GFTU BGCM Minutes 2017

employers, as I said, most of our students will spend a bit chunk of their

learning in a workplace, is actually we try and accredit the learning that people

have developed through work and through life and give them credit for the skills

and intelligence that they already possess, so actually coming to work with the

university is not like going back to school or college and just sitting in class

rooms, it has actually changed quite dramatically. One of the things that is

always worth exploring when we have got people who are maybe tentative

about going back into the classroom is how we can build on the confidence and

the skills that they have already developed through being active in work and

that is something that we would really love to explore with you. (Applause)

BRO JAMES BIRCHALL (Social Workers Union): I just wanted to say that I feel quite

strongly that the excessive testing of young children in schools is an enormous

devaluation of the whole concept of education and I think it does create

unnecessary stress and is not productive and it worries me that the anxiety

caused to young children may in fact put some of them off pursuing proper

education at an adult age.

Before I leave I just wanted to make a quote from Shakespeare, because I

would like to win this competition. My quote from Shakespeare comes from the

Winter’s Tale and the words are as follows. It is actually a footnote. “Exit

followed by a bear”! (Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: The next item on the agenda I have been looking forward to from

the very start of the conference actually. It is a huge pleasure for me to be able

to introduce Larry Elliott, Guardian Economics Editor, and about the only

person in the economics commentariat who actually speaks any sense at all.

So without more ado, Larry, you are very welcome. (Applause)

THE BRITISH ECONOMY

LARRY ELLIOTT: Thank you very much indeed for inviting me. It is a great pleasure

to be here. They are kind of interesting times we live in, don’t we? I am going

to talk a bit about where the economy is, how it got here, what the left’s

response should be and talk a bit about Brexit. In fact I will start with Brexit,

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