A study recently performed by awarding organisation City & Guilds revealed that many employers in the UK are confused by the jargon and terminology used in the world of education, particularly when it comes to qualifications. So much so that they often think candidates are lying about the qualifications they have on their CVs.
Why is this and how can we ensure that educators, employers, learners and other organisations are able to communicate about skills in a clear and easy-to-understand way that benefits all parties involved?
In order to gain some new insights, Findcourses.co.uk turned to the Plain English Campaign, which has worked in collaboration with City & Guilds and countless other organisations to improve the quality and clarity of the written information they provide to their audience(s). In this interview, Plain English spokesperson Liam Reddington explains why plain English matters in education and professional development, and how the Campaign will continue to fight for clear, concise information in the future.
What led you to launch this fight against ‘qualification confusion’?
City & Guilds approached the Plain English Campaign because they realised that the growth in qualifications, the lack of regulations, the changing names and the acronyms were all leading to confusion with employers as well as potential customers.
They became aware of the confusion caused by these words and acronyms - NVQ, GNVQ, GCSE, RSA, HND, HNC etc. - so they came to us to help them with the literature in terms of clarification.
You campaign against "gobbledygook, jargon and misleading public information" across many different areas. How would you say that education and training compare to others in terms of the amount of jargon used?
It’s no worse, nor any better. We deal with the world of technology, law, medicine, pensions, insurance – and they’re full of jargon and gobbledygook and small print. It’s something that happens when the writer doesn’t realise who his audience are, or sometimes doesn’t realise what the purpose of his writing is. In this sense, education is no worse, nor any better, than any other sector.
What we try to do no matter who we’re dealing with is to stress the importance of plain English and information that gets its meaning across clearly and concisely, the first time you read it. It is plain English, laid out properly and attractively, that gives us the best chance to understand and process information.
Do you think it’s also the case that people repeat things they’ve heard before? In the sense that gobbledygook gets "passed on" unwittingly?
Oh yes, It can become epidemic. This morning I met my daughter-in-law, for example, who was telling me about how she had been looking at CVs the previous day. She is a very qualified and bright individual, but she doesn’t know what ACCA means, or what the difference between HND and HNC is, or what Level 1 means. It's just not understandeable, and she will pass that lack of understanding on.
So yes, it does become an epidemic I’m afraid.
Would you say that jargon is more of a problem when it comes to vocational, rather than academic, qualifications?
The short answer is yes. We do all understand GCSE, A Levels and degree, while we don’t understand similar vocational courses.
Having said that, the problem now is not so much the acronyms and the language but the levels; knowing what Level 1 is, what Level 2 is and so on. Now, for example, the first year of a degree course is called Level 4. Does everybody understand that in the world of development? I very much doubt it.
The jargon buster you have put together with City & Guilds is a good first step in clearing up the confusion surrounding qualifications and acronyms. Do you plan to do more work in this area to spread the message further?
At this moment in time we have no further plans to work with City & Guilds, although anything could happen in the future.
We will continue to challenge poor practice, wherever we become aware of it. The Campaign started because Chrissie Maher realised that, in a very poor area of Liverpool, the residents couldn’t understand the public information they were being given from the Local Counci. Information which was likely to have an impact on their lives. So she decided to do something about it. That's why the Plain English Campaign has grown to the situation where we highlight good and bad practice, work with organisations, run courses, provide consultations and tutorials: all to make sure that writing is fit for purpose. And we’ll continue to do just that.
What advice would you give to current job seekers regarding how to write their CV?
This is something that I feel passionately about.
Be clear. Be concise. Be factual. Lay it out properly and attractively, so that the reader can retrieve information easily. Use appropriate presentation devices, such as bullet points, underlining, a variety of fonts, the use of bold font. At the same time, don’t clutter your CV. Don’t use over-elaborate language.
But the most important thing of all is: don’t just list your qualifications. Explain briefly what they are and what skills you’ve developed as a result of gaining that qualification, as well as how they might equip you for the world of employment.
What areas is the Plain English Campaign looking to focus on in the future?
We’re going to focus on pension reform.
Because that’s happening in this country, but we suspect that many, or even most people have no idea what is going on or the impact it’s likely to have on their lives. So we’ll be working with public services and government agencies to ensure that everyone can understand and act on the information that they are given.
This is because we realise that we’re not just looking at future pensioners – we’re looking at present ones too. Possibly with eyesight difficulties, who can’t read the font, or potentially those who haven’t got English as a first language. So this is going to be a massive challenge for the Plain English Campaign, and for the Government as well. And we’re going to be working closely together to ensure that the writing and the presentation of literature is appropriate for its intended audience.
See also...
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Interview with Tricia Hartley, Chief Executive of the Campaign for Learning
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8 tech terms worth knowing |