Education and Opportunity during the First World War. Post-compulsory Study at the Harris Institute, Preston, 1914-1918

Abstract

Education during the First World War is generally overlooked. Schooling was seriously undermined by the demands of war, and the principal educational measure to emerge from the war offered little recompense. Similarly, studies of education and opportunity in the early twentieth century pass quickly over the war years and the 1918 Education Act to focus on the inter-war period. This article argues that an important sector of education, that of part-time, post-compulsory vocational education, has not received due recognition as a factor during the war, and in studies of social mobility more broadly. Through a close analysis of student cohorts who attended the Harris Institute in Preston, we show that there were significant new opportunities arising during the war. Different kinds of students, notably younger people, women, and from poorer backgrounds, took advantage of the expanding opportunities. Combining details of students’ courses of study with evidence of their family and occupational backgrounds, gives insights into the aspirations of these working people to advance their careers, move into new sectors of work, or broaden their cultural horizons.