Neil Raven – författare

This book offers unique insights into the impact of the rise of a managerialist culture in Further Adult and Vocational Education (FAVE) in England. It will also raise awareness of the consequences of the imposition of top-down models of educational change and improvement upon the practices of educational leaders, middle and senior managers and policy professionals across the FAVE sector. The overall aim of this book is to understand the language, policies, values and approaches currently espoused in post-16 learning. Often these are driven by, or measured by, technical-rational approaches which can have a negative impact on individuals working in the sector, lead to a narrowing of the curriculum and range of assessment opportunities, and do not support student progression. The authors propose tentative, researched, and evidence-based suggestions for new ways of working which might, ultimately, have a significant benefit to post-16 learning. The book will appeal to those engaged in researching education – either as academics, policy makers, trainees, or practitioners who are interested in ways of reflecting on, researching into, and improving practice.

This book provides an evidence-informed vision of the future of technical education in England. Drawing on creative and innovative ideas, contributions analyse the current drivers to improve provision and the legacy of lessons learned from England’s historical systemic underperformance in developing accessible, high quality technical education. In addition to exploring the dynamics of the political and economic drivers for resetting the technical education agenda, the volume includes an important social justice perspective by exploring social mobility considerations linked to the government’s levelling up agenda, place-based interventions and differential access to skills training. Drawing on current and previous policy discourse and implementation, the book provides a forward-looking view, with recommendations of how high quality technical education could be developed to meet the needs of individuals, the economy and society. It will appeal to students, academics and practitioners with an interest in technical education in further and higher education settings.