Post-16 vocational courses are bridging the skills gap to meet industry needs according to Ofsted

24 Jan 2008

Strong links with industry and related classroom learning to the demands of the workplace is a common feature among the best colleges in each vocational area.

Over 100 visits to colleges were conducted to identify good practice in vocational education and training. The vocational areas that were surveyed comprised business, administration and law; science; engineering and manufacturing technologies; construction; planning and the built environment; and agriculture, horticulture and animal care.

Highlighting and sharing good practice, a common finding among the five reports was that the majority of teachers were subject specialists, with considerable industrial, technical and vocational experience.

Teachers' expertise combined with strong links with employers and businesses enhanced students learning by helping them apply theory into practice and gain wider skills valued by employers.

However, the reports also revealed that in the majority of vocational courses, information technology was not used sufficiently to enhance learning.

More like this

Post-16 vocational courses are bridging the skills gap to meet industry needs according to Ofsted

Related Links

Connect to Ofsted

Are you registered?