Many of you will know that the NCFE is based in the North East and while it hasn’t stopped us delivering great service right across the country it does mean we get to share with you some of the work going on to support the region’s development during these times of austerity. One thing many of our non-North East customers won’t be aware of is a recent report by Lord Adonis, the theme of which is relevant across the UK – let’s get young people “on the road to a job not the dole”.
Lord Adonis' report ‘More and Better Jobs: North East International’ was commissioned by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, following a major review of the North East’s economy. The report follows announcements earlier in the year which revealed that the North East has more than 441,100 people with no qualifications and that the region is facing a Northern “skills drain”. In his report, Lord Adonis places a lot of emphasis on the need for investment in work based training.
It’s great to see how the development of our new range of vocational qualifications responds well to Labour peer Lord Adonis’ plans for investment in work based training. The V Cert Level 2 certificates cover Art and Design, Graphic Design, Interactive Media, Music Technology and Performance Skills and are aimed specifically for your pre 16 pupils. Readers of last month’s newsletter will already know that NCFE is currently piloting the qualifications with a number of schools across England and I’m really encouraged by the positive feedback to date.
Clearly in education, one size does not fit all and for every aspiring doctor, there is a budding musician or photographer. As an educational charity, for us here at NCFE it’s important that we nurture the unique skills of all individuals, equipping them for the career pathways that they wish to pursue. This is particularly relevant in light of recent research which shows that a huge proportion of young people are interested in jobs within the cultural and media sectors. Therefore, creative qualifications are a truly great way to engage and capture the attention of pupils in school.
