Time for action: ONLY ONE IN TEN BELIEVE THE MAIN PURPOSE OF A-LEVELS IS TO PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE WORLD OF WORK
Just weeks after Education Secretary Michael Gove revealed that he is planning to hand control of A-Levels to universities in response to fears that they are failing to prepare children for higher education, the so-called “gold standard” qualification has suffered a further blow.
Research by YouGov for Uni’s Not For Me shows that only 10% of adults believe the main purpose of the exam is to prepare young people for the world of work, although according to research from 2011 nearly half of 18-year-olds plan to give both higher education and apprenticeships a miss[1].
Uni’s Not For Me ’s Sixth Sense campaign challenges the Department for Education to overhaul the A-Level system and to acknowledge that thousands of ambitious young people need an A-level syllabus that prepares them for their careers.
Sixth Sense Manifesto:
- That A-Levels (or a new equivalent) should be shaped by the requirements of employers as well as universities.
- That a sixth form education should be a holistic experience preparing young people for the world of work and adulthood, as well as for university.
- That young people should be properly prepared to apply for work and apprenticeships as well as for university.
- That teachers should be allowed to inspire young people to learn, and explore their particular strengths and interests, without always teaching to the test.
- That school league tables should no longer be based purely on academic performance but on a school’s ability to prepare young people to benefit society.
