Cerian Ayres and Mandy Crawford-Lee examine the need to embed sustainability across apprenticeships, skills and work-based learning. They highlight the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for integrating sustainability into the apprenticeship, vocational, technical and professional education system, and explore the opportunities for promoting productivity, social mobility and widening participation.The policy and practice sphere of technical, vocational and higher education, skills and work-based learning – including apprenticeships – has become increasingly complex in the last few years. The extent to which sustainability and sustainable development are embedded in the policy and practice spaces is now an important area to explore.The previous article in this series explored the need to raise standards in the delivery of apprenticeships. In this article we’ll look more broadly at the benefits of the further education (FE) and skills sector and explore the potential for:- greater integration of sustainable development into skills, apprenticeships and work-based learning policy and practice;- the creation of inclusive workplaces, promoting social mobility;- a balanced approach to productivity, health and well-being;- embedding educational approaches and methods which promote greater equality in the world of work.We’ll look at the key questions relating to sustainability in FE, higher education (HE), and skills focused inquiries, and the call for raising the stakes in sustainable development of apprenticeships, skills, and work-based learning.REFORM FOR GROWTHDespite considerable political change and turmoil in recent years – not to mention the pandemic – the UK government has forged ahead with educational and skills reform in England, shaking up the national picture with a view to generating longer-term growth. Apprenticeships and ‘ returnerships ’ (discussed in more detail below) are central to this shake-up and the UK’s ambition for growth.However, there is growing evidence of concern about the sustainability of reforms in this landscape, including the potential regression in human rights and equality, with persistent talk about the potential for the UK to exit the European Convention on Human Rights, and concern for equalities in the education and ‘skills’ supply chain.The FE and skills sector has an ability to effect change here. We’ve got considerable ‘convening power’, links to local and national government and deeply embedded relationships with industry and employers. Colleges, independent training providers (ITPs), higher education institutions (HEIs) and workplaces can raise the game on sustainability and sustainable development in the policy and practice sphere of apprenticeships, skills and lifelong learning .But where do we start?THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALSIt makes sense to start with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using the 17 SDGs as a framework, we can further integrate notions of responsibility and sustainability into apprenticeship workplace learning programmes.Both policy makers and practitioners need to respond to contemporary challenges – including the SDGs – across the apprenticeship, vocational, technical, and professional education system. That system continues to undergo reform and unprecedented change, including the introduction of T Levels; the infrastructure build, including institutes of technology (IOTs); the review of technical/technician level education at Level 4 (Certificate of HE) and Level 5 (Foundation Degree); and the review of post-18 education, including higher education tuition fees.These systematic reforms have placed particular emphasis on the content of technical qualifications and alternatives to traditional, full-time, three-year degree programmes. The reforms promote varying fee levels and demonstrate the value added of different HE courses, including higher and degree apprenticeships. Yet, more work is needed on the sust...

Ver todos los episodios