Bridging Education and Work
Bridging Education and Work

Summary/Abstract: There is a mismatch between school and work requirements and a sense that what we have been led to believe about education and qualifications is somehow false. Research has found an inverse correlation between qualifications and job performance. Education has been viewed as good for society but tends to have a corrupting effect on genuine learning - concentrating on its products (examination results) at the expense of processes (application of understanding). Job recruiters look for psychological and social aptitudes that are not easily defined or measured. These develop from attention to individual needs and key competencies which have been side-lined in pursuit of test results and school rankings. Many teachers, however, view their job as not just pointing students to qualifications as a means of livelihood but to a broader view of what a fulfilling life looks like. This requires rejecting a narrow academic life-course that is regarded as obligatory and inevitable in British and many other societies! A focus on developing the attributes and virtues required for successful living and working are advocated. Teachers play a vital role in nurturing these in schools and colleges and must give them priority in learning.

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