THE Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in South Yorkshire,England, looks like the very model of a modern industrial sitebright, and shiny,airy and clean. In June 1984 it was the site of a traumatic moment in British history—the Battle of Orgreave, when picketing miners clashed with police as they tried to end lorries collecting supplies from a coking plant. The incident symbolised Britain’s post-war record of industrial decline and bitter strikes.
The musty coking plant is long gone. In its place is a promising attempt to create jobs for a new generation of workers, and to tackle an ancient and ridiculous British lesson divide. An valuable part of this divide is that universities contain long been seen as a place for academic subjects,calling for essays and equations. People who got their hands dirty making stuff did not disappear to college. But as of last autumn apprentices at the AMRC contain been able to study for degree courses. When they graduate they will contain an engineering degree from...
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Source: economist.com