This paper analyses the findings of a case study into the attitudes and experiences of engineering students and teachers on a vocational education trajectory from the 14-19 Diploma in Engineering through post-16 vocational courses to a university Access course. The research took place in 2008-2009 in a deprived inner city area of London. A baseline survey of nearly 100 participants sought the views of secondary and further education (FE) students as to learning preferences, attitudes to the subject, motivation and aspirations. These issues were investigated in more depth through interviews with secondary, vocational and university access students nominated by their teachers as talented. Engineering teachers at secondary, FE and higher education levels were interviewed regarding their understandings of talent in engineering and their approaches to nurturing such talent. The paper overviews the findings on these questions, and focuses in more depth on issues surrounding applied learning and employer engagement. The study found strong preferences among learners and teachers in all phases for applied and workrelevant learning approaches in engineering education. Opportunities for these were unbalanced through the phases, however, with work experience, enrichment events and access to professional engineers more available to the younger, 14-19 Diploma students than to further or higher education students.
Her research interests centre on the sociology and philosophy of education, and the ways in which debates in the sphere of education reflect and illuminate aspects of wider culture and society.
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