1. Edge Research Conference 14 th November 2014 #EdgeResearchConference

2. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: Lynn Gambin & Terence Hogarth Presentation to Edge Research Conference 14 November 2014 Birmingham NEC Evidence of what works and for whom and how new research can complement what is already known

3. Outline Why consider the returns? What we know - current estimates What we don’t know – limitations How can we know more? – Ongoing research in this area – Potential longitudinal study

4. Why consider the returns? Substantial policy emphasis on labour market information to enable young people to make informed decisions about the courses and programmes, and ultimately jobs/occupations, to pursue. Also, estimates of returns to different forms of learning and qualifications needed to: help inform learner choices indicate ‘value for money’ for public investment show value to employers and increase engagement There is an enormous volume of research which has adopted differing methodologies to understanding the returns to VET.

5. What we know – Current estimates (1|3) Substantial body of research estimating private returns to Higher Education. Based on range of methodologies and types of data. The research base on FE and Skills is less extensive than for HE but is growing, particularly in the UK and Europe where there is increasing policy emphasis on alternatives to HE, including Apprenticeships and VET and given economic downturn and youth unemployment. Common findings on returns to education/qualifications in general: Higher levels of skills/education/qualification associated with higher wages, greater probability of employment, other benefits Differences by sector and occupation Differences too between academic and vocational qualifications

6. Current estimates (2|3) Positive returns to qualifications in aggregate but has been found that vocational qualifications do not accrue the same returns, even at the same levels, as academic (not universal result) Often cited result that Level 1 and Level 2 vocational qualifications generate a negative return to individuals. Reasons underlying this are not fully understood. McIntosh (2009) highlighted variations due to age at time of study, route to qualification, ability, and sector and occupation of employment. Comparing results from LFS to results based on matched administrative data, similar patterns across different qualification except Level 2 NVQs: LFS estimates show negligible wage effects; admin show significant labour returns.

7. Current estimates (3|3) Many examples of relatively successful outcomes resulting from young people taking the vocational pathway through FE. Series of studies have revealed relatively high employment and wage returns which accrue to young people who have completed, for example, an Advanced Apprenticeship. Other research has revealed the value employers place upon programmes and their preference for young job applicants to be job- ready and in possession of various practical skills. Similar findings from Germany and the Netherlands, but there the vocational stream is more highly regarded by employers, young people and their parents than in the UK.

8. What we don’t know – limitations of current evidence Difficulty: successful outcomes are lost within a system with multitude of programmes on offer - all of which do not obviously lead to positive outcomes for learners nor for employers. And different methodological approaches and data can make it more difficult to interpret results that are available.

9. What we don’t know – limitations of current evidence But what isn’t known – or at least not fully – includes: Detailed differences Comparing like with like or irrelevant comparisons? Difficult to know likely alternatives Lifetime / longer-term returns Changes in return due to changing rates and nature of participation in full-time education Other possible influences on different outcomes for different people: The quality or type of provision (provider effects) - do some providers offer something better or more relevant for employers which thus attracts higher returns? Does the completion of any qualification confer new/improved skills or does it just signal something to prospective employers? Other skills and knowledge about work

10. How can we know more?

11. Ongoing research in the area (1|2) Increasing use of administrative data to explore and estimate various outcomes for individuals who go through FE system. This data can potentially produce a nearly comprehensive picture of an individual’s journey through school, FE and/or HE, and the labour market, but it is likely to be a while before analysis of these databases provides definitive results. In the long-run, linked administrative databases will be able to produce a definitive assessment of the returns (for outcomes: wages, employment, and benefits) to studying a given course. Employment and wage returns from this data are being published by subject and various other dimensions and the use of this data in research is increasing.

12. One of the main limitations of administrative data is the lack of information on individuals’ attitudes, decision making process and more subjective outcome measures (e.g. work/life satisfaction, self-assessed health/well-being, etc). Hence the need for additional data collection which could provide, amongst other things, information on the following: The individual’s decision making process and underlying motivations for studying a particular course/programme in FE; The learner’s experience of FE (the best and worst aspects and how this affected progress); What assistance learners received in entering the labour market; The individual’s labour market experience in the first five or so years after leaving FE. Ongoing research in the area (2|2)

13. Potential longitudinal study (1|2) In 2014, the Edge Foundation commissioned the University of Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER) to consider the feasibility of conducting a longitudinal study of young people embarking on the vocational pathway through the further education and skills system and then into the labour market. IER had carried out longitudinal study of HE learners (Futuretrack) Study aim: to identify where substantial gaps remain in our collective understanding of what works best in relation to the further education VET system in England, and how this might be addressed through the commissioning of a new longitudinal study. Involved: literature review, data analysis and consultation with stakeholders, academics, policymakers, educators, learners, etc.

14. Potential longitudinal study (2|2) Specific considerations: identification of the courses/subjects/mode of study which could form the focus of the study; nature of the comparisons which the study needs to make; the broad content of any questionnaire administered to respondents; identification of a sampling frame to survey young people; ease of access to any sampling frame; the mechanics of surveying young people (for example, how would they be surveyed – by phone, email, other electronic media, etc.); structure of study over time (frequency and periodicity); complementarities with analysis of other datasets, such as the linked administrative databases mentioned above; support for a tracking study.

15. Potential longitudinal study - design A mixed methods, pragmatic approach navigate around the various barriers to tracking people through FE and into the labour market; concentrate effort on a limited number of FE providers and use this as the point of access to engage with learners. could intensively track students through their final year in FE, and then for around three to five years once they are in the labour market. mix of group interviewing and surveying could be used to gather information from them. select on the basis of colleges and the various demographic, regional and course-related characteristics deemed most important to achieve representativeness or appropriate targeting. Disadvantage that it may not be entirely representative, but a study like this would: be manageable and financially feasible; provide findings for a breadth of courses; and present some robust estimates due to ability to track.

16. Further Information Lynn.Gambin@warwick.ac.uk IER research on Apprenticeships, VET, skills and training: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/research/apprentic eships-training

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18. Strategies to improve the quality of Initial Teacher Education: How can we equip practitioners to actively embed technology in an evolving culture of blended learning?

19. The research Conducted from January to July 2014 involving 575 practitioners and learning technology managers in the FE and Skills sector

20. The sample and methodology 575 trainee and recently qualified practitioners from: 12 FE Colleges 3 Sixth Form colleges 3 County Councils 3 independent schools or colleges As well as practitioners working in public and uniformed services, secure estates, higher education and in Adult and Community Learning were invited to take part an online survey and focus groups. 200 Learning Technology managers working in FE and Sixth Form colleges and Adult and Community Learning were invited to take part in an online survey and 1-1 interviews.

21. The prompting question If the FELTAG recommendations of 50% online delivery for funded courses by 2017-18 are to become a reality, what does this mean for the sector in terms of leadership and staff development now?

22. The good news Practitioners told us – and managers concur – that they are ‘tech-curious’; only 25% did not see technological fluency as being a vital part of their expertise as a practitioner Lecturers, trainers and tutors already use a wide range of technologies away from work and are keen to extend this use in learning delivery They see digital literacy and the ability to leverage technology as vital skills in today’s workplace and are keen to help their learners develop in these areas.

23. What stops practitioners from using technology more widely? Concerns that some of their learners will be excluded by blended delivery Worries that they will not be able to motivate, challenge and support learners Insufficient access to experiment with technology in order to become fluent Lack of time to produce tailored online materials and resources Teacher education takes an unwelcome ‘tools-focussed’ approach; trainees want input on developing and adapting their pedagogy – what will their sessions ‘look’ like when translated to a blended model?

24. Conclusions and recommendations Initial Teacher Education faces significant technology skills development challenges due to the diversity of digital literacy of its students on entry There are widely diverse levels of risk aversion, self-confidence, subject- specialist knowledge and conventional teaching experience within each group Assumptions are made that new entrants to the sector from industry will have higher levels of digital literacy than many of them actually possess. A robust system to diagnose digital literacy and learning technology skills levels on entry to ITE is urgently required to provide differentiated support and allow skills development planning.

25. Conclusions and recommendations The current ITE curriculum is no longer fit for purpose with respect to learning technology; We must shift the focus from technology to learning to take a holistic approach prizing pedagogical development with frequent examples of contextualised implementation. Students wish to experience embedded, blended learning from a learner’s perspective before being asked to implement this in their own practice. A learning technology module, delivered using a blended approach should be introduced to ITE, allowing delivery teams to model tools and strategies while delivering an underpinning knowledge of pedagogy. This should be backed by each ITE student being allocated a ‘technology mentor’ for the duration of their course.

26. Conclusions and recommendations Practitioners need to have digitally literate role models and see technology use as an embedded, everyday part of their practice They need to be actively encouraged to experiment to develop their skills by ‘playing’ and taking risks, knowing they will be supported in doing so Senior leaders are important role models and need to advocate and model fluent technology use to their staff At present, fluent learning technology use at governor, principal and senior leadership level can be the exception rather than the rule in some organisations. Senior managers and inspectors need to be informed users of learning technology so they will be aware of the challenges facing practitioners and learners in the sector. They should model and advocate technology use.

27. Conclusions and recommendations Organisations need to encourage more planned and extensive collaboration between learning technology support staff and senior management, practitioners and teacher educators. The significant experience in ILT support teams is not always put to best use. There should be more coherent collaboration between these teams, senior managers and faculty in planned programmes to develop skills at all levels of each organisation An ‘ILT governor’ presence in each organisation may facilitate this.

28. Read the research etfresearch.pbworks.com

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30. Building and sustaining partnership cultures in vocational pedagogy: practice, theory, leadership and community Julie Hughes, Dr Matt O’Leary & Dr Rob Smith Centre for Research and Development in Lifelong Education (CRADLE) University of Wolverhampton

31. The It’s about work… – the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning (2013) 4 characteristics – inc. a clear line of sight to work & dual professionalism (we would replace this with a model of professionalism that acknowledges wider aspects of identity – including experience, gender, race, social class etc.) 8 distinctive features – inc. combo of theory and practice & critical reflection, & contextualisation within a CoP. The Policy Context

32. and 4 enabling factors: genuine collaboration employers / colleges 10 recommendations: develop the role of technology in VET, specialist English and Maths input. 26 So 26 things in total to look at…..

33. Other reports Insert ipad photo of the reading matter

34. The four strands of the project One: the devt of teaching and learning in vocational subject specialisms through Two: the development of our existing curriculum for teacher education – with input from subj specialists. Three: Research – our gathering of data: the issues, the stories and the experiences around what it is like to be a vocational teacher in FE. Mixed live methods approach. Four: continuing prof devt – leading towards an input into teacher education programmes as subject specialists

35. Some of the initial findings Employer links: many vocational tutors (some p-t) keep one foot in business outside college. FE work retreated to during difficult economic times Care: not therapeutic but contextual to FE student body Inspiration: the first ten minutes Role-modelling – bringing self into teaching Authentic activity: real building, real journalism, real retail. Ownership. Freedom to innovate Problems: 16-19 study programme Eng & Maths entitlement – guess who’s teaching it!

36. The Power of CoPs: Sharing subject specialist knowledge and practice across colleges

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