Race to the bottom: who’s checking delivery quality of apprenticeship standards?

Firm guidelines need to be put into place to ensure the quality of the content of the new apprenticeship standards is accompanied by quality delivery, says John Hyde.

Politicians and civil servants are forever talking about ‘quality apprenticeships’. The new employer-led apprenticeship standards were introduced to ensure anyone embarking upon an apprenticeship would earn the skills and knowledge their employer required. Indeed, the contents of many of these new standards are inspirational.

At HIT, we have started to roll out the new ‘hospitality team member’ and ‘commis chef’ apprenticeship standards. Employers are very enthusiastic about the commis chef standards, and they are a real improvement on the old NVQ frameworks.

Under the new standards, the onus of ensuring quality is transferred from the provider to the employer

The new standards require a commis chef to become competent in all aspects of food-production and cookery, unlike the NVQ qualification. We have now opened our HIT chef academy at 17 centres around the country, and commis chefs can attend additional workshops on topics they may not see regularly at their workplace; covering things like offal or shellfish, pairing wine and beer with dishes, restaurant entrepreneurship and kitchen management.

The higher funding-levels for commis chefs allow us to deliver a really professional programme. Indeed in the past few weeks, a further 12 Michelin-starred restaurants have enrolled their apprentices into our academy, together with two leading contract caterers which cover the executive and director dining end of the market.

I’m sure in hospitality, our academy sets a high standard for the quality apprenticeships demanded by the politicians, civil servants and employers. Yet nowhere can I find any reference or guidance on the quality of delivery of these new standards.

Previously, SFA regulations had minimum requirements, including one-to-one site visits to learners by the provider. Under the new standards, the onus of ensuring quality is transferred from the provider to the employer, which creates uncertainty when Ofsted, the guardians of quality, can inspect only the provider as the one in receipt of government funding.

Whilst some employers will accept this responsibility, there have been horror stories from the service and retail sector in the past.

Firm guidelines need to be put into place to ensure the quality of the content of the new apprenticeship standards is accompanied by quality delivery, which is accountable, transparent and can be monitored and inspected.

Unless this is discussed now by the DfE, providers and employers, we will end up with scare stories in the press, which will force ministers again to take draconian action to enforce quality delivery, to prevent further damage the reputation of apprenticeships.

This is especially true now that price negotiations have been brought into the equation.

The contents of many of these new standards are inspirational

We had our first experience of that last week when we were invited by the SFA to tender to deliver to a national chain. Needless to say we lost out, so without too many sour grapes, it was interesting to review the process. The client generously shared their feedback and scoring with us so we knew their decision was based solely on price and not on the quality of our delivery.

Without undertaking the delivery remotely online, with no face-to-face onsite interventions, we would not compromise our delivery model to match the price. Neither we nor the client will know for 12 months who was right, until the learners complete or not.

It does seem perverse that an apprentice’s success or failure could be determined by their employer’s willingness to fund their apprenticeship sufficiently.

What will Ofsted’s role be now? Traditionally it has not involved itself in funding levels when inspecting provision. However if the negotiated price is too low to deliver the programme effectively, who is blame: the provider or the employer?

It will be the apprentice who loses out, and probably the taxpayer, as this apprentice will have to be retrained to pass their programme in the future.

 

John Hyde is the chairman of HIT Training

 

Exceptional students and staff honoured in Celebration of Success

The achievements of students and staff from Weston College have been recognised at the college’s annual Celebration of Success event.

Hosted by principal and chief executive of Weston College Group Dr Paul Phillips CBE, alongside keynote speaker and BBC Presenter Alex Lovell, the awards acknowledged students and staff that have exceeded expectations over the past year.

Three students, Jordan Tucker, Abigail Hopkins and Farrah Seyedi, were each awarded the title of ‘student of the year’ at the ceremony, which took place at Cadbury House in Bristol.

One of the students recognised by the award, Farrah Seyedi, was told she could never go to university or live independently due to her autism, but after receiving support at the specialist Weston Bay facility during her time at the college, she is now pursuing a degree and successfully living in halls of residence.

Speaking of the award, she said: “When I heard there was an award for Weston Bay I never thought it could be for me. I was speechless.”

Closing the ceremony, Dr Phillips said: “When you get success, care and support, you have the foundations to go on to even greater success, and that is what tonight has been about.”

 

Featured picture: (L-R) The three students of the year – Jordan Tucker, Abigail Hopkins and Farrah Seyedi

 

Students create 8ft Tinkerbell to promote local theatre’s Christmas panto

Theatre design students at Northbrook college are bringing magic to the stage for Christmas, after being commissioned to create a Tinkerbell figurine for Worthing Theatres.

The students from the Sussex-based college were commissioned by the theatre’s marketing team to make a larger-than-life fairy to promote this year’s Peter Pan pantomime.

With a brief to recreate the much-loved JM Barrie character with an Edwardian spin, the students got to work – constructing the figure over the course of five weeks using a child-size mannequin as a foundation. Her wings were designed, welded and fitted with 240 LED lights.

The finished creation stands at nearly 8ft tall and will be on display in the Pavilion Theatre’s Denton Lounge until mid-January.

Theatre design student Rebecca Foster said: “By working as a team we learned lots of valuable skills, including how to compromise and reach agreement on design.”

Sadie Anderson, the course leader for theatre production arts, added, “The students are rightly proud of their creation and hope it will bring to life the magical aspects of this year’s pantomime.”

 

Featured picture: The 8ft statue of Tinkerbell

 

‘Deep concern’ over local enterprise partnerships’ funding decisions

A call has been made for local enterprise partnerships to have a new contracting process that’s “fair and transparent” if they’re dealing with cash from the adult education budget, following allegations that board members are allocating valuable contracts to their own companies.

An investigation published by the Mail Online has alleged that LEPs have made more than 270 payments to companies or other projects connected with their own board members, with sums for example ranging from £13,000 to £1 million.

Conflicts of interest like these will be of concern to the sector, as LEPs already control much of the funds available to FE providers for capital spending – while last month’s autumn statement confirmed that the government is pushing ahead with plans to devolve the AEB.

The investigation prompted Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, to hit out at “a system set up in a manner that leads to institutional bias”.

LEPs continuously seek ways to improve transparency and share best practice

“We expect a local commissioning model, used by LEPs or combined authorities, to set out the needs of the locality and then to follow a fair and transparent contracting process for the whole adult education budget open to all eligible providers,” he said.

Dr Ann Limb CBE, chair of the South East Midlands LEP, previously tweeted that bodies like hers “should be transparent in their dealings and transactions”.

In comments to FE Week however, Dr Limb, the former principal of both Milton Keynes College and Cambridge Regional College, said: “I believe that financial probity, transparent governance, and public accountability lie at the operational heart of every organisation in receipt of government funding – LEPs or FE colleges.

“I can only speak for the LEP I chair, the SE Midlands LEP, where I am confident we have in place sound processes and procedures which I welcome being scrutinised and challenged.”

Meg Hillier (pictured), the Labour MP who chairs the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, said the issue was “of deep concern”.

“We have already raised concerns about the accountability of LEPs and the lack of basic systems in place to make sure interests are declared and where money is being spent,” she added.

A LEP-funded report published in October by Metro-Dynamics, called ‘Leading the way’, also came out in support of greater transparency.

It said: “LEPs need to continue to ensure that they are known for having the best possible approach to transparency and governance in terms of decision-making and spending.

“It is important to get the balance right, in being expected to spend £12 billion of public funding to 2021, and it is vital that accountability is, and is perceived to be, to the level required.”

The chairman of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership, Mark Reeve, told FE Week on behalf of the LEP Network Board, that “all LEPs take any allegations of improper conduct extremely seriously”.

“LEPs continuously seek ways to improve transparency and share best practice,” he said.

“It is not the role of the LEP Network to monitor how LEPs allocate grant funding or assess conflicts of interest.

“The government has clearly vested that role in the democratically elected councils who are accountable for monitoring conflicts of interest and ensuring how grant funding is awarded by the LEPs.”

A government spokesperson said: “Our rules make clear the need for a published conflicts of interest policy and insist upon transparency in the way taxpayers’ money is spent.

“We won’t hesitate to act if any LEPs are found to have failed to follow our rules.”

Apprentices get IfA representation – but no place on the board

The government has finally committed to establishing an apprentice panel for the Institute for Apprenticeships, in a move hailed by the National Union of Students as a victory for learners.

The panel was announced by apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon during the sixth sitting of the public bill committee for the Technical and Further Education Bill.

“I am pleased to announce that we expect the Institute to invite apprentices to establish an apprentice panel, which would report directly to the board,” he said.

“The panel would be made up of apprentices from different occupations and experiences. The panel would decide for itself which issues to focus on, and it will challenge and make recommendations to the board.”

However, the minister told the committee hearing on November 29 that he could not “go so far as to say there should definitely be apprentices on the board” of the Institute.

His announcement has broadly been welcomed by the FE sector – but some people still believe direct apprentice representation on the Institute’s board would be the ideal situation.

This is a victory for the apprentices and learners who called for better representation in the IfA

Shakira Martin (pictured), the NUS vice-president for FE, welcomed the move and praised “the minister’s acknowledgement that the board needs to listen to apprentices”.

She said: “This is a victory for the apprentices and learners who called for better representation in the IfA, and I look forward to working with the minister constructively to make this a reality.”

However, she pointed out that she wants Mr Halfon to “be clear about how he’ll make sure the board take the views of the panel seriously”.

“If the government truly wants apprentices to be listened to, the panel should be part of the bill,” she said.

“We still believe that, ultimately, the only way to be serious about learner voice and apprentice representation is to give them two full seats on the board itself.”

Shane Chowen, the head of policy at the Learning and Work Institute, said the new apprentice panel would be “a useful addition to learner and apprentice representation throughout the Institute’s structures”.

However, he voiced similar concerns to Ms Martin about board representation, saying: “I stand by my comments at the bill committee, where I said that meaningful involvement of learners and apprentices will add tremendous value to the improvement of apprenticeships and technical education.

“This means involvement at every level – including the 15 route committees and the Institute’s board.”

He continued: “Learners and apprentices have an important perspective and contribution to make; they are the ones experiencing work and learning, applying for jobs and experiencing the outcomes.”

Mr Halfon said that apprentices won’t be put on the board “in part… because board members need to have experience and they carry a great deal of governance responsibility” he also argued that “they come under press scrutiny, which is not easy”.

Speaking to FE Week after the meeting, the shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden said Mr Halfon’s decision to appoint an apprentice panel was “a reasonable response” which justified Labour’s recent push for greater representation of the views of apprentices in the work of the IfA.

Mr Halfon confirmed during the hearing that the IfA would ensure the first panel “is in place before the institute goes live in April 2017”.

Special needs college first in the UK to receive Princess Royal Training Award

A college for people with disabilities and learning difficulties has become the first in the UK to receive a new national training award.

National Star College in Cheltenham was awarded the Princess Royal Training Award for its two-week induction training for staff, which involves a mix of classroom and workplace learning, and a tailored learning plan for each member of staff.

Launched by the City and Guilds Group, the Princess Royal Training awards aim to recognise the positive impact training and skills initiatives can have, and encourage best practice in skills development.

Other recipients of the award include BAE Systems, Starbucks, IMB UK Ltd and Transport for London.

City & Guilds Group chief executive, Chris Jones said: “I hope these awards have shone a light on how important it is for businesses to invest in training to boost their productivity, address skills gaps and develop their leaders.

“This has never mattered more than in today’s uncertain economy. I hope this year’s winners inspire other organisations to share their experiences, and put forward their training and development success stories.”

 

Featured picture: Dawn Macey-Norris, Head of Continuous Professional Development at National Star, with the Princess Royal

 

FEATURE: Sixth form campaign to reach Christmas number one snowballs

A single produced by Blackpool Sixth Form college to raise money for children living in poverty has climbed into the iTunes and Amazon charts and, with a host of celebrities backing it, has a shot at hitting Christmas number one. Samantha King reports.

Since Blackpool Sixth Form college released their single ‘A Christmas Miracle’ on December 2, their campaign to reach Christmas number one has taken off, with a whole host of famous faces pledging support.

Comedian Peter Kay, double act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, as well as the cast of Coronation Street have all pledged their support for the campaign on social media, with Blackpool tower being lit up in pink – the colour of the song’s artwork – to show the town’s support.

Composed by students and staff at the college, and recorded by children from 10 schools across the Fylde Coast, the track is currently selling on iTunes for 79p and on Amazon for 69p. Its lyrics aim to raise awareness of the struggles faced by children living in poverty.

All proceeds from the song are to be donated to the Children’s Society, a national charity which runs local projects to help vulnerable children and young people aged 10 to 18.

The track has made it into both the iTunes and Amazon charts and spent some time in the Top 20. Currently, the song is positioned between Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home for Christmas’, and is overtaking the Pogues’ classic Christmas track ‘Fairytale of New York’.

There have already been a host of glowing reviews on Amazon, with buyers saying the track is “perfect for listening to while you put the tree up” and “a beautiful song for a worthwhile cause”.

The song came about when Blackpool Sixth Form music teachers Ash Goodinson and John Stevens teamed up with English teacher Steve Spencer.

Mr Goodinson said: “We have been overwhelmed by all the support on social media by people from all around the country.

“We really want the song to be shared far and wide, to spread awareness of child poverty, reach Christmas number one, and raise as much money for the Children’s Society as possible to help the children that need it most”.

We really want the song to be shared far and wide, to spread awareness of child poverty

The percentage of children living in poverty is 30.6 per cent in Blackpool, far higher than the national average of 21.4 per cent, according to Public Health England.

The Children’s Society’s chief executive Matthew Reed said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that the Blackpool Sixth Form college and so many schools and community groups in Lancashire have teamed up to launch this uplifting song to raise awareness and support vulnerable children this festive season.

“Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for so many young people and we are truly grateful to everyone involved in putting this single together and also those who buy it.

“Funds raised from this single will help us continue our life-changing work with children and young people who have nowhere left to turn.”

As part of the college’s campaign to top the charts, schools and colleges across the UK are being encouraged to download the sheet music for the song, record their own versions and share it online with the #BeTheMiracle hashtag.

 

Featured picture: The #BeTheMiracle campaign

 

 

Sir David Collins earned £0.5m in three years as FE commissioner

The former FE commissioner Sir David Collins earned just under £500,000 for doing the job part-time, it has been revealed, though he also did twice as much work than had originally been planned.

The role was advertised in 2013 with a rate of £800 a day for an average of two days’ work a week.

A Freedom of Information request by FE Week revealed that Sir David (pictured) worked for a total 618 days over the three years he was in the job, which equates to an average of four days a week.

He earned £494,400 in consultancy fees, and tendered £44,310 in expenses.

The extra workload is understood to have come about from the area reviews of post-16 education and training, for which Sir David took a hands-on approach.

He discussed his punishing schedule during FE Week’s area review summit at the Festival of Skills in July.

He said: “I have done 15 steering group meetings in different parts of the country in 15 working days, which doesn’t make me very popular at home but which does make me really popular with Premier Inns, where I seem to spend a lot of my time.”

As reported by FE Week in 2013, the original job listing for the FE Commissioner role said: “The post is offered on a two-year fixed-term contract, with an expected commitment of around 80 to 120 days each year.”

The role was created to tackle failing colleges and to drive improvement across the sector through the intervention process – although it was widened in 2015 to include the area reviews.

Sir David worked on 49 interventions and 22 area reviews between November 13 2013, when he was appointed, and November 11 this year, when he retired

These began in September 2015, and are due to finish by March 2017.

The majority of the 37 reviews have been chaired by either the FE commissioner or the sixth form college commissioner, Peter Mucklow.

Sir David has also been part of the overall area review advisory group.

FE Week’s FOI showed that Sir David worked on 49 interventions and 22 area reviews between November 13 2013, when he was appointed, and November 11 this year, when he retired.

Despite Sir David’s heavier-than-planned schedule, the workload was advertised unchanged when the search for his successor began earlier this year.

That advert said the role was “being offered on a two-year fixed term contract, up to a maximum of 330 days. The role will be remunerated at £800 a day.”

It is thought this is because the work of the commissioner is likely to slacken off as the area reviews wind down.

The Department for Education announced Richard Atkins, the former Exeter College principal, as the new FE commissioner in October.

According to information published by the DfE, he is leading four of the eight reviews in the final wave, and is understood to have taken over any unfinished reviews from earlier waves that were previously led by Sir David.

During his first major speech since taking over the role, Mr Atkins told delegates at the Association of Colleges conference in November that he hoped to be much less busy once the reviews were complete.

He said: “I hope that it’ll be lighter after March. I hope the workload will become more manageable and I’ll have the chance to spend more time out and about sharing with you the lessons we’ve learned.”

He also joked about having had “one of those very short apprenticeships we don’t approve of” with Sir David as his “master”.

“He left me with the two essentials for this job – the Network Rail map of England and a guide to very best Premier Inns,” he said.

Week left to register for Brathay apprenticeship challenge

There is just one week to go for employers and training providers to enter the sixth annual Brathay Apprentice Challenge.

Teams of nine apprentices can enter the competition which will see them undertake a series of hands-on work-related challenges to develop new skills, while promoting the benefits of apprenticeships.

Entries can come from a single large or small employer, a group of small businesses, an industry sector, supply chain, or training provider. There is no limit to the number of teams that can be entered per organisation.

The winning team will then be declared as the apprentice team of the year.

More than 700 apprentices from 80 teams entered last year. They spread the word about apprenticeships by visiting nearly 400 schools, recruiting more than 400 new apprentice employers, and delivered 45 community projects.

The eight teams that made the 2016 final in and around Lake Windermere, in the Lake District in June, competed in events including orienteering, coracle boat building, an assembly line puzzle, and a whaler boat race.

Apprentices from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (pictured above) won the competition.

On winning the title UKAEA team leader and electronic engineering apprentice, David Godden said: “Winning the title has supported our efforts to inspire young people and to use our journey as an inspiration for themselves. Hard work, determination and self-confidence are key to success.”

Apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon has offered his support to the competition.

Robert Halfon
Robert Halfon

“The Brathay Apprentice Challenge is a brilliant opportunity for apprentices from all backgrounds to showcase their talents while learning the skills they need to get on the ladder of opportunity to a better future,” he said.

“It is always fantastic seeing how many top class employers get involved in this challenge every year. It demonstrates a commitment from business to quality apprenticeships that are essential if we truly want a country that works for everyone.”

Over the last five years of the competition, 360 teams, involving nearly 3,000 apprentices, have carried out 219 charity projects and have promoted apprenticeships to an estimated 2.5m people, through more than 12,000 pieces of media and social media.

Godfrey Owen, chief executive of Brathay Trust, said: “The challenge provides apprentices with the opportunity to develop a huge range of skills with previous entrants reporting improved team building, leadership, logistical and communications skills. The apprentices taking part also become more confident and ultimately more employable.

“We look forward to both apprentices and employers gaining these benefits in the search for the apprentice team of the year 2017.”

Visit www.brathay.org.uk/challenge for more information on the Brathay Challenge and to enter a team. Registrations close at midnight on December 16.