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Team UK prepares for EuroSkills with yoga, meditation and stress tests

Dozens of the nation’s most talented FE students found their zen as they prepared for the psychological strains of competing on the international stage, at a special training session attended by FE Week ahead of EuroSkills 2016.

The 85-strong Team UK squad visited Loughborough University last weekend to take part in sessions, one of which involved Yoga Nidra, a deep meditation which works on the subconscious using correct breathing practice.

They were also put in situations in which they felt uncomfortable – to boost their ability to handle the kind of pressure that 20 of the team will experience at EuroSkills Gothenburg in November.

This included timed team-building tasks in which competitors tried their hand at different skills not associated with their particular discipline.

Hairdressers were turned into mechanics and asked to assemble self-made wheelbarrows to transport water around an obstacle course, while bricklayers became visual merchandisers, and were made to draw and create what they thought made a successful competitor using various different art materials.

Hairdressers were turned into mechanics, while bricklayers became visual merchandisers

They also received guidance during the three-day event on how to deal with anxiety and fear – which, according to WorldSkills UK director Ben Blackledge, are all “as important in terms of competing as the technical skills”.

He said: “Our competitors need to know how to overcome their fears and anxieties, and to do that you need to slowly push them out of their comfort zone.”

Psychological sessions included a seminar on the concept of concentration, and competitors were taught how to block out distractions while delivering practical tasks.

If they were having a low point in their competition, the team were told to stop what they are doing, stand up straight with their feet slightly apart, and put their hands on their hips – striking a pose which “immediately builds confidence”.

Wall and floor tiling competitor Kieran Magee aged 19 crosses to new found relaxation

Competitors were also told to shut their eyes and “visualise success” when things weren’t going to plan.

“In your mind work back from the finished project to the start; this will help you visualise key steps and show what you need to do next to accomplish the task you are struggling with,” the team was told.

Hairdressing competitor Lucy Knight, 21, who trained at City of Bristol College, said the workshops taught her to “block everyone out when competing” and how to “not get distracted and keep focused”.

Plastering and drywall competitor Harrison Moy, a 20-year-old apprentice with H&R Property Development in East Sussex, said the event opened his eyes to how much pressure he will have to deal with in Gothenburg.

“I didn’t really expect to need mental training but after seeing what we’re going into and learning how to deal with it, you do need it,” he said.

Peter Bakare, a former Team GB volleyball Olympian who competed at London 2012, was also on hand during the day in his role as one of WorldSkills UK’s performance coaches.

He said his experience of competing in the Olympics was “similar” to what Team UK will find at EuroSkills and Abu Dhabi, “so it is good for me to bring that experience across”.

“They need the mindset of a medal-winning champion if they are to succeed.”

EuroSkills 2016 will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden from December 1 to 3.

Council forces students with special needs to pay over £600 in travel costs

One council’s controversial decision to make families of students with disabilities or special needs to pay for college transport costs has come under fire from an autism charity and the National Union of Students.

Sunderland City Council started charging families £600 per academic year to transport each post-16 student with educational needs or disabilities (SEND) at the beginning of September to college – prompting heavy criticism from the National Autistic Society.

“This news will be really worrying for many local young autistic people and their families who rely on support from the council to get to college,” said Tim Nicholls (pictured), policy manager at the charity.

“It’s essential that councils understand the hidden needs of autistic people and the challenges they can face when travelling – and take these into account when planning their budgets”.

It’s essential that councils understand the hidden needs of autistic people

Previously, the council had paid the full costs for all SEND students’ transport to post-16 courses, but now it will only pay out any costs incurred by families beyond that initial £600.

However, FE Week found in February that a number of councils in the north-east were planning to start asking for a financial contribution.

Sunderland was the first council to go through with the charge, but Newcastle City Council also confirmed this week that its own plans to introduce similar charges have been approved by councillors, but not yet implemented.

A spokesperson for Sunderland City Council told FE Week: “Following consultation, the city council’s cabinet agreed that a means tested funding contribution of £651.

“However, the council is continuing to support students with SEND and families with increased choice and flexibility in how they travel from school or college.

“This includes putting extra resources towards encouraging independent travel (by public transport), where appropriate.”

According to Mr Nicholls, many of these students’ needs “are not immediately obvious”.

Autistic people can find it hard to plan and carry out a journey

“For instance,” he said, “autistic people can find it hard to plan and carry out a journey, be extremely sensitive to sound or become highly anxious when faced with unexpected changes.

“This can make travelling on a busy or loud bus filled with people they don’t know really challenging, if not impossible. In such cases, travelling by a mini-bus or taxi may be the only way they can get to school.”

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, was also highly critical of the charge.

“Transport costs for many students can be a true barrier to their successful participation and achievement in post-16 learning,” he said.

“It is particularly disappointing to see a local council introduce means testing for the transport costs.”

James Elliott, the NUS disabled students’ officer, said he was “very disappointed” about the new charge.

“The government should stop local council funding cuts, so they can provide vital services such as this,” he added.

In February, the AoC called on the government to review how councils fund travel to colleges for post-16 learners with special needs, but this did not happen.

Asked by FE Week if there would now be a change of heart, a Department for Education spokesperson said that providing transport to for young people with SEND was “a matter for councils”.

“However, we expect them to put appropriate arrangements in place and make decisions that are best suited to local circumstances,” they said.

Going Bollywood to raise money for the Butterwick Hospice

Learning Curve Group has raised £16,000 for the Butterwick Hospice through a year of fundraising activities, including charity runs and a parachute jump.

The education and training provider supports the needs of FE providers, employers and learners, and hosts an annual fundraising scheme which raises money for a local charity throughout the year, voted for by staff.

The 2016 nomination was Butterwick Hospice, which provides palliative home care and outreach day-hospices and services to people suffering from progressive neurological illnesses.

In September, Learning Curve Group held its second annual charity ball, which by itself raised nearly £6,000 for the hospice.

The Bollywood-themed event included attendees from Yorkshire Bank, commercial caterers CH&Co – and even FE Week’s very own Shane Mann.

Brenda McLeish, CEO of the Learning Curve Group, said: “The choice of Butterwick as our chosen charity partner was unanimous, and the ball was a fantastic celebration for a wonderful cause.”

Picture: Jon Cummins (L) and FE Week’s Shane Mann (R) commit to the dress code at the Bollywood ball

Ministerial bypass sparks ‘woeful’ area review row

The UCU has blasted the “woeful” lack of transparency in the area review process, after it emerged that key guidance waiting for ministerial sign-off has been circulating in draft form for months.

The Department for Education has still not officially published a crucial set of implementation guidance that was originally due in July, because final clearance from the new apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon (pictured) has not been forthcoming.

However a draft version has been shared among colleges for up to three months, FE Week has learned.

The document has been so widely shared, FE Week even found it available for download from the Association of South East Colleges’ website – although it was removed this week after we asked them about it.

This revelation prompted Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the University and College Union, to call for immediate action from Mr Halfon.

“For any process to have the confidence of those involved, transparency and engagement is crucial,” she said, adding that there had been a “woeful lack of meaningful consultation with unions on outcomes and implementation” throughout the area review process.

“The minister needs to urgently intervene to ensure much better consultation at a local and national level,” she said.

The draft guidance lists the different phases involved in implementing area review recommendations, as well as key issues that colleges will have to consider.

Pamela Lumsden, AOSEC’s chief executive, told FE Week that the document had been “intended to be shared with members”.

Her organisation represents local college interests and is, according to its website, affiliated to the Association of Colleges.

But when asked to explain AOSEC’s actions, an AoC spokesperson said it was “a separate organisation from AoC, so you’d need to get in touch with them directly about what’s on their website”.

The guidance has been delayed for nearly three months; Bobbie McClelland, the deputy director of the DfE’s reforming FE provision unit, told FE Week’s area review summit on July 7 that a final version would be released before parliament’s summer recess, which began on July 21.

FE Week has lodged repeated requests with the DfE asking to see the guidance, but we’ve been told each time that it would be available “in due course”.

In the meantime, the DfE appears to be side-stepping ministerial sign-off.

Officials will make two presentations this week, one on the implementation guidance and another on a separate document also awaiting publication, the due diligence framework.

Both documents are on the agenda for Monday’s Education and Training Foundation area review implementation conference – where Ms McClelland is due to discuss the implementation guidance.

The event is billed as “a key opportunity to understand and discuss the due diligence and implementation guidance documents”.

Ms McClelland will also give the keynote address on Thursday at a Westminster Briefing event, entitled ‘Implementation of area-based reviews: understanding the outcomes for post-16 education and training’.

FE Week asked the DfE why its officials were giving presentations on guidance that had not yet received ministerial sign-off.

A spokesperson said that these events were “not dependent on the guidance being published”.

Nick-Linford-editor-exp-300x140 — Read Editor Nick Linford’s opinion

The guidance and framework are just two of a number of area review documents to have been held up as a result of the widespread FE-related government changes sparked by the EU referendum in June.

Others due in July – but which have yet to appear – include separate guidance for local authorities and local enterprise partnerships, and final reports into the reviews to have completed so far.

Details of the colleges involved in the fourth wave of reviews are also yet to be publicly announced, even though a number of the reviews have already held their first steering group meetings.

Sir David Collins’ successor as FE Commissioner has also still not been officially confirmed, two weeks after FE Week revealed the post would go to former Exeter College principal Richard Atkins.

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London review deadlines extended

FE Week has uncovered yet more evidence of area review delays, with all four London reviews running up to four months behind schedule.

Two of the reviews should have completed by July and the remaining two should have finished by September, according to the timetable originally planned.

But minutes from a number of the colleges involved reveal that the four reviews are now not expected to complete until November.

A spokesperson for the London mayor acknowledged that the timing for the first two reviews had changed to coordinate with the second two reviews, but denied that the overall schedule was delayed.

Fresh concerns over failing UTC model as one in 10 now shut

More than 10 per cent of university technical colleges are now expected to close, just six years since they were first introduced.

The latest to close its doors will be Royal Greenwich UTC in London, on which Greenwich Council is forking out £13m in order to convert it into a secondary school.

Royal Greenwich UTC will become Greenwich Trust School from next September, just two years after it opened as a 14-to-19 institute.

FE Week analysis in February showed that the college, which has a capacity of 600, had just 257 students during the last academic year – representing a 35 per cent drop from the 397 who attended in 2014-15.

Its closure makes it the fifth UTC out of 48 to shut up shop since they were launched in 2010.

Greenwich Council now needs to pay hefty conversion costs so that it can meet its statutory obligation to provide enough school places.

A council spokesperson said: “The Greenwich UTC sadly did not attract the expected numbers; as seen with colleges nationally, some students were hesitant at switching to a technical course at the age of 14.”

The college, which according to its website cost £10m to set up, will instead cater for 11- to 18-year-olds.

The government has already agreed to the expansion, with most of the £13.7m bill to be paid by the council, but £200,000 will come from its Section 106 payments – money that a developer pays to a council to reduce the impact of a development.

The council said the conversion cost will involve adapting the existing building, as well as a new extension to cater for the extra pupils (see box-out).

Greenwich UTC did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Low pupil numbers are common at UTCs, which has often left them financially unviable.

Our February investigation discovered that student numbers had fallen at 40 per cent of UTCs that opened between 2010 and 2013.

Four other UTCs: UTC Lancashire, Central Bedfordshire UTC, Hackney UTC and Black Country UTC have all closed citing low student numbers.

The Department for Education meanwhile confirmed last month that a proposed UTC developed in partnership with Burton and South Derbyshire College would not now open, despite the £8m the government had already spent setting it up.

Just last week, Heathrow Aviation Engineering UTC was issued a financial notice to improve due to an “apparent loss of financial control”.

The UTC, which opened in north London in September 2014, has a 600-pupil capacity, but just 231 on roll as of January. It was found not have failed to balance its budget and has suffered cashflow problems since 2015, the Education Funding Agency said.

The college must now get approval from the EFA for all its transactions, and launch an external governance review.

Barry Hersom, the college’s principal, said: “The board and senior team take this matter very seriously and we are working with the EFA to bring the UTC’s finances into order as quickly as possible. We have already taken measures to reduce expenditure and are confident that the situation is improving.”

Former education secretary Nicky Morgan has since voiced concerns about the UTC model, suggesting that they should look to admit pupils from the age of 11.

At a fringe event on educational inequality at the Conservative Party Conference this week, she said: “I would, in order to avoid this change at 14, like to see them admitting pupils from the age of 11, because I think that would mean they would have a stronger, more sustainable pipeline of students.”

FE Week pressed the government on its struggles with the UTC model, but the DfE refused to be drawn on whether an independent review would be needed to re-evaluate them.

Instead, a spokesperson said: “The best UTCs do a great job in helping pupils get the knowledge and skills they need for successful future careers. We are continuing to look at the performance of the UTC model and learn lessons from those that are open to ensure they offer great education for young people who want to follow a technical or vocational path.”

Charles Parker, chief executive of the Baker Dearing Trust, an organisation established to develop and promote the concept of UTCs, said: “Four UTCs have closed, and Greenwich is becoming a normal 11-18 secondary school, reflecting the changing local demographic since it opened.

“There are 48 UTCs open across the country successfully matching young people aged 14 to 19 who want a high-quality technical education with employers who face a serious skills shortage.”

Greening tells conference Skills Plan will be ‘big focus’

A firm commitment to “transform” technical education was made by education secretary Justine Greening, in a Conservative Party Conference speech that stressed the government’s Skills Plan will be a “big focus” for her.

She told delegates yesterday (Tuesday) there had been a “renaissance in apprenticeships” over the last six-and-a-half years, and she was now determined to put technical education “on a par” with academic-based study.

“For too long the technical education they want hasn’t been good enough,” said Ms Greening.

“We’ve already set about changing that with our Skills Plan and this will be a big focus for me as secretary of state.”

The Skills Plan, which prime minister Theresa May largely ignored in her closing conference speech today, was unveiled by former skills minister Nick Boles in July.

It will see 20,000 post-16 vocational courses replaced by 15 ‘pathfinder’ routes – covering college-based and employment-based training.

This reflected the recommendations of an independent panel, led by Lord Sainsbury, which was set up by the government in November 2015 to look into reforms to technical and professional education.

Ms Greening also singled out three areas that “we really need to pull together” to boost technical education – FE colleges, “the huge extra investment in apprenticeships from our biggest companies” and university technical colleges.

The inclusion in this list of UTCs for 14 to 19-year-olds will have come as a surprise to many in the sector, given their well-documented struggles to recruit enough students.

An investigation by FE Week in February revealed that the 15 UTCs that opened before 2013 were running at about 50 per cent capacity.

Four of the technical schools have had to close their doors due to low student numbers, and a further three have been hit with financial notices to improve by the Education Funding Agency.

The education secretary added: “Last year 48 per cent of our young people went to university, but 52 per cent didn’t.

“It’s also about skills – creative skills, problem solving, team-working – the skills that employers, that British business, needs.”

Following on from Mrs May’s widely expressed desire to improve social mobility, since she became prime minister in July, Ms Greening told delegates technical education would be at the heart of a reformed system of learning that would break down social “barriers”.

“We are transforming our academic route, now we must do the same for technical education and skills,” she said.

“We need a world class education system that works for everyone… all of our young people.

“All of this has at its heart, a mission to make ours a country where we’ve removed the barriers.”

Ms Greening’s speech was her first at party conference since she was appointed education secretary on July 14 this year – and also the first since the Department of Education took over responsibility for FE and skills from the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Strike will hit Hull College next Thursday

A strike by Hull College staff has been set for next Thursday (October 13), after staff voted to walk-out over planned redundancies.

It comes after FE Week reported last week that former shadow attorney general and MP for Kingston upon Hull, Karl Turner, had renewed his war of words with the college bosses over the job losses on the eve of the ballot for industrial action on Friday (September 30).

Almost nine in ten UCU members (86 per cent) who voted backed strike action, while 96 per cent backed action short of a strike, with the walk-out now set for next week.

The dispute follows the college’s announcement that it would make around 70 redundancies and close its three nurseries before the end of the year.

UCU regional official, Julie Kelley, said: “Strike action is always a last resort, but after several years of redundancies, staff have said enough is enough.

“These plans are damaging for the college, staff and its students, as well as members of the local community who stand to lose out on vital learning opportunities.

“We hope to meet with college governors in the coming days. It remains possible that the college could avoid being hit by industrial action if it is willing to engage positively with UCU to find an alternative to the current plans. The ball is now in the employer’s court.”

Mr Turner told FE Week the college’s actions would “hit students the hardest”.

He previously joined college workers on strike in May, supporting their dispute over pay and a controversial new lesson observation system.

He ended up calling for an investigation into the college’s chief executive Gary Warke, after he was allegedly sent a “threatening and derogatory” letter.

The MP uploaded a copy of the letter to his blog, in which Mr Warke allegedly wrote to “express my sincere disappointment that you chose to address striking UCU members without the courtesy of informing me”, adding: “We find your actions, two days before local elections, highly inappropriate and disrespectful to the Hull College Group.”

Speaking ahead of Friday’s ballot, Mr Turner told FE Week that “redundancies have become a yearly exercise at Hull College, which will not help staff morale”.

He said: “It is deplorable that many staff found out about redundancies during the summer holidays, reducing their ability to organise effectively, and have an input in the consultation period.”

In a statement issued today, the college said: “Hull College Group has been informed that members of UCU intend to join in industrial action at some of our sites on Thursday.

“This follows a vote by approximately 8 per cent of the Group’s workforce to participate in strike action as a result of the proposed restructuring programme.

“The proposed redundancy programme equates to approximately 70 full time equivalent posts, around 32 of which are in academic areas. This has been communicated to trade unions and staff as part of the on-going consultation.

“The group is also in the process of recruiting up to 45 potential new jobs through the delivery of commissioned areas of work as part of our highly successful HCUK Training commercial arm. We received confirmation this week that it has successfully secured the Humber Skills Support for the Workforce and Redundancy contract valued at £6m.

“The group continues to meet with the UCU to resolve the dispute and all campuses will remain open as normal on October 13.”

Conservatives talk big on skills agenda ahead of Budget

Ministers were in fine voice on skills at the Conservative Party conference this week, but the FE sector must now wait to find out if the lip service they paid will translate into extra financial support.

Skills were at the top of the agenda at the event in Birmingham, and featured in the speeches of numerous party heavyweights including education secretary Justine Greening, chancellor Philip Hammond, defence secretary Michael Fallon and even prime minister Theresa May, who proclaimed training a key element of the government’s new industrial strategy.

This show of support for skills – and in particular apprenticeships – follows a commitment from the government to implement the recommendations of the Sainsbury Review in full as part of its skills plan, albeit without a whiff of additional funding.

However, following Ms Greening’s insistence that the skills plan is “a big focus for me as secretary of state”, and an admission from Mr Hammond that more work is needed to address the skills gap, has led to speculation that more cash could be made available in the chancellor’s upcoming autumn statement.

Ms Greening, who was introduced by Fujitsu marketing apprentice Jess Shaw before her speech on Tuesday, made a firm commitment to “transform” technical education, and claimed there had been a “renaissance in apprenticeships” over the last six and a half years.

The education secretary said she was now determined to put technical education “on a par” with academic-based study.

“For too long the technical education they want hasn’t been good enough,” she said.

“We’ve already set about changing that with our skills plan and this will be a big focus for me as secretary of state.”

Ms Greening said her new, beefed-up department, which was recently enlarged to include post-19 skills policy and higher education, would help bring together the “building blocks” of success for young people.

“Knowledge and skills, the right advice at the right time. Great, challenging, life-shaping experiences.

“These are the building blocks to help young people be successful in their years ahead.

“And that’s why we’ve put responsibility for early years, schools, further and higher education, adult skills and apprenticeships all under one roof, in one department.”

Ms Greening added that the work of FE colleges and University Technical Colleges needs to be “pulled together” with extra investment in apprenticeships “from our biggest companies”, adding: “We are transforming our academic route; now we must do the same for technical education and skills.”

Mr Hammond, who next month will preside over his first autumn statement since he was appointed by the new prime minister in July, admitted that progress in skills had not kept up with the Conservatives’ reforms to academic education.

“We’ve made huge progress over the last six years,” he said. “How many people, 10 years ago, would have believed that in every year since 2014, maths would be the most popular A-level subject in English schools? But it was. What a tribute that is to Conservative education reforms.

“But despite the progress, there is still a huge gap between our skills base and that of our key competitors.”

Apprenticeships were also on the agenda for Mr Fallon, who announced that the armed forces would aim to deliver 50,000 over the course of this parliament, while environment secretary Andrea Leadsom boasted that the government was “trebling” starts on food- and farming-related frameworks.

The skills plan will see 20,000 post-16 vocational courses replaced by 15 ‘pathfinder’ routes – covering college-based and employment-based training.

This reflects the recommendations of an independent panel, led by Lord Sainsbury, which was set up by the government in November 2015 to look into reforms to technical and professional education.

Plans were also unveiled ahead of the conference on Saturday to fully fund IT courses for adults, putting ‘digital literacy on a similar footing to English and maths.

Not rabbit, rabbiting over apprenticeships

Mark Dawe reflects below on apprenticeship and skills minister Robert Halfon’s comments at the Conservative Party Conference on his priorities for apprenticeship reforms.

I have just sat in a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference that gave the apprenticeship and skills minster, Robert Halfon, the opportunity to speak and answer questions for an hour. In summary, if he delivers the priorities he listed through the revised apprenticeship guidance, then we will all be in a much better place.

Maybe I am just in a good mood having had a great night out at the weekend at a Chas and Dave concert – yes they are still alive and touring in their 70s. Interestingly I had to pay the same price for all my tickets – for all four children and adults, even though their knowledge of the song back catalogue varied – and amazingly I wasn’t allowed to negotiate the price. Maybe Chas and Dave can teach the DfE civil servants a thing or two about pricing.

Maybe Chas and Dave can teach the DfE civil servants a thing or two about pricing.

Anyway I wonder if Robert Halfon is thinking, ‘Mark Dawe, there “Ain’t no pleasing you”’? I would reply that everything AELP has proposed will help the minister achieve his priorities.

The priorities, which he has been clear about from the start, I would summarise as:

Transforming the prestige of apprenticeships
Social justice and mobility, in particular helping those at the very bottom and those just getting by
The Levy and getting businesses to invest – with a particular focus on funding 16 – 18 year olds, the disadvantaged and non levy paying SME businesses
Reaching the 3m manifesto (and legislative) commitment
Ensuring all apprenticeships will be high quality

He also raised the concern during the hour about good maths and English and transition programmes.

So let’s take a look at each of these in turn. I won’t repeat some of the detail of our proposals, which I hope are very clear now.

Transforming the prestige of apprenticeships – AELP absolutely support this aim and already we are seeing apprenticeship programmes from employers that will be a far superior training and learning experience compared to a classroom based or university-based programme. I think our main concern is treating apprenticeships like some bargain basement product where everyone can haggle over price. The main loser will be the learner and the quality of their apprenticeship – our proposal is for set rates for each framework and standard.

As an aside, the skills and employability conference I chaired in London this week included a presentation from the 2015 higher apprentice of the year, Jade Aspinall from MBDA. She was an amazing champion, and interestingly it was her father (I hope she doesn’t mind me saying) that was the most resistant. She told us how he is now a “flag waver” for apprenticeships.

Parents are one of the biggest influencers of their children’s choices and can be the biggest obstacle

Parents are one of the biggest influencers of their children’s choices and can be the biggest obstacle – we need a programme of “converted parents” champions as well as apprentice champions to really change the attitude of generations in this country. AELP are still not convinced the Careers and Enterprise Company money and activity is targeted correctly and having the impact needed – again a wider discussion.

And while we are at it, why can’t an HE apprentice get a maintenance loan so they can access the apprenticeship they want, wherever it is in the country with whatever company – isn’t that what maintenance loans are for in higher education?

It was wonderful to hear the minister’s support for WorldSkills with the regional, national and international competitions along with the annual Skills Show – I couldn’t agree more and what a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how our apprentices are world leaders. I hope that is reflected in his department’s commitment to proper sustainable funding for WorldSkills UK over the life of this parliament as a minimum.

We need to improve social justice and mobility – it is a joy to hear these words in the list of priorities. It really does feel like the new ministerial team and the move to the DfE has led to the right balance between employer need and learner need – both so vital for the long term success of apprenticeships.

So AELP’s simple solutions for achieving this and the changes needed in the current draft guidance are as follows.

The first is easy – the same budget is needed for area and disadvantage uplift. We can have a debate about how best to efficiently allocate this money. Every system has its problems, and anything looking at individual income is generally laden with complexity and bureaucracy so a plea from us to keep it simple, but this funding is vital.

16 – 18 year olds and level two learners should not have any employer contribution imposed

16 – 18 year olds and level two learners should not have any employer contribution imposed. These are learners in the minister’s target group and require much more support – charging employers for the privilege of providing this support seems wrong!!

Finally a sensible transition from frameworks to standards – maintain existing framework funding until there is a fully functioning standard and costed end point assessment to move to – not really an unreasonable request and would resolve so many of the current concerns.

English and maths is also an issue for these learners. I have already written extensively about this matter. In summary, learners without level two English and maths from their eleven years of schooling are challenging. They require extra support and if they don’t achieve English and maths they fail their whole apprenticeship.

Faced with a choice between an individual who has English and maths and one who doesn’t, the danger is that the one without will be ignored by employers and providers.

Therefore we need proper funding and proper incentives to take on those without English and maths. The programme needs to be functional skills – we understand the brand concerns compared to GCSE – but actually most employers agree that functional skills give the individual the skills employers are looking for, GCSEs don’t. Forcing learners to fail a GCSE once again does nothing for motivation, learning and social justice – nor the employers. The focus on improving GCSE success should remain in schools, not post 16 technical and professional education.

The Levy – getting businesses to invest. While covering 16 -18 and disadvantage uplift above, non-levy payers are a big concern. The non levy payers deliver the majority of apprentices currently – they are local and work within their communities to provide opportunities for some of the hardest to reach learners. We mustn’t disadvantage them. Any charge for the lower level apprenticeships is going to deter employers from getting involved. But more worrying, there is no commitment to a minimum budget for those employers. As things stand, if the levy is “used up” by the levy payers, which would be wonderful, there is nothing left for the non-levy payers and those that exceed their levy. This is currently estimated at some 70 per cent of the apprenticeship budget – or roughly £1.2bn. I am told time and time again not to worry as this money will be available, because there will be spare levy money. If I don’t need to worry, then the government doesn’t need to worry either about committing to this being a minimum budget for these employers.

Achieving the target of 3m apprenticeships – AELP has been clear that some of the current draft proposals will reduce starts, not increase them. There has been a big drive for more higher and degree apprenticeships which we fully support. All we would ask is that it is not done at any cost and doesn’t damage the apprenticeship brand. We need to be clear what an apprenticeship is – starting in employment, the work based experience along with the technical training. We worry that in some cases we are just seeing employer funded degrees being flipped into apprenticeships standards without properly meeting these apprenticeship criteria – let’s be careful. In other cases we are seeing fantastic new programmes being developed and they should be applauded.

We worry that in some cases we are just seeing employer funded degrees being flipped into apprenticeships standards without properly meeting these apprenticeship criteria

There are bound to be more programmes for existing staff in the early days, as companies determine their medium term apprenticeship strategy. I agree with the minister, that providing we see a direction of travel with apprenticeship routes being established as a prime way of entering employment with training and education, along with an individual’s development once in the workplace, at this stage we shouldn’t be too concerned.

They must be quality – AELP totally agree. I have already mentioned the concerns about negotiated prices and driving down funding of existing frameworks. AELP has concerns about the Standards and EPA process and look forward to discussing this further with the new IfA CEO and the minister. We are already hearing from employers who, for example, want to change from 13 standards to 2 with mandatory units and option – sound familiar! Other employers can’t understand why the standards and funding for heavy vehicle and light vehicle apprenticeships are so different when the main difference is just the size of the spanner (I might have over simplified that!). If employers are voicing these concerns, surely it is time to pause and review the process, what is a good standard and approach to assessment and make sure these are embedded in all future developments and retro fitted where necessary in current ones.

Clearly quality also relates to the quality of the provider and no one can tell me that allowing starts in a grade four provider screams quality – enough said on that. Ofsted should have a central role in ensuring the quality of delivery and if QAA is responsible for higher level apprenticeships, we need to ensure their regime of inspection is as robust and challenging as that of Ofsted.

And finally let’s just remember level isn’t quality – level two apprenticeships are vital and the majority are of outstanding quality. These get criticised as being poor quality because of their level by those who think apprenticeships should only be level three or even level four and above – they are wrong and such a change would cause enormous damage.

These get criticised as being poor quality because of their level by those who think apprenticeships should only be level three or even level four and above – they are wrong and such a change would cause enormous damage

The minister talked eloquently about the need for proper local programmes of engagement and transition for learners not yet ready to move on to a full apprenticeship. He gave examples of excellent programmes he had seen run by organisations like the Princes Trust. Traineeships have been one option but they are not getting the numbers first hoped for. This is probably yet another separate discussion and again I have written plenty on it, but simply put, these learners are hard to engage, hard to support and often take multiple attempts to get to achieve.

The current SFA minimum performance regime and Ofsted inspection regime terrifies many good providers – if there is a threat of criticism of quality and success without taking account of these challenges and the progress made, providers won’t take the risk of SFA contracts being withdrawn or a poor Ofsted grade which can also lead to their contracts being terminated.

There have been reassuring noises from both agencies, but they are not enough.

Quality is vital; however we need to properly define what success looks like in these programmes, recognise progress, not just set assessment points and don’t apply standard formula to something that is so learner focused.

There is no point introducing any new programme until these issues are resolved

There is no point introducing any new programme until these issues are resolved, otherwise they will receive the same tepid response from the very providers who are desperate to have such programmes funded and available for the individuals they meet every day.

And shouldn’t we make sure there is a better flow of individuals from Jobcentre Plus – at the moment the system is fractured and the people who suffer are those most disadvantaged that we are all trying to help.

Perhaps the only bit the minister got wrong was when he talked about the “great Nick Linford” but we can’t all get everything right. I am sure if the minister is reading this now he might be thinking “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” but we can reassure him in the great words of the truly great Chas – “everything we ever done, was only done for you” and the success of the apprenticeship reform.

I look forward to the revised apprenticeship levy guidance reflecting Robert Halfon’s priorities.