On 18 November, representatives from the Centre for Vocational Education Research gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility, as part of its inquiry into the transition from school to work for 14-24 year olds, with a focus on those young people who fall between the route of A-Levels and Higher Education and those classified as ‘not in education, employment or training’ (NEET).

CVER Director, Professor Sandra McNally, and Dr Stefan Speckesser, Chief Economist from the Institute for Employment Studies and member of the CVER consortium, took part in an evidence session on the use of data, its strengths and limitations, as well as the accessibility of relevant data. The complexities of vocational education data were described, and the need for merged data to gain better understanding of people’s participation in education and the labour market. The importance of generating administrative linked data as efficiently as possible across government departments was emphasised, as this would allow greater analysis of the education pathways and subsequent trajectories of young people in a far more contemporary setting. A transcript of the session is available online.

The Committee aims to report to the House of Lords with recommendations in late March 2016 - http://www.parliament.uk/social-mobility-committee.