The Northern Ireland Assembly - Report on the Inquiry into Education and Training for Industry

Thank you for your submission. We are likely to focus on your ongoing curriculum review, which has as one of its objectives the setting up of a framework for the development of skills with particular reference to vocational education and information and communication technology (ICT). We would like to commend that objective.

1818.

Dr Walker: I would like to introduce my colleagues, Roger McCune, who is responsible for curriculum and qualifications development in the 14 to 19 age range, and Cecil Holmes, who works in Mr McCune's unit, primarily in the areas of vocational qualifications and careers. As head of education services for all the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), my responsibility is in the area of curriculum, examinations and assessment.

1819.

We want to comment on our submission and update you on recent developments in our work and elsewhere that we believe are relevant to your inquiry. Our written submission is divided into two parts. The first part deals with changes that have already taken place, or that will take place shortly, to the curriculum and to qualifications. That reflects the CCEA's role as an advisory body on the curriculum and development and quality assurance of qualifications.

1820.

The second part of the submission refers to the specific role of further education colleges. We have a statutory responsibility to advise on the curriculum for all young people in full-time education until the age of 19, whether they are in schools or in colleges. When we offer advice on matters concerning the 16 to 19 age group, we do so simultaneously to Mr Martin McGuinness and to Dr Seán Farren.

1821.

In 2000 we consulted extensively on the outcomes of the first phase of the curriculum review, which concerned whole-curriculum issues and the aims and values underlying the curriculum. The framework for the curriculum and how it should be constructed was also covered. In the revised curriculum we also wanted to clarify and make explicit issues relating to personal, social and health education, as well as citizenship and employability.

1822.

We gave a clear signal, in the consultations at the end of phase one last year, on the enhanced place of skills and competencies within the curriculum. Our belief is that the curriculum should no longer be regarded as knowledge-led. In that consultation the responses we received were, for the most part, very positive. There was a lot of detailed feedback, and we have been making use of that as we progress the second phase of the review.

1823.

I would like to say something in particular about what we have been doing in relation to 14 to 16 year olds, as that is the age group that this Committee is probably most concerned with. We are almost ready for a second stage of consultation on a more detailed framework for the curriculum for that age group.

1824.

We have with us pre-publication copies of a consultation paper that will be launched next month, which we would be pleased to leave with members of the Committee. We would be grateful if the paper could be regarded as confidential at present, but obviously if members have any comments or queries they would like to take up with us, we will be only too delighted to respond.

1825.

In our view the proposals represent a significant move towards greater flexibility for schools and for individual students. At the core of the proposed framework, we have placed the six key skills of communication, application of numbers, information technology, working with others, managing or learning, and problem solving. We have suggested that those skills should be the statutory minimum entitlement for all young people, along with some aspect of the curriculum that is work related. We emphasise that we intend that to apply to all 14 to 16 year olds.

1826.

We have also emphasised the role of personal development education, including citizenship, and of creativity, as well as science and technology. Together, that group should comprise the statutory entitlement for all 14 to 16 year olds. We have emphasised the value and the role of language learning, but we are not at this stage proposing that it should be compulsory for every pupil. We think that there may be small numbers of pupils for whom, at present, that may not be productive.

1827.

We look forward to the responses we are due to receive to this document in April and May. We will then firm up recommendations to the Ministers at a later stage in the summer.

1828.

I want to say a few words about the changes which took place in the curriculum for 16 to 19 year olds in September 2000 with the introduction of revised GCE A and AS levels, the new advanced subsidiary; the changes to the GNVQ advanced examinations, which now become vocational A levels; and the introduction of the separate key skills qualification. The intention behind those changes was a desire to broaden the curriculum. Students might, for example, take a greater number of the A and AS subjects than they presently do, particularly in the first year. They might take the key skills qualification as a separate qualification, or they might take a mix of academic and vocational qualifications, particularly in the colleges of further education.

1829.

It is still very early days to begin to measure the impact of these changes. However, a monitoring programme has been planned which will look at the impact of those changes later this year. We would like to know to what extent each of the broadening effects has actually materialised and how successful practitioners, and indeed students themselves, believe the changes to be.

1830.

The early indications are of varying experience in schools. Some have introduced a greater measure of change than others, and some have found the changes easier to implement than others. We know that substantial numbers of young people are taking four subjects in the first year of sixth form instead of the more usual three. We are not sure to what extent this represents broadening in that the fourth subject may be a similar subject to the other three. We know that substantial numbers of young people are taking the separate key skills qualification. We are a provider of that qualification, and we have indications from a large number of schools that they will be entering candidates with us. We are not yet aware of the number of pupils who may be mixing academic and vocational qualifications, either in schools or in colleges. We want to find answers to those questions, certainly at the end of the first year as we move into the second year of changes.

1831.

Finally, I want to mention one additional development before Cecil Holmes talks about lifelong learning in colleges of further education, and careers guidance. Two weeks ago, Mr David Blunkett announced the introduction of vocational GCSEs which will be created by remodelling the remaining GNVQ qualifications. We have sent advice on this to the Minister of Education and the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment and we are now awaiting their replies. We see great value in the creation of vocational GCSEs. However, we are concerned at the present timetable which is moving towards an introduction in September 2002. The CCEA has expressed concern to the two Ministers that this timetable may not leave adequate time for the proper development and launching of the new qualifications.

1832.

Mr Holmes: Dr Walker has referred to the CCEA's remit in relation to the curriculum for young people in full-time education up to the age of 19. About 20,000 young people are taking courses in colleges of further and higher education. Following on from Dr Walker's point, it is fair to say that colleges have embraced the changes that were heralded by Curriculum 2000 in September 2000. Colleges have made, and will continue to make, an important contribution to vocational education and training in this community.

1833.

As is stated in our submission, questions have been asked about what the focus of further education ought to be. It is also fair to say that in recent times differential funding and other directives from the Department have attempted to ensure that colleges provide courses more directly related to the economic priorities of Northern Ireland, particularly those identified by 'Strategy 2010'.

1834.

Of course, there are many people in the community who want to update their skills and knowledge or obtain new qualifications. We believe that the concept of lifelong learning is a reality for all of us. Colleges have a very significant role to play in delivering that.

1835.

The move towards unitisation of qualifications, to which Dr Walker referred in his comments, should assist colleges to tailor programmes that suit individuals and small businesses, because they have training needs to which colleges can respond. The Northern Ireland CCEA argues that careers education and guidance is important. Recent reports from the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) have suggested that in some places excellent work is being carried out in schools and colleges. However, some improvement is needed in other areas. As a result of the ETI reports, we had a review of careers education in Northern Ireland that was chaired by Professor Sean Fulton, formerly of Queen's University Belfast. That report will be considered by the two Ministers and we hope that careers provision in Northern Ireland will benefit from it.

1836.

Mr Carrick: In the past, the curriculum has failed to move in tandem with the needs of industry. Unfortunately, that failure has created a gap that we will try to address. Does the Northern Ireland CCEA see any difficulty in attempting to create a curriculum that first, provides for economic needs, and secondly, fulfils its duty in providing general education? Are we in danger of falling between those two stools or will the programme be properly focused so that it will deliver on both objectives?

1837.

Dr Walker: I hope so. I have heard the argument that the present curriculum has not given enough flexibility to schools because it is based primarily on a range of academic subjects and is intended as a common curriculum for all young people. Particularly in Key Stage 4, but also to an extent in lower key stages, our revision of the curriculum is intended to enable schools to better tailor the curriculum to suit the needs of individual pupils. In my introductory remarks I mentioned that we emphasise the place of key skills in the curriculum. We also emphasise employability. I spoke about personal development at Key Stage 4 in citizenship. Employability will be studied in the area of personal development, young people will be taught the skills they need to become good employees or good employers. It will be an important area of the curriculum. I hope that we do not fall between the two stools and that we can move forward with enhanced flexibility that will allow schools to adapt the curriculum to the individual needs of young people.

1838.

Mr Carrick: Is that a radical change to the present system? Is the present system designed to cope with such a radical change?

1839.

Dr Walker: We see the enhanced flexibility opening the potential for change. Schools will be required to undergo a certain amount of change. By providing flexibility we are also enabling them to make changes that they might otherwise have been unable to implement. There is a mixture; the changes in the curriculum will create and require change to some degree, but they will also enable others to make changes. We also see technology having a substantial impact on education over the next number of years. We also see the role of teachers changing over that time. Schools and colleges will be going through a period of considerable change. It will be important that all of us in education services help them make that change successfully.

1840.

Mr Carrick: Teachers will love to hear that. I hear from the teaching profession that they are looking for a period of stability.

1841.

Mr McCune: In relation to Key Stage 4, Mr Holmes and myself undertook a "pre-consultation" exercise before Christmas. We talked to schools, colleges and employers about the proposals that we were formatting. With Key Stage 4, we are taking away what was very much the end of the Northern Ireland curriculum. This is seen to mark the end of compulsory education by taking it into the 14 to 19 year old dimension. That is a big change. Schools responded positively to that change, because it gives them more responsibility. Schools thought responsibility had been taken from them and that they were tied too strongly to a content-led curriculum.

1842.

Mr Holmes: That is one of the fundamental questions that education faces. Dr Walker has stated that our essential responsibility is to provide those broad key and generic skills that enable young people to work in different situations. That is the basis of the skills focus in the curriculum that has been outlined. As employment patterns change, it is difficult to identify future needs. Therefore, we must try to grasp the nettle of giving young people those basic generic skills.

1843.

The CCEA has argued that informed careers guidance must take labour market trends into account so that young people can make informed decisions on the basis of those trends and are not necessarily forced into a particular vocational area. The CCEA works closely with the Northern Ireland Business Education Partnership (NIBEP) and change and development must be based on this kind of partnership.

1844.

The Chairperson: You have mentioned your supervisory role in possible changes to the curriculum and how you envisage changes in the labour market in the future. To what extent do you liaise with the Training and Employment Agency, particularly its skills task force and skills unit?

1845.

Mr Holmes: Throughout our work on careers guidance, we received representation from the Training and Employment Agency, and from our own qualifications committee. It is an important contribution.

1846.

Mr McCune: We have had close links with the Training and Employment Agency on basic skills, with particular importance being focused on the area of adult education.

1847.

Mr Carrick: The results of the skills task force were alarming, revealing that there is a 70% skills shortage in the construction industry.

1848.

Dr Walker: That is a long-term problem.

1849.

Mr McCune: Yes, those are the findings of the report.

1850.

Mrs Carson: In your submission to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), you outlined the importance of young children having the knowledge, skills and attitudes to equip them for work and lifelong learning, which ties in with a change in attitudes from both schools and parents. In what ways could the attitudes of parents be changed?

1851.

Dr Walker: It is difficult for people in education to challenge the parents' attitudes. Influence is the best method, and one of the strongest influences is the ethos of the school itself. It is not simply what is taught in the classroom or the subject matter but the way children are treated and the ethos within the school. That transmits to home and helps to influence parental attitudes. The way in which the school frames and approaches the curriculum plays a part in creating that ethos and helps the relationship between parents and schools.

1852.

Mrs Carson: Do you think that our present education system is failing industry?

1853.

Dr Walker: There is clear evidence from employers that they are not in receipt of the types of skills and attitudes they require from the young people they recruit.

1854.

Mr McCune: I was involved in the consultation that led to Curriculum 2000. Dr Walker has already mentioned the importance of employers, higher education and the wider key skills of managing one's own learning, and all working together to solve problems. Our emphasis is on wider key skills. Mr Holmes was involved in the GNVQ six unit pilot scheme which we were very keen to spread across post-primary schools: grammar schools and secondary schools. In talking about the proposals where we had a graded element and vocational qualifications, we are not saying that those should only be taught in secondary schools.

1855.

We have been pleasantly surprised by the positive attitude from the grammar schools to vocational qualifications. That also challenges parental attitudes because parents tended to view academic qualifications as offering more than vocational ones. The qualifications framework helps because it gives qualifications equal status. It is important that employers respond to that.

1856.

Mr Holmes: The attitudinal change is difficult for society. Mr McCune has mentioned that we have tried to improve the credibility and rigour of assessment in vocational qualifications. It is crucial that the name change to "vocational A levels" emphasises parity of esteem.

1857.

The other issue that concerns us is flexibility at Key Stage 4. Currently some young people have set aside aspects of the statutory curriculum and, as part of their work with a college of further education, are at least beginning to be introduced to NVQ in their programmes. We believe that industry would like more young people with NVQ-type qualifications. Within a credible framework we hope the flexibility of Key Stage 4 will begin to address the needs of industry.

1858.

I would like to finish anecdotally. I have been asked to evaluate a school-to-business programme in north Down. As part of that evaluation I met with two sets of parents, and for the first time those parents fully understood what vocational qualifications are about and the credibility in which they are held. Such small things will contribute to a change of culture and a better understanding among parents.

1859.

Dr Walker: In Northern Ireland there is a prevalent attitude among parents that their children should aim for the professions. Recent statistics show that the largest second-choice subject for pupils applying for medicine at university is not biochemistry or molecular biology but law. The reason is that law, like medicine, is a high-status profession. In that sense, attitudes need to be challenged. We need a broader perspective for our young people.

1860.

Mr Dallat: This is an excellent document, but many of the ideas have been around for a long time. They have never been delivered, though I would suggest that that is not the fault of the CCEA. I refer to lifelong learning, which has been worked on for a long time. The reality is that you are not the engine that will drive the change, and I do not know who is.

1861.

Schools still operate between 9.00am and 3.30pm. The concept of lifelong learning is not a reality in the communities. It was ditched about 12 years ago and has not been mentioned since. Therefore, how do we deliver, or assess, the skills of the quarter of a million people between the ages of 16 and 64 who have serious literacy and numeracy problems? They are equal partners with everybody else in society, but they have been left out of the equation for a variety of reasons.

1862.

Your efforts to promote and broaden personal and social education are highly commendable. It is the best, especially, dare I say it, those issues which directly influence the way we act politically, how we understand our communities and how every individual has an important role to play in improving them. They are all in the document. However, as you have pointed out, it will never constitute more than 10% of the curriculum, and many schools, which are still focused on academia, will never consider it. I suppose that it is a cry for help; it is certainly not a criticism. How can these programmes gain the status they deserve, and how can those people who are out of the loop completely be brought into the equation?

1863.

Dr Walker: I want to say two things briefly, and then Mr McCune may want to comment.

1864.

With regard to adult literacy, Mr McCune mentioned that we have had contact with the basic skills unit, and we discussed how to deliver the basic skills programme, which is aimed at adult literacy and numeracy, in Northern Ireland. We believe that the CCEA would provide the basic skills qualification which will be made available. It will have a specified curriculum and will be delivered through the formal channel of colleges and through voluntary groups who do work on basic literacy and numeracy with adults. The aim is for it to be an incentive and an effective recognition for people who make progress. If they can establish a level of skill in literacy and numeracy, it is hoped that it will provide employers with convincing evidence of their achievement.

1865.

I will turn now to changes in the school curriculum and the emphasis that we want to place on personal development. Over the past few years we have been involved in much research. We were involved in the Northern Ireland Cohort Study, which was an in-depth study of young people's attitudes, particularly as they went through Key Stage 3. It focused on how they reacted to the curriculum and how they perceived what they were taught in school. It was a rich study for findings. It discovered that pupils gave recognition to the association between assessment and importance. In other words, if something is assessed and accredited, then that is what is important.

1866.

Instead of fighting against that, we have to run with it. Therefore, if we want to emphasise the importance of personal development, citizenship and employability et cetera, they must be built into the examination and qualification structure. We hope that that will be the lever to create and drive change.

1867.

Mr McCune: Mr Dallat made a good point. In my view, what we are doing has two tracks. First, there is a hope that changes to the curriculum, if they work, will eventually mean that the current problems are a thing of the past. Secondly, there is a need to address the existing issues.

1868.

Dr Walker mentioned the basic skills and support for those in lifelong learning. For instance, the NICATS development has been referred to. The University for Industry talks about a "bite-sized" area. Support is important. Dr Walker mentioned key skills, and we have been in contact with the basic skills unit. The last thing you want is a test that 60% of people fail. What does that tell somebody, as an adult? Careful support is needed to bring those people back into education. A "get going" attitude can develop, which can be helpful in taking on lifelong learning. There is a big agenda. I hope that with the curriculum in place and the qualifications to support it, we are going to take away the need for that in the longer term.

1869.

Mr Beggs: Returning to vocational training and skills, I support the idea of giving high-fliers a taste of the real world of future employment, and also the many underachievers in schools who are currently switched off. What success have the current pilot schemes had? I understand that they are helping to improve the attitudes and motivation of those whom the school system has been failing.

1870.

What criticisms do you have of the current careers guidance structures? Are you aware of any better models or any ideas that need to be incorporated? That is another key feature in linking the world of employment to training, particularly at school age.

1871.

An IT lecturer told this Committee that his or her child should not take a particular computer course because it was so outdated that it would put them off the subject. When will that be improved? Recently we were told that a popular A level course in design and technology had been removed from the curriculum. What was the reason for that?

1872.

Dr Walker: A few years ago the CCEA was under considerable economic pressure and decided to rationalise the range of subjects that it offered. It did so in the context of a proposed collaboration with one of the large English boards. In the event, that collaboration did not materialise. We have now moved to reinstate a number of the subjects that we had intended to withdraw from, including design and technology.

1873.

As for computer courses being outdated, there is a division between what is taught in schools under the heading of "computer studies", and ICT. Computer studies is a course that is directed at people who may have an interest in working with computers at a later time, for example by undertaking computer science degrees. On the other hand, ICT is a general course aimed at those who want to become users of ICT.

1874.

There is a move towards orientating large numbers of students towards ICT, but a significant number of pupils may still be taught computer science courses that are probably not particularly relevant to them. That is a change that is taking place. We are currently revising GCSE provision for ICT. New specifications are currently being issued.

1875.

Mr McCune: I think that you were referring to the word that schools hate - the "disapplication" that the Department brought in in relation to Key Stage 4. Mr Holmes will probably want to talk about that. He has already said that schools found the framework of Key Stage 4 difficult to work with. One of the measures that the Department of Education has put in place over the past two years, which they call an experiment, is disapplication.

1876.

In other words, schools can submit programmes to them which must include a work-related element. I think that is what you are referring to as very successful. They have been. We have a 14 to 19 year old implementation group which has helped us, particularly with the 16 to 19 Curriculum 2000. Two principals on that group are involved, and they can show results right down to attendance levels, which have risen over the two years from 64% to 91% for one pupil. As Mr Holmes mentioned, that has been down to the practice of spending three days in school, one in the work place and one in the local college. They are looking at ways to refine it further because they think too much is being squeezed into the three days in school, but it has been very successful and motivating.

1877.

Mr Beggs: When might it be widened?

1878.

Mr McCune: The flexibility we are suggesting is more for the benefit of schools, so that they can go on to develop it. Mr Holmes might want to add something to that, because he has been involved in the evaluation and he also mentioned the area of careers.

1879.

Dr Walker: In passing over to him, let me just mention the Key Stage 4 proposals in the sense that, at present, that scheme is operating by disapplication. In other words, you are saying to some people that they are not now required to do what the law requires them to do in terms of the curriculum. An exception is being made in their case. What we hope to do with this is to make it the norm rather than the exception, if this is what schools want to do.

1880.

Mr Holmes: I want to add briefly to what Mr McCune has quite rightly said. A number of experiments are ongoing following the issue of a departmental circular after a recommendation from the CCEA. Quite clearly, attendance and motivation to work in school generally appears to be improving. I looked at examples in Derry and Newry and found it significant that a number of pupils said on their return to school that they must improve their numeracy or they would not be able to work properly on their next day in the work place. Clearly they saw the relevance of that because they were in that kind of context.

1881.

I feel I should add a word of caution. In the experimental period, many of the groups which need that kind of support are working towards different types of qualifications, and in some cases towards NVQ units. They find that extremely helpful. As we review this, the CCEA and the Department will want to make sure that vocational qualifications are not perceived as being for the disaffected only. The CCEA plan to investigate the feasibility or necessity of providing a different kind of occupation-related scheme to meet the need of those pupils to whom you refer, plus others throughout the school, in the context of Key Stage 4.

1882.

You asked about our most up-to-date information on careers guidance. I have referred to the review group. Before we look at too many models it is worth looking at the current position. It would be fair to say that in some people's minds the issue of league or school performance tables meant that careers work and the like did not have the priority that it should have had, and we sympathise with that. That was the case in some schools. We are not making a value judgement about schools or criticising them; that was simply the reality. With the removal of performance tables it may be that other priorities like careers will get the prominence they deserve. However, I have in front of me a report from the DETI on careers work, which we believe covers some of the issues we have to tackle. I will quote one short paragraph: "In a significant minority of schools, the teachers who lead the work of the careers department have specialist qualifications in careers education. The majority of other teachers involved in supporting the work of the schools in careers education do not have a specialist qualification."

1883.

That would not be tenable or tolerable in any other subject area. Therefore, we believe that in the short term there are specific practical issues that can and ought to be addressed sooner rather than later. That is one area of particular concern to us. We have also been told that the Training and Employment Agency complement of careers officers is below the original intended target. I hope that the review will follow through on some of those matters, without breaking any confidence about that review.

1884.

Taking a slightly more long-term perspective in terms of our own curriculum review, we argue that skills of self-management and career-management are an integral part of that curriculum, right through from primary school to the post-primary sector.

1885.

I hope that answers your question, Mr Beggs.

1886.

The Chairperson: This will have to be the final question.

1887.

Ms McWilliams: I am very supportive of the general direction in which you are moving. I was interested in comments about the dual system in Germany being inappropriate because it is too slow to respond to a volatile labour market. It seems that you are trying to suggest a combination, with occasional academic subjects running alongside areas that can respond. There is one aspect that I do not understand because I cannot grasp it as well as the work-related component. While the other four pieces of the statutory entitlement are very clear, are you suggesting that they can make up the work-related component by simply selecting elements from other subjects, or is that an entirely new part of the curriculum? Moreover, did you give some thought to credit accumulation for this new statutory entitlement?

1888.

Mr McCune: At the moment, we set out the work-related element to cover quite a wide spread. For instance, vocational GCSEs, if they commend taking the GNVQ model part one as a Key Stage 4 model, can introduce areas that perhaps have not been able to be taken in the vocational field before, such as leisure and tourism. Furthermore, they will provide schools with an opportunity to look at ways in which they can work with colleges or local industry, in the example I gave of the disapplication. It will be important for us to link up a corresponding qualification that they could take.

1889.

Ms McWilliams: All I am suggesting is that it is much more difficult to assess how that would work.

1890.

Dr Walker: Some pilot work is beginning in areas of employability. We are looking at what is happening with the so-called disapplication scheme to see how that type of scheme can be expanded to include a wider range of pupils. Most pupils currently involved in those projects would be less able than those in secondary schools. Some of the principals involved are concerned that that is the case and would prefer it to be much more widely spread. What we want to do by moving that to the centre of the curriculum, rather than it being on the periphery or even outside it, is to try to ensure that that will be the case.

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