Central Government Agencies and the Management of Vocational Educational and Training

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article considers current proposals for the contribution of central government departments towards the effective management of vocational education and training in The United Kingdom. Starting from some broad assumptions about the objectives of vocational education and training, an attempt is made to place discussions about what roles the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Employment/Manpower Services Commission should play in this field within the context of events that have occurred over the past forty years. Three alternative forms of management relationships are considered, two of which recommend the formation of a new department, either a Department of Education and Training or a Department of Employment and Vocational Training, while the third supports a refinement of present ad hoc inter‐departmental arrangements. After examining the perceived advantages and disadvantages of these proposals, it is suggested that a new central government management system is requi...