Technical degrees and higher vocational education

Abstract

This paper focuses on the proposals for the introduction of 'technical degrees' in English higher education institutions advanced by the Labour party's Liam Byrne in a document entitled 'Robbins Rebooted' which was published in August 2014 by the Social Market Foundation. The context and rationale for the proposed technical degrees is discussed, identifying assumptions and implications of the proposed policy. Drawing on studies of related workforce development and higher vocational initiatives, potential problems that could arise with the implementation of the policy are outlined. This leads on to a discussion on whether the curriculum that technical degrees would offer would be an adequate preparation for work and whether the qualifications in themselves would achieve as much credibility as alternative routes through higher education. In the event, the opportunity to introduce technical degrees in the form advanced by Byrne did not arise, as the Labour party lost the general election in 2015 and did not return to office.

Qualifications as Guarantees of Proficiency: Do We Understand Their Role?

“…In other words, action is informed by beliefs and is successful to the extent that those beliefs are in fact items of knowledge, usually situated in a broader knowledge background informing agents' decision-making and action. An important feature of occupational knowledge is that it is often systematically organised and based on systematic or scientific enquiry (Hordern, 2017). Depending on one's level of autonomy, the degree of engagement with that systematic knowledge will vary.…”

“…The first is that of providing an adequate conceptualisation of professional know-how. This consideration in turn depends on a better understanding of the nature of know-how and its relationship with propositional and acquaintance knowledge (Carr, 1979(Carr, , 1981Kotzee, 2016;Rumfitt, 2003;Ryle, 1949Ryle, , 1979Stanley & Williamson, 2001, 2017. The general approach adopted here can be called "non-intellectualist" (Winch, 2018) as it seeks to avoid reductivism; on the one hand of practical to propositional knowledge as advocated by Stanley and Williamson and on the other of propositional to practical knowledge (as can be seen in some interpretations of the work of Gilbert Ryle).…”