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:

  1. That A-Levels (or a new equivalent) should be shaped by the requirements of employers as well as universities.
  2. 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.
  3. That young people should be properly prepared to apply for work and apprenticeships as well as for university.
  4. That teachers should be allowed to inspire young people to learn, and explore their particular strengths and interests, without always teaching to the test.
  5. 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.

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