Sir, I welcome moves towards qualifications driven by the needs of business (“McDonald’s A level in running a burger bar”, Jan 28) but qualifications must, above all, reflect the needs of learners. The true test of any vocational learning is whether it enhances employability through the acquisition of skills that are valued in the market place. The great danger in allowing all kinds of employers to accredit their own qualifications is that they will not be recognised elsewhere, limiting the possibility of career advancement or progressing to higher study.

Doubts about the latest Government spin stem from distrust after the bastardisation of the apprenticeship system where any young person in work-based training has been labelled “an apprentice”. Academic research suggests that at least some of this training, particularly at lower levels, may have no positive impact on earnings prospects, short-changing many young people who sign up.

For employer schemes to be valued they must be independently assessed and accredited, guaranteeing to learners that they are the equal of other qualifications at the same level, otherwise they may become an unvalued “Maccalaureate”.

John Hayes, MP
Shadow Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education
London SW1

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