The UK education and training system
In order to help your clients, you need to have a broad-based understanding of the UK education and training system as a whole - pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, workplace and informal. Naturally you are not expected to be an expert on education and training (although in some instances you may need to consult such experts). However you should be familiar with the basics of the system and know how to find out more detail on any aspect, if this is required.
Remember that we live in an age of lifelong learning and that much learning takes place outside the traditional academic system. So you should make sure that you know not just the local schools, colleges and universities, but also private training providers, adult learning agencies, voluntary groups etc.
In particular, it is essential that you appreciate the ways in which the education and training systems of the four UK nations differ from one another (the Scottish system displays the largest divergences from the others) and the implications of this for the client.
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Here are the official government websites for the education departments in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales:
Familiarise yourself with the information provided on these sites, especially that related to the country in which you are resident. Note that much of the information on the English site applies also to Wales and some is also applicable to Northern Ireland. Each of these sites provides links to sites giving information on more specialised aspects of education. Note the addresses of such sites which are particularly relevant to yourself and summarise the sort of information which you can gain from them. |
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