“...The brain of a professor, the back of an ox”

The government’s relatively recent initiative to restore vocational subjects to the national curriculum appears to have lost its momentum and has been overshadowed by debates on ‘top-up fees’ and ‘work experience for school pupils’. Why not concentrate on giving vocational education the prominence necessary to create a future, competent workforce, a workforce that will fuel and fund its own individual aspirations?

Vocational education must be carefully planned and made available to all pupils according to their aspirations, ability and aptitude and the curriculum/syllabi should be influenced by industry. It should be provided for and housed in secondary schools so that all pupils (not only the less able) will have sight of what industry can offer: “One seeing is worth a thousand tellings.” There will be no need of beacon schools, but instead a need for those with specialist departments where pupils can switch courses to accommodate changes in aspirations. Vocational training should not be denied an ‘academic’ pupil simply because he or she is considered bright. A former pupil of mine was quoted as saying that “a carpenter and joiner must have the brain of a professor and the back of an ox”.

Admission to secondary education should continue to start at 11 years of age. At 13, pupils should be allowed to opt for an academic or vocational route, while still continuing a general education. The vocational route should provide courses to satisfy professional or technical institutions at national standard and operative courses design to satisfy local industry requirement.