WorldSkills London 2011-Team UK excels at WorldSkills

WorldSkills the world’s largest international skills competition took place 5-8 October.

Team UK earned 13 medals in total, exceeding their target of ten, and won an additional 12 Medallions for Excellence, where competitors met the world-class standard of competency.

Our five gold medals came in the cooking, bricklaying, stonemasonry, visual merchandising, and plumbing and heating categories. Two silver medals were awarded in autobody repair and landscape gardening. The team’s six bronze medals included joinery, welding, car painting and mechanical engineering.

The medals tally builds on the achievements of the last WorldSkills competition, Calgary 2009, where Team UK brought home three gold and six bronze medals.

Organisers described the event as the largest ever international skills competition, with young people from 51 countries and regions competing and more than 200,000 visitors over the four competition days.

Ben Murphy, 20, from London, wins gold in cooking

Kirsty Hoadley, 20, from Slough was a gold medallist in visual merchandising

Vince Cable welcomes big rise in apprenticeship numbers

Provisional figures published 28 October indicate that apprenticeship starts for academic year 2010/11 have risen by more than 50 per cent compared with final figures from 2009-10.  The Statistical First Release shows that apprenticeship numbers have risen across all age ranges and levels of training across the apprenticeships programme.  The data shows that there were 442,700 apprenticeship starts in the full 2010/11 academic year (final data for 2009/10 shows 279,700 starts).

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“This Government's unprecedented investment in apprenticeships is working for businesses and creating long term career opportunities for record numbers of trainees.

“I’m particularly pleased that vital sectors like construction, manufacturing and engineering are continuing to back apprenticeships, despite tough economic times. By helping firms build a stronger skills base, this investment puts businesses on solid foundations to deliver sustainable growth and a more balanced and inclusive economy.

“The Government will continue to improve and strengthen the apprenticeships programme to drive up standards, cut bureaucracy for smaller firms and deliver more advanced level and high tech training.”

The complete Statistical First Release is available for download.

Growth and Innovation Fund

The Secretary of State announced the first fifteen Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) projects in his keynote address at WorldSkills on 6 October.

These employer-led projects are all about what business needs now and in the future to promote productivity and growth. They cover a range of sectors and offer a wide selection of innovative skills solutions to drive growth.

The Government will be investing £11m alongside employers to reach a total investment of over £20m.

Details of the sectors that will benefit from this first wave of GIF funding can be found in the attached press release.

For more information:

http://www.ukces.org.uk/ourwork/gif

http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/employers/growth-innovation-fund/

National Careers Service

Skills Minister, John Hayes unveiled the revised Matrix Standard to an audience of careers advice businesses and practitioners on 12 October. The revised standard sets the bar higher for the delivery of  quality information, advice and guidance by any organisation.  It will form the cornerstone of National Careers Service delivery, with all its providers accredited by April 2013.

The matrix Standard has been extensively reviewed and trialled. A focus on four key business areas: leadership, resources, service delivery and continuous improvement; and a focus of simplified language provide a stronger and more accessible standard for use by providers across the IAG sector.

Mr Hayes said: “High quality careers advice and guidance can make a real difference to people’s lives. It promotes social mobility and helps people make the educational, training and work choices that get them onto the right path in life. The matrix Standard will guarantee the quality of the work of the new National Careers Service.”

Contact or tel 0845 3048600

News

New Research into vocational qualifications

On Friday 9 September, we published a report in the BIS research series which provides further analysis of economic benefits from vocational qualifications and brings previous estimates up-to-date.

Headline findings are:

• In line with previous studies there continues to be large and significant wage gain for the vast majority of vocational qualifications.
• Returns to NVQs vary significantly by sector.
• There is also significant variation by occupation, with higher returns found in lower skilled occupations
• In line with previous research, there are strong positive returns to apprenticeships
• All vocational qualifications are associated with an increased likelihood of being in employment.
• The lifetime benefits associated with the acquisition of Apprenticeships at Level 2 and 3 are very significant, between £48,000 and £74,000 for Level 2 and between £77,000 and £117,000 for Level 3 Apprenticeships.

The report, carried out by London Economics, is available at the following link: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/r/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications

LSIS news article: New Freedoms: New Focus

LSIS has published a new strategic framework New Freedoms: New Focus to support and inform continued improvement across the learning and skills sector.

The framework, and its accompanying publication the LSIS Strategic Intentions 2011 – 2014 provide a platform for action and for reflection on the sector’s achievements. They allow for review of the changes both the sector and LSIS have undergone and are yet to go through, and they demonstrate how LSIS will remain responsive as the collective vision for the sector’s future unfolds.

LSIS involved its Board, Council, many stakeholders and the wider sector in drawing the documents together. LSIS Chief Executive Rob Wye said: “I would like to thank everyone who helped in the development of these documents, and do hope that you will recognise what they say and that you will find them useful in your own discussions about your future.”

LSIS Excellence Gateway

The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) has released an Invitation to Tender for six projects to support the redevelopment of the Excellence Gateway.  LSIS is keen to attract bids from across the FE and skills sector. 

There are three areas of work:

• Review and improvement of a nominated area of content. This strand consists of three projects, each funded up to £25,000 (inc VAT).
• Creation of resources, including user-guides, to support users of the Excellence Gateway. This project will be funded up £25,000 (inc VAT).
• Sustainable development of key National Learning Network (NLN) materials, which are currently hosted by LSIS. Two projects will be funded, each receiving up to £10,000 (inc VAT).

The deadline for completion of each of the projects listed here is  31st  March 2012, and the closing date for applications is the 7 November. Further details can be found on the Excellence Gate

Investors in People

Investors in People celebrated its 20th anniversary with an event at WorldSkills 2011 on 5th October. 

Investors in People was launched in October 1991. Over the last 20 years it has established itself as a world class product helping organisations make the best use of their most important resource – their people.

The reason for the creation of Investors in People - to help business re-build after the recession of the 1980s - is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago.

Investors in People is here to help employers through the current uncertainties surrounding the global economy by encouraging growth, profitability and efficiency. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills have strategic responsibility for Investors in People and are leading a campaign to attract more businesses to start their Investors in People journey.

John Hayes has celebrated Investors in People in a video message for the event.

Green skills report

Recognising its potential, the government wants a ‘green economy’.  This will require a skilled workforce. BIS has published an evidence report on ‘green skills’ showing that there is latent demand but this is not clearly articulated in all sectors. 

The report supplements the skills proposals in Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy (August 2011), which were developed in the context of Skills for Sustainable Growth. They include: 

• a new ‘skills for a green economy’ group of Sector Skills Councils and others to address green skills needs
• improving the information, advice and guidance available through the new national careers service
• LSIS and the Institute for Learning improving green skills training provision 
• raising awareness of the green economy through Unionlearn
• maintaining the policy focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and
• funding for up to 1,000 Green Deal Apprenticeships, subject to business take-up.

The report can be downloaded.

John Hayes opens Training Academy

Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister John Hayes opened the Bedford Training Academy which specialises in green energy on Friday 14 October.

The Bedford Training Academy was set up by support services providers Carillion.

During his visit John Hayes met a number of trainees. He also saw a demonstration of a solar PV installation on a life size house which is based inside the academy.

UK and China

Senior representatives from China and the UK’s education sector have developed and agreed a three year action plan to forge stronger links in higher education, vocational education and skills training, schools and language teaching at a summit on 27 October 2011.

The summit was chaired by the Education Secretary Michael Gove and the Universities Minister David Willetts opened a Higher Education roundtable discussion which was attended by a number of UK University Vice Chancellors.

The summit took place during the British Council’s ‘China in the UK’ week, which is part of the strategy to foster educational opportunities and cultural relations between China and the UK.

More information is available online.

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