Chief Inspector’s Report 1999-2002
Education and Training Inspectorate
The schools have experienced difficulty in making satisfactory provision for the six key skills of communication, application of number, ICT, working with others, self-management, and problem-solving. There has been a limited take-up of the assessed key skills among those following GCE programmes. Most of those taking vocational programmes have the opportunity to take at least one key skill. The negligible recognition given to these qualifications by Higher Education Institutions has contributed to the key skills being undervalued by pupils.
Emerging factors which include: a growing focus on economic development and employability; an emphasis on lifelong learning, widening participation and developing
essential skills;
The colleges are also offering more flexible provision, and responding increasingly to the needs of the workplace and industry.
Key skills continue to be a major issue: the emphasis remains on meeting the external assessment requirements rather than on improving the students’ competence.
The number who have participated in the “Lecturers into Industry” scheme have benefited significantly from it. There is, however, insufficient use of industrial
placements to update lecturers’ knowledge, skills and understanding of the contemporary requirements of industry.
In general, key skills are not integrated effectively into the vocational training
programmes of the majority of trainees, and do not contribute sufficiently to developing their occupational competence. As a result, the majority of trainees are not well
motivated, and achieve low levels of accreditation in key skills.
The University for Industry (Ufi) was established by government in 1998, and is the largest public-funded, on-line learning service in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to work with private and public partners to improve people’s employability, and organisations’ productivity and competitiveness. Its learn direct centres provide learning opportunities through modular courses, delivered through e-learning with tutor support, in a wide range of vocational subject areas.