Looking at vocational and creative skills rather than just academic status

Gavin Whichello, founder of training company Qube Learning and recent recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Outstanding Contribution to Surrey 2019 Award, Visiting Professor at Surrey University, discusses what social mobility means today:

Coming from a working-class background, I wasn’t perhaps given the same opportunities as other boys more fortunate than myself, but I wanted to prove that I was just as capable as anyone.

Boys like me were expected to follow in our father’s footsteps so further education was not part of the plan. However, I was determined that my life would be different.

Prioritises academic achievement as the gold standard

As the gap between rich and poor continues to grow, upward social mobility appears harder than ever for many members of our society. Unfortunately, the quality of an individual’s education varies to a large extent depending on the social class that they are born into, and more often than not, the higher the family income, the better the educational opportunities.

Today’s education system prioritises academic achievement as the gold standard, yet this system fails to acknowledge the many other skills and attributes that so many individuals possess which are essential in the workplace

Our current education system celebrates only a narrow spectrum of abilities and as a result such a lot of potential and ability is being wasted. Further Education presents a great opportunity for those who don’t follow this more traditional route to learn and earn.

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