Latest news from FE Week

War of words continues as AoC boss accused of putting ‘institutional self-interest before learners’ interest’

A dispute between the leaders of FE’s two biggest associations has taken another twist, with one accusing the other of putting “institutional self-interest before learners’ interest”.

Last week, Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, traded verbal blows with David Hughes, boss of the AoC, over the quality of apprenticeships delivered by private training providers.

Mr Hughes had claimed that independent providers offer apprentices “not very much” training, mostly assessing them “on the job”.

Mr Dawe then challenged the AoC chief to “produce the evidence” to back up his “disappointing and plain wrong” allegation.

Now, the AELP boss has taken another swipe at Mr Hughes by accusing the AoC of putting “institutional self-interest before learners’ interest”.

His comment came in the AELP’s latest weekly email sent out to members on Friday morning (November 11) after FE Week had reported on the original war of words.

Mr Dawe firstly addressed last week’s “strange and incorrect” report by left-wing think tank IPPR, which called on the government to phase out level two apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds, and replace them with a pre-apprenticeship programme only offered by colleges, which was welcomed by the AoC.

One of the IPPR report authors who made the recommendation was Charlynne Pullen, who at the time of drafting was on secondment to IPPR. Controversially, Ms Pullen is now head of workforce data at the Education and Training Foundation, which is jointly owned by both the AELP and the AoC.

The AELP chief then wrote to his members: “Initially I was absolutely stunned that the AoC supported this proposal; however it would appear that their approach is to put institutional self-interest before the learners’ interest in this case.”

He added: “Anyone who believes an ounce of what has been recommended in the IPPR report should put down their latte, leave their London based office, and come out and witness the challenge of motivating young people who have been spat out of the school system with no more than entry level skills.”

In response to Mr Dawe’s latest comments, Mr Hughes firmly defended the AoC.

He told FE Week: “We have been calling for the introduction of a pre-apprenticeship offer for some time because many young people need support before they are ready to enter work.

“Colleges find that many young people need to improve their English and maths before employers will consider them.

“All FE colleges provide apprenticeships and are adapting to the new levy and other funding rules which come in next year. IPPR’s suggestion that a pre-apprenticeship offer only be open to colleges and not-for-profit training providers came a bit out of the blue.

“It is an interesting idea but not something we will be pushing for.”

The ongoing dispute is likely to be a lively debate at AoC conference which kicks off tomorrow and runs from November 15 to 17 at the ICC in Birmingham.

Reverse decline in higher level technical qualifications, demands Professor Wolf

Leading vocational education adviser Professor Alison Wolf has demanded action from the government to stem the decline in higher level technical qualifications.

Her new report for the Education Policy Institute warned only 4,900 learners achieved level four awards or above under the adult education budget in 2014/5 – a 36 per cent drop on the previous year.

She called on the government to redress this through the creation of a new “high status” qualifications framework at tertiary levels four and five, allowing delivery directly by colleges, without university involvement.

At the same time, she argued that the loans system available to university students should be expanded to cover anyone studying these “sub-degree” qualifications.

The report said: “The contrast between the high take-up of loans for degrees, and the failure of advance learner loans for FE-based learning, is in large part a result of there being no established national system of awards at levels four and five.”

The report, called ‘Remaking tertiary education‘, comes after the government introduced its vision for reforming post-16 education through the Skills Plan, based on the recommendations in the Sainsbury review of technical education – which Professor Wolf was involved in.

Speaking exclusively to FE Week, Professor Wolf said: “The Sainsbury review started to create a proper technical route but we’re never going to complete that if we don’t very soon create proper replacements or recreations of HNCs and HNDs.”

Without these “proper national technical qualifications”, she said, people would continue going to university for higher level study “because they won’t feel that level four and five as they currently exist have any real recognition”.

The report blamed the decline of higher level technical qualification on government policy over more than 30 years that “promoted large volumes of low-level vocational qualifications in the non-university adult sector, at the expense of tertiary-level qualifications”.

It concluded: “A financial entitlement which is held by the individual, and can be used for tertiary education of any sort, whenever the individual wishes, would allow England to move away from the current dysfunctional system.”

Professor Wolf told FE Week that this proposal was different from advanced learner loans, which were first introduced for learners aged 24 and above in 2013.

These loans, which were expanded earlier this year to cover all learners aged 19 and above at levels three to six, were “more limited, more restricted” than what she was calling for.

“At the moment if you’re a student who goes to university you have an automatic entitlement to a big student loan, and what I’m arguing is that that should be extended to people going to levels four and five in further education as well,” she said.

Professor Wolf’s proposals come after the government consulted on introducing maintenance loans in FE earlier this year.

The consultation, which ran from the end of March until mid-June, was around the premise of introducing loans for FE learners aged 19 and above at levels four to six, with the aim of increasing the take-up of technical and professional learning.

In September the government announced that it would not be making a decision until November – despite strong support for the proposal.

David Hughes, Association of Colleges chief executive, agreed with Professor Wolf that “it is not enough to invest in full-time, three-year bachelor’s degrees if we are to meet the skills needs of our country”.

But he called student loans to be converted into “a personal learning account that could be accessed across a person’s lifetime, also including maintenance loans for all higher education courses.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “We want to build a further and higher education system that works for everyone, and we are taking decisive action to achieve this – with two bills currently going through parliament.

“We have reformed technical qualifications, ensuring they meet the demands of employers and and help boost our economy. And our apprenticeship funding and skills plan will ensure that more young people are equipped with the skills that employers are asking for.”

Professor Wolf will present her report at the Education Policy Institute’s first annual lecture in London this evening (Monday, November 14).

Technical and Further Education Bill second reading in Commons

The new Technical and Further Education Bill will have its second reading in the House of Commons today.

It sets out proposals for a new insolvency regime for FE colleges, and includes plans to extend the role of the Institute for Apprenticeships, the new vocational training policing body.

According to the Department for Education’s factsheet on the bill, its aim is to “take forward the government’s reforms to technical education, which will help boost the country’s productivity by addressing skill shortages and ensuring high quality technical education”.

The first reading of the bill took place on October 27.

It will go through three more stages in the House of Commons, and then five stages in the House of Lords before it can gain Royal Assent.

On October 27, FE Week reported details of the bill’s proposals for a new insolvency regime.

The new system will carry the objective of minimising disruption to students’ work if their college is affected.

We will bring forward legislation in this session of parliament that will expand the remit of the Institute for Apprenticeships to encompass all technical education

A DfE spokesperson said at the time that the new regime, which follows a consultation launched in July, will address the “current absence of any provisions for college insolvency, giving creditors certainty for the first time about how their claims will be dealt with”.

This week Angela Rayner criticised the bill, arguing that the government should be investing more in FE – instead of than creating a system that makes it easier for colleges to go bust.

The legislation also includes a provision to rename the Institute for Apprenticeships to include ‘Technical Education’ in its title – to highlight its role in monitoring the 15 new ‘professional and technical’ routes introduced in the government’s Post-16 Skills Plan.

The first hint that the Institute would be expanding came in the Skills Plan, which said: “We will bring forward legislation in this session of parliament that will expand the remit of the Institute for Apprenticeships to encompass all technical education.

“It will become the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.”

The white paper accepted a series of recommendations made by the Independent Panel on Technical Education headed by Lord Sainsbury.

In his foreword to the Skills Plan, the former skills minister Nick Boles acknowledged the impact of the work of the Sainsbury review.

He said: “We accept and will implement all of the Sainsbury panel’s proposals, unequivocally where that is possible within current budget constraints.

“We want to ensure there is a strong and stable network of colleges and other training providers, and want to take this chance to put in place wider changes to the system, including reforms to accountability, funding, and careers education and guidance.”

Lord Sainsbury will be speaking at 4.15pm on the first day of this year’s Association of Colleges conference taking place from November 15 to 17 at the ICC in Birmingham.

Three-legged ferret scoops the top title at exclusive ferret show

Four ferrets belonging to Berkshire College of Agriculture brought home a number of rosettes in a prestigious ferret show, with three-legged Boo scooping a top title.

The college’s small-mammal team entered five of their ferrets into the Hants & Berks Ferret Club Show, with four: Boo, Josie, and brother-and-sister team Stig and Mouse, returning victorious.

It was three-legged ferret Boo (pictured above) that achieved the highest accolade, scooping first place in the “physically challenged” category.

Becky Stevens, a small-mammal technician at the college, said: “Boo was unfortunately trodden on when she was a baby. If she had been fully grown, we would have been able to splint it, but as she was so tiny, it seemed fairer to take the leg off.

“The show had the physically impaired group to give the ferrets a fair chance, as obviously they couldn’t walk as well as ferrets in the other groups.”

Ferrets were judged on their appearance, ease of handling, temperament and movement.

The college is currently home to 15 ferrets, with a recent renovation of their living quarters meaning they now live in a spacious barn, with indoor and outdoor play areas, and even their own ball pit.

Featured picture: Boo with her 1st place rosette, right and bottom, two of the other successful ferrets with their 3rd place rosettes

Theatrical make-up students simulate injuries for staged firearms incident

Students at City of Bristol College partnered with local police and rescue services to stage a major firearms incident as part of a police training exercise.

Theatrical media make-up students used their skills to provide more than 200 actors with realistic-looking injuries, reflective of those experienced in a serious shooting incident.

Actors were asked to play injured members of the public on a set in Bristol, as ‘gunmen’ took over a shopping centre.

Kate Dowle, a theatrical and media make-up lecturer at the college, said: “Events like this require a large amount of preparation, such as premade prosthetic limbs and wounds, something that would be required in the industry. The event highlighted what it’s like to work on a live brief on a hectic set, and the students all rose to the challenge.”

Avon and Somerset Police, Avon Fire and Rescue service and South West Ambulance Service Trust were all involved in the event, staged by Black Rock Specialist Training Centre, which specialise in training officers in police firearms tactics.

Rheia Roberts Budworth, a student at the college, said: “The actual exercise was scarily real and it was great to see our hard work in action.”

Featured picture: Actors show off their theatrical makeup

Student takes on BBC The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge

A student at Derby College is taking part in The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Phoebe Kent, currently studying the level three extended diploma in horse management, was selected for the challenge following her involvement with Treetops Hospice Trust, a project part-funded by Children in Need.

She got involved with the hospice following a close family bereavement, when the charity supported her to understand her feelings and start coming to terms with the loss.

Phoebe will join five other riders during the televised challenge, which will involve pedalling a rickshaw 470 miles down Britain’s east coast, and which is now in its sixth year.

The journey began on November 11, kicking off from the Scottish border town of Jedburgh, and will conclude in central London on the 18th, in time for the BBC Children in Need appeal show.

Matt Baker, presenter of the One Show, said: “Every year I’m inspired by the young people who take on the Rickshaw Challenge, and this year is no different. The six young riders have faced major challenges in their lives already. Thanks to the charity they have been able to overcome so much; and now they feel ready to give back.”

Featured picture: Phoebe, centre, with One Show presenters Alex Jones and Matt Baker

College’s careers advice service opens city centre ‘Job Zone’

A college in Preston has opened a city-centre job shop to help local students secure employment.

Preston’s College opened careers service ‘The Job Zone’ at its Fulwood campus last year, and due to its popularity with students, has now expanded to a building in the heart of the city.

The new city-centre base on Winckley Square aims to match candidates with apprenticeships, and will support students seeking employment both during and post-study, with members of the general public also welcome.

Preston’s College is one of the largest apprenticeship providers in the region, and its relationship with numerous employers will mean a varied choice of vacancies year-round.

Specialist careers advisors will be on-hand to provide advice on CV preparation, job searching, applications and interview preparation.

Andrew Richardson, head of employer engagement and recruitment at Preston’s College, said: “Our candidates get a head start, as they benefit from our careers coaching and the strong links with key employers in the area.

“School leavers and adult learners alike can significantly enhance their career prospects and gain nationally-recognised qualifications in their chosen industry, and we’re here to facilitate that.”

Featured picture: The new ‘Job Zone’ on Winckley Square

FEATURE: College attended by band Viola Beach launches scholarship in their memory

The death of the band Viola Beach and their manager in a car crash earlier this year shocked the nation. Now, the college they attended has set up a music scholarship in their name, which has just been awarded for the very first time. Samantha King reports.

Viola Beach band members Jack Dakin, Kris Leonard, Tomas Lowe, River Reeves and their manager Craig Tarry lost their lives in a tragic car crash in Sweden in February 2016.

The band members were all former students at Priestley College in Cheshire, which has now launched the Viola Beach Scholarship, aiming to reward musically talented students and enable them to develop their musical ability.

The scholarship will award one student a year the funds to pursue music, whether that’s through paying for music lessons or even a slot in a recording studio.

Yi Chen Hock, a first-year student at the college, has become the first ever recipient of the scholarship, receiving £500 towards furthering her passion for music.

The accomplished musician began learning violin at the age of four, and is currently working towards a grade eight qualification in classical piano, as well as playing violin in a local youth orchestra.

With the scholarship money, she hopes to buy herself a new violin, upgrading from a faulty second-hand one her mum bought her.

Yi Chen, who studies electronics, further maths, physics and music at the college, said: “I currently borrow my friend’s violin as it’s a nicer one than I have myself. My mum bought it second-hand and the chin rest keeps falling off, which I have to keep fixing, so I thought that it would be nice for me to actually get a better violin”.

The scholarship is funded through the college’s registered charity, the Priestley Education Training Trust. Set up four years ago after the education maintenance allowance was taken away, the Trust provides support for both disadvantaged young people, as well as outstanding students.

Matthew Grant, the principal at the college, said: “Each year we allocate around £6,000 to £10,000 a year to help students.

We thought how we could do something that was a long term gesture in terms of marking the lives of those four young people

“Following the tragic deaths of Viola Beach, we got together – certainly the music and performing arts team that knew many of them – and thought how we could do something that was a long term gesture in terms of marking the lives of those four young people.

“We decided to establish the scholarship for a young person or group of young people that needed some funds to help them fulfil their ambition in music.”

Ben Dunne, the father of band member River Reeves, has given both Yi Chen and the Viola Beach scholarship his seal of approval.

“Yi Chen is a remarkable musician and a worthy first recipient of this wonderful scholarship.

“I’m sure the musical talent, potential and achievement of Viola Beach will be mirrored by Yi Chen and recipients of this scholarship for years to come.”

Viola Beach were just launching their music career at the time of the accident; they had appeared on emerging music platform BBC Introducing and performed at Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2015.

Since the accident, their songs have achieved chart status, with Coldplay covering one of their tracks as a tribute during their headline set at Glastonbury music festival
this year.

Movers & Shakers: Edition 189

Your weekly guide to who’s new, and who’s leaving.

Prasanth Panicker has been appointed business development advisor at Truro and Penwith college.

The college, based in Truro, Cornwall, currently holds an ‘outstanding’ rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection.

Mr Panicker’s role will involve engaging with Cornwall-based engineering and motor vehicle businesses, helping them benefit from the expertise and facilities available at the college through training and development solutions.

Prior to his role at the college, he spent 21 years in the Indian Navy, progressing from naval officer to the position of executive officer, where he took over a research and development establishment and turned it into a naval submarine training facility, training marine engineers, officers and apprentices.

After leaving the Navy in 2012, Mr Panicker joined a renewable energy company in Mumbai, before moving to the UK and working as a freelance business consultant.

He said: “The top-notch training facilities, such as the Seaton building specifically built for engineers, and in Penwith where you have the incredible motor vehicle section, really are a class apart.”

He added: “When you walk in, you feel the positivity all around. This is vital, especially for teenagers who can carry this positivity into the job market and well into their careers.”

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Jasbir Dhesi, current Principal of South Cheshire College, has been appointed as principal and chief executive designate of a proposed new FE college in Cheshire.

The Cheshire College will be a result of a merger between South Cheshire college and West Cheshire college, and is due to take place in January 2017 – when Mr Dhesi will take up the role.

The merger was announced in July 2016 following a review of further education provision across both Cheshire and Warrington.

Mr Dhesi has been principal at South Cheshire College since January 2014. Working in the further education sector since graduating university, he has experience in a range of senior management positions, including holding the title of both vice principal and principal at Yale college in Wrexham.

Speaking of the new college, he said: “We have just completed our public consultation on the merger and initial feedback indicates overwhelming support for our proposals.

“This is both an exciting and important time as we continue to develop our plans to ensure we deliver high-quality training and learning for students, the community and employers.”

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Peter Newman has been appointed chair of Derby College’s professional construction employment and skills academy.

The academy aims to ensure learners from the college are prepared to make the transition into employment, while also meeting the needs of employers.

In the role, Mr Newman will chair an advisory board of representatives from 10 local and regional companies specialising in construction, and provide feedback to the college on curriculum design and future education training requirements.

He hopes that his new role will help to tackle skills shortages in the professional construction industries.

“It is vital that employers work closely with education providers to bridge the gap between the skills provided and the reality of what is required in the workplace,” he said.

“By bringing together professionals from across the industry, we are able to share the broader view on skills requirements and offer the learners a wide range of experience as part of their study programmes.”

He takes up the role alongside his current position as an associate director at Morrison Design, an architectural firm in Derby.

If you want to let us know of any new faces at the top of your college, training provider or awarding organisation please let us know by emailing news@feweek.co.uk