
three-year degrees?
At 4.35pm the Committee will hear from:
-
Martin Hottass, UK Skills Partner,
Siemens
-
Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director of UK
Business and Chief Technology Officer, BAE
Systems
-
Martin Donelan, Regional HR - UK,
Rolls-Royce.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask them
include:
-
Is the UK producing too many graduates? The
Government Office for Science pointed to evidence that over
half of the UK’s workforce report having skills levels that are
higher than needed to do their current jobs (the second highest
proportion amongst EU countries).
-
A representative of an accountancy firm recently
told the Committee that people who joined the firm from school
at 18 were fully qualified and much more mature and commercial
at the age of 25 then the people who joined the firm as
graduates. How do graduates and apprentices doing similar jobs
compare?
-
Since April 2017 employers with a pay bill of over
£3 million a year have been required to pay the apprenticeship
levy. What is the purpose of an apprenticeship and how well is
the present system is working?
-
Should employers be permitted to spend the levy on
training for existing employees?
This evidence session will start at 3.35pm on
Tuesday 16 January 2018 in Committee Room 1 of the House of
Lords.
