WORKSHEET EC3: TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Task: to assess the quality of training and education available, and identify where there are gaps and opportunities for development.
1: Introduction to the task
It will be valuable to identify the educational profile of your area‘s workforce and residents. This profile is usually taken as an indicator of the skill base of the workforce, and is generally measured in terms of NVQ levels. For example, a low proportion of the economically active population holding triple level NVQs may show low potential, poor participation and little applicable knowledge: this would present a greater challenge to raising productivity, outputs and wages.
Sources that might hold useful information include:
- Labour Market Trends (Statistical information about employment and unemployment, from National Statistics Online)
- Labour Force Survey (3-monthly survey of households providing information on employment and unemployment, from National Statistics Online)
- Household Surveys (Survey of households looking at training and employment issues, from National Statistics Online)
- Employer Surveys (Survey of employers looking at skills issue, from the Learning and Skills Council; latest version is 2003)
- Regional Intelligence Unit
- Regional Economic Assessments (Carried out on behalf of the Regional Development Agency, assessing skills and employment issues in the region)
You might also want to carry out a survey of local employers to help you identify vocational and work based training needs. You should also gather supporting information about the standard occupational classification categories of the workforce and vocational training principles.
2: Getting the following information will help you draw conclusions about the quality and suitability of the learning and training opportunities available.
Information you will need Answers and notes
Sub-section 1: Pre-school to College Years
EC3 Q1
PRE-SCHOOLS & NURSERIES
How many pre-school places in nurseries and playgroups are there compared with the number of pre-school children in the area?
Take into account any planned changes in the levels of service provision.
(Worksheets S1 Q3; T2 Q2; T3 Q18,19 also refer to children and young people)
Starting points for information
Local Education Authority
NOTES EC3 Q1: Waiting for answer from Early Education and childcare unit, and Yateley Manor re their nursery unit (Jane)
EC3 Q2
LOCAL SCHOOLS
Is there access to good quality schools in the area?
Starting points for information
Compare rankings in school league tables with other, similar towns.
Local Education Authority
ANSWER EC3 Q2: Yes, there is access to good quality schools in the area. There are 2 large comprehensive schools, within the Civil Parish: Frogmore Community College and Yateley. School. The primary schools include Newlands Primary School, Frogmore Infant School, Frogmore Junior School, Potley Hill Primary School, St Peters C of E Junior School, Yateley Infant School, Westfields Infant School and Westfield Junior School. All the schools within Yateley are above the national average in the school league tables.
Yateley Manor is a private preparatory school in the centre of Yateley taking pupils from nursery through to 13+ (I can’t find them in any league tables)
In Eversley there is Charles Kingsley's C of E Primary School , and St Neot's School, an independent preparatory School.
Yateley students also attend Farnborough Six Form College and Farnborough Technical College in the state sector. In the independent sector there is a wide choice of public schools within easy reach. (Jane, Peter)
EC3 Q3
SCHOOL LEAVER QUALIFICATIONS
How well qualified are local school leavers?
Compare the number of pupils at
a. age 16 with five GCSEs at A-C level
b. age 19 with one or more A Level
to the regional and national averages
Starting points for information
Local schools and colleges
Local Education Authority
ANSWER EC3 Q3. Local school leavers are qualified at or above the national average at GCSE. The national average of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE passes at grade C and above in the school year 2004/2005 was 57.1%. Yateley School, at 69%, achieved well above the national average, while at Frogmore the figure was 55%. The results of both schools at A level were below the national average of 277.8 points scored per pupil. Yateley’s average was 251.4 and Frogmore’s was 173.4. (Jane)
EC3 Q4
SCHOOL EXCLUSIONS
Is there a high number of school exclusions?
Identify the levels of exclusions and compare with other towns.
Starting points for information
Local Education Authority
Individual schools
EC3 Q5
GRADUATE AVAILABILITY
a. Does the area attract and retain enough graduates?
b. If no, are there any policies in place/being planned to address this problem?
Starting points for information
Chamber of Commerce
Business Link Operator
Local survey
EC3 Q6
VOCATIONAL TRAINING ORGANISATIONS
Do local training organizations provide vocational work based training that reflect the needs of local residents and employers?
Compare training areas with local employment opportunities.
Starting points for information
Learning and Skills Council
Local schools and colleges
Chamber of Commerce
Surveys of local residents, employees and employers
EC3 Q7
NON-VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES
What non-vocational courses are provided locally and how easy is it for people to access a wide range of courses.
Starting points for information
Adult education centres
Surveys of local residents, employees and employers
Sub-section: IT-supported learning
ANSWER EC3 Q7: A range of non-vocational courses are provided locally which are easy for people to access. Both Yateley School and Frogmore Community College have a range of adult and community learning courses and facilities - the majority of which run in the evenings and on weekends.
Unfortunately the Workers Educational Association (WEA) Yateley Branch was disbanded at its AGM in 2006, having provided courses in Yateley since the end of World War 2. A joint exhibition mounted with the Yateley Society in 2003 for Adult Education Week displayed the WEA's achievements, and what will now be missing from Yateley. In recent years some WEA courses in Yateley have been provided by lecturers from Reading University and have counted as modules towards degrees. The reason for the WEA's closure were stated to be the unability to obtain a minimum of 12 people for some courses, and to meet the exacting standards of the national governing body. Probably the main reason for closure was the inability to obtain the necessary volunteers to run it.
The University of Reading runs an excellent School of Continuing Education which is only 15/20 minutes drive from Yateley. The School runs a very wide range of courses in the daytime and evenings, plus excellent all-day seminars for those who cannot commit to a 10 or 20 week course. The School af Continuing Education also sponsors the Reading Town Hall Lectures each spring with eminent lecturers speaking on themed topics.
(Jane, Peter)
EC3 Q8
PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS
How many public Internet learning and access points are there within the town and its hinterland?
Find out the number of Internet points available in the towns and the surrounding villages per head of population. For example, are there Internet points within a telecottage, electronic village hall, telecentre, internet café, library or school?
Starting points for information
Library
Local Education Authority
Survey
ANSWER EC3 Q8: There are public internet learning and access points within the town and its hinterland? Both Yateley Library and the Town Council Offices have public internet access. The two secondary schools offer ICT courses but do not have PC’s for direct access by the public. (Jane/Julia)
EC3 Q9
HOUSEHOLD INTERNET ACCESS
What proportion of households have Internet access at home, work or school/ other educational establishments?
Starting points for information
Local surveys
EC3 Q10
Is there a local community ICT group?
(Worksheets EN2 Q11; EN3 Q1; S4; S6 also refer to community involvement)
Starting points for information
The town website
Tourist Information Centre
Library
ANSWER EC3 Q10: We don't know of a local community ICT group. However the are two
U3As based in Yateley and its hinterland. These are self-help groups for the over-50s. Yateley U3A runs computer courses for their members. Yateley U3A has 350 members and Blackwater Valley U3A has 190 members. (Peter)
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