Abstract

In a recent speech Ruth Kelly stated that when she became Secretary of State for Education and Skills she had two early goals for skills (Association of Colleges Annual Conference, 16 November). One was to launch a reform programme for 14–19 learners that would tackle problems of dropout at 16 and the lack of a highly regarded, well-understood vocational stream. The second was to develop strategy in order to help employers and adults gain the skills they needed. The economic imperative of education, she quite reasonably claimed, went hand in hand with a commitment to social justice, especially in a country such as the UK where social mobility had fallen in recent decades. What most people wanted were ladders of opportunity, where skills and qualifications led to decently paid, sustainable, rewarding jobs.