Hull in print

It's 2005. At a school somewhere in Hull, the year 10 engineering class is looking forward to another lesson in aircraft design. Later in the day, they will be visiting the factory where the planes are built, working alongside the highly skilled engineers who actually do the job.

Elsewhere, students are combining geography lessons with a vocational course in tourism, including a placement with a firm of local travel agents. Some have already been offered a job with the company, while others, motivated by the experience, are planning further training at college and university. Sound far fetched? It's already happening.

In 1998, Hull's Local Education Authority, in partnership with key companies in the area, formed the Education Business Forum, with the aim of making the school curriculum more relevant to the world of work. A series of exchanges between education and industry has followed with pupils, teachers and businesses taking part in any number of joint projects - from observing the way English is used in court to designing menus for a local pub chain.

Now, this process of learning enrichment is set to go a stage further. Government proposals to increase the number of 14 to 19 year olds in education have work-based vocational training at their heart. And the role of businesses in Hull's schools is about to expand as never before. "The Government is pushing the idea of vocational subjects, like geography with tourism, as a way of preparing them for the world of work and overcoming the problems of disaffection that prevent many from fulfilling their potential," said deputy director of education Simon Gardner. "Businesses have a very important role to play in this."

The proposals, he said, would 'free up' the post-16 curriculum, showing young people the pathways open to them after they leave school. So how might it work? Lyn Hesketh, the LEA's adviser for technology, explained: "A vocational course could begin at school, college of further education or other training provider up to the age of 16. Then the student could continue studying at college or training provider before going on to university.

"They could follow the programme all the way or choose to opt out part way through. At every stage, there would be relevant, high-quality work placements - not only to make students see the value of their learning but also to put them in the shop window with potential employers." The approach, he said, could also work with subjects traditionally viewed as more academic, such as foreign languages. "There's no point being fluent in a foreign language, if you haven't got a skill which allows you to use it in a job. Many universities now offer French with Law or German with Engineering. There's no reason why we couldn't do that in schools."

From this autumn, a new vocational engineering course being piloted in four Hull schools - St Mary's, Isaac Newton, David Lister and Kelvin Hall - will attempt to put theory into practice. Among the innovations on offer will be lessons run at the same time in all four schools, providing greater scope for joint activities. But many details still have to be worked out, in consultation with headteachers, teachers, parents and businesses, before a vocational work-based curriculum can be offered on a wider scale. One of the most important issues is the way businesses and educational institutions work together.

"Everyone will have heard stories about work experience placements in which the student just spent a fortnight doing the photocopying," said Simon Gardner. "These sort of nightmare scenarios arise because neither the student nor the business know what's expected of them. To get the most out of work placements, both sides need to be properly prepared. "We also need to broaden the network of companies willing to run placements. "If we can get these things right, work-based vocational training should provide a great opportunity to move forward."


< back	top ^