The responsibilities of newly appointed minister Robert Halfon have yet to be officially announced, raising concerns from the sector that this could mean yet more delays to policy guidance. 

Over a week since Mr Halfon’s appointment, the Department for Education (DfE) website still lists him only as “Minister of State”, and does not clarify whether he will definitely take up a skills brief in his new cabinet post. 

Responding to this lack of clarification, a spokesperson for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “Training providers need to get on with the job of explaining the levy reforms to their employers, so if the lack of confirmation of the ministerial responsibilities is holding the announcements up, we hope the matter is resolved as quickly as possible.”

On July 19 the minister himself tweeted about his new role, saying that he had been given responsibility for “Apprentices and Skills”:

Delighted to have been given brief of Minister of State for Apprentices & Skills by SoS @JustineGreening at @educationgovuk

— Robert Halfon (@halfon4harlowMP) July 19, 2016

But in response to an FE Week enquiry into the remit of Mr Halfon’s role, a DfE spokesperson said that the new ministerial portfolios had not yet been announced and the department was unable to confirm when this would be done.

She refused to comment on the minister’s celebratory tweet or to confirm whether it was accurate.

The DfE has also told FE Week that Mr Halfon will not be doing any interviews until September.

Recent developments may make the induction period a difficult time for Mr Halfon, with updates to information about the apprenticeship levy already late, and the Confederation of British Industry calling for the levy to be delayed.

However, the minister does have experience in the area, and was the first MP to have an apprentice working with them in parliament.

On July 25, he hired his fourth apprentice through Harlow College, in his constituency. 

Thrilled to have hired my 4th apprentice, Owen! Massive thanks to Superior Roofing & @HarlowCollege 4 their support pic.twitter.com/FrjZViQH7c

— Robert Halfon (@halfon4harlowMP) July 25, 2016

On his website Mr Halfon writes that his former apprentices have each “gone on to great success”, either continuing their education at university or moving into a job in the House of Lords.

 

Updated guidance on the apprenticeship levy which was due out in June may now be postponed until September, FE Week understands.

FE Week submitted an enquiry to the Department for Education (DfE) about a potential change to the release date – which would be the second delay so far – but the DfE refused to confirm or deny the prospect.

Instead a government spokesperson said: “As businesses adapt and seize opportunities in the coming years, having a workforce with the skills to succeed will be more important than ever.

“That is why we’re committed to creating three million high quality apprenticeships by 2020 and why we have just published a dedicated skills plan to ensure our workforce is world leading.

“We are introducing the apprenticeship levy so that businesses have the talent they need to grow and thrive. We will continue to work closely with businesses of all sizes to design the levy around their needs and the need of their employees.”

Former skills minister Nick Boles had previously promised that the additional information would be available “well before the summer break”, when speaking at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers annual conference on June 27.  

He told delegates at the conference that there would be just a “little delay” to the update, following the British public’s decision to leave the European Union, but that they should “work on the assumption” that the introduction of the apprenticeship levy itself would still happened “as planned,” in April 2017. 

He said: “We had planned to be published further detailed information about the pricing of specific apprenticeship standards in the next few days.

“I’m sure you will understand that is now going to be a little delayed, but only a little we still expect to get that information out well before the summer break.”

Postponing the release of the additional details until September will mean a second missed deadline, while employers and providers are eager to move forward with their preparations for the levy’s introduction next year.

Meanwhile it has been ‘all change’ at the Department for Education (DfE), with the appointment of the both the new education secretary Justine Greening, and Robert Halfon, whose official title has yet to be confirmed.

On June 14, it was also announced that the DfE would take over responsibility for FE, skills and higher education, from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

A spokesperson for Number 10 told FE Week at the time: “The DfE has taken on responsibility for higher and further education policy as well as apprenticeship and wider skills policy from BIS.”

In a press statement, Number 10 also said that “bringing these responsibilities together will mean that the government can take a comprehensive, end-to-end view of skills and education, supporting people from early years through to postgraduate study and work”.

The statement from Number 10 confirmed that staff from BIS who are working on higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and skills will transfer to the DfE.

In light of these new developments, it is likely that the new administration is taking its time over how to proceed with the reforms.

But despite this hold up, FE Week understands that there are still no plans to delay the implementation of the levy itself from April next year.

On July 19, the Confederation of British Industry unveiled the results of a survey with nearly 500 companies showing widespread concern about the rushed design of the levy.

When subsequently asked by FE Week asked if it wanted Mr Halfon to delay beyond the planned April next year launch date, a spokesperson for the CBI said “yes”.

That went a step further than Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the confederation, was prepared to go in her interview with editor Nick Linford two months ago — when she would only say that “delay is certainly an option”.

 

Apprenticeships have secured a place on the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) early autumn programme of work this year.

They feature among ten topics for the committee’s inquiries in September and October, which have been published on the parliament.uk website.

Other areas for inquiry include child protection and the financial sustainability of local government.

The decision comes at a pivotal time for the FE and skills sector, as it grapples with delays to further information on the introduction of the apprenticeship levy and the new minister for apprenticeships and skills, Robert Halfon, bedding into his role.

FE Week requested the specific reasons behind the committee’s choice to look into apprenticeships at this time, but a spokesperson said it was not possible to provide further details at this stage.

However, this will not be the PAC’s first investigation into the government’s apprenticeship programme.

In January last year the PAC published a report into 16- to 18-year-old participation in education and training, which addressed the topic of apprenticeships.

At the time, then chair of the committee Margaret Hodge said: “We welcome the increase in longer apprenticeships available to young people.

“However, it is disappointing that the total number of new apprentices aged 16 to 18 fell last year.

“It is important to ensure that smaller businesses can be helped to offer quality apprenticeships too.”

The PAC had also published a report on adult apprenticeships back in May 2012.

Commenting on this report at the time, Ms Hodge said: “The apprenticeship programme has been a success.

“The department has done very well in raising the number of adult apprenticeships, which more than quadrupled in the four years to 2010/11.

“The  proportion of adult apprentices who successfully completed their apprenticeship also rose, to more than three-quarters in 2010/11 compared with just a third six years before.”

However, she added that more could be done to maximise the programme’s impact.

Ms Hodge raised concerns about the number of short training programmes classified as apprenticeships – which she said could “devalue” apprenticeships.

Following this, the government confirmed that adult apprenticeships would last a minimum of six months and normally at least 12 months.

Ms Hodge also queried the amount and quality of training some apprentices were receiving, and recommended more attention be given to ensuring apprenticeships were cost effective.

Just prior to this, in February 2012, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report on adult apprenticeships.

Amyas Morse, then head of the NAO, commented at the time: “The apprenticeships programme has been providing a good return for public spending.

“Nevertheless, the department should set its sights higher in order to get better value from the £0.5 billion and rising now spent on adult apprenticeships each year.

“It needs to target resources more effectively; confirm the training provided is in addition to what would have been provided without public support; and make sure that the funding system is informed by robust information on the cost of delivery.”

The NAO is currently revisiting the topic, in a study looking at the management of the apprenticeship programme by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), and whether it has facilitated the delivery of high quality skills training that meets the needs of employers and the economy.

The results of this research have yet to be published.

The parliamentary Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy is also carrying out an inquiry into apprenticeships at present.

The inquiry was launched in February to explore areas such as how to achieve the government’s target of three million apprentices by 2020, and how the apprenticeship levy will be implemented.

In June the committee took oral evidence from a range of speakers including Lady Alison Wolf; Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers; and a range of employers.

A spokesperson for the committee told FE Week that the inquiry is continuing as planned, despite the recent cabinet reshuffle and decision to pass responsibility for FE and higher education from BIS to the Department for Education.

He added that there will be more evidence sessions in the autumn and the final report is likely to be released in December.

 

The first three members of the Chartered Institution for Further Education have been unveiled.

Hawk Training, Blackpool and The Fylde College, and Bridgwater College will each pay £8,000 to join the membership body for “high-performing” FE colleges and training providers.

The institution was granted chartered status in October last year and has been open to members which are rated outstanding or good by Ofsted and in receipt of public funding from the Skills Funding Agency since November.

Approval from the Queen via the Privy Council was announced in June.

It costs £5,000 a year to be a member, and colleges and training providers joining for the first time also have to pay a £3,000 non-refundable fee to join the institution, which is propped up by almost £1m in government funding.

Membership will supposedly allow providers to come together and “promote, recognise and celebrate their professionalism and success”.

Another planned benefit will be using the institution’s logo, but not the one designed by FE learner Lisa Cassidy in 2013, which was dropped earlier this year.

Lord Lingfield, who leads the organisation along with Burton and South Derbyshire College Dawn Ward and sociologist Chris Jenks, hailed the announcement of the inaugural members as the “next step along the path of creating the further education sector’s first chartered body”.

He said all three organisations had passed a “rigorous process” which had “confirmed their position as leading performers in the sector”.

“I look forward to working with them to begin driving forward professionalism in FE,” he added.

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, congratulated two of his members – Blackpool and The Fylde College and Hawk Training – on their appointment, but said it was important to recognise there were “many other providers” who were outstanding in terms of their Ofsted grades or their FE choices ratings.

“Achieving chartered status is voluntary but it represents another opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to excellence as part of the sector’s key role in driving improved productivity throughout the economy,” he said.

Mike Robbins, principal of Bridgwater College, said it had long been his college’s vision to be “a world-class education and training organisation”, and said membership of the institution “recognises and celebrates our professionalism and success”.

Crawford Knott, managing director of Hawk Training, said he saw becoming the first independent learning provider founder member of the institution as “an integral part of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and quality in further education”.

Bev Robinson, Blackpool and The Fylde College’s principal, said the privilege of being invited to be a founding member distinguished the college “as a leading provider of high quality further and higher technical and professional education and training”.

“We look forward to working proactively with the institution to promote its mission of advocating high quality provision across the sector,” she said.

Ofsted’s chief inspector’s criticism about “uniformly weak” careers guidance in colleges has been exposed for lacking any identifiable external source or inspection based evidence.

Sir Michael Wilshaw made the accusation yet again during a speech at the Baker Dearing conference today.

He said: “Report after report finds that careers guidance in both schools and colleges is uniformly weak, while the way we prepare young people for the world of work remains poor.”

But when asked by FE Week if Ofsted could provide evidence to back Sir Michael’s claims, a spokesperson admitted that the chief inspector was not referencing individual Ofsted inspection reports, he was instead, “talking more about external reports on this matter”.

The spokesperson then directed FE Week to two documents relating to the matter, but neither had direct criticism of careers guidance delivered by colleges.

A recent report by the parliamentary sub-committee highlighted “inadequate” skills advice in schools, but no mention of poor college advice was made.

And a report by the Local Government Association last year only cited that young people would benefit more from career guidance delivered by local areas, instead of schools and colleges.

The Association of Colleges (AoC) hit back at Sir Michael’s “broad assertion”.

Martin Doel, chief executive of the AoC, told FE Week: “As we have said before, statements made by the chief inspector need to be based on evidence and not just broad assertion.

“Careers advice in colleges is required, as a condition of funding, to be externally accredited against external standards which provide a further level of scrutiny and assurance, over and above that required of schools.

“Colleges recognise the critical nature of good careers education and advice and are very keen to continue to work together with their local schools to improve the overall system.”

The outgoing Sir Michael, who will be replaced by former Ofqual chair Amanda Spielman at the end of the year, also used his speech to note the furore he caused earlier this year when he said the FE sector is “inadequate at best” and then called for all 16 to 19-year-olds to be educated in schools.

He told the conference: “My candid assessment earlier this year of the state of 16 to 19 education in England drew a furious response and landed me in all sorts of trouble with the FE sector.

“My remarks arose from exasperation with the status quo and the glacial pace of change. They reflected my concern that too many GFE colleges are still packing their curriculum with low-quality courses that fail to match the skills gaps in the local and national labour market.

“And they betrayed my frustration with the fact that so many young people who failed to reach the grade in maths and English at 16 still haven’t got these key qualifications two years later.”

He then hit out at the “alarming rate of underperformance and failure” in colleges.

He told the conference: “Nearly half of the 71 GFE colleges inspected by Ofsted this academic year have been judged to be less than good — including 10 colleges that were inadequate.

“This is an alarming rate of underperformance and failure, especially when we remember that the majority of 16- to 19-year-olds are educated in the FE sector.”

An ‘outstanding’ college was chosen by Justine Greening MP as her first FE institution for a visit since she became education secretary.

The new minister, who replaced Nicky Morgan earlier this month, was given a tour of Walsall College — which was the first to receive a grade one Ofsted rating under the inspectorate’s previous regime in March 2013.

She also led discussions with the executive team including principal Jatinder Sharma OBE, over the college’s key strengths and best practice lessons that could be implemented by other colleges.

Ms Greening said afterwards: “The Prime Minister has made clear this government will focus on making Britain a country that works for everybody — not just the privileged few. For me, that starts with education.

“It was tremendous to see first-hand the fantastic work Walsall College is doing to bridge the gap between education and industry and get more young people on to the career ladder.

“This is a place where people’s lives and prospects are ‎transformed for the better, and where there is a real drive to push standards ever higher.”

The minister was given a tour of the college’s £64m Wisemore campus and £11m business and sports hub, and shown training facilities including the new Microsoft IT academy, Job Shop for employers and apprentices, Littleton Restaurant and commercial hair and beauty salon.

Mr Sharma said: “We are honoured that Justine chose to visit the college and give us the opportunity to showcase our work in the sector.

“The college prides itself delivering world class vocational training that equips students with the skills and knowledge employers are looking for.

“Our main aim is to give students a head start in the workplace or prepare them for university, and in doing so, create growth in our economy.

“Over the last four years we have also grown our apprenticeship provision by 74 per cent and are working with over 500 employers to support their business objectives, making us one of the biggest providers of apprenticeships for 16-18 year olds in the West Midlands.”

Caption: Justine Greening with the Walsall College executive team

A government skills agency has set aside £2m to pay off its staff following confirmation of its closure.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) announced in March that its funding for 2016/17 was going to be withdrawn but no staff exits were yet agreed.

But in the agency’s annual accounts report, published today, it was revealed that a pot of £2m will be used to pay off its leaving staff.

On page 58 of the report, it said: “As at 31 March 2016, there were no staff exits agreed but these are expected to be agreed and paid in 2016-17 so a provision of £2m is included.”

It comes on the same day that new apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon confirmed the closure of UKCES.

In a written statement to parliament, Mr Halfon said: “As announced in the 2015 spending review, in order to prioritise funding to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms, Whitehall departments will be withdrawing their funding for the UKCES during 2016-17.

“UKCES’ work over the last parliament has helped in setting the skills agenda for the future and their activities have created the conditions to move to the next phase of more devolution, greater employer ownership and the apprenticeship levy.

“It is important that we now have new structures to move onto that next phase and we have announced the establishment in England of a new Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA).”

The creation of the IfA, which will help police employers as apprenticeship reforms take effect, was announced as part of the government’s spending review and autumn statement, at the same time as it was revealed that the UKCES would have its funding cut.

It is likely some staff will transfer to the new institute once closure of the UKCES is complete.

The institute will expand further in 2018 to take responsibility for delivering on the technical education reforms as outlined in the Post-16 Skills Plan.

Mr Halfon also used his written statement to outline what would happen to the key functions of the UKCES, including the Employer Skills Survey (ESS) and national occupational standards (NOS).

Management of the ESS will be moved into the Department for Education, while the NOS will now be managed by the “Devolved Administrations” and transferred to another public sector organisation.

Mr Halfon confirmed that the contents of the NOS database will remain publicly available and employers can “continue to use NOS if they so choose although they are not a mandatory requirement in England for either qualifications or apprenticeships”.

According to the UKCES, NOS are developed “for employers by employers through the relevant Sector Skills Council or Standards Setting Organisation” and are “statements of the standards of performance individuals must achieve when carrying out functions in the workplace, together with specifications of the underpinning knowledge and understanding”.

As reported by FE Week in December, Nigel Whitehead, a UKCES commissioner, warned that the government was in danger of bypassing NOS in the development of Trailblazer apprenticeship standards.

“Employers are free to refer to national occupational standards to support the development of their Trailblazer apprenticeships — most have chosen to do something different,” said a BIS spokesperson.

Ofsted’s chief inspector has slammed university technical colleges (UTC) and told them that they need to make “radical improvement” if the model is to survive.

Sir Michael Wilshaw, who has been a champion of the controversial 14 to 19 vocational institutions during his tenure as the education watchdog’s boss, spoke out at the Baker Dearing Conference in London this morning.

He said that to date, consistency in their performance has been missing and the UTC track record is “patchy”.

It comes after FE Week revealed yesterday that just one of the 14 inspected UTCs has been rated outstanding, seven were considered good, five got requires improvement results, and one was branded inadequate.

Sir Michael told delegates at the Baker Dearing Conference today: “You need to be doing significantly better than this, particularly because, unlike GFE colleges, you largely focus on one vocational or technical specialist area.

“If the UTC movement is to survive and prosper, then radical improvement is necessary.

“If this doesn’t happen, politicians will come to the conclusion that the model is flawed and not worthy of further political or financial support.”

It also comes after FE Week’s exclusive analysis showed a lack of inspections to UTCs following Ofsted’s new policy dictating that schools which opened after September 2014 would not be inspected until their third year.

FE Week found that half of the 28 UTCs that have been open for two or more years are yet to be inspected and graded by Ofsted.

Despite his call for radical improvements to the vocational institutions, Sir Michael also used his speech to reiterate his call for the government to insist that every major multi-academy trust (MAT) includes a UTC.

He said: “I have argued that every medium or large multi-academy trust or federation should contain a UTC.

“Such an arrangement would enable young people to transfer across institutions in the cluster to follow a route into high-level academic or vocational study.

“Pupils on either path would be free to access the specialist teaching available in the other and would not be stuck in one route.”

Yet UTCs are still experiencing ongoing problems with student recruitment since the model’s inception in 2010.

Four UTCs have closed or are about to close and FE Week found in February that 40 per cent of those that opened between 2010 and 2013 saw student numbers fall for the current academic year.

In response to Sir Michael’s speech today, a spokesperson for The Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which develops and promotes the concept of UTCs, said: “Sir Michael Wilshaw’s speech underlinned his support for the UTC model and the importance he places on technical education.

“Although some UTCs have been judged below good the majority of those who have been subject to inspections have been judged good or outstanding.

“We are pleased to have the support of Sir Michael and look forward to continue working with Ofsted as the UTC programme develops.”