The Conversation:
Manifesto Check: the Conservatives' top policies
14 April 2015
The Conversation's Manifesto Check, where academics subject each party's election manifesto to unbiased, expert scrutiny. Here is what our experts had to say about the Conservative's top policies.
Hilary Steedman, Senior Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
The Conservatives' manifesto skates over some uncomfortable truths about the development of apprenticeship during their last five years in office. True, as stated in the manifesto, 2.2 million new apprenticeships (apprenticeship starts) were registered between 2009/10 and 2013/14. However, of those starting an apprenticeship in this period, 850,000 were adults aged 25 or over.
In fact, the coalition government presided over and encouraged a huge increase in adult apprenticeships while numbers of 16-18 year olds in apprenticeship barely changed year on year. Most of those on adult apprenticeships were already in employment and a House of Commons Select Committeefound that many adult apprenticeships offered poor value for money. It is, therefore, depressing to see a bland promise of apprenticeship numbers trumpeted in the manifesto - 3 million over the next five years - with no preference for young people and no commitment to higher quality.
Read more here.
Sandra McNally, Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science
On the curriculum, the Conservatives emphasise learning of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy in primary schools, and in secondary schools (where this fails). They are right to prioritise these areas. Inadequate literacy and numeracy is a problem for about a fifth of the adult population, and those aged 16-24 perform worse than those aged 55-65 (unlike in most other countries). Partly as a result, establishing basic literacy and numeracy leads to a high earnings return in later life.
Whether or not changing the curriculum will actually improve in these basic skills is another matter.
Read more here.
This article was published in The Conversation on 14 April, 2015
Link to article here
Related links
Hilary Steedman webpage
Sandra McNally webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage
CVER website