There have never been so many post-16 options available for young people, the education secretary has claimed, even as critics have said the government’s rhetoric about education is yet to be backed with the funding needed to create more opportunities.
Speaking on the eve of students receiving their GCSE results, Gavin Williamson said students should feel proud of their achievements and will now be looking forward to taking their next steps.
“Whatever [post-16] option young people choose, they can do so with the confidence it will give them the skills and knowledge to get on in life,” he said.
Comment: If you want options, they need funding
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Background: Delivering the first T levels - what’s it been like?
However, writing for Tes today, Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at the University of Manchester, considered yesterday’s Level 3 results, and said that when talking about alternatives to the traditional academic route, it was “plain wrong to say that these choices exist in meaningful numbers today“.
He said: “It’s one thing to say you want a more diverse system and fewer people taking the full-time degree route, but it’s another to actually make it happen. Decisions taken about exams in 2020 and 2021 and in the years ahead are already pushing more students towards university degrees.”
Professor Westwood challenged politicians keen on changing the current educational status quo to “put your money where your mouth is”.
This followed calls on Monday from the Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ research director Paul Warner for the government to extend incentives around apprenticeships, specifically targeting them to increase opportunities for young people.
Mr Warren added that programme starts on apprenticeships for 19- to 24-year-olds dropped by a fifth in the first year after the apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, and, with the additional impact of the pandemic, they are now barely half the level that they were in 2016.
