By Melissa Farnham, CEO, ASDAN More than a million young people in the UK are now not in education, employment or training: the highest number in over a decade. Alan Milburn’s interim review for the government calls it ‘a whole system failure’. I believe part of the answer lies in how we prepare young people long before they ever reach that point. For too long, we’ve asked young people to show us what they know. We haven’t always given them the chance to show us what they can do with it. Of course, knowledge matters. But can they take what they’ve learned and apply it somewhere that matters? This is where I see a real opportunity for project-based learning. ASDAN’s Project Qualifications are designed to give learners that opportunity through a structured progression of project-based learning. They span three levels: the Level 1 Foundation Project Qualification (FPQ), Level 2 Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) and Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Giving learners ownership Projects give young people something that traditional assessment cannot always provide: ownership of their learning. An exam can demonstrate the security of a young person’s knowledge. A project asks them to take that knowledge somewhere. They have to research, make decisions, solve problems, communicate and reflect, and produce tangible evidence of what they have learned. That difference matters because it starts to bridge the gap between ‘I know this’ and ‘I know how to use this.’ Young people need knowledge, but they also need to understand why they are learning something and where they might use it. When they have greater agency over the learning process, they begin to see themselves as active participants rather than simply recipients of education. For me, that is particularly important when we talk about preparing young people for work. In adult life, whether we are talking about employment, apprenticeships or professional development, we are continually expected to combine knowledge with what we can do and how we respond to different situations. We should start developing that understanding much earlier. Making work readiness meaningful The government’s plans to let pupils combine academic and technical education from Year 10 are a step in the right direction. But structure alone isn’t enough. Young people need a clear sense of purpose within it. That’s exactly where I see a role for project-based learning. It’s why I built our Project Qualifications around a clear sense of progression, giving that purpose real shape at every stage. The FPQ has a natural place around Year 9, helping young people think purposefully about their options and what they might want to do next. That leads into the HPQ in Year 10, the same point the new pathways will begin, giving structure to work experience and helping young people understand why it matters. If a young person is spending time in a workplace, why not give that experience a clear purpose with something meaningful to work towards? The EPQ can then provide further progression, when preparing for work or higher education. Suddenly, there is a journey running through those stages rather than a series of disconnected experiences. That matters for schools too. Work experience should not simply be something young people attend and then move on from. It can become part of a wider process of thinking about the future, making decisions and understanding the relationship between learning and employment. Preparing young people to keep learning There is also a misconception I would like us to challenge: that young people need to leave education as the ‘completed article’. None of us starts a job knowing everything we need to know. What matters is having the knowledge and capabilities to keep learning, ask for feedback, seek opportunities and use new information effectively. That is what I mean when I talk about work readiness. It is not about expecting a young person to already be able to do the job. It is about helping them develop the confidence and habits to grow into it. Project learning, enrichment and independence should not be opportunities reserved for just some young people. They should be part of an equitable education experience, giving every learner the opportunities to have their learning recognised by themselves and by others. ASDAN’s Project Qualifications are designed with that purpose in mind. They are not simply open-ended research projects. They are structured around vocational journeys and decisions about the future, helping learners connect their learning with where they might want to go next. Ultimately, I want project learning to help young people make a clear connection between education and their future. It should help them understand not only what they are learning, but why it matters and how they can apply it. Most importantly, I want them to leave education with the confidence to keep learning, apply what they know and progress long after they leave the classroom. Melissa Farnham is CEO of ASDAN, an education charity and awarding organisation with over 35 years’ experience in skills-based education. Its suite of Project Qualifications offers a structured approach to connecting project-based learning with future pathways: speak to an ASDAN curriculum expert about delivering them in your setting.