Writing in The Leaders Council’s special report on the Skills and Post-16 Education Act, public sector construction procurement and contracts specialist, Adwoa Owusu-Banahene, calls for government, education, employers and other stakeholders to come together and collaborate effectively in order to ensure the Act can be applied to the best possible effect.
Beginning by praising the government’s landmark Lifetime Skills Guarantee, Owusu-Banahene explained that if properly implemented, this development could prove to be a game-changer for social mobility.
She wrote: “If implemented well, this can be a great boost for social mobility and levelling the playing field for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, where financial capital is a constraint, and the privilege of ‘pivoting’ or retraining is simply unaffordable.”
Owusu-Banahene was also hopeful that the will within the Act to ensure employers, education and careers advisors engage young people earlier to raise awareness of alternative pathways to university, such as technical education, could also positively impact those in deprived areas who may not be academically minded.
“The requirement for early engagement with employers and exposure of young people to alternative pathways to universities such as technical education, training and apprenticeships is extremely positive and requires great diligence in implementing and enforcing,” Owusu-Banahene said.
“Exposure to alternative pathways to university must be a priority for providers and it will require due consideration and resource to ensure meaningful delivery and that is reaches the young people that most need it.
“This can also make a huge impact to reducing the cumulative effect of inequalities and disadvantages from birth which becomes exacerbated by secondary education, leading to lack of clarity, direction and decision-making on post-16 options and pathways. Often young people from disadvantaged backgrounds lack the social capital to afford the mentorship needed to make difficult and life-changing decisions at such a young age.
“Innovative and agile implementation strategies that seek to widen participation and increase access for harder to reach groups and ethnic minorities is paramount for levelling-up and addressing the disproportionate devastating impact of Covid-19 on these groups, which will help stimulate economic recovery and growth.”
Summarising the aims of what she hailed a “progressive” Act of Parliament, Owusu-Banahene talked-up the need for an “integrated approach” in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Act’s measures and delivery on its aims.
“The Act is progressive and outlines several positive and transformative priorities that will require an integrated approach for effective implementation and delivery to achieve landmark outcomes and benefits for the people that so much need it.”
The full special report into the impact of the Skills and Post-16 Education Act compiled by The Leaders Council can be found here.
Photo by Yousef Salhamoud on Unsplash
