Innovative School Courses and Industrial Performance - A report on a Project to investigate the relevance of school learning to performance and attitudes in industry

Abstract

A problem which concerns educationists, industrialists and, above all, young people entering employment, is the extent to which innovations in education and changes in industry reinforce or work against each other. It is important not to interpret this in terms of possible vocational courses in schools, but rather as relating to the interaction between school, training and further education. One of the effects of raising the school leaving age is to highlight problems of this kind. The following questions indicate important aspects of the problem:

1. What is the relevance to subsequent work in industry of attitudes and abilities developed by innovative methods in schools? Which aspects of their school education are likely to be of greatest value to young trainees?

2. Wbat are the best methods of training young people who have had experience of innovative school courses? How may their skills be best used?

3. What problems arise if there are major differences between instructional methods used in schools, further education and industry?