Search results

The increase in participation in post-compulsory education and training in Britain coincided with the introduction of the General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) by the then Conservative government. This chapter, based on a paper first published in 1995, analyses the ideological rationale for and consequences of GNVQ as a means of restructuring mass education and training in England and Wales. The focus is on four issues: GNVQ, ideology and the tripartite hierarchy of educational provision in Britain; the nature of learning experiences in GNVQs and what counts as quality learning; the relationship between the knowledge and content of GNVQs, employers, the labour market and upskilling the workforce; and the importance of addressing wider educational issues beyond economic rationalism. The authors conclude that the GNVQ has failed to achieve parity of esteem with A-levels.