The government should concentrate on getting people with vocational qualifications into further and higher education rather than raising traditional academic standards, the Association of Colleges said this week.
John Brennan, director of further education development at the AOC, told The THES : "The government believes we can get more students with A levels that want to progress. We are sceptical that that model can work."
A report from the Institute for Directors backs up the AoC's call.