Education company Pearson is launching a Commission on Sustainable Learning for Life, Work and a Changing Economy.
The independent review will look at the future skills needs of the UK and will be led by former Commons Education Select Committee chair Neil Carmichael.
The group will aim to generate “practical solutions” for the sector with an emphasis on vocational and technical education, but the commission will seek to engage with a wide audience.
Mr Carmichael said he was delighted to be leading the commission. “This is a time of huge challenges in education and society,” he added. “To meet those challenges we need the independent expertise of schools, colleges, universities, employers, learners and policymakers to be collated into practical suggestions to aid the government and others in equipping Great Britain for the task ahead.”
‘Critical skills’
Rod Bristow, president of Pearson in the UK said: “This work will build on the publication of Pearson’s recent Future of Skills: employment in 2030 report, which highlights the critical skills citizens will need in the challenging and evolving decades ahead.”
The group will seek evidence, in the form of research and testimony on the following issues:
- Predictions about the future of work and skills, taking into account global and local trends, many of which have been documented in recent industry reports.
- The relationship between academic study and vocational, or career, training.
- The interface between employers/entrepreneurs and educators - establishing the equilibrium between supply and demand for skills.
- The relationship between curriculum design and assessment/awards.
- Routes and signposting in the education for the learner, including lifelong learning.
The commission has made its first call for evidence and will be hosting a public session on “The future of the world of work” on 11 June at London South Bank University, and a second on 21 June at the Festival of Education.
