CC welcomes skills strategy report

The Construction Confederation (CC) has welcomed a National Skills Strategy report which urges government to keep under review the prospect of integrating GCSEs, A levels and vocational qualifications within a unified diploma.

The CC had argued that an over-arching diploma would be one of the best ways of ensuring parity between academic and vocational qualifications.

But the recent educational reforms announced in the government response to the Tomlinson Report failed to introduce the concept of a single diploma, despite initially welcoming proposals for a unified framework.

Instead, it announced proposals to introduce a vocational diploma, available in 14 specialised lines, to rationalise the current provision of vocational qualifications.

Now a report by the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee looking into 14-19 education has recommended that the prospect of a unified diploma be kept under review.
 
The CC submitted both written and oral evidence to the committee, with many of the issues and concerns it raised being addressed in the report.

In addition to acknowledging the CC's assertion that literacy and numeracy were key issues for the industry, the committee also takes up the CC's long-term lobbying for improved resources and funding for vocational education.

CC chief executive Stephen Ratcliffe said: "We led a concerted campaign to win parity of status and resources for vocational education and qualifications.

"We have achieved some major strides forward and it is clear from this report, and other recent Government proposals, that the issue is now firmly established as being high on the education
agenda.

"While we are disappointed that the prospect of a single unified qualification has been set aside for the moment, the introduction of specialist diplomas, largely recognising vocational competencies such as construction and the built environment, has been encouraging.

"We will maintain our efforts to work with government and others to influence the content of the new construction diplomas, deliver more apprenticeships and ensure that vocational training receives the funding, resources and esteem it deserves."