New Uni course. Set your sights high kids.

[TG]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7343027.stm

Brilliant! 

[Nick]

I fear the whole of education is gong this way at an increasing rate.

I use the word "education" loosely of course.

ANd no, I wasn't aware that Hgh Wycombe is now a university town

[Uncle Mort]

I don't suppose the course is really just 'selling beds' but rather a general retail management course. That wouldn't make such a good headline though.

[Nick]

Truth be told, Uncle, (and I work in this field), this is the way stuff is going. I could tell you horror stories from one end of the countkry to the other about post-16 colleges and also universities turning themselves inside out to satisft the absurd requirments of hte 2.5 Govt departments trying to implement the Leitch Report and other crap which Gordo has commissioned and believes in with evangelical fervour.

Admitted, it's a good headline, but not so far from the truth either

PS: Mrs NIck is, this morning in full robes, welcoming the new Chancellor of her University.WHo is he?Brian May, lead guitarist of Queen!

[Uncle Mort]

Just googled the Leitch Report:

Prosperity for all
in the global economy
- world class skills

154 pages of meddling.

What are 'skills' that we all must attain? Nothing concrete but just a mantra "we must have skills"

Give people a good grounding in the basic three r's, encourage inquisitiveness, self confidence and independence and they will get those skills they need.

The government needs to stop interferring in education.

[Nick]

I could say so much and can't be arsed.

Not your fault Uncle, it all comesfrom Gordo and it's a pile off toss

[Snoopy]

It's a "new" world that we have no part in anymore.

Nothing we say or do will change it now.

The values we understand have all been binned as obsolete.

I complain like everyone else on here but at the end of the day ............

Our children will have to make what they can of it I'm afraid.

[Uncle Mort]

All I see is the devaluing of university education. This example may not be a degree in 'selling beds' but I don't see these type of courses being worth a degree.

[Snoopy]

Everything we have been brought up to believe in is being devalued Unc and there is sod all we can do about it.

[Nick]

A friend of ours has a very successful small business. She does hair and make up for brides. Thassit. Charges a fortune on a Friday and Saturday. KNows her stuff.Bored for the rest of the week she has "trained" to teach 16 year olds how to do the same thing (on "nationally recognised" qualifications). She says it is scarey and she would not let any one of them near a real person as they are "useless, illiterate and have no understanidng of skin colours or chemistry"

She is required to give them Pass marks.................

Mrs Snoopy will confirm

This is happening nationwide

[Uncle Mort]

She is required to give them Pass marks.................

That I don't understand

[Nick]

OK

The funding formula is split in 3:

1. Recruit
2. Retain
3. QuaLify

Lose one or more and you lose money. Get all three and you get max funding. Hence an incentive to pass.

Yeah?

Do tou want the appalling details

http://www.lsc.gov.uk/Publications/Publicationsearch/Summary.htm?DescriptionExact=&Scheme=&TitleExact=&Subject=&order=&EndYear=&Author=&StartMonth=&Region=&Type=Circular&Title=&Description=&EndMonth=&PubSearch=1&Term=&page=1&AuthorExact=0&StartYear=

[Uncle Mort]

Sorry but if they are "useless, illiterate and have no understanidng of skin colours or chemistry"
then they haven't passed.

[Nick]

They are told to pass them and the exams are about tick boxes

[Darwins Selection]

Sorry but if they are "useless, illiterate and have no understanidng of skin colours or chemistry"
then they haven't passed.

The word "Qualify" obviously needs to be qualified.

If they do that then you get paid, no matter whether they "Pass" or not.