After all, how can a GCSE in `burger flipping' possibly compare with one in an academic subject such as chemistry?
Well, in my opinion, vocational training and qualifications should be prized as highly as any other route to career success.
These types of vocational qualifications are nothing new. Looking back many years, there was only one certificate that mattered if you were a secretary and it wasn't an academic one.
It was the highly sought after London Chamber of Commerce Secretarial Certificate which opened doors to promotion and new opportunities. This was the prestigious hallmark wanted by all competent, professional secretaries to prove their worth in offices the length and breadth of the country.
Yes, they needed typing and shorthand skills as well as general office know-how, but this certificate gave them that extra edge over their rivals when applying for a new job or asking the boss for a pay rise.
Nowadays the IT industry values Microsoft-trained staff in a similar way.
Skills
This training doesn't devalue or detract from college or university qualifications at all, but adds a practical dimension to an employee's skills and expertise, which is highly valued in the world of business.
We actually need all types of training and qualifications if we are to raise our skill levels and keep the UK economy buoyant. It is all too easy to mock the McDonald's GCSE but there's a lot more to running a fast food restaurant than just frying chips.
Managers are running multi-million pound businesses, motivating staff, meeting targets and looking at ways of improving profitability.
These businesses are world leaders and demand results. Anyone who thinks these GCSEs will be an easy option is wrong.
McDonald's will not be paying for inferior qualifications. They will be looking for meaningful training, which will not only improve their profitability and success but will want it to be valued by staff and the wider business community.
It is all too easy to be academic snobs and criticise these new qualifications but to my mind it's a matter of horses for courses. Let's leave the university degrees for those jobs that need them but embrace these new qualifications as a springboard to a more highly trained, motivated workforce.
What do you think? Have your say.
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