Skilled and Ready: what combined authorities want from schools
FORUM - ISSN 0963-8253
Volume 58 Number 2 (2016)
Skilled and Ready: what combined authorities want from schools
RICHARD HATCHER pages 216-232
DOI: 10.15730/forum.2016.58.2.216
Abstract
The purpose of combined authorities, driven by government, is economic growth and public sector reform. Economic growth requires improved productivity. The main obstacle, it is claimed, is a 'skills deficit', which schools need to address. In this article the evidence for this claim is examined. The real problem, it is argued, is a structurally low-skill, low-investment economy. What employers want from 'non-academic' school leavers is basic skills, 'soft skills' and positive attitudes to work. The contradiction with the Government's EBacc-dominated curriculum creates a space for 'employability' programmes in schools which may be promoted by combined authorities.
To cite this article
RICHARD HATCHER (2016) Skilled and Ready: what combined authorities want from schools , FORUM, 58(2), 216-232. https://doi.org/10.15730/forum.2016.58.2.216