A new qualifications matchmaking platform has launched, making it easier for millions of Britons to access vocational education and qualifications.
The UK’s £1bn-a-year regulated qualifications market has come under growing scrutiny in recent years, with concerns that its sheer scale makes it difficult for learners and employers to navigate. More than 10,000 active qualifications are offered by hundreds of providers, prompting Skills Minister Jacqui Smith to describe the system as “confusing for young people, adults and employers”.
Against this backdrop, iCQ Awards, part of The Workforce Development Trust charity, has launched Connected, a free-to-use platform that aims to make it easier for people to find vocational training opportunities.
Working in a similar way to a dating app, it matches individuals’ career ambitions and learning preferences with training providers in their local area. Providing instant, easy-to-understand information on vocational qualifications, the platform has received a warm welcome from youth employment and advocacy groups, who have highlighted its potential benefits for young people who are not currently in education, employment or training (NEETs).
“Reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training is vital for boosting social mobility and strengthening the UK economy,” says skills sector consultant and Youth Employment UK Chair, Stewart Segal.
“Every young person who develops new skills or moves into work brings valuable talent and potential into the economy, helping employers meet their skills needs while reducing the long-term social costs of economic inactivity.
“All parts of society have a role to play in making this happen, and we need practical action that connects young people with the skills, experience and opportunities they need to take their next step.”
The number of young people not in education, employment or training remains stubbornly high in the UK, with around one in eight 18-24-year-olds classified as NEET according to official figures.
Reducing the number of NEETs remains a major government priority and the UK’s complex qualifications landscape, described by the government’s social mobility tsar, Alan Milburn, as a “jungle”, remains a significant barrier to making informed post-16 choices, particularly for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Welcoming the launch of the new platform, John Yarham, CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company, said:
“Every young person should be able to see and understand the full range of opportunities available to them, whatever their starting point or the path they want to take.
“Young people need a clear line of sight to their future, and navigating the range of vocational qualifications and training available is key to making that a reality.
“Making those opportunities easier to discover and understand is an important part of helping young people make informed and ambitious choices about their futures.”
Managing Director of iCQ Awards, Dennis Twomey, explains the thinking behind the platform:
“Finding the right training opportunity locally can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, particularly for young people, parents and advisers trying to navigate an increasingly complex landscape.
“We wanted to make that process simpler, more accessible and a little more playful. Connected gives young people an easy way to explore the opportunities available to them, discover pathways they may not have considered and think more broadly about where their next step could lead.
“There’s no substitute for good careers advice, but we can make the information people need much easier to find and, crucially, much more relevant to them.”