---

Education and Skills Bill

moved Amendment No. 210A: 210A: Clause 71, page 44, line 32, at end insert— ““( ) a specified vocational qualification at level 1,”” The noble Baroness said: I shall speak also to Amendment No. 211A. Both amendments are in the names of my noble friend Lord Dearing and myself. We very much welcome the provision that has been made in the Bill for those without level 1 skills in English and maths to receive free tuition, but the amendment is designed to give those aiming for a level 1 qualification the same right to free tuition as the Bill gives to those aiming for a level 2 qualification. This means that in addition to a free course in English and maths provided for in the Bill, there would be an additional right to three vocational qualifications at level 1—the equivalent to GCSE passes in grades D to G. The people whom we are talking about are the most vulnerable to unemployment as unskilled jobs disappear over the next decade. They are also likely to be the lowest-paid workers and least able to afford any fees. In view of their experience at school, which may not have been beneficial for them, and which may not have been entirely their own fault, they are the people who find it most difficult to get back into the education system. They need incentives, not barriers. Empowering them to earn a decent living is surely the best way of meeting the Government’s commitment to ending child poverty. The noble Lord, Lord Lucas, and others have touched on the cycle of deprivation. Improving the attitude of these people to education through coming back into it after failing at school is surely an excellent way of enabling and encouraging them to support their children in learning. I have seen excellent examples of that in Sure Start schemes. It is remarkable how a parent who has been absolutely terrified of their schooling can come back into a primary school and start to do courses on their own and, perhaps, with their children. They change their whole attitude to the school. I am sure we would all agree that action to improve the life chances of these people is certainly needed to promote social harmony. We need to be alert to the high proportion of ethnic minority children in this group, particularly those from the Muslim community. As an economy, we cannot afford a tail of unskilled and unqualified adults. I quote the speech of the Prime Minister at last year’s Labour Party Conference. He said that, "““this is the century when we cannot afford to waste the talents of anyone. Up against the competition of 2 billion people in India and China, we need to unlock all the talent we have. In the last century the question was, ‘can we afford to do this’. In the face of economic challenge, I say: in this century we cannot afford not to””." For their sakes and for all our sakes—especially for the sakes of the children—we must help these people to earn a living in the challenging times that lie ahead. As the Prime Minster said, "““we cannot afford not to””." I beg to move.