Abstract
This paper looks at post-16 progression
opportunities for a group of previously
disaffected 14–16-year-old students who
undertook vocational learning in their final
two years at school in the north-west of
England. The paper argues that advanced
forms of vocational learning at key stage 4
are leading to over-skilling and educational
limbo for many young people.
Questionnaire data was obtained from
109 participants in total. These included
16-21-year-olds looking to enter further
education or employment with training
(n=84), 14 vocational learning tutors, and
11 further education teachers. Although
the vocational route can lead to a
nationally recognised qualification, literacy
and numeracy achievements are often
below the expected standard, thus
creating a mismatch in identified abilities.
Due to the current government-enforced
pressure to succeed in English and maths,
a perceived ‘deficiency’ in any of these
areas presents a significant barrier to
progression. The students in this study are
seen to be vocationally over-skilled yet
underachieving in academic areas. As such,
progression routes are severely limited,
resulting in a high number of individuals
dropping out of learning altogether.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 21-45 |
Journal | PRISM |
Volume | 1 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 31 May 2017 |
Publication status | Published - 31 May 2017 |