Scandal of 400,000 teenagers studying for ‘useless courses’

blueboy43

Plumbers
Chefs
Hairdressers
Electricians
Welders
Beauticians
Sports coaches
Crane operators
Gardeners
etc, etc

Not everyone is academic - but the advantage all the above have is that they can't be replaced by cheap Chinese or Indian labour.

The problem is not the vocations but the fact that they should be more experienced based and less classroom / college based.

Switzerland & Germany seem to do ok, but there they would have a proper 3 year apprenticeship in being a Patissiere or Chocolatiere.

The Daily Mail egged on by the odious Gove would have a fit if a 15 year old opted for something like that.

blueboy43

purch wrote: »

These are the courses being offered as alternatives to traditional academic GCSE subjects to kids it statutory education.

My 13yo (nearly 14) son has just had to make his choices for subjects a GCSE level for the next 2 years.

It is amazing that he could have chosen a course in Outdoor Pursuits which would have led to a BTEC equivalent to 4 GCSE's, or numerous other vocational type courses that would lead (they say) to the equivalent to GCSE's.

This is the problem that needs addressing. If 14 year olds can opt out of academic subjects this early, what hope will they have with a BTEC in Outdoor Pursuits earned by spending 2 years mountain biking and wind surfing ??

If you incentivise schools by league tables, then what do you expect ?

MsHoarder

Also, if someone is kept in school full time by a third of their time being a vocational subject, is it the end of the world if this doesn't lead straight into a job. No GCSEs do that either after all....

grimsalve

ILW wrote: »

Not much though if 50% of people are supposed to be getting them.

Agreed, I think that's part of the problem - higher education has been devalued by making it so financially motivated.

Hermia

blueboy43 wrote: »

Switzerland & Germany seem to do ok, but there they would have a proper 3 year apprenticeship in being a Patissiere or Chocolatiere.

The Daily Mail egged on by the odious Gove would have a fit if a 15 year old opted for something like that.

There is a college near me which offers a catering degree. The Daily Mail wrote an article criticising it. There were a lot of 'jokes' about kids doing a degree in boiling an egg. But, the daft thing is this course had a fantastic reputation within the industry. Almost all of my friend's classmates had secured a job before finishing the course. How many degrees can claim that?! I have two friends who studied archaic subjects at Oxbridge and had trouble getting a job, but the papers never criticise people like them.

Eskimo12345

Most of these courses are a joke, however some of them have their place. My best mate runs part of a local school for kids who are one step away from going to a secure unit. If they took standard GCSE's, they'd finish school with ten fails and an F. By taking alternate courses - not necessarily GCSE's - they can leave school with passes in subjects such as computer literacy. It's better for their self esteem and gives them a higher chance of gaining a job - if they ever choose to work, that is.

So although for most of the population these courses are a waste of time, they do have their place.

ILW

Hermia wrote: »

There is a college near me which offers a catering degree. The Daily Mail wrote an article criticising it. There were a lot of 'jokes' about kids doing a degree in boiling an egg. But, the daft thing is this course had a fantastic reputation within the industry. Almost all of my friend's classmates had secured a job before finishing the course. How many degrees can claim that?! I have two friends who studied archaic subjects at Oxbridge and had trouble getting a job, but the papers never criticise people like them.

Catering colleges used to be a big thing 30 years ago. Most got jobs. Catering is pretty secure employment as cannot be outsourced to low wage countries, and demand will always exist.
Not sure why a degree would be required though.

FTBFun

Hermia wrote: »

There is a college near me which offers a catering degree. The Daily Mail wrote an article criticising it. There were a lot of 'jokes' about kids doing a degree in boiling an egg. But, the daft thing is this course had a fantastic reputation within the industry. Almost all of my friend's classmates had secured a job before finishing the course. How many degrees can claim that?! I have two friends who studied archaic subjects at Oxbridge and had trouble getting a job, but the papers never criticise people like them.

Probably because a fair proportion of journalists studied archaic subjects at Oxbridge!

Seriously, what is the point of a degree in Art History or Classics?

Degenerate

ukcarper wrote: »

How do the people doing the more useful courses fair when they have completed them? A young lad I know did a carpentry course but when it come to getting a work placement at the end of course he couldn’t like the majority on his course.

Aside from those qualifications that are legally required (eg gas, electrical, machine operation), qualifications have never been highly valued in the construction industry. A "qualified" bricklayer/plasterer/carpenter may be totally useless or a good one may have nothing to his name.

leveller2911

Vocational courses will give a young person an insight into industry but that is all it is an insight.We all learned far more from working along side qualified tradesmen from the companies we worked for. The huge problem we now face that we didn't decades ago is that many of those small companies that took on apprentices are no longer trading.

In the construction industry in particular thare are far more sole traders and 1-2 man bands now who haven't got the money or resources to take on youngsters which is a real shame and a huge problem as who will take on thousands who want on-site training?.I can't see a solution coming anytime soon and the reason include the Health and Safety regulations and endless paperwork.I've been self employed for over 20 years and in all that time in my area I've known 1 death and one accident .