The government has announced new vocational GCSEs for students, allowing young people to study vocational courses at school. Baker Dearing has issued the following response from CEO Kate Ambrosi.

“We fully welcome the government’s moves towards establishing new technical Level 2 qualifications.

“Putting an end to the youth unemployment crisis will require an ambitious and comprehensive approach. That means improving the technical GCSE offer, opening up many more work experience opportunities, and other measures to create better lines of sight from the classroom to the workplace.

“There needs to be a serious inspection of how we are training and developing specialist teachers; investment in state-of-the-art, industry-standard equipment and facilities; and more work on partnering schools with local employers.

“Today’s announcement shows the government is off to a great start. It is right that the existing GCSEs, particularly technical and vocational ones, are put under review to ensure they are properly preparing young people for apprenticeships and work.

“We look forward to working with the Department for Education to ensure that the review and any subsequent reforms help engage young people in education, improve their skills and knowledge, and progress them to great destinations. But also that the reforms build on the good work that has been done before now and helpful measures already in place.

“Baker Dearing and the University Technical College secondary schools and UTC Sleeves we support are looking forward to sharing with educators, employers and ministers our nearly 20 years’ experience delivering high-quality, employer-led technical education for students.”