Maths in technical education – an international view

Research, commissioned by Gatsby to inform the Smith Review of post-16 mathematics, explores the mathematics in technical education systems internationally.

The research, carried out by Jeremy Hodgen, Geoff Wake and Diane Dalby at the University of Nottingham, focusses on six countries: four European countries known to have strong vocational educational systems and well-documented STEM apprenticeship pathways (Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland), and two Pacific Rim countries which are known to produce a strong cadre of STEM technicians (Singapore and South Korea). The report found that compared with England, in other systems, young people enter technical education with stronger mathematical skills and their mathematic skills appear to improve during technical education.

The report includes a summary table comparing the main features of the English system with the six systems researched, plus detailed reports on each country in the appendix. The full report can be read here.

Professor Sir Adrian Smith’s review of post-16 mathematics was published yesterday and can be found here.