Tag Archives: employment

Rethinking work

Posted on July 30, 2023 by Eddie Playfair

What is work? Work is organised and purposeful human activity, some of which is waged and commodified. How work is defined, who does it, how it is valued and organised, by whom and for whom and how it impacts on … Continue reading →

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Learning, earning and the death of human capital.

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Eddie Playfair

Is there a clear predictive relationship between the amount of education ‘received’, as measured by qualifications achieved, and future earnings? The idea is strongly held by many policymakers and it plays a part in the public debate about investment in … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Education policy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

10 things which could improve education

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Eddie Playfair

I’d like to offer the following tentative 10 point charter to improve education at all levels as an initial contribution to the debate about the future of education in England. 1. Build a comprehensive system rooted in equality: We should … Continue reading →

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University for all

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

This August I was asked to contribute a short piece for our local newspaper, the Newham Recorder, as part of a debate about the benefits of a university education. I did my best to summarise the case in 220 words … Continue reading →

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Primo Levi on work and education

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

In his wonderful La chiave a stella (The Wrench) published in 1978, Primo Levi shares with us an exchange of stories told by Faussone, the itinerant Piedmontese rigger, and a narrator who, like Levi himself, is an industrial chemist at the point … Continue reading →

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Skill shortage, training shortage or job shortage?

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

Unpicking the ‘skills gap’ narrative. “The number of job vacancies unfilled because employers cannot find candidates with the appropriate skills has risen by 130% in 4 years” (UK Commission for Employment and Skills UKCET report, January 2016) When employers or … Continue reading →

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Education or training?

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The Conservative manifesto includes a commitment to ‘continue to replace lower-level, classroom based Further Education courses with high-quality apprenticeships that combine training with experience of work and a wage.’ Given that we now have a Conservative-only government, we need to understand … Continue reading →

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5 vocational myths to avoid

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

A checklist for politicians who want to talk about vocational education and apprenticeships during the election campaign: Myth 1. The vocational route is a practical alternative to university Many students on advanced vocational courses progress to university and these courses are … Continue reading →

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Bacc on the agenda

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

If England is to have a post-16 education system fit for an advanced modern democracy we need to move towards a single national baccalaureate capable of meeting the aspirations of all young people and founded on shared values and a … Continue reading →

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Do qualifications create wealth?

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Does education make us richer? A ridiculous question perhaps, but the belief that educational achievement leads to economic growth is strongly held by many politicians despite all evidence to the contrary. The recent Department for Education press release claiming that … Continue reading →

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‘Useful work v. useless toil’ by William Morris

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Introduction: This lecture from 1884 is a clear and powerful statement of Morris’s political and economic manifesto, which also informed ‘News from Nowhere’ (1890) his visionary fable of life after a revolution. His critique of the waste and inequality inherent in … Continue reading →

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Investing in East London’s future

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Our annual analysis of the university destinations of our students always makes impressive reading. While we can’t guarantee that every former NewVIc student who progresses to a degree level course will get a graduate level job in a few years’ … Continue reading →

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Exam success boosts the economy by £1.3 Billion?

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Simplex and Sapiens are discussing the latest press release from the Department for Education. Simplex: Have you seen the latest figures for GCSE results under this government? They’re truly amazing! Sapiens: You mean the proportion of 16 year olds achieving … Continue reading →

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