From school work to real work - University Technical Colleges [PDF]

From school work to real work How education fails students in the real world

Report by Baker Dearing Educational Trust the promoter of University Technical Colleges February 2017

Foreword

Acknowledgements Baker Dearing Educational Trust would like to thank the contributors to the report for their help and support with our research: Adam Sullivan, Apprentice Electrical Engineer, Atkins Global Ash Merchant, Education Director, Technology Products Group, Fujitsu UK and Ireland José Lopes, Head of Technical Excellence, Jaguar Land Rover Ian Iceton, Group HR Director, Network Rail Greg Smith, Network Security Engineer, Phoenix Data Joanne Harper, Principal, UTC Reading We are also grateful to Olly Newton, Director of Research, Edge Foundation who advised on the research, to Harriet Minter freelance writer and Duncan Brown, Economist and Senior Consultant, Emsi who undertook the research, and to Sir John Holman, Adviser in Education, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, for providing the foreword.

Contents Foreword..........................................................................1 Executive summary........................................................2 The STEM imperative.....................................................3 Workplaces and schools: worlds apart........................7 If I had my time again: looking back on school from a STEM career....................................10

During my time as a science teacher and Headteacher, high attainment for my students was a prime concern. As an educator, I wanted to ensure that my students achieved the level of scientific knowledge and skills required to proceed to their choice of further study or employment. Since my time in the classroom, attainment has continued to dominate analysis of the quality of our nation’s educational provision. Indeed, the latest PISA results are encouraging, with the UK being one of only seven countries that rate highly in science achievement, scientific thinking and interest in a science career. At a time when we’re worried about where science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills are going to come from post-Brexit, that’s important. However, as this report rightly suggests, scientific knowledge and interest in a scientific career are not enough on their own to address our growing STEM skills gap. Young people need to have a realistic sense of how STEM skills and knowledge are applied in the workplace if they are to thrive in a STEM occupation and build a successful career. This important report lays bare the gap between what schools tell young people about the world of work and their experience of it. This has long been my sense and is why I worked with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation on an international study to unpick what good career guidance looks like. What emerged time and again was that work experience in one company is not enough. Young people need the breadth of multiple encounters with employers and employees, to complement the deeper immersion of work experience. The University Technical College model is exemplary in providing this combination. This report is important reading for anyone interested in how meaningful experiences of workplaces, combined with a rounded and relevant STEM education, can open doors to a career that is rich in every sense.

Taking the leap: from school and into work...............12 Conclusion....................................................................14 Methodology.................................................................16 Appendix: Information about University Technical Colleges....................................................................17

1

Sir John Holman Adviser in Education, Gatsby Charitable Foundation

Executive summary

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, known as STEM, are a critical factor in future economic growth. Be it biotechnology or big data, innovation depends on having workers at different skill levels who can solve complex, applied problems. With immigration likely to fall in future after Brexit, it becomes all the more crucial to ensure a sufficient supply of STEM skills coming from our schools, colleges and universities. This report is not concerned with exams. It focuses on how well schools and educators are doing in helping students to develop the technical skills needed for successful careers. We surveyed STEM workers aged under 35 years to understand how they had made the journey from school to work, exploring not only their experience of education but also the support they had in making career decisions and getting their first jobs. We think their experiences have much to tell those of us working in education and careers advice about what we can do to create pathways to a successful STEM career – and about how well we have performed to date.

Two-thirds feel that they made choices about subjects without fully understanding the implications of their choices on their future careers.

survey said they had been unsure whether employers would value a technical education over an academic one. Furthermore, when it came to whether school had equipped them for the world of work, 61 per cent felt that technical skills would have been more advantageous than academic skills and nearly half felt the skills they learned at school were “useless” in the world of work. As well as surveying young STEM workers we also interviewed a number of employers to get their reaction to the survey findings. Interestingly, their experience of recruiting tells the same story: young people need a lot of investment to become job-ready and fully productive. Anything that schools can do to help young people be better prepared for work can therefore offer rich rewards for employers as well as students. An important message from employers was that knowledge alone is not enough in the workplace. The skills and judgement needed to apply knowledge matter as much as the knowledge itself. University Technical Colleges (UTCs) have been set up to help address the issues highlighted in this report. They have developed a new model for technical schooling which is based on the close involvement of employers. The routes students take when they leave UTCs suggest the model is working. UTC leavers are more likely than average to get an apprenticeship or take up a university place and, of those leaving in 2016, only five were not in employment, education or training2. Given the broad nature of the challenge in bridging the gap between education and work, there is much that other schools could learn from the UTC model of employer engagement.

The young STEM workers who took part in the survey were often students who enjoyed school but, looking back, recognised that it had not effectively prepared them for their career in STEM. The majority of young STEM workers surveyed found school too remote from the realities of working life. Many recall feeling disengaged because of the lack of connection between key skills like maths, English and computer science and their very real applications in the workplace. Two-thirds feel that they made choices about subjects without fully understanding the implications of their choices on their future careers. Most young STEM workers involved in the survey want to see schools engaging more directly with the world of work. Contact with business can improve and refresh teachers’ knowledge and, in turn, provide opportunities for students to stimulate their interest in different careers1. STEM requires a wide range of technical skills but, despite this, the young STEM workers involved in the

61 per cent felt that technical skills would have been more advantageous than academic skills

1. Evaluation of a recent UK industry placement supports this view, with participating teachers feeling more confident in their knowledge of engineering subjects and career prospects. S King (2015). Teacher Industrial Partners Scheme. Evaluation full report. York: National Science Learning Centre 2. Data collected by Baker Dearing Educational Trust in Sept and Oct 2016 from Y13 students who left 25 UTCs in July 2016. Information was received from 1292 students. 34 students were uncontactable and are not included in the figures.

Executive summary

2

The STEM imperative

Research shows that jobs in the STEM sector are almost twice as likely as the national average to be left unfilled, due to a lack of suitably qualified staff.

STEM skills are critical to the future growth of the economy. New technologies which drive economic growth take many forms but, whether it is unleashing big data, developing robotics to transform the way goods and services are produced, or bringing the latest science to medicine, workers with advanced STEM skills are required. That importance is reflected in the growth of STEM jobs over the past decade and their future predicted growth. From 2003 to 2015, STEM employment has grown by an estimated 14.6 per cent, compared with 8.8 per cent for the rest of the workforce, adding 310,000 jobs in the process. By 2022, projections are for a further 5.4 per cent growth, creating a further 130,000 additional jobs. That pattern of growth is reflected across the different types of STEM job role, as demonstrated in Figure 1.

Research shows that jobs in the STEM sector are almost twice as likely as the national average to be left unfilled, due to a lack of suitably qualified staff. 3 In a survey of senior managers, 59 per cent said that they could not get enough STEM graduates. The same survey reported similar results about the scarcity of STEM graduates being a key issue for STEM employers (53 per cent) but lack of collaboration and investment in STEM education both came close behind (52 and 51 per cent, respectively).4 Figure 2 breaks down STEM job families against other occupational groups and demonstrates the typically high level of skills shortages, alongside a sustained demand for growth. The situation particularly affects the larger STEM job families which drive growth in today’s economy: IT professionals, IT managers (including business analysts), engineers and scientists.

FIGURE 1: STEM job family growth 2003-2022, including projection (purple line is job family, grey line is all non-STEM employment) Engineers

Environment professionals

Health & safety officers

IT managers

IT professionals

IT technicians

Production managers

Quality professionals

R&D managers

Science, engineering & production technicians

Scientists

110 100 90

Employment (2015+100)

80

110 100 90 80

110 100 90 80

2005

2010

2015

2020

2005

2010

2015

2020

2005

Source: Emsi 2016

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From School Work To Real Work How education fails students in the real world

2010

2015

2020

FIGURE 2: STEM job families (named, in purple) – projected growth and current skills shortages. Bubble size denotes projected number of skills shortage job openings given expansion and replacement. Grey bubbles are all other occupations, organised by SOC minor groups 60 Engineers

Skills shortages as % vacancies, 2015

IT professionals R&D managers

40

Environmental IT professionals managers Scientists

Science, engineering & production technicians Quality professionals

Production managers

IT technicians

Health & safety officers

20

0 -3

0

3

6

% growth in jobs, 2015-2022 projected

No of skills shortage openings, 2015

0

5000

10000

15000

Source: job openings and growth projections from Emsi 2016 and skills shortage vacancy rates from UKCES Employer Skills Survey 2015

Persistent problems in filling STEM roles mean new products are not being developed and business processes not improved, hindering business growth and holding back productivity for the country as a whole. While STEM workers are to be found in almost all industries, they are particularly prominent among certain sectors where their skills in solving complex problems are of greatest value. These sectors range across the cutting edge of industry: software development, oil and gas, architecture and civil engineering, pharmaceutical manufacturing, management consultancy, financial services, air and space manufacturing. In fact, around half of STEM workers are to be found in industries where they constitute at least a quarter of the workforce.5 Growth in these STEM concentrated industries across England’s regions highlights their value. Despite the challenges faced by these STEM concentrated industries in the lead-up to, and during, the recession, their rapid growth is powering the recovery and is projected to continue in the years ahead. For regions such as London and the South East, STEM industry growth is particularly strong (Figure 3).

As many as 1 in 10 undergraduates in England are found to have low numeracy skills, one of the highest levels among advanced economies.

However, in the OECD’s 2016 Survey of Adult Skills, constructed from testing and surveying thousands of adults across the advanced economies, England stands out in a couple of unsettling ways. While an average performer for literacy, England has too many people in the workforce with poor numeracy skills. More surprising is where the deficit occurs: while older workers compare well with their counterparts in other countries, younger workers struggle to compete. As many as 1 in 10 undergraduates in England are found to have low numeracy skills, one of the highest levels among advanced economies.6 The problem is all the more serious when set against the growing importance of STEM jobs in achieving economic growth. STEM skills have been

3. U KCES (2015). High level STEM skills requirements in the UK labour market. Evidence Report 94. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment Skills. 4. YouGov (2013). YouGov / Text 100 Survey Results, n=307. 5. These ‘STEM industries’ are defined as those 4-digit SIC 2007 classes where more than a quarter of the workforce are in STEM occupations using the definition in UKCES (2015). High level STEM skills requirements in the UK labour market. Evidence Report 94. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment and Skills. 6. M Kuczera, S Field and H Catriona Windisch (2016). Building skills for all: Policy insights from the survey of adult skills. OECD Skills Studies. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The STEM imperative

4

FIGURE 3: STEM industries grouping: growth by English region 2003-2022 projected (purple line is region, grey line is Great Britain) East Midlands

East of England

London

North East

North West

South East

South West

West Midlands

Yorkshire and the Humber

110 100 90

Employment (2015+100)

80

110 100 90 80

110 100 90 80

2005

2010

2015

2020

2005

2010

2015

2020

2005

2010

2015

2020

Source: Emsi 2016

of critical importance in driving innovation and economic growth over past decades, a trend which is certain to continue with new breakthroughs ranging from robotics to biotechnology creating new opportunities.7

7. See e.g. N Broughton (2013). In the balance: The STEM human capital crunch. London: Social Market Foundation. For a wider discussion of STEM skills, see UKCES (2015). High level STEM skills requirements in the UK labour market. Evidence Report 94. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment Skills. From the US, see F Cordova and M Van Woert (2013) Revisiting the STEM workforce: A companion to Science and Engineering Indicators 2014. Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

This gap between future opportunity and present weakness needs an urgent response from those working in education. On the one hand, employers – including many of our most dynamic, innovative businesses – face persistent problems in finding the skills they need to grow and improve their productivity. On the other hand, young people are not gaining the education and qualifications they need to provide those skills and unlock successful, rewarding careers. We must help students get the right skills for the modern workplace.

Employers are used to importing STEM talent from abroad. Brexit is expected to increase skills shortages.

These problems are not going away. Employers are used to importing STEM talent from abroad. Brexit is expected to increase skills shortages. With lower immigration, schools will need significantly to improve their performance in delivering STEM skills.

This gap between future opportunity and present weakness needs an urgent response from those working in education. UTC Crewe I

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The STEM imperative

6

Workplaces and schools: worlds apart

66 per cent agreed that students do not realise the impact of their studying decisions.

Looking back, young STEM workers report a disconnect between their time at school and their experience of work. While most report having enjoyed school, they are more sceptical about how it prepared them for work. In fact, only around 40 per cent recognised schools as having offered them insights into the labour market, with less than half of them thinking that schools understand what employers need. While a lack of career advice is a factor, the issue is broader than that. Half (55 per cent) of STEM workers reported not understanding the connection between the subjects they choose to study at school and their use in the world of work. 66 per cent also agreed that students do not realise the impact of their studying decisions (Figure 4).

Without the right knowledge or sufficient advice on the implications of subject choice, young STEM workers perceive the links between studying and working as too vague and many feel that they could have made better choices. The inability of schools and teachers to articulate how academic subjects translate to work is not helped by the lack of communication between employers and schools. Joanne Harper, Principal at UTC Reading, thinks engaging with employers is simply not high enough up the priority list of nearly all schools. “Industry and education talk different languages and I think there needs to be some sort of translation… There needs to be some easier way to get employers and schools round the table talking to each other, you almost need some speed dating or something which matches up schools and employers.”

Only around 40 per cent recognised schools as having offered them insights into the labour market.

FIGURE 4: Young STEM workers perceptions and reflections on informed choice about subject choices and careers

I didn't understand how the subjects I learnt at school could beused in the world of work

Students don't realise that what they study at school will affect their future

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

% of young STEM workers Strongly disagree

Disagree

Source: OnePoll for Baker Dearing Educational Trust, 2016, n=997

7


Agree

Strongly agree

A lack of awareness about other options means that teachers tend to encourage students to follow the same path they themselves took, whether that fits the student’s aptitude or today’s labour market – a point made recently by Sir Michael Wilshaw.8 We know that teachers strongly affect a student’s choice and enjoyment of a subject (nearly two thirds of students who enjoyed a subject felt they had a brilliant teacher) and so they can also have huge influence over their future career choices. Better knowledge of the workplace and understanding some of the latest research9 are all part of the professional development teachers need if they are to make STEM education the foundation for students to find successful STEM careers.10 Until better links are made between education and business, and until teachers are given a greater

Young STEM workers perceive the links between studying and working as too vague

Industry and education talk different languages [...] There needs to be some easier way to get employers and schools round the table talking to each other

insight into the skills and knowledge needed by industry in STEM-related roles, students are at risk of missing out on vital information.11 While there are schemes in place – industry placements, work shadowing opportunities – for teachers to gain greater exposure to the wider working world, it does not seem to result in the kind of deeper knowledge and appreciation teachers need in order to relate career ambitions to school work. At the same time, schools need to ensure students have access to information on future STEM opportunities and not leave them to find their own way.12

L UTC Oxfordshire, work experience, Mini plant

8. L Hughes (2015). ‘Head teachers are giving students “selfish” career advice, says Head of Ofsted’. The Daily Telegraph, 11 November 2016. 9. C Hoyles, M Reiss and S Tough (2011). Supporting STEM in schools and colleges in England: The role of research. London: Universities UK . 10. I Kudenko and P Hoyle (2016). Using coaching to enhance science specific professional development for primary teachers. York: National STEM Learning Centre. 11. IET (2008). Studying STEM: What are the barriers? A literature review of the choices students make. London: Institution of Engineering and Technology. 12. G Owen (2016). ‘Without proper career advice, young people have to find their own way to apprenticeships’, TES, 30 June 2016.

Workplaces and schools: worlds apart

8

L Health Futures UTC students with West Midlands Ambulance Service

Until better links are made between education and business, and until teachers are given a greater insight into the skills and knowledge needed by industry in STEM-related roles, students are at risk of missing out on vital information.

13. City & Guilds with Emsi (2015). Great expectations: Teenagers’ career aspirations versus the reality of the UK jobs market. Research Report. London: City & Guilds.requirements in the UK labour market. Evidence Report 94. Wath-uponDearne: UK Commission for Employment Skills. From the US, see F Cordova and M Van Woert (2013) Revisiting the STEM workforce: A companion to Science and Engineering Indicators 2014. Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

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José Lopes, Head of Technical Excellence at Jaguar Land Rover feels that, whilst progress has been made through placements and shadowing, one-off contact isn’t enough: “The exposure to the labour market in placements is a good idea, but it wouldn’t make a huge difference without continuing professional development which would mean that teachers would be obliged to develop their knowledge over a period of time.” Linking schools to the workplace can be a success, and teachers’ own experience can be of value, as long as it is fresh and relevant


to students’ own aspirations. Greg Smith, now a network security engineer at Phoenix Data, studied at a secondary school and later at a University Technical College. He says that “careers advice at school was useless, but at the UTC … I met employers and could actually ask them what they were looking for in an employee. My tutor had been in a similar job to what I was looking for so he gave me a really good insight into the field. Their help gave me points to work on and areas I could improve to be better for my potential employer.” We know from wider research that students need this input; it is not a nice-to-have. Work by City & Guilds found 54 per cent of 14 to 19 year olds were confident they’d achieve their career ambitions, and 70 per cent were confident they had the necessary information. However, the research found that 26 per cent plan to work in professional services, a sector which only employs 9 per cent of the workforce. So, young people may feel confident but without expert guidance their confidence may be unfounded.13

If I had my time again: looking back on school from a STEM career Poor career advice does not just disadvantage students, it also makes life more difficult for employers. 61 per cent of young STEM workers felt that applied technical skills would have prepared them better for their careers than the more academically-focused education they received. 63 per cent believe employers should have a greater input in what schools teach. Making sure subjects are engaging and relevant to students can have a lasting consequence: 41 per cent of young STEM workers said that maths was one of their favourite subjects at school. Computer science was the second most popular subject and English third, with 33 and 30 per cent respectively naming them their top subjects to study. These far outranked subjects such as languages, most favoured by just eight per cent. The popularity of maths, computer science and English also seems to be linked to how useful young people have subsequently found them. While 90 per cent of respondents agreed that their favourite subjects suited their personality, 72 per cent also agreed that they appreciated their relevance in the real world outside school. Linked to this, when young STEM workers did not like a subject at school, over half of them

felt this was at least partly because they did not understand its application in the real world. Two thirds felt they had acquired key skills that they used every day from these subjects but fewer than half of them felt that employers were impressed by seeing them on a CV. Indeed, employers may simply take them as a necessary prerequisite: 57 per cent of employers view mathematics and English GCSEs as ‘significant’ or ‘critical’ factors when recruiting. Only work experience scores more highly, and that chimes with the experiences of young STEM workers who saw work experience as one of the most valuable ways to boost the confidence of students entering the job market.14 After better careers advice, young STEM workers saw more contact with employers and the world of work as the way they could have increased their confidence on entering the job market. For José Lopes at Jaguar Land Rover, academic qualifications are currently the chief measure employers have to judge a potential employee’s competence. However, he adds that “it is less about the specific grade, but how the student demonstrated the application of those subjects through projects, for example.”

FIGURE 5: Most favourite school subjects of young STEM workers Languages Computer Chemistry

63 per cent believe employers should have a greater input in what schools teach

Young STEM workers saw more contact with employers and the world of work as the way they could have increased their confidence on entering the job market.

Physics Biology Geography History Maths English 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Most favourite school subjects of young STEM workers

Source: OnePoll for Baker Dearing Educational Trust 2016

50% 14. p.23, J Shury et al (2014). Employer Perspectives Survey 2014: UK Results. Evidence Report 88. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

If I had my time again: looking back onschool from a STEM career

10

FIGURE 6: Most useful subject since young STEM workers left education

“We’d learn a concept in maths and then look at how that concept would be used on an actual engineering project. [...] All the teaching linked back to how a subject would be used within the engineering industry.”

PE History Geography Languages Chemistry Physics Biology Computer science English Maths 0%

10%

20%

50%

60%

70%

Most useful subject since leaving education - young STEM respondents workers

Finding ways to show students the practical application of the skills they are learning in lessons does more than just gear them up for the world of work. It also engages and motivates them. Adam Sullivan, an apprentice electrical engineer at Atkins Global, attended a University Technical College for his A-levels. He particularly appreciated the project-focussed style of teaching that brought the theoretical work to life.

Ash Merchant, Education Director for Fujitsu UK and Ireland, feels that employers have a responsibility to invest in and teach new employees. “We’re looking for digital skills, cyber skills and big data skills, so how employers recruit is changing. I think high quality work experience placements are necessary; we shouldn’t expect oven ready people to come out of education.”

11

40%


“We’d learn a concept in maths and then look at how that concept would be used on an actual engineering project. We did the same with chemistry and physics. All the teaching linked back to how a subject would be used within the engineering industry. I think, if teachers can sit down with students and discuss how a subject can be applied, it’s a lot better. You understand the application, not just the theory.”

15. p.38, J Shury et al (2014). Employer Perspectives Survey 2014: UK Results. Evidence Report 88. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

30%

Not every student gets the chance to benefit from a high quality work experience; fewer than a third of employers offer students the opportunity of a work placement.15 For those who do not, schooling needs to build skills as well as knowledge. José Lopes at Jaguar Land Rover highlights the need for students to grasp the applications of what they


To me, knowledge is less important; it’s the skills and judgment to know how to use that knowledge that really makes an individual stand out.

learn: “Theory to underpin knowledge is critical, however we all learn better by application of the theory to a real life situation and thus practical application is also critical. One of the best ways of achieving this is to have good industrial links to enable project based work.” For some employers this emphasises the need for more targeted education. For Ian Iceton, Group HR Director at Network Rail, too much time in traditional education is spent on imparting knowledge and not enough on teaching students how to apply their knowledge. “I believe we waste a significant amount of time [in school] learning things which are completely irrelevant… To me, knowledge is less important; it’s the skills and judgment to know how to use that knowledge that really makes an individual stand out. We should teach them interview techniques, interpersonal skills and how to work in teams. Learning about bank accounts, PAYE and pensions are things that are going to be more useful in the workplace.”

Taking the leap: from school and into work The experiences of the youngest STEM workers suggest that winning the first STEM job is much more challenging now than before. Employers are more stretching, competition is tougher as churn in the labour market has fallen,16 and the need to be focused in job-search and determined in pursuing good job opportunities is greater than ever. STEM skills have become more important to economic growth and employers seem not just to be seeking more STEM workers, but better STEM workers.

employers have come to recognise that successful recruitment into highly-skilled roles requires investment in the right candidates, as a result, they have made selection processes more stretching.

Half of the STEM workers we surveyed aged between 32 and 35 secured their first job within five job applications but, amongst those aged between 20 and 22, just 31 per cent managed this. For nearly half of those in this age group, securing a first job took 11 or more applications, and, worryingly, more than 10 per cent sent over 31 job applications before finding employment (Figure 7).

“There are obviously more people coming out of university, so in certain roles we’ve got a bigger pool of people applying for jobs than we’ve ever had before; we’ve gone too far as a country in that regard. What we really need is more technical and vocational training - that’s why Network Rail supports University Technical Colleges.”

There are two key factors which contribute to this situation. First, the fastest-growing STEM jobs are often those with the greatest skill requirements: programmers or research and development scientists, for example. This means that while job opportunities are there, employers set a high bar for recruitment. Second, and not confined to STEM,

For Ian Iceton at Network Rail, while some of this reflects much more rigorous recruitment and management practices, there is also a predictable consequence of the concentration on the university route to a STEM career:

José Lopes at Jaguar Land Rover, adds a different concern: that the investment in making a successful employee makes employers particularly picky, and students have to be prepared for that as a fact of today’s labour markets. “There’s a belief it’s going to be harder to integrate someone early on in their career, you have to invest

FIGURE 7: Number of job applications to win first STEM job, by age group 100% 90% Percentage - young STEM workers

80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%

STEM skills have become more important to economic growth and employers seem not just to be seeking more STEM workers, but better STEM workers.

“At [my] UTC we were taught a lot of employability skills; how to write your CV, how to present yourself, how to present to employers.”

20% 10% 0% 20-22 0 to 5

23-25 6 to 10

26-28 11 to 15


29-31 16 to 20

21 to 25

32-35 26 plus

16. C IPD (2013). Has job turnover slowed down? London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Taking the leap: from school and into work

12

L UTC Sheffield, Siemens, Racer

That’s what a UTC does; it gives them the confidence to engage with industry

in development, mentoring and coaching whereas those who’ve had several jobs are easier to manage. [Educators] need to focus on those employability skills, it’s not just being good at presenting or team working, it’s about being able to convey a confidence that makes employers think ‘we’ll give that person a chance’.” For Adam Sullivan, an apprentice electrical engineer at Atkins Global and former student at a UTC in Bristol, the challenge of getting the first job underlines the importance of moving beyond career advice to giving practical employability skills. Getting practical help from his school was the support he needed to secure a first job. “At [my] UTC we were taught a lot of employability skills; how to write your CV, how to present yourself, how to present to employers. The UTC was doing lots of workshops around the school to help ensure you’ve got the skills employers are looking for.” Greg Smith at Phoenix Data said that, for him, finding a job should be about finding something that works for both the employer and the employee. He wants young people to take their time to find the right job, not the first one that comes along. He says:

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“Get experience of many different placements/ work areas before dedicating yourself to a job. If possible, go with a company that offers training or paths for higher education whilst working.” For young STEM workers, having a technical dimension to their education – either by attending a specialist technical school (named by 49 per cent) or an apprenticeship (47 per cent) provides the strongest foundation for a future STEM career. Like many employers, they focused on the broader skills that make a student ready for work, highlighting communication, team work, motivation and time management as critical for employability. Ash Merchant from Fujitsu UK and Ireland sums up the change in the labour market this way: “employers have changed the way they’re recruiting young people, and it is becoming more difficult to get a first job. That means we have to give young people even more skills to get them ready. That’s what a UTC does; it gives them the confidence to engage with industry. It’s about preparing them for the workplace so that, when they leave education they’re ready. At the end of the day we have to remember they’re a different generation, the landscape is really choppy, so we need to be honest with young people about how hard the labour market is.”

Conclusion

At present, students in schools run the risk of making decisions about their futures without any insight into the world of work. Weak careers advice and little attempt to connect maths and science to the workplace creates the ideal conditions for students to drift away from STEM subjects. That in turn limits their options to pursue a STEM career which can be as rewarding for them as it is for the wider economy. The evidence presented in this report suggests that too many young STEM workers feel they have achieved successful careers despite their schooling rather than because of it. Their personal interest in STEM subjects and strong early career focus carried them through, while potentially leaving many behind unnecessarily. Careers advice is a critical issue, recognised by young STEM workers, and reflected in the government’s creation of the Careers and Enterprise Company. The Company’s progress will be important, given that only recently a House of Commons report found careers education at present to be patchy and inadequate.18 Perhaps the problem is in treating careers education and employability as a ‘bolt-on’, rather than a thread that should run throughout

schooling? University Technical Colleges have sought to do just this: tackling the problems of work-readiness, careers focus and making critical subjects engaging by linking them to their use in the workplace.19 UTCs have sought to innovate and to bring schools and workplaces closer together by insisting that employers and the university control the governing body. The idea is not to focus students into a single career path, but to build on their strengths and open up new options. As a new type of school, UTCs face challenges but, on the evidence of student destinations, there are already signs of a good story to tell. Recent data from Year 13 leavers in 2016 shows 97 per cent starting an apprenticeship, leaving for work or staying in education, with most of the remainder pursuing a gap year.20 Although the curriculum is focused on career-relevant skills in science and engineering, UTCs also help many students go on to university, achieving more than the national average (44 per cent against 38 per cent nationally) while another 29 per cent leave to pursue an apprenticeship (against 8 per cent nationally). Ofsted’s recent report on enterprise education found that the two UTCs involved in the study were significantly stronger than most schools in engaging with employers.21

The evidence presented in this report suggests that too many young STEM workers feel they have achieved successful careers despite their schooling rather than because of it.

K Classroom demonstration in biology 18. Business Innovation and Skills and Education Committees (2016). Careers education, information, advice and guidance, House of Commons 19. Much of what UTCs do reflects the best practices identified for career development by Gatsby Foundation’s research. Gatsby (2014). Good Career Advice, Research Report. London: Gatsby Charitable Foundation. 20. Data collected by Baker Dearing Educational Trust in Sept and Oct 2016 from Y13 students who left 25 UTCs in July 2016. Information was received from 1292 students. 34 students were uncontactable and are not included in the figures. 21. A Robertson (2016). UTCs fare best in report on work-related learning failings. FE Week, 2 December

Conclusion

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Five things UTCs do to bring the workplace closer

1. E MPLOYER INVOLVEMENT

3. LEARNING IN CONTEXT

Employers play a central role in UTCs. Together with the university, they control the Board of Governors which ensures that the UTC fosters a close connection between school life and the world of work.

The research suggests that young people find it hard to understand how a subject they learn at school can be applied to real life.

Employers are a visible presence in UTCs and are actively involved in shaping the curriculum. As a result, UTC students become used to engaging with more adults on a professional basis. Expert individuals from employers meet with students to tell them about their jobs, offer careers advice, and provide mentoring.

At UTCs, teachers help young people to grasp concepts by getting them to apply their learning in technical and practical projects linked to real life. Wherever possible, learning is contextualised which means students understand the relevance of what they are learning to the real world.

Students value this a great deal, and when they compare the UTC to their previous school, three quarters feel links with business and employer projects are better.22

Employers are a visible presence in UTCs and are actively involved in shaping the curriculum.

22. Baker Dearing Educational Trust survey of UTC students, 1800 respondents, June 2016

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4. LINKING LEARNING TO CAREER PATHS UTCs link the subjects young people learn to specific STEM career paths with a range of professional qualifications in view. This gives young people a clear understanding of the future value of the technical curriculum and education at a UTC.

2. EMBEDDED CAREERS ADVICE A measure of success for UTCs is what their students do next. This means careers advice is not something on the margins of school life. Instead it is embedded in everything students do. Whether it is meeting leading engineers, scientists and technologists, getting experience of work or having the opportunity to find out about the latest thinking from a leading university expert, students at UTCs are exposed to careers advice every day.


Methodology

5. PARITY BETWEEN ACADEMIC AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION The research highlights that employers value technical skills but this message does not get through to young people because mainstream schools tend to focus on purely academic goals. UTCs offer a pathway that combines academic, technical and practical learning. UTC teachers and advisers offer guidance which allows students to understand the full picture. This means they can make a more informed choice. If we are to address the widening skills gap in STEM, educators and employers must work together to shape the curriculum so that it gives students skills they can use in their working lives, not just in the classroom. UTCs are specialist STEM technical schools and presently teach only around half of one per cent of the cohort. However, they offer a useful blueprint for other schools to strengthen the links between employment and what we learn at school. We encourage school leaders and teachers to visit their local UTC to find out more.

At UTCs, teachers help young people to grasp concepts by getting them to apply their learning in technical and practical projects linked to real life.

Research for the report took a mixed method approach. The research company Emsi undertook the desk research. This included analysis of the STEM labour market using Emsi’s proprietary data derived from nine different government sources to provide robust, granular intelligence on occupations and industries, with projections to 2022. Additional data on skills shortage vacancy rates was taken from the Employer Skills Survey 2015. STEM occupations were classified using the scheme developed by UKCES, with one change: the job family ‘IT professionals’ was divided into ‘IT managers’ and ‘IT professionals’.23 STEM industries were identified by ranking all sectors by the share of their workforce employed in STEM occupations. Those industries with more than 25 per cent of their workforce employed in STEM roles were classified ‘STEM industries’ and used in the analysis. The survey of individuals working in STEM related roles was conducted by OnePoll for Baker Dearing Educational Trust between 25 August and 2 September 2016 using a panel of 1,000 English adults aged 20 to 35 years and currently working in an identified STEM industry. Questions covered perceptions of school experience, favourite subjects, subject career value, preparedness for work and job application experience. Harriet Minter, a writer and journalist, analysed the survey findings. She used the survey findings as a stimulus for indepth interviews with STEM employers, recent school leavers working in STEM, and a school principal.

23. UKCES (2015). High level STEM skills requirements in the UK labour market. Evidence Report 94. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment Skills.

Methodology

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FROM SCHOOL WORK TO REAL WORK: HOW EDUCATION FAILS STUDENTS IN THE REAL WORLD

Appendix

About University Technical Colleges The UK needs more advanced technical skills at all levels. We need a workforce that can develop new products, stretch and reuse existing resources and meet all the requirements of the future. This is a serious challenge and one solution is University Technical Colleges (UTCs) – non-selective technical secondary schools for 14-19 year olds. UTCs deliver a high quality education that combines technical, practical and academic learning. Each UTC has one or more technical specialisms that meet the skills shortages in their region. These specialisms include: engineering; manufacturing; computer science; health sciences; product design; digital technologies; and the built environment. The driving force behind each UTC is a partnership between local employers and a university to create a school which provides a high quality academic and technical education. More than 500 employers support UTCs including Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Network Rail, Jaguar Land Rover and Fujitsu, as well as scores of small and medium sized businesses. Together with nearly 50 universities, they contribute to the curriculum, provide reallife projects, share their knowledge and offer

opportunities to experience the world of work. The local university and employers that back the UTC are also represented on the Board of Governors. Last year (2016) the vast majority of students leaving UTCs at 18 stayed in education, started an apprenticeship or started a job. Destinations included 44% who went to university and 29% who started apprenticeships. Only 5 students were not in employment, education or training. More information about UTCs: www.utcolleges.org

About Baker Dearing Educational Trust Baker Dearing Educational Trust is a charity founded by Lord Baker and the late Lord Dearing to promote the concept of University Technical Colleges. Baker Dearing sits at the centre of the UTC network and focuses on promoting and supporting new and existing UTCs.

24. D ata collected by Baker Dearing Educational Trust in Sept and Oct 2016 from Y13 students who left 25 UTCs in July 2016. Information was received from 1292 students. 34 students were uncontactable and are not included in the figures.

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UTC Sheffield electronics project I

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

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Baker Dearing Educational Trust 4 Millbank London SW1P 3JA

Baker Dearing Educational Trust is supported by a number of major sponsors:

020 7960 1555 [email protected] www.utcolleges.org

Registered charity number: 1138894 Registered company number: 7390138

The Michael Bishop FOUNDATION