63. Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on the proposed integration of vocational and academic assessment.
§ 64. Mr. Easthamasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about his plans to integrate vocational and academic assessment.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe Government attach considerable importance to the need both to build bridges between GCSE and A-levels on the one hand and vocational qualifications on the other, and to ensure that opportunities exist for entry into, and progression within, higher education and higher level professional qualifications. We have made it clear that the recently established National Council for Vocational Qualifications would be expected to work in collaboration both with the Secondary Examinations Council and with those responsible for higher level qualifications to establish linkages with the NVQ framework so as to ensure the minimum of barriers to access, progression and interchange. I am aware that several commentators on the report of the review group on vocational qualifications have called for a more radical integration of qualifications systems; the Government believe, however, that a more appropriate and feasible way forward is to develop qualifications from existing bases, ensuring that possible linkages and equivalences are fully exploited. Only if an effective national system of vocational qualifications is established, with pathways commanding the respect and status to draw in the ablest young people, will the unhelpful divide that exists between the so-called "academic" and "vocational" routes of learning be bridged.