THE NUMBER of people starting Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications has dropped by more than ten per cent, writes Steve Hook.
The number of Advanced GNVQ registrations for this year was 80,290 - down 10,749 in a year - and less than a tenth the number of entries for A and AS levels. These figures, released by the Joint Council for General Qualifications, come as GNVQs are replaced by the new vocaional A-levels as part of the Curriculum 2000 reforms. They support arguments that this addition to the plethora of post-16 qualifications has not raised standards.
GNVQs have not lived up to their billing as vocational alternatives to A-levels, according to the Office for Standards in Education and the Further Education Funding Council.
Modern apprenticeships shunned: see www.tesfefocus.co.uk
