Written evidence to be reported to the House
Education and Skills Bill
12:00 pm
Susan Anderson: In terms of what is helpful, as you say, we would rather hope that young people would have reached good levels of numeracy and literacy—by good level, I mean equivalent to a C in English and maths. Too many are not achieving that. If some of them can carry on studying English and maths—numeracy and literacy—beyond the age of 16, so that they have a chance to catch up, I think that will be very successful. If we will deliver that result through the new diplomas and through apprenticeships that deliver literacy and numeracy in ways that young people can relate to, because they can understand why these skills are so important in their chosen occupations, then I think that will be very helpful. I think delivering it in that way will engage young people.
Where we get worried is in relation to your remarks about our problems with employers getting involved in policing the system. If we do not have qualifications or training that engages people then, frankly, they will not be interested in turning up at a college. While they will come along with a piece of paper, or will tell you that they are going to the college, the employer is going to be very hesitant about thinking that they will actually be committed to attending the college. There are employers who feel that nothing has changed, who think that the qualifications are no more relevant, who, a year down the road, may have had some experience with young people who arrive with bits of paper saying they are going to college and then it does not happen. Those employers will say, “I have had some experience of this, it didn’t work, and so I have to question the piece of paper because clearly neither it nor the oral commitment to attend could be trusted. I had to go and check that the course and the college existed, and that they had signed up, because experience tells me that I could not trust them”.
I know the Bill says that employers should not have to get involved and that the onus is on the local authority. However, I think employers’ question will be, “Where can you track down this young person?” It is an employment. Is the local authority person checking up on these issues? Where are they likely to find the young person? They are likely to find that if the young person is not at home, he or she will be in employment. Does the employer really want to have the official responsible hanging around the factory gate or invited in at lunch time? I think our members are a bit sceptical that they can divorce themselves as easily as is proposed from any policing that lies with local authorities, but I would certainly be interested in any reassurances you could give us on that front.