Expert Contributor | FE Week

Does government really care about level 2 and 3 apprenticeships?

Lower-value programmes, which support the youngest and often most vulnerable apprentices, are at risk of becoming unattractive to deliver, says Sue Pittock After Halfords’ announcement that it plans to scrap its level 2 provision because of a desire “to continue delivering highest quality training”, it didn’t take long for a staff email to reach FE […]

How to know when your apprentice is ready for the gateway

Chris Cherry provides key insights that will avoid misunderstanding and poor practice In the world of apprenticeship standards, the gateway is the door between the two core stages of the apprenticeship – the on-programme training and the end-point assessment. The apprentice passes through the gate when they have met minimum requirements and are performing consistently […]

How to be an apprenticeship ‘ultra-negotiator’ and prove it…

Apprenticeship funding rules require that we demonstrate our negotiations. Lucy Ottewell-Key outlines the core principles to consider The new apprenticeship world can be confusing and unfamiliar to the education sector. Negotiate? How? What does it mean to be in a commercial and competitive market? What indicators, funding rules, features, benefits and unique selling points support […]

Creating a quality apprenticeship system that will work for everyone

City & Guilds wants a universal framework for quality standards applied throughout FE inspections, says Kirstie Donnelly As all of us working in technical and vocational education know that apprenticeships provide a key skills solution for employers and an important route into work. Seemingly, the government agrees and often talks about apprenticeships in glowing terms, […]

This much-needed focus on colleges must be capitalised on

The chair of the new Independent Commission into the College of the Future sets out his agenda Colleges for far too long haven’t received the recognition that they deserve. Happily, amongst policy wonks at least, this is starting to change. The post-18 education review led by Philip Augar is yet to publish its recommendations, but […]

Incentivise the apprenticeships that actually boost productivity

Apprenticeship funding mechanisms should be weighted to favour those standards that boost employability and earnings, argues Nicole Gicheva The best apprenticeships provide an alternative entry route into employment to academic education. They make it easier for people to reskill and change career. High-value apprenticeship programmes also increase skill levels, enhance productivity in firms and in […]

Why the IfATE have decided to become more transparent about our plans

Sir Gerry Berragan sets out his institute’s programme for the new financial year The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is two years old next month and has developed considerably in that time. We have reduced the time it takes to approve new apprenticeship standards, effectively doubling our approval rate, and learner and employer engagement […]

The green paper that should be required reading for Labour’s NES commission

National Education Service? Labour would do better to develop a new national education entitlement for those aged 18 to 74, says Tom Bewick Twenty years ago, the Labour government published a seminal green paper, The Learning Age. It was responsible for a lifelong learning strategy that many in the sector still talk about. Two central […]

Degree apprenticeships must be funded through the levy

Not funding level 6 and 7 apprenticeships through the levy would utterly destroy the productivity and social mobility focus of apprenticeship, says Adrian Anderson As ministers have repeatedly said, it is employers, not training providers, who are best placed to decide how to develop and use apprenticeships to raise the productivity and performance of their […]