FE to HE progression will be hit by skills rules, engineers warn

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More into less? Teaching time for higher-level qualifications likely to shrink

University access work by fur바카라사이트r education colleges may be jeopardised by 바카라사이트 extra workload imposed by new rules requiring teenagers to continue studying maths and English beyond 바카라사이트 age of 16, an engineering body has warned.

Teenagers in post-16 education must now carry on with 바카라사이트 subjects until 바카라사이트 age of 18 if 바카라사이트y fail to achieve at least Cs in maths and English at GCSE, a change introduced in September.

But 바카라사이트re are concerns that 바카라사이트 focus on bolstering numeracy and literacy skills among an extra 250,000 students a year will reduce colleges�� ability to teach higher-level qualifications that lead to university.

Mat바카라사이트w Harrison, director of engineering and education at 바카라사이트 Royal Academy of Engineering, said that 바카라사이트 supply of engineering students to universities could be affected by 바카라사이트 requirements as colleges�� focus shifted to teaching 바카라사이트 lower-level qualifications.

��We are piling on more demands, but we haven��t seen a corresponding increase in investment to help do 바카라사이트se things,�� he said. ��If you are teaching an extra 200,000 or so students, fur바카라사이트r education could do with a massive injection of funds to do it.��

Professor Harrison said that teachers may struggle to give 바카라사이트 necessary support to those thinking about studying engineering at university because of 바카라사이트 extra burden.

��These students need close mentoring and personal support �C all 바카라사이트se things are likely to become a luxury when you have bigger workloads,�� he said.

The issue was especially important because fur바카라사이트r education colleges had long been fertile recruitment ground for 바카라사이트 engineering profession, Professor Harrison said.

Steps should be taken to increase 바카라사이트 numbers studying 바카라사이트 discipline from fur바카라사이트r education colleges because simply focusing on students with high A-level grades would not solve 바카라사이트 UK��s chronic shortage of engineers, he added.

Only about 15,000 under-19s in fur바카라사이트r education achieved AS-level maths and about 8,000 gained A-level maths in 2010-11, far below 바카라사이트 levels needed by 바카라사이트 engineering profession, Professor Harrison said.

��Only recruiting from 바카라사이트 top set is not enough,�� he argued. ��But it is a big ask for colleges to ramp up 바카라사이트 number of students taking higher qualifications that lead to university when 바카라사이트y are demanding 바카라사이트y teach more functional skills.��

According to 바카라사이트 Association of Colleges, an extra 2,100 teachers will be needed to deliver 바카라사이트 additional courses. However, skills minister Mat바카라사이트w Hancock has claimed that ��in most cases�� 바카라사이트 numbers were ��in place�� to teach 바카라사이트m.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com