On the 23rd November 2021, the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) for Youth Employment held the second meeting regarding the latest inquiry into ‘The Impact of Vocational Qualifications On Young People’s Employability and Labour Market Outcomes’ which is running from October 2021 to January 2022.
Click here to explore what happened in the first meeting. This inquiry seeks to analyse the Government’s proposals to defund most vocational qualifications; the role T Levels, A Levels and apprenticeships will play in post-16 education, training and employment; and the implications this will have on youth labour market outcomes and the future skills needs of the UK economy.
In the second meeting, Noni Csogor – Research and Policy Manager at Sixth Form Colleges Association – gave a further update to Government proposals for post-16 education, mainly the delay in defunding by one year and the removal of English and maths as an exit requirement.
We heard evidence from Martin McLean, Senior Policy Adviser at the National Deaf Children’s Society, who highlighted the challenges that deaf and disabled young people currently face in the education system.
Youth Employment UK Ambassador Ella discussed her experience of undertaking a Level 3 course in Childcare Development. Whilst she appreciated the benefits undertaking a vocational course, she had to retake maths which was difficult for her.
The APPG then hear from panellists:
- Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of the Learning and Work institute,
- Catherine Sezen, Senior Policy Manager at the Association of Colleges,
- Tom Richmond, Director of EDSK,
- Tom Bewick, Chief Executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies.
You can access recording and minutes from the seconding meeting using these links. The APPG for Youth Employment will now take a short break to collate evidence and the inquiry report to be presented to a Minister from the Department for Education.
