Daventry UTC announces it is to close next year

Low student numbers will lead to closure at yet another University Technical College.

The trustees of UTC for New Technologies at Daventry (known as Daventry UTC), today announced that it will close on 31 August 2017, making it the sixth UTC out of 48 to shut.

Figures obtained by FE Week through Freedom of Information requests made earlier this year show that Daventry was running at 25 per cent capacity last year.

It had just 151 students enrolled in 2015/16, down from 169 in 2014/15 — despite a capacity of 600.

And as reported by FE Week in May, Daventry was the first standalone UTC to be hit with an Education Funding Agency financial improvement notice.

A statement published on their website this afternoon said: “Resources made available to schools and colleges are irretrievably linked to the number of students on roll and, unfortunately, our inability to recruit students within the Daventry district and further afield has meant that the UTC is not financially viable into the future. Thus the UTC will not accept applications for entry from new Year Ten or Year Twelve learners in September 2017.

Professor Nick Petford, Chair and Trustee since 2012
Professor Nick Petford, Chair and Trustee since 2012

“This outcome has been reached only after extensive discussion with Baker Dearing Educational Trust, the Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency to explore all available options.”

Professor Nick Petford, previously Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at Bournemouth University and Chair of Daventry UTC Trust said: “Closing Daventry UTC is hugely disappointing for all those who have worked so hard to give students the opportunity to pursue a technical education.

“It was a difficult decision to take, but unfortunately although every attempt has been made to try to find an alternative solution, closure was the only available option due to low student numbers. 

The wellbeing and success of all our students remains our highest priority. Every effort will be made to ensure students get the support they need to complete their studies successfully.”

Russell Ball, who took over from David Edmondson as interim principal in June 2016, added: “Existing students in Years Eleven and Thirteen within the UTC will, of course, continue to follow their current courses and complete these in the summer term 2017. The teaching staff and I are confident that, like others before them, our students will experience high-quality teaching and learning and reach outcomes which match or exceed their potential.

“We will be working closely with Northamptonshire County Council and other local education providers including Silverstone UTC to bring about a smooth transition for existing students in Years Ten and Twelve. We will do everything in our power to ensure this process is both detailed and thorough”

A statement from Daventry UTC added: “Human resources support and guidance will be offered to staff and measures will be taken to ensure transition for students is as smooth as possible with minimum interruption to their education. Meetings and discussions to this end have commenced with Northamptonshire County Council and other providers, including Silverstone UTC.”

russel-ball-3
Russell Ball, interim principal since June 2016

Daventry UTC opened in September 2013 and the lead sponsor is Moulton College and the University of Northampton is the co-sponsor. It was visited by Ofsted in April 2015 and received a ‘requires improvement’ grade three.

The inspection report praised leadership and management at the UTC but contained many criticisms. These included: “Teaching is not good because teachers do not have high expectations of what students can achieve in lessons”, “there are few opportunities in lessons for students to boost their literacy skills” and the UTC does “not make the best use of its industrial links in order to provide students with a regular programme of work-related opportunities.”

At the time of publication the UTC sponsors, Baker Dearing Educational Trust, Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency had not been approached for comment.

SFA extends data return deadline as Hub crashes

The Skills Funding Agency has extended its deadline for a key data collection, after the Hub suffered another breakdown.

The online data collection service is understood to have crashed last night (December 5), less than 24 hours before providers were due to submit their Individualised Learner Record (ILR) R04 (fourth return of the academic year) returns.

The SFA has now said that providers will now have until 6pm tomorrow (December 7) to get their data in.

It posted a message to its FEConnect forum this morning at 11.16am, which said: “We are currently experiencing technical issues affecting access to some of our systems, including the Hub.

“We are aware that the ILR R04 collection is scheduled to close today.

“Whilst we hope to resolve the issue shortly, we have decided to extend the collection for an additional day.

“It will therefore close tomorrow, Wednesday 7 December, at 18:00.”

A further message posted at 1.01pm said that the Data Collection Service still had not yet been restored, and that a further update would be issued before 5pm.

A number of complaints and questions about the latest breakdown were posted by FE Connect users.

One comment, posted by Chris Bradley, said: “I have submitted two ILR files today for two organisations for which I work and also one on Saturday for a third organisation. How do I know if these are all seen at your end?

“If any of the organisations fails to receive payment due to this problem affecting the correct load there will be a significant issue.”

Another user, Caspar Verney, commented: “When will the Hub systems be subject to Performance Review?

“This is by no means the first time that there have been ‘unfortunate issues’ and there seems to be no consequences, only repeating pain.”

As previously reported by FE Week, the Hub suffered repeated problems in the months after it launched – with breakdowns in September 2014 and January 2015, both on or just ahead of deadline days.

FE Week has asked the SFA for an update on the Hub, but has not yet had a response.

Exclusive: Ofsted wants key degree apprenticeship inspection role

Talks have begun between Ofsted and the government over extending the inspectorate’s remit to cover degree apprenticeships.

Paul Joyce, Ofsted’s deputy director for FE and skills, revealed this during an exclusive webinar with FE Week editor Nick Linford (both pictured during the session above) this afternoon.

Degree apprenticeships are currently only inspected by the Quality Assurance Agency, which oversees all university-level provision.

But Mr Joyce said today that Ofsted is in talks with the government, as well as QAA and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, about changing that to give his organisation a key new role.

He said: “Where I would see the gap being [for Ofsted to fill] is the apprenticeship part of the degree, so not the degree qualification delivered in a university, that we won’t be looking at.

“We do need to ensure that the other part of the apprenticeships provision, ie what happens in the employer, is looked at and that it’s quality assured. So not the degree qualification, but the wraparound apprenticeship.”

He added: “I’m certainly of the view that regardless of its level, an apprenticeship is an apprenticeship. To me, it makes perfect sense that we have one inspection regime for an apprenticeship and that inspection regime should be Ofsted across the piece.”

He was asked to clarify how this would work – so whether Ofsted’s preference would be for it alone to inspect degree apprenticeship provision.

Mr Joyce replied: “That’s not quite what I said. If a university delivers the degree, there is already an inspection regime to look after that side of things [which would not need to change].”

Mr Linford then asked if based on his clarification, the expectation would be for Ofsted to send in inspectors to degree apprentices’ workplaces, but for QAA teams to continue checking out the learning they get at actual universities.

Mr Joyce was less clear with his response this time, saying: “I don’t think we’ve got that level of clarity yet, that’s the conversation we are having with DfE and QAA, because clearly what we don’t want to do is have that two tier approach.

“We do need to get absolutely clear on what the inspection regime for degree level apprenticeships will look like and who does it. We need to do that sensibly and that’s why we are having these discussions.”

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers had already been pushing for Ofsted to “have authority to inspect every apprenticeship”.

A spokesperson warned some degree apprenticeships were not genuinely work-based learning and instead involved “simply rebranding of more vocationally biased degrees”, meaning stricter monitoring is needed.

Chief executive Mark Dawe said in his response to last week’s annual Ofsted report: “Since I started in this role, I have been told not to worry about the quality regime for degree apprenticeships because QAA has it all in hand – mainly by HE sector representatives.

“It has taken me some time, but what I can assure everyone is that there is nothing further from the truth.

“Let’s stop pussy footing around and pandering to the HE sector. Ofsted need to have a role in inspecting all apprenticeship provision whatever level it is.”

The DfE was unable to comment on its talks with Ofsted ahead of publication.

It comes after FE Week reported last month that management degree apprenticeships are expected to rocket, plus the nursing degree apprenticeship recently announced are likely to be very popular.

Reports of discrimination at SFA double in a year

Levels of reported discrimination in a key FE government agency have doubled in a year, an annual staff survey has revealed.

Ten per cent of respondents from the Skills Funding Agency to this year’s Civil Service People Survey said they had personally experienced discrimination at work in the previous 12 months.

This compares with just five per cent of respondents to the same question in last year’s survey.

The findings sparked alarm from the Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents staff at the SFA.

A spokesperson for the union said: “It’s very concerning that more people are reporting discrimination and the fact it is principally by grade and responsibility suggests a troubling management culture.”

He also highlighted a number of other areas that scored badly in the survey, including how change is being managed, pride in the agency and confidence that effective action is being taken.

“There are some serious issues for senior managers to address as a matter of urgency,” he said.

As reported by FE Week in June, staff anger over pay grade changes at the SFA had raised the spectre of strike action.

Staff were understood to be unhappy about the move from the SFA’s previous pay grading structure to civil service pay grades used across government, with some workers finding themselves on lower grades than they had been expecting.

This year’s Civil Service People Survey was the eighth such annual survey, and was carried out across 98 civil service organisations from October 3 to 31.

It asked staff for their views on a range of issues, including workload, leadership, pay and benefits, and inclusion and fair treatment.

One of the questions asked: “During the past 12 months have you personally experienced discrimination at work?”

The median response to this question across the civil service as a whole was 12 per cent, up one per cent from last year’s survey.

The Department for Education scored slightly higher than the SFA on this question, with 11 per cent of staff saying they had experienced discrimination at work.

The SFA’s survey results were based on the responses from 574 members of staff, representing 89 per cent of its workforce.

This is down from 762 responses last year, which represented 84 per cent of SFA staff.

Staff were more upbeat about leadership at the agency this year than they were in 2015, with positive responses to questions on the topic up by an average of three per cent. 

And questions on organisational objectives and purpose received an 86 per cent positive score – up from 80 per cent in 2015.

The question with the biggest increase in score was “There are opportunities for me to develop my career in the Skills Funding Agency”, which went up by 15 per cent to 40 per cent positive.

An SFA spokesperson said: “We take the results of the People Survey very seriously and will act upon them. We have completed a year-long change programme and are working closely with our staff.”

Casey Review demands urgent review into savage ESOL cuts

The country urgently needs a national review into the provisions it makes for non-native English speakers, according to a major new report.

The Casey Review, which looked at how social integration can be improved across the UK, found that community cohesion is being undermined by savage and ongoing funding cuts.

Unveiled on December 6, the report, which was commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron, concluded that good English skills are “fundamental” to improving immigrants’ opportunities, but that course funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages has been heavily cut.

“The government should support further targeted English language provision by making sufficient funding available for community-based English language classes, and through the adult skills budget for local authorities to prioritise English language where there is a need,” wrote the report’s author, Dame Louise Casey.

More than 760,000 people aged 16 and above in England and Wales could not speak English well or at all, according to 2011 census data.

At the same time, funding for ESOL provision has dropped by 50 per cent between 2008 and 2015.

This lack of English proficiency is particularly prevalent among Muslim, Polish, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, while women are more likely than men to not be able to speak English well or at all.

The impact of poor English language skills includes lower wages, lower community integration and less civic participation, the review found.

Despite this, the review noted that funding for ESOL courses has been slashed in recent years, and identified “a significant gap in funding for pre-entry and entry level English language courses”, confirming what people who teach ESOL have been saying.

Hundreds of staff and students from a range of colleges gathered at the Houses of Parliament for a protest, which the University and College Union helped organise, against ESOL funding cuts last October.Esol

The UCU’s general secretary Sally Hunt told FE Week ESOL should now be a “top priority” for ministers.

“Successive cuts to the adult skills budget have reduced the availability of ESOL, so the government must now invest properly to restore teaching capacity,” she said.

Jenny Roden, co-chair of the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults, agreed, and argued in an exclusive expert piece that there should now be a “national review of ESOL provision”.

Sue Pember, director of policy and public relations at HOLEX, said: “The report makes all the underpinning arguments why we need a government-led ESOL strategy.”

Stephen Evans, chief executive at the Learning and Work Institute, said: “Knowing that language is vital to integration, cohesive communities, social inclusion and individual opportunity, we need urgent action to help the estimated 850,000 people in the UK with ESOL needs.”

In January the government announced a £20 million English language tuition fund, with the aim of helping Muslim women integrate into British society.

But former Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel said at the time that these funds would not make up for previous ESOL cuts.

The government has not yet responded to individual recommendations in the Casey Review.

In a statement about the review as a whole, communities secretary Sajid Javid said: “While it’s right we celebrate the positive contribution diverse groups make to British life, we also need to continue making sure nobody is excluded from it or left behind.”

EFA funding falls by over 20% for three colleges

Three colleges have seen the funding they receive for 16- to 19-year-old learners drop by more than 20 per cent since last year, according to the latest figures.

The Education Funding Agency 2016/17 allocations, published in November, shows that funding has fallen by 2.2 per cent across the sector as a whole compared with 2015/16.

However, for more than a dozen colleges, the picture is rather more stark, with drops of 10 per cent or more.

FE Week analysis of EFA stats show that the worst-hit college is Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, which suffered a year-on-year drop in its EFA cash of a whopping 26 per cent – alongside a similar drop in learner numbers.

It was allocated £11,985,965 in 2016/17, £4,262,210 less than it received last year.

At the same time, the number of 16- to 19-year-old learners fell 29 per cent, from 3,122 to 2,230.

A college spokesperson said the fall was a result of “consolidating and improving the quality of provision and financial sustainability”, which had “been essential for future growth”.

The college declined to elaborate on what it meant by “consolidating”, in light of this massive drop in funding.

For some colleges, however, EFA funding has skyrocketed.

At the other end of the scale, Loughborough College has seen its allocation grow by a massive 29 per cent – rising from £9.6 million in 2015/16 to almost £12.4 million in 2016/17 – while student numbers have also increased by 21 per cent.

A spokesperson for the college said the rise was due to the growth of its sixth form.

Stats show that the worst-hit college is Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, which suffered a year-on-year drop in its EFA cash of a whopping 26%

“Loughborough College is the largest A-level provider of its kind in Leicestershire, offering a wide range of academic subjects to young people in a new, multi-million pound development with the very latest teaching and learning facilities,” she said.

Other colleges losing out on large amounts of EFA funding include Knowsley Community College and Stanmore College.

Knowsley’s current allocation is 24 per cent lower than last year’s, and its learner numbers have fallen by 27 per cent, while Stanmore’s allocation and student numbers have dropped by 22 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.

A Knowsley spokesperson said its fall in EFA funding and learners was “attributable to the college taking a decision to reduce its 16-to-18 subcontracting arrangements in 15/16”.

Meanwhile, a Stanmore spokesperson blamed its current administered status along with the increasing number of local schools offering sixth forms for the fall in 16- to 19-year-old learners.

She insisted that recent improvements at the college are “already generating a substantial upturn in 16-to-18 learner applications for 2017/18”.

Student numbers across the country are down by around 36,000 – or 2.8 per cent – while programme funding was down by £119 million, or 2.2 per cent.

FE Week’s analysis was extrapolated from a presentation made by Peter Mucklow, the director for young people at the EFA, who told delegates at the Association of Colleges conference in November that “pretty much everything is two per cent down” in terms of funding for 16 to 19-year-olds for 2016/17.

Mr Mucklow said the cash drop reflected the “correlation between programme funding and student numbers”.

In addition, some institutions have had their allocations reduced for not fully meeting the condition of funding rule.

This rule, which was introduced in 2014/15 and is being applied to allocations for this first time this year, saw 26 general FE colleges lose a combined total of more than £2.8 million.

The planned removal of formula protection funding, worth £54 million, was another factor cited by Mr Mucklow.

King George V College, a sixth form in Merseyside, had the worst funding change of all, with a cut of 32 per cent.

Its allocation fell from £4,006,447 in 2015/16 to £2,739,055 this year.

Team UK’s golden success at EuroSkills closing ceremony

Team UK is bringing home two golds, one silver, two bronze and eight medallions of excellence from EuroSkills 2016 Gothenburg.

The haul places Team UK ninth out of 28 in the overall medal table.

Landscape gardening gold medallists Adam Ferguson (left) and Will Burberry (right)
Landscape gardening gold medallists Adam Ferguson (left) and Will Burberry (right)

Landscape gardening duo Adam Ferguson, aged 20, and Will Burberry, 20, were joined by welder Josh Peek (pictured above), 20, in claiming the top prizes in this year’s skills competition.

Their teammate Danielle Scandone was then awarded silver for her stunning floristry designs.

The 21-year-old, who trains at Merrist Wood College in Guildford, also took home the team’s ‘best of nation’ award for scoring the highest points out of the UK competitors.

Silver medallist Daniell Scandone
Silver medallist Daniell Scandone

Bronze medals went to 21-year-old cooking competitor Ruth Hansom, who works at The Ritz Hotel in London, and mechatronics pair Sam Hillier, 23, and Thomas Revell, 24, who both work for Toyota Manufacturing UK.

Bronze medallist Ruth Hansom
Cooking bronze medallist Ruth Hansom

Eight other members from Team UK achieved a medallion of excellence for reaching the international standard in their skill.

These included 21-year-old cabinet maker Angus Bruce-Gardner, from employer Waters & Acland, mechanical engineering CAD competitor Betsy Crosbie, 20, from New College Lanarkshire, 21-year-old Ethan Davies in CNC milling from Coleg Cambria, and bricklayer Josh Hunter, 20, from Hull College.

Other Team UK members to claim the medallions were painting and decorator Jordan Jeffers, 21, from Southern Regional College, 21-year-old hairdresser Lucy Knight, who owns her own salon ‘Hair by Knight’ in Bristol, plumbing competitor Daniel Martins, 19, from employer Briggs and Forrester, and beauty therapist Isla McLarty, 19, from City of Glasgow College.

Mechatronics bronze medallists Thomas Revell (left) and Sam Hillier (right)
Mechatronics bronze medallists Thomas Revell (left) and Sam Hillier (right)

The team’s celebrations actually started yesterday after 20-year-old 3D game designer Daniel McCabe bagged a gold medal. But his award is not counted in the final medal tally as it is classed as a presentation skill.

Keep an eye out for FE Week’s full EuroSkills Gothenburg supplement Monday morning, sponsored by Smart Assessor.

Meet Team UK competitors ahead of EuroSkills medal ceremony

Team UK will tonight find out which of their members have claimed ultimate EuroSkills glory as gold, silver and bronze medals are handed out at the closing ceremony in Gothenburg.

The group of 22 competitors travelled to Sweden for the skills competition earlier this week and have competed against the best in Europe over the last three days.

EuroSkills itself is one of two major international competitions for young people starting trade professions.

Often referred to as a “preparation” event to WorldSkills, which is dubbed as the ‘Olympics of skills’, it is still one of significant prestige to everyone involved.

Competitors, who must be under the age of 25, have come from 28 European countries in 44 different skill areas ranging from landscape gardening and stonemasonry to hairdressing and game design.

As well as gold, silver and bronze medals being handed out to the top three scoring competitors in each skill area, other competitors who have reached the ‘international standard’ in their skill will be given a medallion of excellence.

Members of Team UK have taken a long journey to make it to the finals.

It included navigation through regional heats and success in national finals at The Skills Show in 2015.

Standout competitors in those national finals were then put into a longer squad of just 85 competitors, with 22 of them being chosen to represent their country at EuroSkills.

FE Week is media partner with WorldSkills UK and will be tweeting the results as they happen tonight @FEWeek.

Also keep an eye out for our full EuroSkills Gothenburg supplement Monday morning, sponsored by Smart Assessor.

But who are our Team UK competitors and what did they have to do?

We’ve detailed each one below with pictures taken during the competition, so you can follow their medal winning progress later tonight.

 

Toby Brook, 20

toby-brook

Architectural Stonemasonry

Employer: Wells Cathedral Stonemasons
Provider: Bath College
Trainer: Kevin Calpin, Calpin Associates

Toby had to produce a tracery window panel using Belgium blue stone. He had to create the design templates to specified measurements given and carve the design out. The judges were looking for precision in the design, any deviation over a millimetre resulted in lost marks.

Angus Bruce-Gardner, 21

angus-bruce-gardner

Cabinet Making

Employer: Waters and Acland
Provider: Waters and Acland
Trainer: Christian Notley, Chichester College
Twitter: @AngusRBG

Over three days, Angus had to make a table to a specific criteria. The design included frame, drawer, leaf design and decorations. Angus had practised making the table ahead of the competition but once he arrived on site, late changes were be made to the design to test his ability.

Will Burberry, 18

will-burberry

Landscape Gardening

Employer: Gardenscapes
Provider: Merrist Wood College
Trainer: Colin McKnight, CAFRE
Twitter: @will_burberry

Working together, Adam and Will produced a miniature garden from precise plans provided at the start of the competition. Some of the areas of the garden, which includes paving, planting and the construction of a wooden structure, had to be designed in accordance with the instructions provided, while other areas offered scope for creativity.

Betsy Crosbie, 20

betsy-crosbie

Mechanical Engineering CAD

Employer: N/A
Provider: New College Lanarkshire
Trainer: Barry Skea,
New College Lanarkshire
Twitter: @BetsyNCrosbie

Betsy had to complete three different modules. The first was to create a 3D model of a physical product. Second was to create assembly instructions where several components must be fitted together. Third was reverse engineering where she was given a component and had to measure it up as best she could before the judges took a part off. She then had to draw from the information she had collated over the last two hours.

Ethan Davies, 21

ethan-davies

 CNC Milling

Employer: Electroimpact UK Provider: Coleg Cambria
Trainer: Wyn Rowlands
Twitter: @EthanDavies16

CNC milling is similar to stonemasonry, the difference being that metal is used. Ethan had to load a block of metal into a machine and then machine it to tolerances which are of about 20 microns, or a third of a human hair. He had to machine that for four to five hours and the parts were then inspected for how accurate it was.

 Adam Ferguson, 20

adam-ferguson

 Landscape Gardening

Employer: Grassmaster NI
Provider: CAFRE
Trainer: Colin McKnight, CAFRE

Working together, Adam and Will produced a miniature garden from precise plans provided at the start of the competition. Some of the areas of the garden, which includes paving, planting and the construction of a wooden structure, had to be designed in accordance with the instructions provided, while other areas offered scope for creativity.

 Seamus Goodfellow, 20

seamus-goodfellow

 Automotive Technology

Employer: Ballinamullan
Auto Repair
Provider: South West College.
Trainer: Willie Mcilwraith, Warwickshire College
Twitter: @BDAescort

Seamus worked individually on four different tasks. First was an internal combustion engine, second was steering, suspension and brake systems, third was engine control, fault-finding in start, ignition and fuel systems, and the fourth was chassis, fault-finding in the various electrical systems in a vehicle, e.g. windows, locks, lights and infotainment systems.

 Ruth Hansom, 21

ruth-hansom

 Cooking

Employer: The Ritz
Provider: Westminster Kingsway.
Trainer: Michael Godfrey Mitchells & Butlers
Twitter: @ruth0310

Ruth had to prepare seven dishes over three days. The dishes included fish and shellfish for starters, meat for the main course, finger food and various desserts. Ruth was allowed to use a wide range of herbs, spices and accessories. She was also given a secret ingredient to use.

 Dale Hamilton, 20

dale-hamilton

 Heavy Vehicle Maintenance

Employer: Volvo
Provider: Volvo
Trainer: Chris Carter Stephenson College

Dale completed five different tasks: first was mechanical check of the engine and driveline, second was checking the steering and wheel assembly, third was checking the brake system, fourth was ault-finding in the engine’s fuel and exhaust systems, and the fifth was ault-finding in the chassis electrical system.

 Sam Hillier, 23

sam-hillier

 Mechatronics

Employer: Toyota Manufacturing UK
Provider: Toyota Manufacturing UK
Trainer: David Russell, Northern Regional College.

Competing in teams of two, Sam and Tom had to assemble and programme several stations similar to production equipment used in manufacturing industry. The stations were assembled into a production line and had to be programmed to work together. The exact details of the tasks were not revealed to Sam and Thomas until just before the competition starts.

Josh Hunter, 20

josh-hunter

Bricklaying

Employer: Geo Houlton & Sons Ltd
Provider: Hull College
Trainer: Mike Burdett,
York College

Using a maximum of 450 bricks, Josh had to build a two metre high construction of both the Feskekôrka, Gothenburg’s indoor fish market, and Läppstiftet, Gothenburg’s famous tower. Judges not only awarded points for precise measurements, angles and joints but also for the competitor’s design skills, organisational ability and problem solving skills.

Nathan Jones, 20

nathan-jones

Web Design

Employer: N/A
Provider: Neath Port Talbot College Trainer: Mike David, Coleg Sir Gar
Twitter: @NathixJ

Nathan first had to create a website for an imaginary company, he then managed databases in accordance with a set of instructions and on the third day he used WordPress to make changes to the website content. His work was judged on client and server functionality of the website, design and layout, communication and work efficiency.

Jordan Jeffers, 21

jordan-jeffers

Painting and Decorating

Employer: Self-employed
Provider: Southern Regional College.Trainer: Peter Walters, Stoke-on-Trent College

Jordan was provided with a booth consisting of three walls and was given 18 hours to plan and complete five different competition elements including, free decorative painting, wallpapering, painting woodwork and doors, colour nuancing and picture transfer and stencilling.

Lucy Knight, 21

lucy-knight

Hairdressing

Employer: Owner of Hair
by Knight
Provider: City of Bristol College
Trainer: Linzi Weare, Reds Hair Company
Twitter: @LucyKnight_

Lucy had to complete six different cuts in a specified time, all requiring a different approach. These included: ladies long hair down fashion with colour, bridal long hair up with colour and ornamentation, ladies fashion cut and colour with three wishes, men’s fashion cut and colour, ladies fashion perm, and a men’s modern classical haircut.

Daniel Martins, 19

daniel-martins

Plumbing and Heating

Employer: Apprentice with Briggs and Forrester.
Provider: EAS Mechanical
Trainer: Paul Dodds, Skills, Educational Training (SET) Ltd
Twitter: @DanMartinsss

Daniel has had to create a mock apartment, fitting two boilers and two pumps pumping around the system, a towel rail and a hot and cold water system. Everything had to be as accurate as possible to the drawing, with all angles within one degree and measurements within two millimetres.

Isla McLarty, 19

isla-mclarty

Beauty Therapy

Employer: Experience Health
and Beauty
Provider: City of Glasgow College
Trainer: Jenna Bailey, Ashton Community Science College
Twitter: @isla24x

Isla was required to carry out pedicure, manicure, facials, body treatments, massage and make-up.  Marks were awarded on completion of tasks in the specified time. Hygiene and safety was also taken into account in the assessment.

Daniel McCabe, 20

daniel-mccabe

 3D Game Design (demonstration skill)

Employer: West Cheshire College
Provider: N/A
Trainer: Mike Spence, South Thames College
Twitter: @DanM3D

Daniel was given a BMW M2 to design for the game Need for Speed. He had to modify it in a similar way to how a mechanic might do to a real life car. He changed the bonnet, added new skirts and a spoiler. The person who did the best job at modifying their vehicle won.

 Harrison Moy, 20

harrison-moy

Plastering and drywall

Employer: British Gypsum
Provider: H&R Property Development
Trainer: David Kehoe, British Gypsum
Twitter: @harrison_moy

Harrison had the opportunity to prepare the work in advance by creating templates and drawings and once the competition started he had to set walls, ceilings and decorations. In some tasks he was free to use whatever method he wished, while in some others the method was specified. 

 Josh Peek, 20

josh-peek

Welding

Employer: L&G Skilled Engineering
Provider: Great Yarmouth College.
Trainer: Clive Bell, Lakes College.

Josh had to weld together plates and pipes in accordance with instructions provided. He was also required to weld a pressure vessel and carry out projects using steel and aluminium. The judges awarded points to work that not only looked visually good, met the specified measurements but also passed tough quality and pressure tests.

Danielle Scandone, 21

danielle-scandone

Floristry

Employer: Moonflower.
Provider: Merrist Wood College
Trainer: Laura Owen,
Self-employed

Danielle had six elements to complete: an original bouquet, wedding bouquet, arrangement using floral foam, a standing display, a wreath, and floral jewellery for a model. As well as composition (colour, shape, proportions, lines, movement, texture, concepts) and techniques, Danielle was scored on organisation skills, customer care, knowledge of materials and tools, as well as her craft skills.

Tom Revell, 24

thomas-revell

Mechatronics

Employer: Toyota Manufacturing UK
Provider: Toyota Manufacturing UK
Trainer: David Russell, Northern Regional College
Twitter: @TheRealRev

Competing in teams of two, Sam and Tom had to assemble and programme several stations similar to production equipment used in manufacturing industry. The stations were assembled into a production line and had to be programmed to work together. The exact details of the tasks were not revealed to Sam and Tom until just before the competition starts.

Conor Willmott, 21

conor-willmott

 Joinery

Employer: Precision carpentry and joinery
Provider: West Suffolk College.
Trainer: Andrew Pengelly,
Didac Ltd
Twitter: @willmott_conor

Conor had to build a window to specified criteria provided. He first produced his own drawings from the criteria given, he then built the frame and then assembled the whole window. Judges assessed his drawing and planning, the joints before and after assembly, finish and execution, measurement accuracy, and the finished product including all parts and best use of materials.