Education and the digital age

Discussion continues about the employment implications of Artificial Intelligence and robotics. If there is an emerging consensus, then it’s that there will be continued automation of ‘routine’ work –particularly clerical, administrative and secretarial jobs in offices/banks for example, but that ‘non-routine’ and ‘personalised’ jobs, that are more difficult and more expensive to automate will likely … Continue reading Education and the digital age →

Apprenticeship troubles continue

It’s nine months since the introduction of an employer’s levy – designed to raise an additional £3 million for the apprenticeships programme and help government reach its total of 3 million more apprenticeship starts by 2020. But the apprenticeship levy only applies to large employers with a wage bill of more than £3 million (approximately … Continue reading Apprenticeship troubles continue →

Patrick Ainley – discussion paper on Michael Gove

Revisiting Michael Gove et al’s 2005 pamphlet, DIRECT DEMOCRACY, An Agenda for a New Model Party, this article finds in it the blueprint for power Gove made in campaigning to leave the EU that indicates an unfinished Agenda for English primary and secondary education under ‘hard Brexit’ complementing measures proposed for tertiary education in the … Continue reading Patrick Ainley – discussion paper on Michael Gove →

Wanted: a POST INDUSTRIAL strategy

After last week’s budget, we now get the government’s equally uninspiring ‘industrial strategy’. Based on proposals published in January of this year, the 250 page Building a Britain fit for the future claims to provide ‘a new approach to how government and business can work together’. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s more about the … Continue reading Wanted: a POST INDUSTRIAL strategy →

No budget for the young

With young voters flocking to Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour in the last General Election https://education-economy-society.com/2017/06/20/young-voters-flock-to-labour/ you’d think the Tories would have wanted to use this week’s budget as an opportunity to win back some lost ground. But, as one disaster follows another, May and Hammond are just as desperate to shore up their existing support and so, … Continue reading No budget for the young →

Sanity arrives? Owen Jones in today’s Guardian.

At last! Sanity emerges on the British Left !! 'Now that socialism is re-emerging as a political force that can no longer be ignored or ridiculed, the struggle for more time for leisure, family and relaxation should be linked to broader fights. Increased public ownership of the economy should be structured to create more worker … Continue reading Sanity arrives? Owen Jones in today’s Guardian. →

Education without jobs

Today’s ONS Labour Market Bulletin, provides further data about the changing relationship between young people, education and employment. Even if it’s still much higher than for other age groups, youth unemployment continues to fall. For July to September 2017, joblessness for 16 to 24 year olds was 11.9% ( down from 13.1% a year earlier … Continue reading Education without jobs →

Apprenticeship starts down

Official figures show a 2.7% decline in apprenticeship starts for the period August 2015-2106 compared to the previous year. It’s the fall in participation rates for those under 19 (7%) that is most significant. The number of 19-24-year-old starts have also fallen, while the number of adult starts is narrowly up. More specifically, the number of … Continue reading Apprenticeship starts down →

Labour – past, present and future:

Patrick Ainley and Martin Allen (in the next edition of Post-16 Educator) Labour’s pedagogic project Like other social democratic parties, Labour was established in opposition to revolutionary communist parties. Backed by the trades unions seeking a better deal for their members, it sought to reform society in the interests of working people through governments that … Continue reading Labour – past, present and future: →