Apprenticeship numbers are falling not rising

 The Guardian  (01/12/14) has carried a story about apprenticeships going to workers over 25 rather than to young people and  claiming that 350 000 of the UK’s 851 000 apprentices are  25+   www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/30/hundreds-thousands-apprentices-in-uk-paid-little-2-73  Although large numbers of  existing employees are still being reclassified as ‘apprentices’ this report is only partially correct. You get a more accurate indication of … Continue reading Apprenticeship numbers are falling not rising →

Patrick Ainley – Contribution to Croydon Assembly

Patrick Ainley . Contribution to Croydon Assembly.  Education Workshop ........... Both Gove and Willis – even though they reportedly hated each other – agreed that too many kids were in academic education, or rather, that too many of the wrong sort of kids had gone to the wrong sort of universities under Blair’s parentally popular policy of … Continue reading Patrick Ainley – Contribution to Croydon Assembly →

Apprenticeships – a jobs and employment problem

Statistics from the Skill Funding Agency show a fall in the number of apprenticeships starts for the twelve months to July 2014 –a total of 423,500 down from 510,000. This is mostly the result of a fall in the number of ‘adult’ (over 25) apprentices and in the practice where employers re-categorise existing workers. There … Continue reading Apprenticeships – a jobs and employment problem →

Now Milburn calls for more apprenticeships

The latest ONS labour market statistics show large falls in youth unemployment –down 89 000 for 16-24 year olds, but still 16% and nearly three times the adult rate (www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/october-2014/statistical-bulletin.html).  The 733 000 unemployed 16-24 year olds include 266 000 full-time students. A more accurate picture is provided by the number of 18-24 year olds … Continue reading Now Milburn calls for more apprenticeships →

Ed Miliband and Apprenticeships

                                      Latest research on apprenticeships  http://radicaledbks.com/  Labour has promised to overhaul apprenticeships –correctly arguing that compared with the demand for them, there has been nowhere near enough and that most have been low level only lasting for a year, often in low paid sectors of the service economy rather than in manufacturing, engineering and construction. Until … Continue reading Ed Miliband and Apprenticeships →

More young people now working. But in what and for what?

The latest labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics for May to September   (www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/september-2014/statistical-bulletin.html)  show significant falls in unemployment amongst 16-24 years – down to 747 000 (16.6%) from 960 000 (12%)  a year ago and from 853 000 over the last quarter. Amongst  those between 18-24 year who are not in full-time … Continue reading More young people now working. But in what and for what? →

Reshuffling education policy: the new vocationalism

 Patrick Ainley  11 September 2014   Open Democracy   https://www.opendemocracy.net/patrick-ainley/reshuffling-education-policy-new-vocationalism A liberal approach in neo-liberal times means learning about work and not just learning to work. Westminster remains stuck in a rut of recycling failed ideas entirely unsuited to its economic model of low wage, low skill work. Earlier this summer education secretary Michael Gove was pushed … Continue reading Reshuffling education policy: the new vocationalism →