Vocational qualifications sky rocket

TdaNews Direct
Published: 24 July, 2008

Vocational qualifications in the UK are sky rocketing, according to figures released this week.

The BBC reports that pressure group Edge has revealed 155,000 vocational qualifications are now being taken in the UK, which is twice the amount in the previous period.

Edge told the BBC that vocational qualifications are a "rapidly growing feature of the school curriculum, particularly among those students aged 14 to 16".

It added: "School centres accounted for at least 155,000 vocationally-related qualifications achieved in 2006-07, nearly double the previous year."

However, the report also claimed that under five per cent of these courses are on offer in schools, with colleges and employers being the main providers of such education.

Instead, the Government has launched its new diploma qualifications, which will begin this September and are aimed at providing students with a balance of academic and practical knowledge.

Professor Michael Arthur, vice-chancellor at Leeds University, says on the official website for these new qualifications: "Studying the diploma will give you skills that are valuable for university and the future."