Vocational qualifications not ‘poor relation’, says study

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Latest research has found vocational qualifications can provide ‘real and tangible benefits’ including a boost to earnings.

Sometimes viewed as the ‘poor relation’ in the academic and educational framework, vocational qualifications often have value in the labour market and can help raise adult skill levels, the research suggests.

While acknowledging the benefits are not universal, the study -conducted by Sheffield University and published by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills - found that some vocational qualifications led to large pay increases. However, the differences in the boost to earnings between types and levels of the qualifications were deemed ‘considerable’.

Key findings included:

• An increase in average earnings of up to 22% following the completion of a Level 3 (equivalent to A-level) apprenticeship compared with a Level 2 apprenticeship.
• City & Guilds, RSA, BTECs and some other vocational qualifications also result in significant average pay increases of between five and 23%.
• Those obtaining an NVQ through their employer earn approximately 10% more than those with no qualifications (England only), but getting the same qualification via a college or government training scheme does not, on average, result in an increase.

Chris Humphries, UK Commission for Employment and Skills, chief executive, said: ‘Vocational qualifications have long been considered the poor relation to their academic counterparts, but this research shows that many vocational qualifications provide real and tangible benefits to both employers and individuals, sometimes providing pay increases which nearly match those expected from academic qualifications.

‘This is particularly remarkable when you consider that academic qualifications usually take much longer to achieve.’

He added: ‘These findings have important implications for the future, as they support a general policy of raising adult skills through the employer route and concentrating most effort on those with low or no qualifications.’