Friday, 9 March 2012: 44th Edition
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In this issue: |
Commission on Adult vocational education and training |
Skills Minister John Hayes has announced that the Principal of City and Islington College Frank McLoughlin CBE will chair the independent commission on adult education and vocation pedagogy. Mr Hayes said: It is great news that Frank McLoughlin has agreed to chair this Commission. “His wealth of experience in delivering further education and skills in a challenging inner-city environment gives him the right credentials to lead work which will shape the future of teaching and learning for adults in England.” Read the press notice. |
HEFCE funding for further education |
More students will now be able to take higher education courses in FE colleges. HEFCE has notified institutions, including FE colleges, of their allocations of ‘core and margin places’ for 2012/13. 155 colleges were allocated 10,354 places. As a result, 65 colleges will have a direct funding relationship with HEFCE for the first time. Thirty-five higher education institutions were allocated 9,643 places. Commenting on the allocations, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: “It is great news that more further education colleges will be able to offer more higher education. Students will be able to choose from a wider number of courses that are high-quality, value-for-money and accessible. “These allocations demonstrate that our reforms are already delivering for students. In coming months, we will go even further in putting students at the heart of the higher education system.” Read the press notice. |
Cities to benefit from £4.5 million City Skills Fund |
A new £4.5 million fund will help England’s biggest cities and colleges boost adult skills across the country. The City Skills Fund will be available to the eight core cities in England, plus London, and their surrounding local enterprise partnership (LEP) areas. Each city will receive around £500,000 to address skills priorities across their regions. Cities and LEPs will work with local colleges and providers to boost the provision of skills needed by local employers. The government is also challenging cities to develop apprenticeship city hubs to help local businesses, particularly small businesses, to take on apprentices. Read the press notice. |
£250 million to boost employer investment in skills – prospectus published |
The employer ownership pilot will give employers in England direct access to up to £250 million of public money for skills. The initiative is led by BIS and DfE, working closely with UKCES. It’s an exciting opportunity for employers, providers and employees to come forward with proposals to develop the workforce and support business growth in their sectors. Read the prospectus. An application form and supporting guidance will be published on the same website shortly. To support the initiative, there will be nine briefing sessions around the country in March and April, where interested parties can find out about the assessment process, eligibility and next steps. There will be the opportunity to ask questions, discuss proposals and meet others interested in the pilot. For more information, including how to register, visit the UKCES website. |
Red tape cut to allow colleges freedom to manage affairs as independent bodies. |
Skills Minister John Hayes has announced that further education colleges will no longer be classified as part of central government. The decision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to change the public sector classification will allow further education colleges more freedom and cut red tape. Skills Minister John Hayes said: “I am delighted at this very positive news which we have been working hard to achieve over the last year. “The Government is committed to cutting red tape so that further education colleges have the freedom they need to make their own judgements on how to manage their affairs for the benefit of learners, employers and wider communities.” Read the press notice. |
Deputy Prime Minister: defusing the “ticking time bomb" of NEETs |
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has unveiled a pioneering scheme to help 16- and 17-year-olds not earning or learning. As part of the Youth Contract, the government will, for the first time, target funding to this group of teenagers through tailored support on a payment-by-results system. Help will focus on at least 55,000 young people – those 16- and 17-year-old NEETs with no GCSEs at A* - C - at the highest risk of long term disengagement. In England, the government is making £126m of new money available to give teenagers opportunities to train, work and get their lives on track. Charities and businesses with expertise in supporting young people are being invited to bid for contracts worth up to £2,200 for every young person they help. Support will be tailored to suit individuals’ needs, and will include basic skills training and interview practice. Read more on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister web site. |
John Hayes launches craft skills awards |
Skills Minister John Hayes launched a new awards scheme for craft skills in the UK on Wednesday 29 February. The sector skills council for craft skills, Creative & Cultural Skills, will work with the craft sector to develop the Craft Skills Awards. The work will be supported by BIS. Speaking at The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community in London, at a conference attended by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, John Hayes said: “Craft skills are a valued inheritance from our past; they enrich the present and are vital to our future. The sector contributes £3 billion a year to the UK economy and helps to support the tourism industry and sustain our cultural heritage and sense of identity. "I’m delighted to announce the introduction of a new set of awards for craft skills that recognise the excellence of craft practitioners and the work they do to keep these traditions alive for future generations to enjoy.” Read more on the Creative and Cultural Skills web site. |
Excellence Gateway revitalised on 1.2.12 |
The Excellence Gateway, LSIS’s online service for everyone who works in further education and skills, has had a major makeover. The focus of the service is to make finding support and resources as fast and as simple as possible, whether from the FE and skills community or from sector organisations such as LSIS itself. The new system went live on Wednesday 1 February. The changes, suggested by people working in the sector, include: news tailored to specific pages, simplified navigation, improved search functions and improved online discussion and workroom facilities. The Excellence Gateway is used by up to 7,000 people every working day. Barry Kruger, Head of Web Services at LSIS, said: “It’s already very popular and we hope more professionals will use the improved Excellence Gateway. Open source software enables us to update the system as technology develops and to introduce features to further benefit users. A few weeks after launch, we are already seeking feedback from the sector to help us tweak and improve the service and to plan for future developments. We look forward to reading your comments.” Visit the Excellence Gateway |
Independent review of professionalism in FE and skills |
Skills Minister John Hayes has launched an independent review to investigate ways to improve the professional status of the further education and skills workforce. It will be chaired by Lord Lingfield, working with an expert panel led by David Sherlock CBE (former head of the Adult Learning Inspectorate) and including Dawn Ward OBE (Principal of Burton and South Derbyshire College) and Dan Wright (Chief Executive of First4Skills). The review, which is due to report in the spring, will consider:
Read the press notice. |
Business set to benefit from new intensive coaching programme |
A new programme to provide dedicated and structured coaching support for up to 10,000 high growth potential businesses a year has taken another step forward. The Coaching for Growth Consortium has signed a contract to deliver the programme, which is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2012. The programme will provide small and mid-sized businesses with coaches to help senior management teams achieve their growth plans. It is part of the government’s drive to help such businesses improve their leadership, gain access to finance and increase export and innovation. The programme will also connect businesses to other relevant forms of support such as business angel networks, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) or the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS). Read the press notice. |
John Hayes writes to the Chairs of FE Corporations |
John Hayes has written to Chairs of FE Corporations on 22 February, setting out expectations on strategic governance as stated in New Challenges, New Chances. Read a copy of the letter. |
National Apprenticeships Week |
To mark the recent National Apprenticeships Week, we are rounding up all the news and developments.
National Apprenticeship Week 2012 - the biggest and best yetEvery year National Apprenticeship Week, which celebrates apprenticeships and their positive impact, increases in popularity. This year was no exception with more than 800 events and activities taking place across England from 6-10 February - an increase of 300 on last year. There was a huge amount of media coverage – BBC local radio and regional ITV, the national dailies and Sundays, the education media, regional press and specialist websites all covered it. National Apprenticeship Week 2012 was one of the top ten discussed Twitter topics on the Monday it launched. Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “We are delighted that so many organisations supported the Week and would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who got involved.” Highlights included:
For more information about Apprenticeships go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk or call 08000 150 600
Prime Minister: Apprenticeships a gold standard option for ambitious young people.Marking National Apprenticeship Week, the Prime Minister David Cameron announced a new round of funding to support thousands of apprenticeships up to degree equivalent. Businesses and training providers can bid for a share of £6 million from the Higher Apprenticeship Fund, to support the development of Higher Apprenticeships in sectors including aerospace, energy and renewable technologies. The Prime Minister also said that small firms will now be offered an incentive of £1,500 to hire their first young apprentices. This is expected to support up to 40,000 new apprenticeships over the next year. Mr Cameron said: "By making apprenticeships a gold standard option for ambitious young people, we are sending a message that technical excellence is as highly valued as academic prowess. And by focusing investment where it is most needed to deliver sustainable growth and offering real ownership of vocational training to employers, we are equipping businesses with the skills they need to rebalance our economy and distribute opportunity more widely." Read the press notice.
Government appoints small business owner to advise on apprenticeshipsSkills Minister John Hayes has announced an employer-led review to consider what more can be done to help SMEs take on apprentices. Social entrepreneur and jeweller Jason Holt will head up the review. Read the press notice.
New era for apprenticeship campaignThe National Apprenticeship Service launched a new marketing campaign to promote apprenticeships to employers, young people and parents. The campaign stars current and former apprentices from Bentley, insurance brokers Blue Fin, BT, builders Jelson Homes, housing association Incommunities and SEC Recruitment. It aims to showcase the talents, skills and commitment of real apprentices in everyday workplaces. The campaign will also inform and persuade more companies and individuals to reap the benefits of apprenticeships for themselves. For more information, read the press notice.
Substantial growth in apprenticeship starts and completionsA statistical first release (SFR) shows that 457,200 apprenticeship starts were delivered in the full 2010/11 academic year. This represents a 63.5% increase on 2009/10 figures. Growth took place at all levels of learning, for all age groups, and across all sectors and all regions. The SFR gives data on apprenticeship success rates for 2010/11 for the first time: 76.4% of learners successfully completed their apprenticeship. Read the press notice. Read the complete Statistical First Release (SFR).
Banks create over 1,000 apprenticeshipsDuring National Apprenticeships Week, Skills Minister John Hayes announced that major high street banks will be creating new apprenticeship schemes and offering more places to young people. The banks include:
Read the press notice.
BIS response to NAO report on apprenticeshipsResponding to The National Audit Office report, Assessment of Adult Apprenticeships, Skills Minister John Hayes said: "Unprecedented investment, backed by tough new measures to ensure that quality matches quantity, has helped make apprenticeships the gold standard vocational qualification. "So I am delighted that the NAO has recognised the progress we have made and that they identify the extraordinary economic benefits of apprenticeships. Few, if any, other government programmes produce anything like the return of £18 for every £1 spent let alone the still greater return that our economists estimate. "It is also pleasing that the switch from Train To Gain to apprenticeships is recognised as having brought significant benefits.” Read the press notice.
Apprenticeships Minister intensifies efforts to guarantee quality
Skills Minister John Hayes outlined plans to scale up the Government’s efforts to safeguard and improve the quality and standards of apprenticeships in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday 27 February. |
FE and Skills eNewsletter: edition 44 (March 2012) |
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