The company that the Gazelle Colleges Group employed to run a competition to help teach young people entrepreneurial skills has been dissolved.

Pants to Poverty, a fair trade underwear brand, ran the contest, initially named the ‘Pantrepreneur Challenge’ and then the ‘PantrepreneurSHIP Challenge’, in partnership with Gazelle.

The challenge encouraged college students across the country to work on business projects that involved designing, marketing and selling custom-made underwear between 2012 and 2015.

In its first year, the challenge involved 15 colleges, and over 250 students designed Olympics-themed pants.

It is claimed that more than 100,000 students engaged with the competition over the three years it ran, but according to Companies House, Pants to Poverty was dissolved on October 11 this year.

Pants to Poverty Ltd was launched in the Make Poverty History youth movement in 2005

Pants to Poverty Ltd was launched in the Make Poverty History youth movement in 2005, as an ethical fashion company selling underwear made of Fair Trade cotton.

It claimed to support 5,000 farmers in India, and students that won the company’s entrepreneurial challenge were given the opportunity to visit the country to live and work with the farmers and factory workers who made the underwear they had sold.

FE Week called the phone number on the Pants to Poverty website to ask about its closure, but found it was no longer in use, while messages to Pants to Poverty founder Ben

Ramsden via LinkedIn had received no response at the time of going to press.

However, in describing the ‘Pantrepreneur Challenge’ on his LinkedIn page, Mr Ramsden wrote: “With crushing government cuts in the FE sector, the programme was put on hold after three fabulous years.”

There are also questions surrounding the current membership of the Gazelle College Group.

Of the 11 members currently listed on its website, only five would confirm that they are still members and have no intention of ending their membership.

Two colleges said they have left the group, one is in the process of leaving, one refused to say either way – and the final two didn’t respond.

The FE Choices survey into student satisfaction isn’t worth the bother, according to one of the country’s largest colleges – which has refused to take part.

The Skills Funding Agency published the results of its annual learner satisfaction poll in June, showing that private providers were more popular amongst learners than colleges, scoring 89.6 per cent, rated 9.2 per cent higher than colleges, at 80.4 per cent.

The percentages reflected the median score for 189 colleges and 276 private training providers, with feedback counted in the data.

Survey results will also now be used in a new online tool for the first time from this year, to help employers choose apprenticeship providers.

But Karen Dobson, principal of the 9,000-student Newcastle-under-Lyme College, claimed her organisation had stopped participating because it had a “limited purpose”.

She told FE Week: “We no longer participate in the FE Choices survey as we found the task was becoming increasingly labour-intensive and there is limited awareness of its presence and purpose amongst our core target audience.

“We have a number of larger, more efficient college-led surveys in place which allow us to benchmark performance and student satisfaction.”

The SFA’s survey is designed to “capture learners’ experiences” of their college or training provider through questions ranging from “how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the teaching on your course?” to “how likely is it that you would recommend the college to friends or family?”

Another large college which did not complete the survey in 2015/16 was City of Bristol College, which caters for around 25,000 learners.

A spokesperson told FE Week that the timing of the SFA’s survey “coincided with a period of significant change at the college, including staff changes at all levels”, which meant the college missed the completion deadline.

Meanwhile neither Lambeth College, which educates more than 11,000 learners, nor the Manchester College, which has more than 25,000 students, managed to “provide enough data” to award a score in the survey despite their large size.

Neither college was able to comment by the time of publication.

Of the colleges that did take part in the survey, Stanmore College scored the lowest, with a score of 51.6 per cent.

A spokesperson said that the college’s “disappointing” response rate (14 per cent) does not “fully reflect the view of students”.

Barnfield College, in Luton scored the second lowest with a score of 57.1 per cent.

A spokesperson said it “was in the midst of difficult and challenging times” at the time of the survey, but recent internal surveys revealed a “positive shift in our learners’ experience”.

North Warwickshire and Hinckley College was the third lowest college with a score of 61 per cent.

A spokesperson said it was a “disappointing result” and put it down to working as part of a federation with South Leicestershire College during 2015/16.

Tameside College in Manchester scored the fourth lowest at 64.2 per cent, but said its low response rate – 19 per cent – “doesn’t not reflect the positive feedback we receive from the significant majority” of students.

South Essex College was the fifth lowest with a 66 per cent score, but pointed to a response rate of 18 per cent.

A spokesperson told FE Week the SFA’s survey is “very limited and does not accurately portray student satisfaction with most colleges having a low response rate”.

General FE colleges have admitted to apprenticeship failings, after government research showed they are significantly less popular with employers than private training providers.

Training providers scored 83.9 per cent in the Skills Funding Agency’s latest employer satisfaction survey published last month, while colleges’ rating was nearly ten per cent lower at 74.9 per cent.

The survey gives an insight into the experience employers have had with their college or training provider in terms of the quality of training and responsiveness received.

The percentages reflected the median score for 214 colleges and 301 private training providers with sufficient employer satisfaction feedback to be counted in the ‘FE Choices’ data.

Three of the five lowest scoring colleges told FE Week their low satisfaction rate was due to issues with their apprenticeship schemes.

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets College, which had the lowest college score of 34.8 per cent in the survey, told FE Week: “Our position on the SFA list reflects outstanding legacy issues on our apprenticeship schemes, which we have since worked through and introduced more robust systems to improve the outcomes for both apprentices and employers.

“This listing does not give an accurate reflection to our relationships with employers today.”

New College Nottingham scored the second lowest at 35.6 per cent.

A spokesperson for the college said: “This survey has not taken into account the views of more than 85 per cent of our employer partners, therefore we don’t believe it is able to give a true and accurate reflection of the level of satisfaction employers have in the college. We are confident in our ability to exceed employer expectations and regularly receive positive feedback from our partners.”

Guildford College had the third lowest score at 37.3 per cent and expressed “disappointment” with the results, but reassured its employers it was working to resolve the problems.

A spokesperson for the college said: “We are aware of the issues which have prompted some dissatisfaction with a small sample of our employers recently, and as part of the improvements made over the past few months to our apprenticeship programmes, have already taken steps to resolve these.”

Harrow College scored the fifth lowest at 37.5 per cent and a spokesperson told FE Week the college had “recognised some time ago” that its apprenticeships were an “area we would like to develop and improve and part of this has been the complete restructuring of the employer facing team”.

He added: “The college is highly confident the views of our employer partners will be wholly positive going forward as we develop and build upon the strength of our relationships.”

Highbury College Portsmouth scored the fourth lowest at 37.4 per cent but was unable to comment ahead of publication.

The survey represented the views of more than 60,000 employers between March and July 2016, and was based on training in 2015/16.

As well as being counted in the ‘FE Choices’ data, the survey results will also be used for the first time in a new online tool to help employers choose apprenticeship providers.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College was the highest scoring college with a 99.5 per cent satisfaction score.

SGS College principal Sara-Jane Watkins said she was “thrilled” with the results and told FE Week their secret to success.

“There are many key elements that have added to the success of these results but I believe it is down to our responsiveness, the bespoke nature of delivery, close account management, offering a vacancy matching service for apprenticeships and the provision on offer,” Ms Watkins said.

“We are also highly effective at responding to wider economic needs and over the past four years SGS has worked closely with, and is an active partner in, two local enterprise partnerships.

“The college now delivers training to over 1,000 employers and has a targeted approach to develop and increase employer engagement and ensuring all learners experience work through work experience whilst with us.”

Ahead of David’s first three-day AoC annual conference as chief executive, we discuss the area reviews, our ministers and the need for positivity.

 “In a way, it being my first conference isn’t particularly important,” he tells me.

“What’s more important is that we’ve got a new government and we’ve got a new secretary of state and we’ve got new ministers. And it’s their first conference, and it’s superb we’ve got Justine Greening and Robert Halfon, we’ve got Lord Sainsbury and we’ve got Richard Atkins, the new FE Commissioner. We’ve got a superb cast of people.”

David clearly wants the new ministers to see positivity from principals.

“I’m really keen we present a very confident and ambitious front for colleges, saying what we can do rather than just diving in to all the problems,” he says. “Because there are all sorts of problems at the moment. It’s a sector that’s had a lot done to it. It’s had a lot of stress. The funding cuts have been profound. But actually I think we need to look beyond that and start setting the agenda, rather than being victims.”

“I think we need to start setting the agenda, rather than being victims”

I press him on whether this was a plea for conference delegates to be upbeat, particularly on Thursday, when both Justine Greening and Robert Halfon will be giving speeches that are likely to feature the Post-16 Skills Plan – and general positivity about the role of colleges.

“I think there will be some scepticism, because people have been hit by funding cuts and area reviews.” he admits.

“There’re all sorts of challenges around English and maths, for instance, and the apprenticeship changes are profound, and I want Justine Greening to acknowledge that those exist. I’m not for one minute saying to people, don’t mention the things that are urgent, difficult, challenging now – but if you can, do that as well as look to the long term, because there are opportunities,” he says.

“I genuinely think we’ve got a secretary of state and FE and skills minister who really get FE and colleges, and want to help set out a space for further education and colleges within the education system, and change the machinery of government to bring it all into one place – some saw it as a risk. I always saw it as more of an opportunity.”

Also speaking at the conference is Richard Atkins, the former principal at Exeter College and a previous AoC president, who this month took up the reins as the FE Commissioner.

I ask what he hopes the message Mr Atkins’ message will be, at a key time in most of the five area review waves.

“I think Richard will be trying to get that balance that says area reviews aren’t going to go away, and we’re going to finish them,” he says. “There’re only five or so months to run, and I think that’s important. Let’s get through them now. We’re right in it. I think he might tweak some of it, he might do it a little bit differently from David [Collins, the outgoing FE Commissioner].”

What does he think Atkins might do differently?

“Well, there’s a transparency issue that David Collins hasn’t been able to do, because ministers change and the delays in the reports have been bit unhelpful. Hopefully they can speed that up and move things forward more quickly,” he tells me.

“But more importantly I’d like him to talk about where he thinks that takes the sector, post area review. There is a sense that with one bound the sector is suddenly sorted for the next 25 years and there will be no more problems, no colleges getting into financial difficulties, and I think that’s very unrealistic,” he says.

In our next edition, David tackles questions about value for money in the area review process, along with the outcome of his review of AoC, including the future of the regional structure and what he will do differently.

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AoC regions and their directors

Steve Sawbridge – West Midlands: Mr Sawbridge has held a range of management roles in colleges and worked as a freelance consultant. He worked with the Learning and Skills Council on policy and strategy and on business planning in the FE sector, and as head of strategic partnerships at the Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning.

Gillian Miller – North East: For 13 years prior to her appointment in 2014, Ms Miller worked at a senior level in the Learning and Skills Council and its successor organisation the Skills Funding Agency, most recently as area director. Prior to that, she was head of economic development for a local authority in the north east.

Ian Munro – South West: Mr Munro taught and managed in FE before moving into senior leadership. He is also the national AoC policy lead for sustainability, working closely with the organisation’s Sustainability Portfolio Group. He is co-director of the newly-formed Hinkley Point Training Agency, a collaboration of colleges and independent training providers.

Mary Vine-Morris – London: Ms Vine-Morris has over 25 years’ experience of the management of adult education, FE, work-based learning and social and economic
regeneration. She has worked with partners in London’s education and business sector to provide strategic leadership of post-16 learning across the capital.

Richard Caulfield – North West: Before his appointment in December 2014, Mr Caulfield was chief executive of Voluntary Sector North West for seven years, a regional umbrella body for the voluntary sector. Prior to that, he held a number of senior roles in both the voluntary and private sectors, including time at the NUS.

Caroline Rowley – Yorkshire and the Humber: Ms Rowley joined the AoC in 2003 from the National Museums Liverpool where she was head of education for the eight museums and galleries in Liverpool. Before then, she held roles at education charity Campaign for Learning, Lancashire College and North Trafford College.

Paul Eeles, director of EMFEC (affiliate organisation covering AoC’s East Midlands region): Mr Eeles has over 29 years’ experience of working in FE. As well as his role at AoC, Paul is also chief executive of the Skills and Education Group, consisting of ABC Awards, ASDAN and EMFEC. He was recently appointed chair of the Federation of Awarding Bodies.

Andrew Thomson, chief executive of Association of Colleges for the Eastern (affiliate AoC organisation): Mr Thomson is a former college principal who went on to lead the Learning and Skills Development Agency and then the Quality Improvement Agency, before working as a consultant in industry and FE.

Pamela Lumsden, chief executive of the Association of South East Colleges (affiliate AoC organisation): Ms Lumsden has been chief executive of AoSEC since November 2012. Before this, she worked for various organisations, including the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education, Ofsted, OCR and the Open College Network.

The bosses of FE’s two biggest associations have traded verbal blows over the quality of apprenticeships that are delivered by private training providers.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, has claimed that independent providers offer apprentices “not very much” training, mostly assessing them “on the job”.

But his comments sparked a war of words with Mark Dawe, boss of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, who challenged the AoC chief to “produce the evidence” to back up his allegation.

Mr Hughes’ criticism of independent training providers was made during an interview with FE Week in which he defended colleges’ poor take-up of apprenticeships over the past year.

The former skills minister Nick Boles had challenged colleges to stop letting private providers “nick your lunch” at the 2015 AoC annual conference – something that the figures show they haven’t really managed.

Pressed on why some colleges haven’t been expanding their apprenticeship provision ahead of the levy, Mr Hughes said: “Colleges are big organisations and there’s always going to be a degree of cautiousness about suddenly shifting your business into new areas.

“If you’re an independent provider and you’re doing most of that work assessment on the job, there’s a lot of evidence that many apprentices get no-off-the job training, even at level four and five, even at degree-level apprenticeships. It’s much easier to suddenly switch your business and grow your business and get big numbers.”

Mr Dawe hit back at Mr Hughes, labelling his claim “disappointing and plain wrong”.

He told FE Week: “I challenge David to produce the evidence he refers to, given that Ofsted believes that 79 per cent of independent provider provision is good or outstanding, and the latest FE Choices and CBI data shows that by far the average highest satisfaction ratings among employers and learners are for independent providers.

“Is he really saying that an apprentice has to leave the employer’s premises to get access to the necessary facilities and kit?

“Off-the-job training for the technical certificate, and improving English and maths, can and does frequently takes place in training rooms on site or at the provider’s facilities.

“David may be inferring, and it may be the case that many colleges are not suited to certain types of delivery.

“Therefore they should focus on what they are good at rather than trying to turn everything into classroom education.”

Just days after the exchange, the left-leaning think-tank IPPR called on the government to phase out level two apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds, and replace them with a programme only offered by colleges.

It is also likely that the government’s skills plan will favour colleges if classroom-based facilities are required to deliver its 15 new technical professional education routes.

“AELP has nearly 50 college members, some of which are very large, who offer high quality work-based learning and I would be surprised if many of them agreed with David,” added Mr Dawe.

“I am puzzled why the size of an institution should prevent it from entering the apprenticeship market – it is all about willingness to seize the opportunities that the levy offers and getting better at employer engagement.”

Colleges have failed to take up the apprenticeships challenge laid down a year ago by former skills minister Nick Boles – with figures showing the proportion delivered by them has fallen significantly.

Mr Boles urged delegates at last year’s Association of Colleges conference to stop letting independent training providers “nick your lunch”.

He also challenged colleges to go from delivering a third of all apprenticeships to two-thirds.

Yet despite this, the proportion of all apprenticeship funding going to colleges has dropped from 37 per cent in 2015/16 to 32 per cent in 2016/17, according to latest Skills Funding Agency allocations.

Colleges were allocated £564,697,386 for all apprenticeships this year, compared to £1,175,506,126 for other providers.

While the college cash figure is 7 per cent higher than the same time last year, the Skills Funding Agency automatically set 2016/17 allocations 19 per cent higher for adult apprenticeships.

So, although actual delivery figures for 2015/16 has yet to be published, this is likely to mean colleges did not use all the funding they were allocated.

And of the £305 million extra cash allocated for apprenticeships this year, just £35 million, or 12 per cent, has gone to colleges.

And, shockingly, some colleges’ allocations have shown a massive drop compared to last year.

The figures for 19+ apprenticeships are even more damning, with colleges representing just 30 per cent of total allocations – a drop of six per cent from last year.

Colleges were allocated £272,757,698 for this age group as of August this year, compared to £628,665,199 for other training providers.

Astoundingly, a number of colleges still have only a tiny proportion of their allocations given over to 19+ apprenticeships.

The worst offender is Kensington and Chelsea College, with an allocation of just £79,324 – down 26 per cent on last year.

Its 2015/16 adult apprenticeships allocation of £106,533 was just 3 per cent of its adult skills budget for the year.

Colleges’ performance on 16 to 18-year-old apprenticeships was slightly better, with them representing 35 per cent of the total allocations – although this was down from 38 per cent last year.

Mr Boles’ speech was not the first such appeal by a minister speaking at AoC conference.

The then economic secretary to the treasury, John Healey, urged college delegates 13 years ago to be “more active” in forging links with business, complaining the FE sector was too often a “passive recipient” of decisions made by the government to improve training.

David Hughes, AoC chief executive, has now defended colleges’ poor take up of apprenticeships.

“Colleges are big organisations and there’s always going to be a degree of cautiousness about suddenly shifting your business into new areas,” he said.

Colleges were particularly interested in “the technical, professional stuff, where you need off the job, where you need kit, facilities, gear, as well as doing on the job”, he said.

He added: “How that fits with the skills plan I think is really interesting and I think that’s where our members are really focusing.”

Several college allocations for 2016/17 were not listed in the Skills Funding Agency list, so a year-on-year comparisons could not be made.