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The Prince’s Trust charity has called for ‘better training and support to get young people jobs and avoid mental health problems.’ This follows research from the charity which says that 40% of young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) have experienced mental health problems. The trust says that almost a third of long-term unemployed young people have contemplated taking their own lives and urgent action must be taken to prevent the young jobless becoming the young hopeless.

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GCSEs in England are set to be overhauled, with exams graded from 8 to 1 rather than A* to G. It is proposed that the new-style exams will be brought in from 2015 and will spell the end of continuous assessment with a move towards final exams. Students will face more rigorous content and the format will be similar to O-Levels. The reforms will initially apply to a group of 9 core subjects.

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The Government has announced plans to introduce a Technical Baccalaureate as a 'mark of achievement' for the 50% of school-leavers who don't go on to university. It will consist of 3 strands, including an approved vocational qualification equivalent to Level 3, a core Maths qualification and an 'extended project’ designed to test skills in communication, research and motivation. The Department for Education is currently consulting on the list of vocational qualifications that will qualify for inclusion on the 'Tech Bacc' approved list. These vocational qualifications could be in any sector area from engineering to hairdressing, but will be taught at a level of complexity on a par with A-levels.

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As promised earlier this year, I’m pleased to share with you an update on the V Cert resource pilot project. As mentioned in previous newsletters we're already signing up schools to run these qualifications from September. We’re using the time now to test the qualifications and strengthen our resource and support for schools choosing to run NCFE V Certs.

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By David Grailey Back in December 2011, I told you about our plans to redevelop a selection of vocational qualifications so that they’re in line with the new Department for Education (DfE) criteria. To recap on this, the qualifications we’re redeveloping are:

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A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has highlighted the huge task faced by young unemployed people looking for work and has reinforced the need for rigorous preparation and active job search, in order to be successful. The research was carried out across 3 UK cities, one with a weak supply of jobs, one with a better supply and one in-between. Researchers sent 2,000 job applications from fictional learners with at least 5 good GCSEs and relevant work experience to 667 real vacancies (sales assistants, cleaners, office administrators and kitchen hands).

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This afternoon, Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband spoke at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester to galvanise the party in moving towards the 2015 General Election. The speech was anecdotal in style, looking at his own past as he delivered a speech which praised his teachers, drew on an example of an unemployed woman sending her CV to 137 employers, and set out a policy direction focusing on the Disraeli spirit of ‘one nation’.

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Further education students are being invited to rate their college on a new website, ‘Learner View’, run by education watchdog Ofsted. The questionnaire particularly focuses on how well college courses prepare students for their next steps in work or study. The initiative stems from Ofsted’s Skills for Employment report, which suggested that some college courses aren’t challenging enough and are too focused on the achievement of qualifications rather than providing learners with job specific skills.

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GCSEs are set to be replaced by an English baccalaureate certificate from September 2015, it was announced yesterday. The key reforms include the scrapping of modular exams in favour of a final 'tougher' exam, with pupils no longer be able to re-sit to improve their grades. It is expected that only 10% of pupils will achieve a Grade 1 with the new system, compared with the third who are currently awarded an A or A*. There will also be only one awarding body per subject area.

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The government has responded to the findings of the Holt Review with new measures to help small businesses take on apprentices. Jeweller and social entrepreneur, Jason Holt, recognised in his report that apprenticeships offer significant growth opportunities for businesses yet only a small minority of SMEs currently employ apprentices.

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Blog posts for tag:qualifications

Preventing the young jobless becoming the young hopeless

New-look GCSEs unveiled

'Tech Bacc' announced to boost status of vocational courses

Feedback from V Cert resource pilot project by David Grailey, Chief Executive

Vocational qualifications for schools

Looking for a job – a job in itself?

What came out of Ed Miliband’s keynote address?

Students to rate colleges online

The biggest overhaul of exams in a generation: what do you think?

Government responds to Holt’s Apprenticeship Review

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

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Blog posts for tag:qualifications

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Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

Categories

Archive