Expert heads vocational review

Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced a major independent review of vocational education for 14- to 19-year-olds, to be led by Alison Wolf, Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management, Department of Management, King's College London. Mr Gove said that for too long vocational qualifications had not been properly valued and that a gap had been left in the country's skills base as a result. Professor Wolf will look at the organisation of vocational education and its responsiveness to a changing labour market, and will consider ways to increase incentives for young people to participate. The review will also take explicit account of good practice in a selection of developed economies. Professor Wolf will examine: - institutional arrangements - funding mechanisms including arrangements for who bears the cost of qualifications - progression from vocational education to work, higher education and higher level training - the role of the third sector, private providers, employers and awarding bodies. She is due to submit a final report in spring 2011, which will include recommendations on how vocational education can be improved. Michael Gove, who announced the review in a speech to the independent education foundation Edge today, said: 'For many years our education system has failed properly to value practical education, choosing to give far greater emphasis to purely academic achievements.