Wolf Report

A major review of vocational education for 14 - 19-year olds undertaken by Professor Alison Wolf in 2010, with a final report being published in 2011, which made 27 recommendations for change and improvement.

Despite the large number of resources put into vocational education by the former Labour Government (1997 – 2010), the new (at the time) Secretary of State for Education of the Coalition Government in 2010 commissioned the report which found “… many of our vocational programmes are not as good as they could or should be, in terms of what either the labour market or higher education demand. These failures are not despite but because of central government’s constant redesign, re-regulation and re-organisation of 14-19 education. And the numerous examples of good quality innovation and success are achieved not with the help of our funding and regulatory system, but in spite of it. This is in spite of unprecedented levels of spending; and after thirty years of politicians proclaiming, repeatedly, their belief in ‘parity of esteem’ for vocational and academic education.”

It is arguable whether much has changed over the intervening years since the publication of the report, with 5-years of Coalition and then 7-years of Conservative Governments. The statement is probably representative of many who believe that irrespective of the political persuasion of the Government of the time, aspirations to improve the education system realise itself more in interference and disharmony than a positive outcome.

The report proposed a simplification of the vocational education system, including:
• Changing funding mechanisms, regulation, qualification development and delivery of training programmes, basically improving the efficiency and effectiveness of vocational qualifications.
• Increasing the flexibility and responsiveness of apprenticeships to meet the needs of employers, as well as including employers in qualification development, making sure the qualifications are genuinely worthy of work needs and have a long-lasting value.
• Improving on and provide high quality teaching for vocational subjects to better engage learners in meeting the needs of employers.
• Improving progression routes within and from vocational educational, making sure learners go onto something worthwhile, especially within employment, and are not left with a piece of paper that is essentially worthless to them.

Many positive features have been implemented, although difficulties and challenges still exist within the vocational education system.
(Review of Vocational Education – The Wolf Report (2011), accessed 11th October 2022)