Progress, unionlearn and City and Guilds

Monday 26 September - Labour Conference

Progress, unionlearn and City and Guilds

Unleashing talent: are workplace skills the key to success in the new economy?

Speakers:

Gordon Marsden (shadow minister for skills)

Maurice Glasman (Blue labour)

Tom Wilson (unionlearn)

Kate Shoesmith (City and Guilds)

Speakers all saw the enhancement of workplace skills ie appropriate accreditation, qualifications and training as essential to a 21st strong economy. The debate centred around the way to bridge the by now legendary academic and vocational divide – the only way to raise the standing of vocational education and training. There was agreement about a licence to practise becoming the norm for vocational areas (including teaching and training as this would put real emphasis on those who deliver workplace skills and the design of appropriate curricula. There was more disagreement about where these skills should take place: should some universities be forced to become vocational centres of learning or should it be the developing UTCs (University Technical Colleges)? One consensus seemed to be a clarity about what ‘vocational’ actually means: is this just hairdressing, plumbing etc or should it include the law, accountancy, medicine.