I like this idea in a way.

I have seen for example how in some criminal lawyers offices you can get the full panolpy of apprentices, from those about to do serious bird through to the new generation at about 10, just starting out on their apprenticeship...

Why don't the Legal Aid Solicitors award A Levels in this. An A star star star star star star star star in say bringing in fee income...

Alistairs Solicitors, Bristol, UK

Do you think McDonalds could muster up an A Level course on how to run a country?

Then distribute it to the heads of our Government.

(Via Brussels obviously)

Jez W, Leeds,

A completely rubbish idea. On the upside at least it is a step away from the thinking that 50% of people require a University education. I rather have a vocational qualification in Engineering from Network Rail than a degree in Art History or Media Studies any day of the week.

Chris Kirk, Loughborough, UK

Perhaps once they've got their McA-level, they can go on to McDonalds' 'Hamburger University' in Oak Brook, Illinois to acquire a McDegree - I once worked with a former graduate (in a non-related job), who told me it was something like the Scientologists' brainwashing program plus fries. Perhaps we'll see Burger King offering an MA program shortly.

Ruth , Salwa, Kuwait

I have got a first class degree in Journalism and NCTJ training, yet since I have graduated, most of this time has been spent on the dole because there are simply not enough jobs in my chosen field. Offering "Mclevels" will simply tie people down to working in McDonalds for the rest of their lives and keep the poverty gap as wide as ever. Making all of these jobs psuedo-professions simply makes these low skilled jobs harder to get in the first place. We will always have the unemployed and demanding more for low skilled jobs will make it harder to get on the job ladder.

Tom Hughes, Baldock, Hertfordshire

What about a doctorate in tiddlywinks?

Pat Toal, Moscow,

Do I have to address every Network Rail employee as Dr. ...... ?

Vince, Birkirkara, Malta

This is a ridiculous idea- there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning a trade and practical skills.
However as a student working towards my A levels I find it unbelievable that the people we have entrusted to run our country are looking to make my A level in say chemistry equivalent to one in heating up things out of boxes. Incidentally academic A level's don't actively encourage obesity as these 'Mc' ones would seem to.
No wonder every year when A level results are published people are queuing up to say they are being devalued: when truly ignorant ideas such as these are entertained I can see why.

Charlotte, Somerset,

Osei from London has it exactly right - Tony and Gordon should co-author the book showing how they destroyed our nation in 11+ short years.

Debbie, London,

When I worked for British Rail a number of years ago I did a number of very good courses on management and training skills. It was always frustrating that they were not nationally recognised. I have 1969 vintage A levels and a Master's degree so I think I was able to gauge their quality reasonably dispassionately.

No employer will have any interest in spending their money on sub standard qualifications - in fact judging from what we read all too often about the current standards of GCSEs and A levels, the quality of employer led qualifications could well be much higher.

Peter, Birmingham, UK

And we are to believe all these qualifications from independant businesses will all be equal?

This is pure spin that will probably cost us the tax payer to create.
Does anyone really believe these qualifications will have any meaning when applying for jobs in a different company?

Aubrey, London,

I'm more interested in who will be paying for this inititiative? Will these private companies now be eligible for funding from the learning and skills council? This would effectively make each new recruit an additional source of revenue on the completion of their qualification, regardless of its value to them.

Glen, London,

What qualifications do you need to become an MP? Clearly you do not have to be able to think!

David Hunt, Romsey,

It's simple. If you see one of these qualifications on a CV, just bin it. Easier to spot the incapable now, just look for these useless, laughable qualifications!

Helen E., London, UK

Might we allow brothels to offer qualifications in sex studies. This might do something to combat the explosion in STDs amongst the young and the appalling level of teenage and underage pregnancy in the UK.

It is as likely as McDonalds teaching nutrition.

C Byrne, Pinner, UK

Last week we learned that Britain was dropping out of top level scientific research because we couldn't afford our share of the running costs, this week it's A levels in burgerology. Would you like fries with your knowledge economy? Still, with our economy now resembling a giant offshore retail park, perhaps these two policies give a glimpse of our true place in the world.

Paul, Stafford,

Smoke screen.

These firms are training employees to do these things anyway! All that is happening is that they are being given a certificate at the end.

No-one is going to be better off by any of this.

Jamie , truro, cornwall

Stay all day, get all 5 Stars and an "A" Level. What could be better!

Thanks Gordon, fantastic idea, could I have one for refuse collection?

paul, worcester, uk

Ha ha ha ha ha ha...... oh I'm sorry, you're serious aren't you.

Keith, France,

What has happened to NVQ's. I thought this was what they were supposed to do...... oh right of course - stick a brand name on it and its much better.....

onyirbike, Glasgow,

Isn't this a bit like every town issuing their own currency?

Will it be accepted and trusted anywhere else?

R Bingham, Lauzun, France

I think this is a great idea - the government and the general populace focusses too much on academic qualifications. How much value are academic qualifications and university degrees outside of academia and research? Limited is my view. Back in the 60's you didn't need to go to university to become a lawyer, and i don't think the quality of lawyers from that generation is any worse than the lawyers today who have degrees in history, chemistry or social sciences. Too much influence has been put on the value of university degrees and "academic" a-levels and not enough influence has been put on the value of learning a trade. If you are going to be in a "trade" based job then wouldn't it be better to learn your trade . Look at Germany with its apprentice scheme. At least give people the opportunity to learn something useful. Rather than fool them into going to university, borrowing too much money, coming out with a business studies degree and ending up in a call centre!!!

Adrian, London, UK

Let's assume that everyone in their right mind won't equate a McA-Level with, say, A-Level Physics, studied for 2 years.

So given this assumption, what's the deal? Well, these companies can be touted as socially responsible, and the New Labour(Social)ists can claim to be offering choice.

So good publicity all round.

The heart of the matter - what real benefit does this actually bring?

I've worked in McDs - an environment of rigid process \ procedure, with no room for original thought. An environment where (in my experience) advancement was awarded to those who could shout the loudest and bully the most.

The Socialist aim is to make all people equal - but since they cannot aim for improvements across the board, they aim for the lowest common denominator. McA-Levels all round, with fries okay?

Name Withheld, Manchester,

As a student curently worknig for a-levels to go to university. It isnt fair that some shoulsd spend thousands of pounds training to work for the good of those in the country. When "dropouts" can go and earn money while doing unskillful jobs and earning the same credit. The country needs to think about where the new doctors,dentists and teachers will come from as who wants to pay thousands and study extremly hard when you can walk in flip a burger and earn a degree thats worth the same as theres!Ridiculous idea

Louise, Birmingham,

Now I have completely lost the plot and arrived in lala land

fairbob, Saffron Walden,

brilliant move, not content with the mickey mouse qualifications of the past our gloriously inept government has gone one better and introduced ronald mcdonald ones .


whatever next ?

I dread to think .

forget education welcome to the age of corporate indoctrination.

mark, bury st edmunds, suffolk

I was born in 1940 and as soon as I was old enough I became a van driver and went on to heavy artics via heavy rigids as soon as I was old enough. This was before the H.G.V.licence. I worked for several trucking firms and at each one the foreman knew almost every town and village in the U/K. They knew everything about the industry would always help someone less knowledgable. Their only qualifacation was the fact that they were ex-lorry drivers.

Trevor Gould, Birmingham, England

How interesting! Brown and his Work and Pensions Minister have come out with this. The EU Constitution (sorry treaty; a constitution by any other name would smell just as foul), EU corruption (accounts not signed by auditors for 13 YEARS), sleaze, Northern Rock, etc., etc., etc., and this is apparently all they think about. A red herring if ever I saw one and not half so putrid as the total disregard for Manifesto promises.
Is anything else needed to section this very dangerous egomaniac?

M. Cawdery, Portadown, UK

This is absurd. It lowers the value of the qualifications people already have (as someone still working towards mine, this is very scary). It is also of absolutely no value to the 'students' in question. If they leave school to get a job, then they want a job, not more school. It will just end up as a load of extra, pointless paperwork - much like key skills did during A-levels.

Meg, Pembs,

I thought the Government were already trying to get half the population to get these qualifications? Only they called them 'Degrees' and were based on a useless qualification called an A-level. These 'Degrees' are usually issued with the words 'Media Studies' and 'Sociology' written on them and are best used to wrap a burger in.

Bry Barnes, Somerset, Uk

***These Policies should feature in a best-seller: How to Destroy a Nation in One Generation (someone should write the book).
Osei Agyeman, london, england ***

unfortunately, we've no-one qualified....

tom, truro,

This seems to be an extension of the NVQ system, so those less accademically gifted can gain qualifications in practical subjects. It's no good complaining that we don't produce enough people that can do practical things (as opposed to everybody having a degree in Media Studies), but then criticise those that come up with a solution.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

This is absurd! Next my degree in Economics and Law will be no more useful than a 'vocational' qualification in deep-frying! Remind me again why i'm paying the government so much money to educate me when they're encouraging potential employers to employ teenage dropouts with 'work-based' qualifications such as operating a till! Way to motivate us dedicated students once again guys!

natalie-student, Nottingham, UK

On what planet do this government live. They need to stop trying to appear to be making a difference and start making objective decisions that are in the best interests of the country, endorsing a degree from mcdonalds makes a farce of the whole system. Grades are there to do what their name suggests, grade people, clogging up the system with tinpot qualifications like these just makes the whole recruitment/university admissions system that much more complicated.

philip, Coventry,

Drive-by A levels coming to a place near you! Do you want fries with that?

Ed Zuiderwijk, Cambridge, UK

Excellent. Take training away from the government and give it to people who know what they're talking about. Most FE colleges are completely lousy at training young people. This is close to a return to apprenticeship and should be welcomed

John Ledbury, Kings Lynn, England

Britain has finally lost the plot!! What a joke! They should invest the time, effort and money they put into conjuring up these brilliant ideas into helping parents become more effective role models for their children and ensuring they keep in academia instead of flipping burgers. Whatever next!

Christina, Limassol, Cyprus

It's difficult to see how this is going to be a positive step. If you let one company award such qualifications then where does it stop? It seems a foolish concept when there are people who have been working in industries for years, quite possibly without any qualifications, and they are not awarded anything such as this.

Work experience accounts for a lot as it is and there's already enough criticism de-valuing the hard work that students put in to their qualifcations.

Kimberley, London, United Kingdom

At last, something that's relevant to today's society. Academic qualifications mean very little if graduates who have worked hard for three plus years can't get a job because the qualification is too general and desn't relate to business needs. Let this continue and silence the "critics".

Sefton Sadio, Macclesfield, Cheshire/England

The fact that Mcdonald's are involved in this new initiative might be an unfortunate soundbite but the fact remains that if the training is thoughful and vigorous it is valid. Perhaps those commentators that have never worked in business may not realise the depth of knowledge required to understand and develop people successfully. Formal and robust performance appraisals, with an associated paper trail, are a reasonable validation if they are conducted professionally.

Wilf Bell, Farnborough, England

Corgi registered companies have been involved with a similar system for years.
Heating engineers & plumbers have gas installation qualifications via their employers.
However they are not qualified to do similar work out of company hours even though they have public liability insurance & pay separate income tax .

Peter Malone, Liverpool, UK

Terrific,at long last apprentiships are coming back,what IDIOT recommended their abolishment ?
Now , we can get BRITAIN back to work,and give the feral youngsters some hope for a career.



REMEMBER ME !

Derek Bevan, Huntingdon/Cambs, England?UK

Although the idea is truly inspiring, I can't help but question why I satyed on at Sixth Form when I could have gotten a job at McDonalds and gotten a McDegree on flipping burgers. With A-Levels getting harder, how can this be seen as a step in the right direction, rather than an excuse for kids to drop out of school and get GCSE status in a fast-food establishment? Once again, I applaud Gordon Browns decision!

Whitney, Reading, UK

I wouldn't dismiss this idea out of hand, but last year I had a child at a supposedly high performing sports school and found myself in the embarrassing situation of being behind a pupil applying to go to a sixth form college. The pupil was told that the college would not recognise his gcse substitute qualifications even if he was to pass them.
If the new qualifications are of genuine use and recognised within industry they will be good. If not they will serve to further de-motivate the youth of today.

Graham, Manchester, England

So this is how modern civilization ends!?

Dee, Dundee, Scotland

how about the goverment sorts out our schools instead and strips children of their supposed rights, and gives teachers back the tools they need to displine children.

Instead a small number of children are allowed to ruin our schools for every one, becuse they know there rights and can play the system.

Mr W Jones, Liverpool,

What is the point of college or university then if you can claim qualifications for free whilst flipping burgers or showing people how to use a life jacket.
As a former employee of McDonalds whilst at Uni, it is embarrassing enough to have them as a former employee, but as the awarding body of your qualifications as well!
Somehow, this government and its affiliates still manages to surprise me.

Ash, Sheffield, UK

Excellent!

And this can be combined with nutrition studies.

Pete Balchin, Solicitor , Bristol, UK

this is good news BUT please don't let us have gordon brown rushing to the microphone and taking credit !! wait fot it

david , edinburgh,

Why should education only ever be about providing employers with "skilled" up employees? Bobbath from Toronto presents a commonly-held stance when he/she moans about Sociology and Women's Studies graduates, clearly in complete ignorance that the value of a degree does not lie in its subject matter per se, but in the habits of mind and the application to learning which it represents. I wonder if he/she is aware that there are more Media studies graduates working in media-related industries than there are law graduates practising law? And yet you never hear the Bobbaths of this world complaining about those damned unproductive law students.

Clive, London,

It makes a total mockery of the current A-Level system and a huge disincentive for those students currently working hard for them.

Its fine to create a new form of qualification to be awarded by such companies, but what benefit is there in comparing them as equivalent to A-levels, when they are so clearly different?

Melanie, Cambridge, England

Considering what they put in the food, God only knows what the GCSE will be like.

Caroline, Oxford,

The McGCSE sounds quite good. It takes more than burger flipping skills to run a restaurant. Financial management would be a core skill, for example. Good Idea!

JT, Sheffield, UK

Can someone please establish a short course in how to be an effective prime minister? I know one likely cadidate!

A Williams, Cradley Heath,

But will the teachers/trainers be adequately qualified to teach and train their trainees?

Rodney Barker, Gainsborough, England UK

The key element in the Network Rail qualification would be turning up 30 minutes late for every lesson.

David Masu, Zürich,

this is exactly what i've writen about in my novels, one one step closer to the cyberpunk era, what's next the corps going ex-terrorital.

Nicola Clubb, Bournemouth,

All show and no substance - the hallmark of this government!

Bill Q, Derby,

It's far better for kids to get certificates from McDonalds and Flybe and Network Rail than to drop out. At least they'll learn some relevant skills and get job experience that can carry over to other firms. The alternative is not A levels in maths and physics--it's dropping out altogethe.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, WAshington, D.C.,

McEducation!

David, Godalming, UK

Brilliant... now the 'qualified' will be even more handicapped when competing with immigrants who have real qualifications. These Policies should feature in a best-seller: How to Destroy a Nation in One Generation (someone should write the book).

Osei Agyeman, london, england

I reckon qualifications such as these are a positive first step, but companies should now try and work together to develop universal recognition of particular awards.

Chris Gudgin, Nottingham,

this is the most ridiculous idea that Gordons come up with to date... how on earth can a qualification in basic shift management at mcdonalds(which will involve taking payment, flipping burgers and making children obese) be equilavent to an a level(which will have taken two years and a lot of testing??
ludicrous!!

Samuel Thomas, london, uk

Glad I have left the UK

Shows what UK qualifications are worth these days. It is time we sacked all politicians for letting standards slip this much .

James Evans, Boston, USA

At first I thought this was an early 'April fool', the educational standard required of A-levels has been lowered over the past ten years, this move will only serve to lower it even more, the governments pre-occupation with increasing those in higher education by lowering the overall standard does everyone a disservice. Now adding to the insult, they are backing the QCA in allowing private firms such as McDonalds to issue qualifications, I agree with professor Smithers, that the qualifications will be useless outside of the issuing company, they will be viewed as a second rate A-level or degree by any other employer.

Les, Southport, England

I think this is great-the UK has decayed partly because they have a surfeit of Sociology and Women's studies grads-hopefully this will train people to be gainfully employed and productive.

BOBBATH, Toronto, Canada