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MICHAEL RYAN RAISING QUALITY OF VET IN COOPERATION WITH EMPLOYERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION – ENCOURAGING COOPERATION BETWEEN THE WORLDS OF EDUCATION, TRAINING AND WORK
3. The Need for Career Advice and Guidance The UK must look again at its frameworks whereby career advice and guidance is given, not just to young people, but to workers of all ages. With the huge growth in the cost of UK education, the rapidly changing business world, and the need to review skills constantly, there is a vital need for effective advice, not just at the start of a career, but all through the working life of an individual, if lifelong learning is to be effective. 4. Leadership and Management Skills are vital Without effectively trained managers and business owners, vocational learning cannot work effectively/ If leaders cannot see the benefit of highly-skilled staff, then ultimately both business and employees will suffer. Employers will not be able to engage with learning providers effectively unless they are engaged in learning themselves, in respect of both how learning will impact their organisation, and how learning will make them better leaders and managers. Special help must also be given to smaller companies. to help them make best use of government funding, and build their own skillset, and the skills of their staff. As most research considers the SME one of the key building blocks of future economies, this is a key target for those wishing to embed the culture of lifelong vocational learning.
Bibliography 1. Ananiadou, K., Jenkins, A. and Wolf, A. (2003) The Benefits to Employers of Raising Workforce Basic Skills Levels: A Review of the Literature. National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, London. 2. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Nov 2011) PM: £250m pilot to give employers power over skills training (press release) [online] <http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=422089&NewsA reaID=2>. 3. Fearne, H. (2008). Employers still irked by lack of graduate skills. Times Higher Education Supplement 11th Sept 2008, [online] [Accessed 27 Dec 2011] <http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story. asp?storycode=403506 >. 4. LSC (Learning and Skills Council) (2008) National Employers Skills Survey 2009: Main Report. LSC, Coventry [online] <http://www.wmro. org/resources/res.aspx?p=/CmsResource/resourceFilename/3207/postrecession-west-midlands-key-issues-challenges-full-report.pdf>. 5. Paton, G. & Prince, R. Higher tuition fees but only if you are English, Daily Telegraph (10:11PM GMT 30 Nov 2010) [online] [Accessed 27 Dec 2011] <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/8171825/ Higher-tuition-fees-but-only-if-you-are-English.html>. 6. Shepard, J. (2011) “Student Funding hits Literacy” Guardian, Dec 27th 2011, [online] [Accessed 27 Dec 2011] <http://www.guardian.co.uk/ education/2011/dec/26/schools-funding-cuts-hits-literacy>.