RIP my dad, John Mervyn Lancaster 06-01-35 to 10-12-24 None of you knew him, but you will probably know some of his work. In his early life he was a biker and in the late 50s rode an ex army Norton which my mum rode pillion on. When he and my mother lived in New York from 1961 to 1964 he worked as an editor for Collier’s Encyclopaedias. One of the scientists who he met with and whose work he edited for the encyclopaedia was Issac Azimov (a professor of biochemistry as well as an author). For much of 1970s and 80s he was a senior civil servant specialising in training. He was responsible for things such as the 1978 Youth Opportunities Programme and its replacement in 1983 the Youth Training Scheme (YTS). He was also responsible for the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and in 1987 the Scottish equivalent, the SVQ, which he designed and implemented when he left the services of the English government and decided to move to Scotland to live with his future wife.
Sorry for your loss. I started work on the YOP. My first pay packet was £21.50. It was very much a success and 6 months down the line was offered a full four year engineering apprenticeship. I’ll never forget my first (tax free) pay packet of £92.60! Some jump from £21.50. Happy days. Went and bought a Z250…
A very sad obituary to read. Difficult to deal with at this time of year. My most sincere condolences
