Good career guidance is critical if young people are to raise their aspirations and capitalise on the opportunities available to them. In 2013 we commissioned Sir John Holman to research what pragmatic actions could improve career guidance in England and subsequently he developed the Good Career Guidance Benchmarks.
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In late 2015 David Sainsbury was asked by government to chair a panel of experts that would provide clear recommendations for measures that would not only improve, but transform, technical education in England. The panel’s report was published alongside the government’s Post-16 Skills Plan in July 2016.
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Technicians are the linchpins of the UK economy. They are skilled people who use their science, engineering or technology knowledge to identify and solve practical problems. They are the electricians and plumbers that we all rely on, but they are also crucial to the success of many of our country’s future-growth areas, including the aerospace, chemical, digital, engineering and manufacturing industries.
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Once in secondary education, exposure to effective science and maths teaching delivered by teachers that are knowledgeable and passionate about their subject can be transformative. That is why we care about the supply and training of specialist teachers in these subjects.
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Good career guidance has never been more important. Changes in technology and in the labour market mean that increasing numbers of jobs require specific education and training, yet career guidance in English schools has often been criticised for being inadequate and patchy.
Technical education offers young people a clear route from school into rewarding technician occupations, and progression to higher education for those who wish to do so. The implementation of the Sainsbury Review recommendations will bring a step-change in the quality of technical education provision in England.
Reform to technical education is a key priority for Gatsby and its success is predicated on a fundamental shift in the public’s perception of and attitude towards technician jobs. Therefore, we undertake work to raise the profile of technicians and promote greater recognition of the importance of their contributions to modern society.
The Awards aim to highlight the importance of technicians in enabling high quality practical work in science.
In October 2018, The Salters’ Institute, with support from Gatsby, hosted a Technicians Conference which brought together school and college science technicians (including previous Salters’ Technicians Award winners) to network and share good practice. Following an introduction by Sir John Holman, technicians took part in discussions exploring Gatsby's Good Practical Science
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The results of the annual Initial Teacher Training Census have been released, and they don’t paint a pretty picture. Figures for the academic year of 2018-2019, England, indicate that recruitment for specialist physics teachers has fallen yet again and is performing comparably worse than recruitment for other subjects.
For instance, in contrast to Biology which recruited 153% of its target, Physics only recruited 47%. In addition, the ITT Census figures also indicate that Physics has the 2nd highest percentage of non-UK national trainees after Modern Foreign Languages. Considered alongside the fact that physics teachers are more likely to leave teaching careers, in part because of better pay and conditions in
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