Vocal Voices

Politicians are at it again... we have had 70 ministers responsible for training in 35 years and they all introduce their own new wonder initiatives. It has to stop, as the City and Guilds Institute keeps saying and is now saying again about the new T-levels. These are technical qualifications yet some want to equate them with A-levels, which they are not. We are not all academically gifted and we should stop measuring a person's worth based on their IQ.

There are basically two types of intelligence - academic and practical - and the two distribution curves do not overlap. A decent society needs plenty of both sorts

Imagine you are on a ship that loses all power and communications and runs aground on an island in the middle of nowhere. Who are its most valuable members at that time; the physicist, mathematician, chemist or the builders, carpenters, gardeners? I would opt for those who could build a shelter, get a fire going every time one was needed and could provide food and water.

It was always so when I was at school Frank. There were always technical collages where the practical students could develop their skills. They seemed to disappear unto 'universities' some time back. Was it Tony Blair's fault, I expect it was.

Meds, I think you are right about technical colleges and also vocational based colleges. They were nowhere near being universities, but they did offer the opportunity to progress.

An old school friend did bookkeeping then she studied - part time and work -to become an accountant. My sister went to secretarial college and then went on to do PA qualifications, also through work. In engineering students could get to HNC / HND and then go on to qualify via degrees as Mechanical, Electrical or Electronic Engineers.

They would never have got on to the higher courses via the CSE /O-level > A-level route.

And don't get me started on the Mickey Mouse courses now described as "apprenticeships".

Funny you posted this today WM. Kev the plumber (age 66) came to our house today to fit an outside tap. He has a low opinion of the take a four week course and you're a plumber approach. He says that there are very few good young plumbers around.
Also, my brother went to Baliol college Oxford. One day it hosted a meeting of the world's premier physicists. After the meeting one of them couldn't get his car started. The others clustered round the car to help - and none of them could get it started either!

Cromwell, I am convinced that as IQ goes up practical skills decrease. My son is up there in the 140+ bracket and he is not to be trusted with anything as complicated as a tin opener.

One day I made some mayo using the whizzer stick and with it still plugged in he was going to do the 'licking the spoon' thing: I kid you not.

I calmly and quietly made my way to the socket and turned the power off. I am thick as mince compared to him, but I am practical....

Workingman wrote:Cromwell, I am convinced that as IQ goes up practical skills decrease. My son is up there in the 140+ bracket and he is not to be trusted with anything as complicated as a tin opener.

One day I made some mayo using the whizzer stick and with it still plugged in he was going to do the 'licking the spoon' thing: I kid you not.

I calmly and quietly made my way to the socket and turned the power off. I am thick as mince compared to him, but I am practical....

Our lads are chalk and cheese. Tom's intelligent but not in any way practical. Joe struggled at school yet give him a tool kit and he's away. I remember when they had new bedroom furniture a couple of years ago, Tom started building his bedside cabinet up and he was convinced the holes weren't lining up and bits he did manage to build up were wrong; Joe took over and had it built up - alongside his own - in no time.
A few weeks ago we bought new sofas and an armchair for in the upstairs living room, all Ikea flatpacks which needed building up. As soon as it'd been delivered Joe was opening boxes and building up the armchair while Tom got his coat and went out

Tom spent over an hour trying to fit new wiper blades, eventually gave up and had to leave them for John to do.