New Year Honours for FE and Skills

Many congratulations to all those recognised in the New Year honours list for services to further education and skills.

Geoff Russell and Simon Waugh step down

On 17 January, Geoff Russell and Simon Waugh announced that they would be stepping down from their respective posts as CE of the Skills Funding Agency and CE of the National  Apprenticeship Service.

They made their decisions independently and for different personal reasons. 

Geoff Russell decided last year to return to retirement from July 2012.  Simon Waugh will be leaving at the end of March so that he can spend more time with his family.

Minister John Hayes has paid tribute to both Geoff and Simon.  As a result of their work the Government’s apprenticeship programme has achieved real success; with record numbers of apprenticeships at advance and higher level and the introduction of new standards to guarantee quality.

Arrangements for filling the posts will be announced shortly.

Skills Funding Agency press notice

NAS press notice

Back to Work: Colleges Supporting Sustainable Jobs

John Hayes joined Stephen Lloyd MP (co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning) and Martin Doel (Chief Executive of the AoC) in launching the AoC’s ‘Back to Work’ publication on 24 January. They spoke to an audience of MPs and college principals, students and staff at the House of Commons. 

‘Back to Work’ reports on how colleges, working with Jobcentre Plus and employers, are helping unemployed people gain the skills training needed to help them find lasting work. It includes data from a member survey conducted by the AoC in November 2011 and sets out some of the barriers and challenges faced by both colleges and individuals in getting people into work.   There are six case studies including self employment, apprenticeships, vocational training and sector based work academies.   

Commenting on the publication John Hayes said:

“I am proud of the indispensible role colleges play in giving people the skills and confidence they need to get work and build careers.  By investing record sums in apprenticeships, and fully funding targeted vocational training for people on active benefits - including basic numeracy and literary courses for those who need them - the Government has placed the sector on a strong foundation for growth.

“We trust local providers to understand and meet the needs of their communities; that’s why we’ve reduced bureaucratic controls over how colleges spend their budgets.  I want to see more colleges working closely with local partners, particularly Jobcentre Plus, to deliver the support unemployed people and prospective employers need.”

Links

Press release can be found here

Back to work publication can be found here
 

Further Education Loans

The Skills Funding Agency, Student Loans Company and BIS are working together to introduce FE Loans in March 2013.  The Loans will ensure that learners aged 24 and over get tuition support for up-front costs for qualifications at Level 3 and above for the start of the 2013/14 academic year. They will align FE support with the existing HE system, and allow learners to make an informed choice about their investment.  Re-payment will start only when learners are realising the benefits and earning £21,000.

The National Careers Service, which launches in April 2012, will help provide learners, via telephone and face-to-face channels, with information and guidance about FE Loans and the options available to them.  Other channels of promotion are also being considered. 

There will be further updates about the development of FE Loans.  The Skills Funding Agency has a guide for colleges, training organisations and employers.  The Guide can be found at here.

Queries should be emailed to: feloans@skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk

“New Year, New Career”: Lifelong Learning Accounts

Many adults may consider learning a new skill or changing their job as a New Year’s resolution.  It is a good time therefore for teachers and trainers to remind new and existing learners how a Lifelong Learning Account can help them make informed learning and career choices.

A Lifelong Learning Account is a free personalised online service for adults in England (aged 19 or over) and Jobcentre Plus claimants (aged 18 or over).  The Accounts are designed to motivate people to take greater control of their learning and working life by providing tailored information and advice on skills, careers and financial support in a single, easily accessible location. 

To find out more about the tools and information available through a Lifelong Learning Account click here.

To sign up for a Lifelong Learning Account today click here

John Hayes meets the Association of Colleges' Governors Council

Minister John Hayes met the Association of Colleges' Governors’ Council on 17 January to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from the FE Reform Plan ‘New Challenges, New Chances’. The focus was on how best to support governors and senior college staff in taking advantage of the freedoms and flexibilities given to colleges progressively since 2010 and most recently through the Education Act 2011. These changes are intended to pave the way for governors to lead work on new delivery models to meet the needs of their learners and employers and their communities.

Mr Hayes will be speaking at the AOC Governance Summit on 29 February at Central Hall, London. This event is intended to kickstart the dialogue on what these new roles mean in practice and what help and support governors and senior staff need. Further information about the event can be found here

Details of the Education Act 2011 can be found here

Changes to inspections

Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has confirmed his intention to abolish the ‘satisfactory’ judgment for school inspections. The move is designed to tackle the number of coasting schools and will be subject to consultation. It would mean that any school that does not provide a good standard of education will be given a new “requires improvement’ grade.

Ofsted is planning to publish its new inspection arrangements for further education and skills in May, for implementation in September 2012. As part of continuing discussions with the sector, Ofsted will be consulting on whether to also stop using “satisfactory” as a judgement grade for further education inspections and the frequency with which they inspect such colleges. The outcome will be announced before the new framework comes into use. 

The Ofsted press notice can be found here

Building Engagement, Building Futures

On 15 December 2011, the government published Building Engagement, Building Futures, its strategy to help 16-24 year-olds make a successful transition to adult life through education, training and work. It sets out the offer for young people, in which FE and skills providers play a pivotal role through:

• more apprenticeships and reforms to the programme
• more work experience and sector-based Work Academy places and
• the continued commitment to prioritise skills funding for 19–24 year-olds.

The strategy sets out plans to strengthen local partnerships which are so crucial to effective and coordinated services for young people.  The government wants skills providers to exploit their new flexibilities, joining with Jobcentre Plus and Work Programme providers to help those young people least likely to find work because they lack the necessary skills.  By joining up welfare and skills systems in this way, providers can ensure that training reflects the needs of their communities and local labour markets, and help these young people progress to jobs and apprenticeships.

The participation strategy can be found here.

The Creative Industries Council endorses Skillset’s report on skills

The Creative Industries Council has endorsed a report into improving the skills of people working in the sector.

The Council, which is co-chaired by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, was told what needs to be done to realise the full growth potential of the UK's creative industries.

The Skillset Skills Group, chaired by Skillset CEO Dinah Caine and made up of major employers and industry organisations, was set up by the Council and delivered its report at the Council meeting on 24 January.  It made a series of recommendations for both industry and Government to improve the training and talent development of people in the creative industries including for example, measures to improve leadership and management skills and to increase Apprenticeships in the creative industries. 

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

"The UK creative industries have a well-deserved world-wide reputation for excellence. This report makes a number of strong recommendations to develop skills and nurture emerging talent in creative industries, particularly through our expanded and improved apprenticeships programme. We look forward to Skillset and others in the creative industries taking this plan forward and implementing it.

"The Government understands the vital role played by smaller firms, especially in the creative industries. We are committed to providing extra help to enable small employers to hire their first apprentices. We'll also continue to develop new advanced and higher-level apprenticeships to deliver the world-class skills individuals and firms need to get ahead."

The Press Notice is here

The report is here

New Business Link Services

Business Link offers essential information, support and services for businesses, whether large organisations or start-ups.  It has recently been updated with new easy-to-use services and features:

• The Growth and Improvement Service - to help businesses work better, including tools to diagnose and solve business problems, an enhanced business support finder, tutorials and video case studies, information on local events and links to business discussions and other services.
• The comprehensive Start-Up Service - offering support through the stages of setting up a business with free access to over 200 videos, case studies,  tutorials and tools and a starting up task list.
• National Events Finder - This will enable event organisers to add and manage their own events on the system.  Free to use, it will offer enhanced features including the ability to take bookings and online payments, and the provision of detailed management information about the events. The service is being supported by Adviser Plus. Organisations hosting business support events and interested in uploading these to the new Business Link directory or with a support scheme to publicise on the Business Support Finder should contact AdviserPlus on 0151 326 2102 or email.
• Syndication and RSS Feeds - This allows organisations to take the Business Link content (including My New Business and the Growth & Improvement Service) and display it on their own website with their own branding, look and feel.  It will benefit organisations wanting to develop their online business support offering, while saving time and money by not needing to invest in their own guidance.  There's more information here and a link for registering here .  Queries can be emailed here
• LinkedIn and discussion groups can be accessed via the Business Link website.
   

LSIS Annual Governance Conference, 22-23 March 2012

Accountability to your community - meeting their needs

Increased accountability to the community colleges and providers serve demands a new way of communicating and doing business.

Many are already considering how they can change to better serve their community and meet the skills agenda, adopting alternative business and collaborative models. The LSIS Annual Governance Conference will be addressing these key issues over the two days.

This year's conference will:

• set out current policy and landscape
• give practical examples of how providers are responding, adopting new structures, new partnerships and new business models
• explore the implications for governance in the FE sector and
• allow participants to discuss the key questions they should be asking back in their institutions

For further details on the conference visit the LSIS website.

Investors in People Means Business – New Digital Campaign

Investors in People’s national digital campaign was launched in October 2011, coinciding with the 20th year celebration at WorldSkills.  The campaign strapline is ‘Investors in People means business’. There are two themes:

• growth (October 2011 to end March 2012) targeted at private sector SMEs with growth potential
• profitability & efficiency (January to end March 2012) focusing on increasing profitability in the private sector and efficiency in the public sector.

The campaign aims to deliver 1,200 leads for Investors in People delivery centres through telemarketing and the digital campaign; and to re-position Investors as ‘the choice for leaders who want to deliver business impact and growth’. 

Click for press and digital banner ads and new case studies from a variety of sectors and regions illustrating results achieved with Investors in People. 

For further information, contact ceri.james@ukces.org.uk

Green Deal Skills Update

In preparation for the Government’s Green Deal energy efficiency policy, Asset Skills has developed National Occupational Standards for Green Deal Energy Advisors (domestic/non-domestic) and remote Green Deal Energy Advice.  The standards will be finalised in line with the Government’s Green Deal policy consultation .  Qualification Credit Framework units are also being developed and will be available on Asset Skills’ website

Green Deal Learning Provider Network

Within the Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA), Asset Skills has been running UK-wide events about skills and training requirements.  The GDSA is collating a network of learning providers interested in offering Green Deal Energy Advice and Installer qualifications.  To join this please contact Lucy Radford ( greendeal@assetskills.org).

For green skills updates, follow the Twitter feed: @greendealskills.

Domestic energy assessor – Top-up learning for April 2012

By April 2012 all Domestic Energy Assessors in England and Wales will have to do additional training for the new Energy Performance Certificate in domestic property.  Asset Skills has a comprehensive learning package for existing DEAs.  For more information please click here.

FE and Skills eNewsletter: edition 43 (January 2012)

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