70 likes | 150 Views
Centre for Educational Sociology: themes from recent projects David Raffe Cathy Howieson http://www.ces.ed.ac.uk. School-to-work ‘transition systems’. Cross-national comparisons of how national structures shape transitions Context for policy learning
E N D
Centre for Educational Sociology: themes from recent projects David Raffe Cathy Howieson http://www.ces.ed.ac.uk
School-to-work ‘transition systems’ • Cross-national comparisons of how national structures shape transitions • Context for policy learning • Labour market (LM) ‘British’; education and training (ET) ‘Scottish’ • LM: flexible, polarised, weak occupational markets – but variable • ET: strong pull of higher/academic education; uncertain status of vocational ET; work-based v college-based; flexibility (on paper) • Role of colleges • ‘NEET’: low ed participation rather than low employment
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework • Comprehensive framework • 12 levels; credit points; qualifications or units; procedures for ‘credit-rating’ • Not regulatory – ‘communications’ framework – a ‘useful tool’ rather than ‘agent of change’ • Positive impacts: rationalisation/coordination of supply • Other uses, eg credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, guidance, human resources policies – potential greater than actual use • Education v employment
Credit Systems for Lifelong Learning project • Part of 4-country study (D, DK, NL, SCO) of Credit Systems for Lifelong Learning, led by BIBB • Credit arrangements (especially credit transfer) widely seen as a key policy approach for achieving permeability, increasing participation, inclusion, re-training, coherence etc • Scotland perceived as example of ‘good practice’
Credit transfer at three interfaces • General & pre-vocational education to college or work-based VET: limited credit transfer • Within VET: College and work-based Modern Apprenticeships (MAs); between different MAs: limited credit transfer • VET to degree: College sub-degree (HNC/HND) to university degree: main area of transfer but still limits
Issues from the research • System provides (some) permeability without need for formal credit transfer • SCQF but still barriers relating to different types of learning: • Pre-vocational provision -‘employability’ skills v mainstream VET - vocational skills • College-based -voc capability v work-based -occupational competence • Institutional barriers • Individual responsibility and initiative - importance of information, advice and guidance
Longer-term outcomes of provision? • 16+ Learning Choices – ensure offer of a place in post-16 learning (includes employment) • 16+ Learning Choices Data Hub; focus on - analysis to plan provision - identify young people who need support • But no official plans for longitudinal analysis eg previous CES study on Outcomes of Low Attaining Pupils at age 23-24 • Current CES study on use of Data Hub for longitudinal research on individuals’ transitions