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EDUCATION

Parents have clear views on the education

system, it's time they were heard

Liverpool Life Sciences UTC: 8 out of 10 parents believe UTCs are preparing their child for work

By Charles Parker
7:00AM GMT 29 Oct 2015

Two thirds of parents say they fear their child will not find a job when they
leave education: it's time they played a greater role in engineering solutions

On an almost daily basis we hear from educators, politicians and commentators on

what needs to change in education. But we rarely hear from parents, despite the
fact they have a clear perspective on the outcomes. It’s their children that the
system teaches and they see first hand whether it’s working.

Recent research from the Baker Dearing Educational Trust shows that 80 per cent
of parents think the current education system needs to change to reflect 21st
century Britain, which suggests they have concerns.

The research surveyed 1,000 parents with teenagers at mainstream schools and
their responses were compared with 450 parents whose children attend
University Technical Colleges (UTCs), technical schools for 14-18 year olds.
The results found that for two thirds (66 per cent) of parents their biggest fear is
that their child will not find a job when they leave education and nearly half (48.1
per cent) of parents said they felt stressed about their child's education.

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It is completely understandable that parents are concerned about the future and
whether their children will secure the careers they deserve.

Parents are hearing about high youth unemployment and graduates not being able
to find jobs. Their children are staying at home longer and finding it harder to rent,
let alone buy, their own homes.

"It is completely understandable that parents are concerned about the

future and whether their children will secure the careers they deserve."

However, parents with children at UTCs think differently, 70 per cent believe
theUTC has made their child more confident in getting a job. Three quarters of
UTC parents also believe their child knows what industry they want to work in
compared with just half of parents with children in mainstream school.

Futurist, Rohit Talwar says that youngsters need to be ready to have 40 jobs
during their career and work, potentially, up to the age of 100.

Although no one really knows what’s in store it’s clear that the way we’ve been
working and living is going to change greatly. So for UTC parents it must be
reassuring to know that their child is confident and has a clear understanding of the
industry they want to work in.
UTCs have been operating on a working day since they opened ALAMY

Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of mainstream school parents surveyed said they
wanted a greater variety of choice in the type of school for their child and 69 per
cent said they wanted the option to select a technical education if it reflected their
child’s talents.

It’s really hard for schools to keep pace with the modern world of work, where the
skills requirements are changing all the time. In order to cope with these changes,
young people will need to be well grounded in basic behaviour, social skills,
communication and teamwork. They will need to have the ability to adapt, learn
new skills and master technologies that haven’t even been conceived yet.

Recently, Nicky Morgan showed she had been listening to working parents when
she offered them the right to request childcare from their school that reflects a full
working day.

I agree that it is important that schools align themselves with the working day for
three reasons. First, it helps children in their transition between school and work.
Second, parents will be pleased that children remain in school where they are safe
and supervised to do their homework and extra-curricular activities.

"Schools are working hard to deliver the talent employers need but
employers need to change too."

But finally it makes sense on a social level for everyone’s quality of life. It keeps
learning and homework within the working day rather than dragging into the
evening when parents and children are too tired to concentrate.

UTCs are ahead of the curve on this as they have been operating on a working day
since the first one opened.
 Schools are working hard to deliver the talent employers need but employers need
to change too. They need to take a long-term view of their skills requirements and
integrate better with the education system.

In Europe, collaboration is normal, but in the UK the worlds of education and

employment are largely separate.

Employers and the university control the governing bodies of UTCs. This means
they are required to understand more about education and it helps the senior
leaders of the school to better understand the needs of employers. It’s testing for
both sides, but it seems to be paying off.

The research showed that about eight out of 10 parents believed the UTC was
preparing their child for the world of work compared to just over 6 out of 10 parents
with children at mainstream schools.

The skills challenge we face will not be solved by one single system or education
program. This is not just a problem for the Government, educators or industry. Our
research show parents have clear ideas and should play a larger role in
engineering future solutions.

Charles Parker, CEO Baker Dearing Educational Trust, the charity

responsible for developing University Technical Colleges

telegraph.co.uk

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