Why is the UK so ‘snobby’ about technical education?

Analysis: If vocational courses are really to be made attractive to students, we need more than rhetoric about their qualities, says Eleanor Busby

Technical qualifications will help the UK to plug its skills gap (Getty)

An attempt to widen the educational opportunities for young people appears to have fallen flat.

One year has passed since a legal requirement was introduced forcing schools to ensure that local colleges and companies have access to students from year 8 onwards to discuss technical courses and careers.

But the latest research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests that almost two-thirds of schools have ignored this duty despite the government’s push towards technical education.