Collaborative Approaches to 14-19 Provision - Communities and ...

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEARtended to emphasise the importance of transferable skills, particularly the PRSQs, which theyclaimed were important precisely because they facilitated progression to a wide range offurther learning and employment. How significant these different perspectives might provein the longer-term is a moot point.341. Within the pathfinder there was some frustration at what was seen as the slow pace ofcollaboration between education and the NHS. While this frustration was understandable,our view was that given the complexity, institutional autonomy and somewhat differentvalues and working practices within what one interviewee called “two massive stateindustries”, within the pathfinder timescale a great deal had been achieved and thepartnership had already begun to impact upon student experiences through activities such asthose described above.342. However, another interviewee described the partnership between education and theNHS as “fragile”. It was argued that it was threatened by performance pressures both withinthe health and education systems. However, whilst the partnership could potentially impactpositively on educational performance indicators by, for example, making courses morerelevant and motivating and thus raising participation, progression and achievement, it wouldnot impact upon the immediate performance indicators upon which health professionalswould be judged. Their engagement seemed to be marginal to their central tasks – as alaboratory manager or estates manager, for example - and they were taking on their schoolpartnership work in addition to their existing responsibilities. It was suggested that unlesssuch work was institutionalised within the NHS, by being written into job descriptions andtime allowances, for example, the activities might be vulnerable when immediateperformance pressures became particularly acute.105