iCeGS Annual Lecture 2018

This year’s iCeGS annual lecture was delivered by Liz Atkins, Professor of Vocational Education and Social Justice at the University of Derby.  The lecture explored the social impact of innovative level 1 vocational curricula, central to which is career guidance, on the outcomes for young learners in an island community.

Research shows that students who undertake level 1 broad vocational programmes face significant social and economic challenges, and have very poor outcomes in terms of employment and further education. Around 50% become NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), and those who do progress into employment predominantly move into low-pay, low-skill, and insecure work. Despite this, a number of studies have shown that young people undertaking programmes at this level have aspirations similar to their higher achieving peers, but lack the family support, and knowledge of career pathways and entry criteria, to realise those aspirations (Bathmaker, 2001; Atkins, 2009; Atkins and Flint, 2015). An ongoing project at Guernsey College is evaluating the medium term impact of a new curriculum model designed to enable more successful and less insecure transitions to work for young people undertaking broad vocational education at level 1. In response to earlier research, Careers Education and Guidance forms a central plank of the curriculum and this presentation focusses on that, and the ways in which the college supports the career aspirations of the young people on level 1 programmes, in order to promote more socially just outcomes for this marginalised group.

Liz has previously worked at universities in the UK and Australia. Her research interests are focussed on school to work transitions through vocational education and the ways in which these are mediated by social class. She is currently working on a project around the level 1 curriculum which is funded by Rothschild and based at Guernsey College. Her new book (with Vicky Duckworth) Research Methods for Social Justice and Equity in Education will be published by Bloomsbury in March, 2019.

The event was held on Tuesday 18th December at Kedleston Road Campus

Click the link for the presentation:

Pride and Prospects: Developing a socially just level 1 curriculum

Click to download the Article: 

Article: Pride and Prospects: Developing a socially just level 1