Vocational experience valued more higly than academic qualifications

Three out of five employers value vocational qualifications and work experience more highly than graduate status because they believe that personnel with a less academic background are more equipped to contribute to the business from day one.

 
Just over two fifths of bosses that do not currently employ staff with vocational qualifications also said that such workers were as well qualified to take up positions at their company as graduates with no vocational training.
 
These are the findings of an online poll undertaken among 1,221 employers across 26 vertical markets by Populus on behalf of vocational education body, City & Guilds, which has just launched a new Qualifications and Credit Framework to create and accredit vocational qualifications.
 
Chris Jones, director general and chief executive of City & Guilds, said: “Our research reveals the extent to which UK plc recognises the vital importance of skills through vocational learning for the country’s future economic prosperity and global competitiveness.”
 
Vocational qualifications would become increasingly relevant to employers as the UK economy continued to change, he added.
 
The study entitled ‘The Skills Economy – the new framework for prosperity’ also revealed that 72% of respondents believe the benefits of training apprentices far outweigh the costs, with seven out of 10 relying on an apprenticeship scheme to provide them with the skilled workers they need for the future.
 
Some 56% of business managers likewise indicated that a high proportion of their apprentices go on to take up management roles within the company, with 55% saying that staff with vocational qualifications were more likely to stay with the organisation and progress through its ranks than those without.
 
But just over three out of five also felt that businesses would benefit from the development of an industry standard that could be used as a skills benchmark.
 
Nonetheless, some 63% of those questioned felt that work-related education and training would play a vital role in the UK’s economic recovery, with just under three quarters saying that work-related skills would be vital to ensure that the country was in a position to compete in a changing global economy.
 
Moreover, nine out of 10 respondents felt that vocationally-trained personnel would be vital to the success of their own business, while 68% indicated that such staff would help make them more competitive within their own industry.