ARE GCSEs still relevant? We are not about to belittle the achievements of the region’s students, many of whom are rightly celebrated in today’s newspaper for some superb exam results.

However, there is a growing view among teachers, employers and students that GCSEs are past their sell-by date and in need of a major overhaul.

A new system for maths and English will come in next year that will replace grades A* to G with numbers, whereby 9 will indicate the highest grade. That is simply tinkering at the edges and risks adding confusion to an already muddled system.

The government is also looking at extending compulsory education to the age of 18. If this happens, questions will arise about why we are testing students two years before they leave school.

Our students are already the most tested in Europe and many exams seem be more about the measurement of schools through league tables than equipping young people with workplace skills.

The failure of GCSEs to meet the needs of employers is perhaps their largest failure.

We claim to have an exam system that values vocational education, when in practice, GCSEs operate as a stepping stone towards A-Levels, which then lead on to some students taking degrees. They do little to support the 59,000 young people in our region not in work, education or training. Nor do they place non-academic routes to success on a par with academic ones.

As the economy continues on the path toward recovery employers are increasingly struggling to recruit skilled staff. The dearth of bricklayers has seen building firms in the south recruit workers from abroad.

We need a system that supports the life-long success for young people and the needs of our economy rather than producing results for results sake.