Training is our responsibility

The education secretary recently announced a proposed diploma in construction and the built environment for secondary students, and this raises some important issues. Will the industry be involved in the design of the curriculum? Who will teach? What will be the minimum qualifications of the teachers? There is nothing more dangerous than an enthusiastic amateur in building. The minister said the divide between academic and vocational study is over. Let us give praise, but we had such projections in the 1956 White Paper on Technical Education and in the 1959 Crowther Report. The industry needs to follow developments and impose its powerful will on content and standards. Training is the responsibility of industry.