IWA to stage vocational education conference

The Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) is to stage a national education conference under the banner, 'Enhancing vocational education for 14 to 16 year olds'.
It is being held in association with the Welsh Government and WJEC.
Details:
Tuesday 21 February 2012
9.15am - 4.00pm
WJEC, Llandaff, Cardiff
Conference Chair: Sir Adrian Webb, Chair of the Wales Employment and Skills Board
The widening education attainment gap between Wales and England for 14 to 16 year olds and Welsh pupils’ relatively low PISA scores have been the cause of much soul searching.
Yet the picture is a more complex one than these simple comparisons might suggest.
The most recent data show Welsh pupils’ performance in GCSEs to be equivalent to that across the border. It is in vocational qualifications that England is outperforming Wales.
This conference will address questions critical to the development of Welsh vocational provision.
Is there/should there be a distinctive vocational educational system in Wales?
How effective is the current system?
What is the scope for improving it?
What are our aspirations for those pupils who choose to follow a vocational path? How do we ensure that vocational qualifications are sufficiently robust to provide young people with the necessary skills for the next stage in their lives? How can we ensure parity of esteem between vocational and academic subjects and qualifications? How do we make the necessary connections between the end of compulsory education and further education or employment?
With a major Review of Qualifications for 14 to 19-year-olds now underway, there is no better time to debate the future of vocational education in Wales.
Conference structure
The morning session will consist of a series of presentations covering current policy and practice, as well as aspirations for the future of vocational provision. The afternoon will provide delegates with an opportunity to discuss their own ambitions, questions and proposals.
Who should attend?
Representatives of schools and further education colleges, parent governors, policy makers and employers are all encouraged to attend.
We particularly encourage schools to bring parent governor representatives to the event, and invite companies and employer organisations to share their perspectives on the future structure of vocational education.
Conference tickets are:
£56 for IWA members
£70 for non-members
£95 for a conference place and 1 year's IWA membership, which includes unlimited digital access to all IWA publications
For a full conference programme please click on the following link
http://www.iwa.org.uk/en/events/view/153
Tickets can either be booked on our secure website
or alternatively if you prefer to contact us directly please email or telephone 029 2066 0820
The Institute of Welsh Affairs
Second Floor
4 Cathedral Road
Cardiff
CF11 9LJ
TEL: 029 2066 0820
FAX: 029 2023 3741
wales@iwa.org.uk

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