SCHOOLS HAVE TO PUT GREATER FOCUS ON VOCATIONAL LEARNING THAT WILL IMPROVE THE ECONOMY, SAYS PLUMBING ENTREPRENEUR

Plumbing entrepreneur Charlie Mullins says vocational qualifications should count towards School League Tables – as long as they are in subjects that will lead to careers that will boost the economy.

The Government has announced, on the recommendations of Professor Alison Wolf’s report into vocational learning, to drop courses like Horse Care and Fish Husbandry from counting towards School League Tables.

The Pimlico Plumbers’ founder, who contributed to the Wolf Report, believes greater focus has to be put into vocational training for traditional trades such as plumbing, building and carpentry that will provide the country with an invaluable skilled workforce in the future.

There is already a skills shortage in the traditional trades and a skilled workforce will also be required to meet the Government’s infrastructure building targets.

Charlie said: “How on earth these people managed to get some of these courses recognised alongside English, Maths and Science as being useful things to teach children is beyond me!

“The very fact that fish breeding and traditional skills like wood and metal working have been conflated into the same category of vocational skills just goes to show how we’ve ended up with poorly skilled young people.

“If schools want to count vocational courses in their league tables they should have to be in the traditional trades that will actually help make an impact on youth unemployment.”

Charlie added: “The vocational education system has become rotten, and so entrenched, that it has taken a huge amount of bravery, firstly from Professor Wolf, and now the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, to attack the system.

“It's like the Emperor's new clothes - we all knew nail technology and salmon mating were no fast-track to a career, but nobody seemed prepared to put their head above the parapet and speak this truth.”

Contact: Karl Plunkett on 07956 555 555 or karl@pimlicoplumbers.com