National Careers Service launched on 5 April

On 5 April Skills Minister John Hayes launched the National Careers Service, making accurate information and professional advice on learning and work available to everyone. The service has been developed with input from a large stakeholder community.

In a Parliamentary statement on 23 March, Mr Hayes described advice and guidance as a “vital part of building a sustainable economy and helping people become socially mobile".

The service offers:

• online, webchat and helpline services to young people and adults (schools are responsible for securing careers guidance for pupils aged 14-16)
• face-to-face guidance to adults aged 19 and over (and jobseekers aged 18 and over), available in a wide and growing range of locations in the community, including colleges, Jobcentres and community centres.

Each year the service will be able to help 700,000 adults face-to-face and handle up to one million telephone and 20 million online sessions from young people and adults.

On 5 April BIS published The Right Advice at the Right Time – describing the Government’s plans for the new service - on the BIS web site.

The Right Advice at the Right Time report is available online.

The press release is available online.

Implementing loans

Every month from now we will be distributing with this newsletter a special briefing to help colleges and providers prepare for loans.  The briefing is available online.

Loans will be introduced in the 2013/14 academic year through a partnership between BIS, the Skills Funding Agency and the Student Loans Company.  Although they will represent only between 10-15 per cent of the total FE budget by 2014/15, it is the first time that loans will be available for FE and training courses, so colleges and providers need to start planning now.

To help the sector prepare:

• the Skills Funding Agency will hold events through the summer for colleges and providers, to raise awareness and explain how loans will work
• the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) will provide a support programme to help providers manage the business change required to work with loans.

SFA will provide information soon on how to register for their events.

We are developing our communication plans, so that potential learners know about loans and understand the terms and conditions and how to apply.  We expect to make information available to them from the start of the 2012/13 academic year.

Vince Cable to attend VQ Day 2012

The fifth annual VQ Day, celebrating vocational qualifications, will take place on Wednesday 20th June 2012. The VQ Day Team is calling on organisations to nominate vocational learners for the Learner of the Year Awards 2012, a key part of the celebrations.
This year’s national event for England will take place at BAFTA in London and VQ Award winners will be announced by the Business Secretary, Vince Cable. It will highlight the quality, variety and diversity of technical, practical and vocational qualifications, whilst also shining a spotlight on the achievements of those who undertake them.

The VQ Day website includes a range of free resources for download. We suggest you start with the VQ Day Action Pack showing how to get involved and help make VQ Day 2012 the biggest and best yet!

Visit the VQ Day website for more information and to download a nomination form.

Government welcomes interim report on professionalism in the further education sector

The Independent Panel on Professionalism published its interim report on 27 March (its final report is due in the summer). The Government accepts the recommendations in principle and will respond fully, with plans for implementation, in due course. BIS will now formally consult on removing teachers' statutory obligation to register with the Institute for Learning and will ask LSIS to review the qualification structure for Initial Teaching Training in FE.

The report is available online.

The press notice is available online. 
 

Wilson calls for greater business-university collaboration

In his review published on 28 February, Professor Sir Tim Wilson called for universities to be at the heart of the economy, to promote UK growth and improve graduate employability.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“The best universities around the world are building deeper links with business. We must ensure our universities and businesses develop strong relationships…The Government…will now carefully consider [the] recommendations in detail.”

In the 2011 White Paper on higher education, the Government asked Professor Sir Tim Wilson, former vice-chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, to review business-university collaboration.

Professor Wilson’s recommendations aim to:

• produce graduates with relevant knowledge, skills and experience
• ensure interchanges between academe and business
• pursue the application of university based research excellence
• create economic growth through partnership
• build collaboration between universities, businesses and government agencies.

The Wilson Review is available online.

The press release is available online.

Deaf learner voice scheme launched

LSIS has launched unique bi-lingual, interactive deaf awareness training created and led entirely by deaf learners.

Referred to as the learner voice, it has been developed to give practitioners  authentic insights. This training is led by deaf learners, and facilitated by interpreters.  It provides an opportunity for participants to understand the challenges and barriers faced by deaf learners in the FE and skills sector.

The press release is available online.

Make it in Great Britain: Get Involved!

The Make it in Great Britain campaign was launched by BIS Ministers in November 2011 and aims to transform the image of modern manufacturing and encourage young people to consider a career in the industry. The campaign will culminate in a six week exhibition at the Science Museum in London, during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to demonstrate the best of British manufacturing.

There are many exciting ways to support the campaign:

• entering the Make it in Great Britain Challenge – a national competition in search of the most innovative pre-market products, concepts and processes
• entering the 30 under 30 competition – a search to find the 30 most promising rising stars aged under 30 working in manufacturing
• hosting an event
• visiting the Make it in Great Britain Exhibition
   

For further details or to find out how to get involved, please visit the Make it in Great Britain website.

The press release is available online.

ONS Reclassification of Colleges to the Private Sector

Minister John Hayes announced on 27 February that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had reviewed the classification of further education and sixth form colleges in England. In light of the removal of a wide range of restrictions and controls on college corporations through the Education Act 2011, the ONS decided to reclassify these institutions to the private sector from the commencement of the Act in April 2012, subject to a number of provisos being met. This reclassification removes the need for college accounts to be consolidated within government accounts, with the attendant controls and restrictions that this would imply. 

In addition, as the Education Act 2011 also removes certain controls over colleges from the Chief Executive of Skills Funding Agency, the Agency is looking to agree with HM Treasury and the National Audit Office that it need not consolidate college accounts into its own accounts.   

The Minister’s written statement to the House on 27 February 2012 is available online.

New interim Chief Executive of NAS announced

David Way has been named as the interim Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service.

He will be filling the vacancy left by Simon Waugh who announced in January that he would be leaving for personal reasons in March after three years at the head of the organisation.

The press release is available online.

FE and Skills eNewsletter: edition 45 (April 2012)

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