Northern Ireland Assembly Flax Flower Logo

Education Task Force
ETF

Report and Recommendations

Executive Summary of the Recommendations of the ETF
Section 1 A Rationale
Section 2 An Insight
Section 3 The Skills Shortage
Section 4 Competitiveness
Section 5 The Performance of Our Education System
Section 6 Education in the 21 st Century
Section 7 The Need for a Socio-economic Agenda
Section 8 Membership of the ETF
Relevant internet links

Executive Summary of the recommendations of the ETF

1 The ETF believes that education lies at the heart of any new economic regeneration and social inclusion strategy. A changing education environment must reflect a changing world and Northern Ireland’s future generations must be prepared for that world and a new way of working.

2 A long-term political settlement is needed to stimulate the return of talented leavers and to encourage entrepreneurship. We must remove the barriers to economic growth by addressing over-regulation, over-taxation and lack of inward investment. We must improve public sector efficiency and use the proceeds of efficiency to reduce the burden of taxation, and we must invest in vital infrastructure, in particular our transport networks.

3 The ETF earnestly hopes that the new arrangements for transfer of pupils from Primary Schools is fairer and more in keeping with a more flexible curriculum. It should be a fundamental aim that all children should have reached a clearly defined level in functional communication (both oral and written) and in numeracy by the end of their primary education. If they have not, special steps should be taken before they move on to the next stage of education.

4 The ETF welcomes the attempts being made by government to increase the number of vocational subjects on offer at post-16 level. We must invest in the delivery of better basic skills at one end of the system and in fostering intellectual excellence at the other. We must reduce regulation which is hampering such simple activities as science experimentation, thus reducing interest and consequent study of science and technology.

5 The ETF believes that the ‘demand’ which comes from business and industry has not been formalised. There is a need to define meaningful and acceptable qualifications, asking w hat employers want and assuring quality in the qualifications. If there is a perception that the education supply-side delivers with little reference to society's needs, then that perception must be addressed. At the same time the business - demand side must define and articulate its needs and how they will be met.

6 The ETF welcomes the development of school partnerships, breaking down the perceived barriers between schools, and across the education sectors, allowing movement of students between such schools at post-16. The importance of Further Education colleges needs to be recognised, and that such an educational experience is perceived as a more suitable route for many of the students presently being encouraged to go to university.

7 The ETF believes that Northern Ireland lacks a socio-economic agenda and that without an economic vision we cannot determine the skills required for the future. Forward movement in terms of N.I. as a vibrant economic entity will only be achieved by forward thinking and planning and a shared vision between education, industry and commerce, political parties and the general public. Much more information regarding the economic situation in Northern Ireland needs to be made public and debated seriously. Responsible decisions need to be taken locally. A positive vision is needed to retain our young people and to regenerate the whole community.

8 Finally, the ETF recommends the appointment of an advisory body to look in depth at the many interacting problems which it has highlighted and to make recommendations, to develop a vision and a strategy for education-driven economic growth in Northern Ireland. The ETF recommends that the advisory body looks closely at the way in which Finland and other countries have managed to combine excellence in educational performance with world-beating economic performance. The qualifications structure which is developed should be designed specifically for Northern Ireland, while at the same time commanding full acceptance elsewhere.

The ETF believes that the focus of the advisory body should be on encouraging government to support:

Section 1 A Rationale

The Education Task Force, ETF, came about as part of an ongoing review of the Northern Ireland economy. The economy has suffered badly over the last 40 years and education, an intrinsic part of any economy, has been altered by a number of socio-economic factors.

With less Foreign Direct Investment and few international job opportunities, many of our elite students have left the country, never to return. At all education levels, particularly at post-primary level, teachers are reporting emerging difficulties in certain key subjects, as curricular change and the legacy of a culture of competitiveness between schools have confused teachers’ approaches to classroom activities and students’ subject and career choices.

Universities make the observation that many students have poor interpersonal skills, reduced ability in mathematics and science and the overall prognosis for our economy is not as robust as it ought to be. The Education Task Force was convened to debate the state of our education system and to explore ways of improving it for all students.

In its report (2005) the Industrial Task Force, ITF, supported by Engineers Ireland, made reference to the importance of the need for a review of education in Northern Ireland. The ITF made reference to education as follows:

‘We suggested that the public policy agenda for Education at all levels should be more fully and explicitly geared to Invest NI’s programme and to the building of a much stronger industrial base. We are in no doubt that failure to deliver on this agenda could seriously constrain the ability to transform Northern Ireland’s Industrial base. Those responsible for economic transformation can reasonably expect that the education system at all levels will deliver the formation of the human capital needed to achieve that transformation. This is unlikely if it is left to the chance outcome of decisions by thousands of individual students and of programme choices by providers which are not informed by an intimate knowledge of the region’s intended economic destination. There is a clear implication from this that Education must be perceived (and regard itself) as a key economic player and be fully involved in the economic planning process. Machinery to ensure that this happens needs to be in place and the results could usefully be recorded in an appendix to the Corporate Plan and similar documents issued by Invest NI to signal and reflect the essential interlinkage between education and the economic development process. (Para. 37)

There would be many issues to be addressed in such a dialogue. For example, what can be done to halt the decline in the number of students taking mathematics and the sciences, with consequences for university outputs in disciplines essential to the success of the industrial sector? Is there sufficient attention to laboratory work in schools, with access to well-founded laboratories with technician support, so that students get hands-on experience? Has the breadth of education at the secondary level and beyond narrowed to the point where it provides an inadequate basis on which to respond to a world of constant change calling for graduates who can think for themselves and research their subject and reach well-judged conclusions? The Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship is doing good work in fostering entrepreneurship in Higher Education. Can still more be done not only to interest students in new business venturing but also to furnish a proper understanding of the commercial skills needed to make ideas fly in any kind of organisation which has a business dimension? Do we need a tier of higher education akin to the American community colleges? (Para. 38)

Recitation of such issues merely reveals the tip of the iceberg. Unless steps are taken to make the profile of our education system match our economic ambitions, we will inevitably have to settle for less, with consequent detriment to all, including that system itself, which is currently hit by lack of the resources that a more buoyant economy could provide. (Para. 39)

Section 2 An Insight

In May 2006, the ETF invited presentations about the Northern Ireland economy from key stakeholders. The following represents a summary of the insight given to the ETF by representatives of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Global Issues

Despite great political advances, the international investment climate is fearful of global unrest, oil prices and the US budget deficit. These global issues impact on Northern Ireland whereby foreign direct investment (FDI) remains cautious with the initial cost of setting up in Northern Ireland a disincentive. As a result, global economic domination is shifting from the developed to the developing economies such as China and India. Treasury estimates that by 2025, 5 million US & UK jobs will be outsourced and 50% of world exports will come from the developing nations.

Relevant Statistics

Northern Ireland ’s Gross Domestic Product growth levels, at 2%-3%, equal or outperform the United Kingdom mean since the late 1990s. Indeed there have been proportionally fewer job-losses in Northern Ireland than in the UK, employment is at a record high and unemployment is at a 26 year low. Northern Ireland’s GDP growth is the fourth fastest-growing of the 12 UK regions.

However, Northern Ireland ’s apparent strong performance conceals underlying structural weaknesses. There is an over-dependence on public sector employment and an underdeveloped private sector. Indeed, the Northern Ireland public sector equates to 61% of GDP, compared to UK’s 42% and the Republic of Ireland’s 27%. In total, the public sector, retail and hospitality account for 64% of all Northern Ireland jobs. In addition there are l ow levels of business formation and of Research and Development spending. There are high levels of long-term unemployment and uneven sub-regional growth, and the annual subvention from GB is not sustainable.

In the underdeveloped private sector, 89% of local firms employ fewer than ten people and o nly 65 companies employ more than 500 workers . Ten companies account for 50% of all Northern Ireland exports and Northern Ireland has second-lowest level of business formation of the 12 UK regions and the second-lowest level of business growth in the UK.

There are low levels of labour market participation where o ver 530,000 people (41% of the working-age population) are not economically active.

Strengths and weaknesses in the Northern Ireland economy.

Of the twelve economic regions in the United Kingdom, it is reassuring to note that Northern Ireland has the highest p ercentage of school leavers with qualifications and the highest employment growth (1995-2004). However, we have the lowest average earnings, the lowest share of private sector employment, the second lowest percentage of working age with 2+ A-levels, the second lowest business formation rate and the second lowest Gross Value Added per head of population.

Northern Ireland needs new jobs. T o meet the current average UK participation levels by 2015, Northern Ireland must create 68,400 new jobs with 40,400 additional jobs for the growing population. With a further 32,000 jobs predicted to be lost through contraction in manufacturing and agriculture, Northern Ireland needs to create 140,800 new jobs by 2015.

N ew threats are emerging from the Far East and Eastern Europe as l ow-cost, low-tax international competition . The cost of manufacturing in Northern Ireland is high and getting higher .

The need for a new vision

Northern Ireland ’s economic model is unsustainable. We have a negative international image and a massive infrastructure deficit. We have a poor entrepreneurial culture, an unsophisticated private sector and a public sector dominated economy.

The ETF believes that we must remove the barriers to economic growth by addressing over-regulation, over-taxation and lack of inward investment.

We need to support innovation and not put obstacles in the way or stand by and watch as good ideas are lost to other countries for development. We need to reduce bureaucracy. For example, we must relate Health and Safety legislation to common sense and we must ease Employment legislation to encourage small businesses to take on more staff. There has been a huge increase in the amount of legislation which impacts on education and employment. This has resulted in providers, whether teachers or employers, spending more time and money on taking 'defensive' positions in order to keep out of court.  This is a negative use of resources and can be an expensive distraction from the core business.

The ETF believes that we must reduce regulation which is hampering such simple activities as science experimentation, thus reducing interest and consequent study of science and technology. We must improve public sector efficiency and use the proceeds of efficiency to reduce the burden of taxation. We must invest in vital infrastructure, in particular our transport networks.

We have a poor entrepreneurial culture, an unsophisticated private sector and a public sector dominated economy. We require a new vision to address key problems including the history of civil unrest which has undermined economic development and created a negative international image and a massive infrastructure deficit. There is no quick fix for the Northern Ireland economy. The development of a vision and strategic plan to stimulate economic regeneration and social inclusion is essential.

While education in its proper sense is concerned with much more than the needs of the economy, the ETF believes that education lies at the heart of any new economic regeneration and social inclusion strategy. There must bea commitment to ensuring that all school leavers have well-developed oral and written communication skills, competent interpersonal and social skills, and a level of numeracy and IT skills which enable them to engage in continuing learning in the modern world of work. There must be a total commitment from government, business and education towards innovation, productivity and quality excellence.

There is a need for:

Section 3 The skills shortage

In Northern Ireland, one in four adults has a low level of document and prose literacy; one in three workers fails to meet level 2 of the National Qualifications Framework, with 25% having no qualifications; fewer adults participate in learning in Northern Ireland (30%) than any other UK region (UK average =39%) and 75% of Northern Ireland graduates studying outside Northern Ireland do not return

A comparison of our situation with that of our nearest neighbour, the Republic of Ireland reveals that, i n 2003, its public and private sectors spent €1.6bn on workforce training, with 50% of all Irish workers receiving formal training . One-third of all workers and 40% of 25-34 year-olds hold a formal 3 rd level qualification or better.

The Report of the Northern Ireland Skills Monitoring Survey of 2005 i reported that:

‘Employers were invited to specify the single most important reason for the difficulty they experienced in filling their vacancies.

The main reasons are listed in Table 9 in the report. The most frequently mentioned reasons were the lack of skills the company demands (20%) and the low number of people interested in doing the particular type of work (20%).

One in ten employers cited ‘poor attitudes, motivation and personality (sic)’ (12%) as well as a ‘lack of the work experience demanded by the company’ (9%) as the main reasons for difficulty in filling the vacancies. Only 4% of vacancies were difficult to fill as a result of lack of qualifications required for the job.’

However, it was worrying to note that communication skills (37%), team-working skills (24%) and problem solving skills (18%) featured high in the concerns of the authors.

Changing the skills agenda

A key issue in a curriculum skills agenda includes c ommunity engagement. We need to ask w hat business/agencies and communities can do to help education interpret and refine the curriculum so that students have the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship in the classroom. We need to keep a focus on careers education as opportunities become more complex, diverse, and professional.

The point has been made a number of times that the Northern Ireland education system has been very good at supplying what has been demanded of it. It comes top of nearly all conventional assessments of educational success in the UK as described in section 5. This suggests that if the ‘demand-side’ requirements are changed, the education ‘supply-side’ would respond.

There is a need to define meaningful and acceptable qualifications, asking w hat employers want and assuring quality in the qualifications. If there is a perception that the education supply-side delivers with little reference to society's needs, then, in the light of the previous paragraph, that perception must be addressed. At the same time the business - demand side must define its needs and how they will be met.

The ETF believes that the problem is that the ‘demand’ which comes from business and industry has not been formalised, and in any event any attempt to respond to it has not given schools and colleges added credit in Government-led statistical tables or in Higher Education admissions policies. What is needed is that the economic requirements are translated into educational goals, especially for higher achievers, who would receive additional credit for reaching them.

Where business and industry believe that the basic skills e.g. in communication, numeracy or IT are not good enough, even where formal qualifications are held in these areas, they need to be fully involved in the design of courses and assessment regimes. Employers often complain of the lack of skills, but rarely articulate precisely what it is they require. Given the predominance of small and medium enterprises, SMEs, in Northern Ireland, with few spare resources for research and development, let alone educational initiatives, incentives need to be given to such SMEs to become involved.

In summary, neither business nor educationalists alone can create and deliver a s kills agenda for schools that is relevant to life and work. A new agenda for skills and a culture of lifelong learning is essential if Northern Ireland is to create and implement a new and more outward-looking business model . There is a limited window of opportunity to contribute to this agenda of r adical change that will impact on economic regeneration and social i nclusion. Failure to take advantage of the opportunity or to deliver appropriate outputs could have a serious negative impact on the next generations of Northern Ireland workers.

Forward movement in terms of N.I. as a vibrant economic entity will only be achieved by forward thinking and planning and a shared vision between education, industry and commerce, political parties and the general public. Much more information regarding the economic situation in N I. needs to be made public and debated seriously. Responsible decisions need to be taken locally. A positive vision is needed to retain our young people and to regenerate the whole community.

The ETF believes that we urgently need:

Section 4 Competitiveness

The UK Competitiveness Index report of 2005 ii benchmarked the competitiveness of the UK and its regions and localities. The report shows that the competitiveness of the UK economy has weakened since 1997, with a composite competitiveness benchmark of leading nations finding that the UK has slipped from a ranking of 9th position in 1997 to only 17th position by 2004.

Dr Robert Huggins, the report's principal author and a Senior Economist at Sheffield University's Management School, states that 'the competitiveness of the UK economy as a whole has been compromised since 1997 by the continued disparities that exist between the nation's leading and lagging regions'.

The rank of the bottom four regions has remained unchanged from 1997, with Yorkshire and the Humber in 9th position followed in 10th by Northern Ireland 11th Wales and 12th North East England. The report finds that the competitiveness gap between these four regions and the rest of the UK remains 'unacceptably' wide, with the rate of improvement far below that required to ensure the catching-up of these continually lagging regions..

The report found that the continued output growth that the UK has achieved since 1997 has been more than partly due to large increases in public sector employment. It shows that at a national level almost three-quarters (74.5%) of employment growth in the UK between 1997 and 2004 occurred in the public sector. While the UK's public sector grew by 1.4 million employees between 1997 and 2004, there was an increase of only 481,000 private sector jobs during the same period.

The report argued that the UK remains a highly polarised economy that is not keeping pace with changes resulting from the emergence of the global knowledge economy. It finds that at a global level only the regions of London, South East and Eastern England are able to compete effectively with the most competitive regions around the world. It further finds little evidence of the UK becoming a more innovative and knowledge-based economy since 1997, with government R&D expenditure as a proportion of total GDP falling from 0.25% in 1997 to 0.22% in 2002, and the proportion of business expenditure on R&D remaining static at 1.19%. The UK's business start-up rate per 1,000 inhabitants has remained at the same level as in 1997 - 3.2 per 1,000 inhabitants, while self-employment rates actually fell between 1997 and 2003, from 12.9% of all those in employment to 12.6%.

Dr Huggins further states that 'the inability to further develop levels of entrepreneurship and business-building in the UK is a serious barrier that will continue to undermine the economic competitiveness of the nation'.

The ETF firmly believes that, to improve our economic situation, a strong emphasis must be placed on education. We draw attention to the following extract from the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum of 2005-06 iii which placed the UK in 10 th place iv with Finland the highest placed European country.

‘Beyond these institutional factors, many others are also known to play a role in enhancing productivity growth. Education and training are emerging as key drivers of competitiveness. As the global economy has become more complex, it has become evident that to compete and maintain a presence in global markets it is essential to boost the human capital endowments of the labour force, whose members must have access to new knowledge, be constantly trained in new processes and in the operation of the latest technologies. As coverage of primary education has expanded rapidly in the developing world, higher education has gained importance. Thus, countries which have invested heavily in creating a well-developed infrastructure for tertiary education have reaped enormous benefits in terms of growth. Education has been a particularly important driver in the development of the capacity for technological innovation, as the experience of Finland, Korea, Taiwan, and Israel clearly shows.’

Section 5 The Performance of the Northern Ireland Education System

In 2003, the Programme for International Student Assessment v (PISA) carried out an extensive survey in which they tested samples of 15 year old students in countries worldwide. The tests were taken by more than a quarter of a million students, representing about 23 million in the participating countries. The results showed Northern Ireland students in a favourable light.

Out of the forty-three countries in the test, Northern Ireland students were placed 7 th in reading, 9 th in science, and 16 th in maths. Finland was the best placed European country with two 1 st places and one 2 nd place.

Commenting on the Northern Ireland results, the UK National Statistics office vi said that students in Northern Ireland scored significantly higher than average on the mathematical scale, achieving 515 points. Only Finland and Korea did "significantly" better statistically than Northern Ireland in reading - it had 517. Only Finland and Japan did "significantly" better in science than Northern Ireland, which scored 524.

In 2007, the PISA presented its most recent results vii. The report showed that Northern Ireland viii was placed 10 th in science among the fifty-six OECD countries assessed, was placed 19 th in the rankings in mathematics, and 8 th place in reading literacy.

Northern Ireland schools have provided a very high standard of academic education and certainly are among some of the best schools world-wide. The report of the Independent Strategic Review of Education ix has shown (tables 7.3 and 7.4) that schools are consistently performing well, with only 3% of Northern Ireland students completing GCSEs with no qualifications as against 4, 5, and 7% in England, Scotland and Wales respectively. Northern Ireland students are out-performing the other regions at the top end with 61% achieving 5+ GCSEs as against 57, 58, and 52 in England, Scotland and Wales respectively. At A-level 97% of Northern Ireland students in 2005 achieved 2+ A-levels at A-E as against 95 and 94% in England and Wales respectively (Scottish Higher examinations are not comparable). While these figures show a more favourable picture than that presented in the second report of the Select Committee on Public Accounts in 2002 x, the ‘long tail of underachievement’ oft-quoted from that report referred specifically to underperformance in literacy and numeracy and this remains an issue to be urgently addressed, highlighted as recently as November 2006, when the House of Commons Public Accounts committee reported xi that:

‘While Northern Ireland has a high proportion of pupils at the highest levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy, it also has a long tail of children who are not performing well. In order to raise levels of achievement among school children, the Department of Education introduced its Strategy for the Promotion of Literacy and Numeracy in Primary and Secondary Schools (the Strategy) in 1998. Since that time, it has invested £40 million on specific literacy and numeracy programmes, in addition to normal spending on the school curriculum. Improving literacy and numeracy standards in schools continues to be major challenge in Northern Ireland. As recently as 2002, the Department told the Public Accounts Committee at the Northern Ireland Assembly that it was indefensible that around 20% of children left school unable to master the basics of reading and writing.

A framework of Key Stage targets covering expected levels of achievement by the typical pupil was established under the Strategy. Significant numbers of children fail to reach appropriate levels of attainment despite the additional funding. For example, at Key Stage 2 nearly a quarter of children – around 2,000 girls and 3,000 boys – left primary school in 2004-05 with literacy skills below the standard level, while at Key Stage 3, in secondary schools, almost 7,000 of the pupils tested (41%) failed to reach the standard expected of their age.

However, the way schools currently measure success is not a good fit with the current needs of industry. Northern Ireland society needs schools to give a lead in developing the skills and attitudes of the next generation that will contribute to a tolerant, balanced and healthy community. Schools and colleges are the only agencies with the capacity to effect such change.

The ETF feels that we must invest in improved education to deliver both better basic skills at one end of the system and foster intellectual excellence at the other.

Re-culturing the Education System

Over the past decade there has been a welcome strong emphasis in schools in developing classroom activities with a less didactic and a more active approach. There has been a growing emphasis on skill development, particularly in the areas of communication, working in teams with others, and solving problems. The development of emotional intelligence is essential. This includes thinking, innovation and analysis; self-management is essential along with flexibility, independence and interpersonal awareness. Key competencies for achievement include initiative, efficiency and tenacity. Such developments must be encouraged and nurtured throughout the education system.

The ETF welcomes the emphasis on such skill development in the revised Northern Ireland Curriculum xii being developed in our schools through the work of the NI CCEA. Unless such a development is enthusiastically implemented by teachers in the day-to-day classroom situations, we will continue to fail to meet the needs of business and industry. Unless our assessment regime is designed to encourage such activity, there is a danger that many teachers will continue to ‘teach to the test’, and many students will continue to engage in the rote learning of facts. The ETF expresses concern at the current high level of assessment at primary and secondary level. It is felt that this results in a reduction in the time available to develop skills such as communication and team work, or to allow students to carry out practical work.

The ETF earnestly hopes that the arrangements for transfer of pupils from Primary to Post-primary schools will be fairer and more in keeping with a more flexible curriculum. Yet we believe that it should be a fundamental aim that all children should have reached a clearly defined level in functional communication (both oral and written) and in numeracy by the end of their primary education. If they have not, special steps should be taken before they move on to the next stage of education. We need to produce a new generation of articulate young people who are comfortable with language and literary skills. This is essential in a society where communications skills are valued and paramount. This needs to be addressed at primary level and continue through secondary level education. Pupils need to be encouraged to be meta-linguistically as well as scientifically astute.

Northern Ireland society has a negative view of business and vocational qualifications. Societal pressure means that we produce too many doctors, dentists, and accountants, exporting most of them abroad. Becoming a tradesman, a businessman or an entrepreneur is perceived as having a slightly lower social status. We need to re-culture our society so that academic, entrepreneurial and vocational qualifications and careers are perceived as of equal status and value. There is an argument for frank communication with the people of Northern Ireland informing them that the economy is in a serious decline and enlightening them as to why this is so.

With regard to the shortage of technical expertise, it is felt that not enough technicians are being trained, and those which are work at a level lower than in the past. There is a dire shortage of technicians in the construction industry.  Employers are, more and more, employing graduates to carry out work that would have been done previously by those with HND/HNC qualifications.  We are moving into a period of serious shortage of trained people and yet, with a change in careers advice and in educational routes, such a situation could present as a major employment opportunity.

The ETF welcomes the proposals made in the Independent Strategic Review of Education of December 2006 xiii to increase the number of vocational subjects on offer at post-16 level. The ETF welcomes the development of school partnerships in suitable locations in the province, breaking down the perceived barriers between schools, particularly across the sectarian divide, and allowing movement of students between all such schools at post-16. The ETF believes that FE colleges have a pivotal role in providing expertise and resources to facilitate the development of entrepreneurial and vocational courses.

Tackling the crisis

Creating a structure which gives employers and training providers the room to create genuine partnerships opens up the possibility of both widening and deepening the scope of skills education. If we are to reengage those pupils who are not well served by the current educational system, and if we are to serve the needs of business and industry, it is vital that vocational education is no longer perceived as a second best option or no option at all. The issue is not which school children go to, but the quality of the education they receive once they are there. Our children must have the opportunity of accessing the educational experience best suited to their aptitudes and needs.  To achieve this we must have the imagination and the flexibility to challenge the current rigidity and breakdown the barriers between schools, FE & HE by establishing and encouraging school partnerships, with quality assured standards, each school college campus offering a subtly different pathway to success for the students in their partnership. Just as students enrol in a University but attend one or other building on the campus, so schools in a partnership should be perceived as equals. Students of post-16 courses should be able to move freely between partnership schools.

Vocational centres which bridge businesses, colleges and schools should be established with an emphasis on a variety of high quality skills. In this way many more schools, drawing on concentrated resources, will be able to offer the full range of vocational diplomas.

Through partnership between business and providers, schools could be linked to and part-funded by firms with a significant local profile. We should provide more on-the-job vocational education. There should be more work shadowing and more mentoring. Involving the private sector in vocational course design would improve the fit between the supply of vocational education and demand, so encouraging private sector investment. Time will tell how future developments here will progress, however we must ensure that such change is a catalyst for a new style of education for both the traditional academic ‘high achievers’, and those more suited to vocational courses. Reconsideration of choice at post-16 years is of strategic importance. There are alternatives to going to universities and pupils must see these alternatives as equally valid, useful and certainly not inferior to university, particularly in an environment with high student fees.

Section 6 Education in the 21 st Century

The ETF feels that a changing education environment must reflect a changing world and Northern Ireland’s future generations must be prepared for that world and a new way of working.

Success at all stages of education and learning relies totally on the achievement of certain minimum levels of attainment in the basic elements of literacy and numeracy, and the encouragement of a desire to learn and explore. This is pre-eminently the rôle of primary education, and concern was expressed in the group that the funding of primary and pre-school education was inadequate, given its importance in laying essential foundations. It was also wondered whether the obsession in this country of insisting that pupils move to each successive stage of education in accordance with age (and only age) is entirely helpful.

The present transfer system is no longer compatible with modern social or educational requirements. Primary schools experience a distortion of the curriculum in the final years and children and parents are under considerable stress through the process. Children should not feel failures at eleven. The Science side of the new curriculum is designed to encourage children and teachers to consider specific ideas and technology such as the principles behind “lighthouses” or “triangles and structures”, for example. While many adopt an investigative and practical approach, learning scientific concepts by doing, too many schools miss the point and resort to rote learning. In striving for the acquisition of maximum knowledge for ‘the test’, creative approaches have been stifled and creative subjects such as music, art and drama have not recently enjoyed the focus, energy and development that our young people need and deserve. The revised curriculum presents a very positive opportunity to change this and to provide an advanced education system that will benefit individuals and society as a whole.

Education should provide a broad cultural background, recognising that it has to allow for students of widely different abilities, yet provide them with challenging courses. Project work at all levels is vital, but it has to be recognised that there is a problem of ensuring that it is each student’s unaided work. It should not form part of the exam assessment, but be an essential part of a student’s school record.

The ETF recognises and regrets the great decline at A-level in the up-take of such subjects as mathematics and science and foreign languages. The introduction of Double Award Science at GCSE, while ensuring that more students study science, can result in such study being at a less-challenging level. There has been a decline in the numbers studying the pure subjects, biology, chemistry and physics and the long-term consequence of this is that there are now too few specialist teachers in these subjects. Well-educated specialist teachers are essential to provide stimulating, challenging lessons to inspire students.

The importance of well-planned and hands-on laboratory work is essential for students to develop a physical understanding. Well-founded laboratories with technician support are essential.

Health and Safety restrictions, real or imagined, are limiting hands-on experience in laboratories, sports, school trips and even supervision of school playgrounds. This is further encouraged by the litigious world in which we live. We have become excessively protective of our children instead of recognising that children need to be faced with the real world, with all its risks. Urgent action is needed to reduce the negative effect of Health and Safety legislation, while recognising that safety is an important matter.

We need to develop a system which recognises the differing abilities of young people and provide them with well considered and challenging courses, whatever their social background. We should build on the successes of the current system. We should recognise that some students would benefit from a more practically oriented course, not necessarily less rigorous, but with a different emphasis.

Further Education

Government seems always to be fearful of international comparisons. It is felt that these fears were at the root of the policy that 50% of 18 to 30 year olds should go into higher education.We feel that too much political pressure has been applied to encourage school leavers to enter university to follow inappropriate courses. The ETF feels that we need to find a way of crediting post-18 education and training for international comparison purposes without requiring it to be ‘university’ or ‘degree level’. Their mistaken policies have led to far too many people with degrees which are of little value to them, and the dearth of people with ‘technician level’ skills. Engineering firms often only need students who have certificates or diplomas. There are so many graduates nowadays that they are being forced to take employment more appropriately suited to students with certificates and diplomas. Graduates who take these slightly less interesting posts for which they are overqualified become dissatisfied and move on. Technicians too are in short supply. In Northern Ireland only 15 technicians are trained per 100 engineering graduates whereas, in the Republic of Ireland the number of technicians is 78 per hundred engineers. The ETF feels strongly that the importance of Further Education colleges needs to be recognised, and that such an educational experience is perceived as a more suitable route for many of the students presently being encouraged to go to university. The local demand for well trained and more practically inclined personnel such as technicians, nurses, secretaries, computer technicians, etc. should be recognised. We need to encourage the development of partnerships between Further Education and schools, in a model similar to that in the United States and in the Republic of Ireland.A few well-supported Further Education Colleges at the centre of school partnerships should be developed in Northern Ireland, along the lines of the Regional Colleges in the Republic of Ireland.

Thought needs to be given to providing travel support for those remote from the FE colleges. Provision is needed for well founded laboratories/workshops and technical support as well as extensive computer services. This is particularly important as courses in the colleges should provide hands- on training to satisfy the needs of employers. 

University Education:

The ETF questions whether the Government’s drive to achieve a 50% participation in university education can be achieved without a considerable lowering of standards, or if it is even desirable. It should be recognised that society and many of those currently going to university would be better served by alternatively going to a Further Education College.

In engineering, science and other laboratory based subjects there appears to be a decline in laboratory work and the provision of well founded laboratories. Again one of the problems appears to be that there are no rewards for creating innovative and challenging laboratory work. Well-considered and challenging laboratory work is essential to establish physical understanding, and if carried out on modern machines and with modern instrumentation it also provides some opportunities for design input. Engineering, like medicine, is essentially a practical subject, which needs to be integrated with well considered practical industrial training whenever possible.

As with secondary education there is a perception of a great deterioration in standards. Employers are increasingly critical of standards and they do not find it helpful that the universities are unable to give a true assessment of the ability of graduates.

Postgraduate Research:

There is a belief that the standards of the postgraduate research have declined, since it is not always clear how some such students have contributed significantly to new knowledge. Engineers, in particular, should be able to demonstrate the practical relevance of their work.

The ETF strongly believes that education policy must be connected right through from primary to tertiary and to post degree CPD training Science and Maths need to be compulsory to GCSE and science to be continued in some form in post-16 education.There needs to be a Science curriculum review to protect the pedagogies of the individual sciences, biology, chemistry and physics, to ensure less assessment and much more hands on investigative material. There needs to be more project based learning. We must not ‘dumb down’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics programmes in order to attain examination grades. Science and Maths teacher training must be reviewed and incentives provided to train expert teachers in these areas.

There must be a widespread campaign directed at both parents and youth about the benefits of science, technology, engineering and maths.

The ETF points out that, while much emphasis in this report has been placed on the need to enhance vocational education with an emphasis on mathematics, science and technology, it is not intended that this should be done at the expense of education in languages, the arts or the humanities. The group recognises that society should have a rounded education system, as well as one which addresses the needs of the economy, if it is to produce rounded and well-adjusted citizens. Indeed, these two go hand in hand. The creation of a ‘civilised’ society with a rich cultural mix will not come about through the promotion of science and technology alone. On the other hand the luxury of high quality arts, sports and leisure activities is only possible on a wide scale in a country with a strong economic base.

Many of the skills which employers value, such as communication, use of language and team-working will not be developed properly in a ‘content-free’ environment. The stimulus to develop these skills will come from activities and study which engage the interest, imagination and enthusiasm of learners. These may be as diverse as literature, music, drama, politics, modern and ancient civilisations and almost every subject currently to be found in schools and colleges. There needs, however, to be a reciprocal recognition from those working in these areas that, while their study is valuable in itself, at school level it also needs to contribute to the development of those skills which are essential for modern society and which contribute to our standard of living.

Section 7 The need for a Socio-economic agenda

The ETF believes that Northern Ireland lacks a Socio Economic Agenda. Without an Economic Vision we cannot determine the skills required for the future and thus cannot develop an Education Vision.

To illustrate this point with an example from the developing world, Taiwan is driven by its ability to construct electronic devices. All the agencies in Taiwan have constructed a business plan for the next five years. This plan has been agreed by all government agencies working together for the greater good of the country, and there is no doubt that they will achieve their objectives. They have had to remodel the entire education system to meet this requirement. In Northern Ireland we have no such collective commitment.

Better integration of the vertices of the knowledge triangle of research, education and innovation is certainly required. To do this it may be necessary to have a centralized authority tasked with the identification of social and economic challenges. This should be followed up with change partnerships involving teams drawn from research, business and educational environments with a 15-year agenda for change initiation.

The ETF would welcome discussion on a broader front and would see this report as acting as a springboard for further debate and input from other groups and interested parties. Finally, the ETF recommends the appointment of an advisory body to look in depth at the many interacting problems which we have highlighted and to make recommendations, to develop a vision and a strategy for education-driven economic growth in Northern Ireland.

Proposals thereafter need to be presented to government with the utmost urgency.

Section 8 Membership of the ETF

Mr. B. Carlin OBE
Professor R. B. Clarke
Emeritus Professor Sir B. Crossland CBE
Professor A. Fee
Mr. R. Frost
Professor V. Fusco
Professor E. Harkin-Jones
Mrs. D. Hutchieson
Mrs. J. Karney
Dr. A. Lennon
Professor A. Long OBE
Dr. S. J. McGuinness
Dr. G. S. Millington OBE
Dr. W. Mulryne OBE
Mrs. U. O'Kane OBE
Dr. W.J.Skelton,
Mr. W. B. Turtle CBE

i http://www.delni.gov.uk/4334.pdf.

ii http://www.hugginsassociates.com/product_info.php/cPath/22/products_id/48?osCsid=c569fa1488120f632dd6a07292d6d80c

iii http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2006/chapter_1_1.pdf

iv http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2006/top50.pdf

v www.pisa.oecd.org

vi http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_education/NI_FR_text%202003final.doc

vii http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/31/60/33686029.pdf

viii http://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/other-publications/downloadable-reports/student-achievement-in-northern-ireland-pisa.cfm

x http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmpubacc/108/10805.htm

xi http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmpubacc/108/108.pdf

xii http://www.ccea.org.uk/ks3/pdf/book1/bk1sect3.pdf

xiii http://www.deni.gov.uk/review_of_education.pdf