The deadline for the annual FE Week and Me student photography competition, in partnership with NCFE has been extended to February 1, 2016 at 17:00.
FE Week has once again teamed up with NCFE to find stunning pictures that depict learning environments in the FE and skills sector, through the eyes of students.
In 2015, after over 500 submissions, FE Week and competition sponsors NCFE and supporters Royal Photographic Society, whittled down the photography students’ entries to the competition down to 10 finalists.
Mikaela Mae Cobby, an 18-year-old photography level three extended diploma learner at Stoke-on-Trent College, was one of 10 entrants shortlisted in the photography student category, and after 2,562 votes were cast online, was crowned the winner.
In her entry, (pictured left) one of more than 980 across the photography student and non-photography student categories, Mikaela used a joiner image to show the different stages of a girl’s educational life, against the backdrop of a zebra crossing.
This year there are two categories of entry: photography student and non-photography student.
This year’s prizes will consist of:
Category – Photography student – Nikon D5200 Camera Kit and work shadowing placement with a professional photographer.
You can view last year’s finalists by downloading our finalists PDF – click here
How to enter…
Brief: entrant’s photos need to depict learning environments in the FE and skills sector. Photos can be taken on any type of digital photography kit. It is as simple as that!
To enter the competition students need to email their entry along with no more than a 100 word description of their photo and why they’ve chosen this shot to mailto:feweekandme@feweek.co.uk no later than February 1, 2016. Entries received later than this date will not be reviewed or considered for short listing.
Entrants need to provide the following information when submitting their photo:
Name
Category entering: photography student or non-photography student
Course studying
College or Learning provider
Email address
Mobile telephone number
Photo description (100 words max.)
Any entries with missing details will not be considered.
Shortlisted entries will be announced on February 5 2016.
Further Education Commissioner Dr David Collins has been given a knighthood for services to the sector in the New Year’s Honours list.
A Damehood was also granted to chief regulator and chief executive of Ofqual Glenys Stacey, while CBEs went to Association of Colleges (AoC) chief executive Martin Doel and former AoC president Richard Atkins for services to FE.
Glenys Stacey
Sam Parrett, who has been principal of Bromley College of Further and Higher Education since 2010, was also awarded an OBE, in the list which recognised the efforts and achievements of a number of senior FE and skills-related figures.
Dr Collins CBE (pictured above), who has so far reported on more than 30 struggling FE providers and is currently overseeing the first wave of seven post-16 education and training reviews involving 83 colleges, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be honoured in this way. I would like to thank the excellent colleagues I have worked with over the years — FE is very much about teamwork and I have been fortunate to have worked with some brilliant teams.”
Martin Doel
Dr Collins was principal of South Cheshire College Group for 16 years from 1993, before serving the same post in an interim capacity at Guildford College Group for 2011/12.
The appointment of the ex-president of the Association of Colleges, who was also a former interim chief executive of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, as FE Commissioner was announced by the government in November 2013.
Mr Doel, who has been with AoC for more than seven years, announced last month that he would be standing down as chief executive, and moving to a new professorship for the Further Education Trust for Leadership (Fetl).
He said today that “to be awarded a CBE is a great honour and one which I am delighted to receive”.
“Colleges are truly inspirational and it is important to me and everyone at AoC that the sector is recognised for the key role it plays in educating and training millions of people every year,” he added.
Ms Stacey joined the qualifications watchdog as its chief executive and chief regulator designate in March 2011.
She confirmed in August that she will be standing down from the position in February 2016.
Commenting on her Damehood, Ms Stacey said: “I am deeply moved to have been honoured in this way. Like many others, I have found great satisfaction in serving the public and I am looking forward to my new role and the contributions I hope to make.”
Principal of Exeter College, which was rated as ‘outstanding’ across the board in February last year, Mr Atkins was AoC president last academic year.
Richard Atkins
He told FE Week in May that he had postponed his retirement originally planned for Christmas this year (2015) to oversee the process that could lead to merger with Devon-based Petroc College, which received a grade two Ofsted rating in April 2012.
“I am delighted and proud to have been awarded a CBE which, l believe, recognises the successes that we have achieved together at Exeter College over recent years, together with my work last year as AoC president, when we worked so hard both to highlight the impact of the spending cuts on colleges and suggest ways of raising additional income for FE,” he said.
“The honour came as a total surprise in a letter from the Cabinet Office which I received about three weeks ago.
“I shall be retiring from being a principal at the end of March and this is a wonderful way to end that career.”
Sam Parrett
Ms Parrett, principal of Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, which was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in February 2013, was given her OBE for services to FE.
She said: “I am deeply honoured and privileged to have been awarded an OBE.
“In truth, this recognition is as much on behalf of my fellow members of staff and governors as well as the college’s students, partners and local employers.
“Without their dedication, support and commitment, this award would not have been possible.”
Catherine Hill, deputy principal of Blackpool and the Fylde College, has also gained an OBE for services to education, having worked in the FE sector for 30 years.
Catherine Hill
Ms Hill came to Blackpool and the Fylde College in 2005 as head of quality and standards and in 2013 became deputy principal with responsibility for of all college curriculum areas.
During her time with the college it has been graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in November 2013.
Commenting on her award, Ms Hill said: “It gives me great pleasure to accept this honour. I am humbled that the work that I am so fervently passionate and committed to has been recognised.
“I would like to thank the teams of people I have worked with across the years, all of whom played a role in me receiving this honour.”
Richard Ward, head of offender learning at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) received an OBE for services to adult education.
He said: “It is a great privilege to be recognised in this way.
“I know very well how fortunate I am to be involved in such interesting and engaging areas of policy, especially prison education, and to have been surrounded and led — across departmental boundaries — by so many terrific and supportive colleagues.”
Bob Paton
Bob Paton, managing director for the Newcastle Delivery Centre of professional services company Accenture, was also awarded a CBE for his contribution to IT skills and apprenticeships in the north east.
Having joined Accenture in 1992, Mr Paton oversaw the successful launch and growth of the company’s Newcastle Delivery Centre from 2010.
As the centre expanded Accenture launched its North East Apprenticeship Programme, offering IT training and on-the-job learning, leading to a foundation degree and a chance to work for the firm.
Mr Paton said: “I’m extremely proud and humbled to receive this honour for the north east.
“The award recognises the contribution of so many other people across the region. They have worked tirelessly to promote the IT skills agenda and they share my vision of building a world class technology workforce in the north east.”
Here is the list of FE and Skills related names in the New Year’s Honours list:
Knights Bachelor
Knighthoods
For services to FE:
Dr David Collins CBE (Gloucestershire), FE Commissioner
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
For services to Education:
Glenys Stacey (Horley, Oxfordshire), chief regulator and chief executive of Ofqual
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE):
For services to FE:
Richard Atkins (South Petherton, Somerset), principal of Exeter College and former AoC president
Martin Doel (Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire), AoC chief executive
For services to education:
Roy Blatchford (Oxfordshire), director of the National Education Trust
For services to the Promotion of IT skills and apprenticeships
Bob Paton (Hexham, Northumberland), managing director Accenture (North East)
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE):
For services to FE, accessibility and inclusion:
Sally Cooke (Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire)
For services to FE:
Sam Parrett (Kent), principal of Bromley College of Further and Higher Education
Catherine Hill (Accrington, Lancashire), deputy principal of Blackpool and the Fylde College
For services to Adult Education:
Richard Ward (Kempston, Bedfordshire), BIS head of offender learning
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
For services to Business and Apprenticeships and charitable services in Southern England:
Timothy Brown (Poole, Dorset), managing director, Superior Group Ltd
For services to career education and guidance:
Paul Chubb (Northallerton, North Yorkshire), lately executive director, Careers England
For services to Health Education in the NHS:
Judith McGregor (Liverpool, Merseyside), head of programmes, Skills Academy for Health North West, Health Education England
For services to Vocational Education:
David Cowell (Anstey, Leicestershire), managing director, Melton Learning Hub, Leicestershire
Ian Eva (Solihull, West Midlands), apprentice manager, Jaguar Land Rover
For services to vocational training for young adults with learning disabilities:
Donald Graham (Minehead, Somerset), vocational programme manager, Foxes Academy, Minehead
For services to Health and Care:
Richard Griffin (London), director, Institute of Vocational Learning and Workforce Research, Buckinghamshire New University
For services to FE and the Construction Industry:
Clare Harrigan (West Yorkshire), chair of the board of governors, Leeds College of Building
For services to FE and the community in Sutton and Croydon:
Anita McGowan (Surrey), lecturer and personal tutor, Croydon College
For services to FE:
Kathleen O’Rourke (London), vice chair of the governing body, City and Islington College
A studio school run by Bradford College will close next summer due to low pupil numbers, it has been announced.
The Bradford Studio School, run by the Bradford College Educational Trust (BCET), will close next summer, according to a report in the Telegraph and Argus.
The school was Britain’s first specialist travel and hospitality industry training centre, and opened in 2012 as the International Food and Travel Studio with the aim of accommodating 300 young people, aged 14 to 19.
But the school currently has just 25 pupils on its roll, all of whom will be transferred, along with staff, to the Samuel Lister Academy, in January. The school will close for good in July.
The school was graded as requiring improvement by Ofsted after an inspection in September last year. Problems included a lack of guidance through marking and feedback and low attendance.
Bradford College was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in September 2014 and more recently has been part of the post-16 education and training area review announced for West Yorkshire in October.
In a statement, the trust said: “This difficult decision has been reached after spending time assessing the school and in consultation with the Department for Education.
“The school has faced a decline in student numbers due to lack of local demand, alongside financial challenges, issues around staffing capacity and running costs, and so with regret the Studio School is no longer financially viable.”
It comes after the Midland Academies Trust, which is sponsored by North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, announced earlier this month that it was to shut two studio schools in Hinckley and Nuneaton next summer, with just 157 pupils out of a combined capacity of 600 making them economically unviable.
The FE Commissioner’s 2014/15 annual report found a number of examples of good practice in colleges across the country, particularity in response to the outcomes of the government’s area reviews so far.
These included board members recognising gaps in their own skill sets and seeking “qualified financial expertise” and “significant local employer input”, and positive efforts from interim senior leaders to restructure provision in the interests of staff and students.
However, in concluding the report, FE Commissioner Dr David Collins said there were “still a number of problems in colleges that could be considered to be ‘basic’ and highlighted in last year’s report, which the majority of the sector has long since addressed”.
Here, FE Week outlines the five main points identified for improvement in the report.
1. The Role of the Clerk
The FE Commissioner’s report found that in colleges visited this year there was “a variety of clerking arrangements”.
Examples of weak clerking involved “minimal” governor training and “no governor appraisal process or detailed skills audits”.
Minutes of meetings were described as “inadequate”, suggesting that “there has been only limited debate and discussion of issues”.
In other situations, clerking arrangements were found to be “relatively expensive for the service provided”, and in one case there were “potential conflicts of interest” because the clerk had significant management responsibilities in addition to a clerking role.
Dr Collins concluded: “I repeat my conclusion from last year that the sector would benefit from having a better definition of the role of the clerk and clearer expectations as to what is required from the clerking function.”
2. Governance
Dr Collins’ report also found that in many of the colleges visited in 2014/15, weak governance contributed “significantly” to problems with financial health and quality of provision.
Issues included failing to call the principal and senior management team to account, for example through a lack of clear performance targets or questions about why forecasts were not met.
In some cases “cost benefit analyses of new proposals or adequate risk management” were absent, resulting in “a significant and largely unnecessary budget deficit”.
Other points cited were “an absence of appropriate skills, poor attendance and limited support”, and a failure to “ensure the efficient and effective use of resources, the solvency of the institution and the safeguarding of assets”.
The report also criticised some local authorities for “considerable changes in the leadership and staffing of the service over recent years”, incomplete strategies for community learning services and a lack of “accountability for performance”.
3. Leadership and Management
The report noted that in several of the colleges where new senior management teams had been put in place, they were “struggling to deal with the problems they had inherited”.
Problems included: “inappropriate buildings, unsustainable levels of debt, previous poor performance management and inadequate quality”.
A need was identified for specific management targets that are achievable in the time frames specified and for training and support to be offered for new management team members – especially those with limited experience of the FE sector.
4. Quality Improvement
While the majority of interventions in 2014/15 were the result of financial reasons, the report highlighted three colleges and four local authorities that were visited due to an inadequate inspection.
Factors included: “Poor student management leading to low attendance and retention well below the national average” and “inadequate initial advice and guidance, compounded by students being poorly informed at school as to the routes open to them”.
Another issue was pace, particularly when it came to addressing “performance management issues”.
In local authorities, the report pointed to “examples of ‘over cutting’ particularly in the management of provision” and in on one situation “a basic understanding of what needs to be done to improve quality” was said to be “absent”.
There were also instances where subcontracted provision presented a problem, because it had not been monitored effectively.
5. Financial Health
The report acknowledged that reductions in funding and changes in the funding rules have challenged colleges, but said that the majority of providers have managed to adjust effectively.
Inadequate financial health, it said, has usually been because “the issues of small class sizes, excessive numbers of management and support staff and poor utilisation of teaching staff and estates have not been addressed”.
In one case a lack of regular reports on the financial contributions made by each curriculum area was identified as a problem, and in another: “ambitious growth strategies that have produced returns in the past have caused a false sense of security and allowed riskier projects to be undertaken without the appropriate scrutiny and challenge.”
Dr Collins said in the report that the standard of auditing has also been “disappointing” in the colleges visited.
He commented: “Boards have frequently felt let down by receiving relatively clean bills of health from their auditors when in reality there were serious underlying problems. It seems that in some cases more attention has been paid to processes and process compliance rather than giving a view on the ongoing viability of the institution.”
The report noted that overall it is often “a combination of factors rather than one issue that causes a college to be in financial difficulty”.
These factors have included: “unsustainably high costs; instability in the senior management team; ineffective governance; a dysfunctional finance team; poor financial processes; unreliable management information; poor decision making in relation to capital schemes; insufficiently influential and effective audit services”.
A minority of colleges are still failing to address areas of concern identified last year, FE Commissioner David Collins has warned.
In his 2014/15 annual report, Dr Collins said challenges already dealt-with by most providers were still proving problematic for others.
He said the interventions undertaken in 2014/15 suggested that there were “still a number of problems in colleges that could be considered to be ‘basic’ and highlighted in last year’s report, which the majority of the sector has long since addressed”.
In the report, Dr Collins identified a number of key areas of weakness, including the role of the clerk, governance, leadership and management, quality improvement and financial health.
Dr Collins said: “After a period of intense competition between institutions, the new approach is to encourage collaboration and the creation of fewer and larger institutions that will be better placed to deliver high quality and relevant training in a more stringent environment, while creating stronger specialisation.”
He added that this would be especially significant for weaker colleges, such as those struggling financially or those with “quality issues”.
He also commented on the limited skillsets of some governing bodies, slow responses by college leaders to changing financial situations and problematic differences in the role of clerks between colleges.
This year’s annual report summarises the work of the FE Commissioner and his team through interventions from August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015, with updates on the colleges assessed to the end of October 2015.
Over this period 21 cases were referred to the commissioner, with seven of these (33 per cent) triggered by an inadequate Ofsted inspection and 14 (67 per cent) because of “financial concerns”.
Each of the organisations visited underwent a two week intervention or review. At Redcar and Cleveland College, Lewisham Southwark College, Greenwich College and West Cheshire College, this was followed by a more detailed Structure and Prospects Appraisal (SPA).
As a result of these appraisals, the report says new partnership arrangements have been put in place at Redcar and Cleveland College, Greenwich College and West Cheshire College, while Lewisham Southwark College continues as an independent institution with an altered board membership and curriculum offer, and a new principal and management team.
During the year, six colleges were also placed into ‘administered college’ status by Skills Minister Nick Boles, following FE Commissioner intervention.
The report says Bournville College, City of Bristol College, Central Sussex College, Weymouth College, Greenwich Community College and Lewisham Southwark College have all responded to this process either by making significant changes in-house or by pursing a merger.
Weymouth College underwent what the report describes as an “accelerated recovery”, as previously reported in FE Week.
Overall, 12 colleges and four councils saw an end to formal interventions by the FE Commissioner during the year, as their problems were seen to be satisfactorily resolved (see table).
In conclusion, Dr Collins said it was “perhaps unfortunate” that the annual report of the FE Commissioner by its very nature “concentrates on those colleges that are in difficulty and therefore does not give credit to the excellent work that is being carried out throughout the sector”.
He added that it was “encouraging” that twelve colleges and four local authorities have resolved their problems.
Skills Minister Nick Boles, who wrote the foreword to the report, said he had seen “many examples of outstanding practice, some of which match the best in the world”.
He said: “For the minority of colleges where either quality or financial management is not good enough, it is essential that robust and swift action and monitoring is put in place to secure improvements for the learners and employers they serve
“Dr David Collins was appointed as FE Commissioner in November 2013 to assess the position of colleges found to be inadequate in terms of quality or financial management. I am delighted that two years on we can see the benefit of his work in institutions that have turned the corner, and are achieving stronger results.”
Former director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and UK Skills Envoy Lord Digby Jones will take over as chair of governors at Stratford Upon Avon College from January 1.
Lord Jones (pictured above), who had the top job at the CBI from 2000 to 2006, joined the college in October as a member of the board of governors.
The college announced yesterday that the cross-bench peer, who was also Minister of State for Trade & Investment from 2007 to 2008, during which time he also served as UK Skills Envoy, would be stepping up to the post of chair from the New Year.
He said: “The solution to the UK’s productivity problem, poverty gap and the nation’s finances is to maintain a supply of more, better skilled people.
“The path to self-respect and personal freedom is education. That is why I am delighted to accept the position of chair of governors.
“I share Stratford upon Avon College’s commitment to providing the best possible skill-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities, ensuring all students secure successful job opportunities.
“I am confident that by working together, we will succeed in preparing our young people for future employment and a successful career.”
The college spokesperson said that Lord Jones would “lead a drive to build links with employers across the Midlands, given his trade Ministerial and CBI background”.
“He was also on campus throughout December 16 to further strengthen his relationships with staff and students,” she added.
College principal Nicola Mannock said: “We are honoured and delighted that Lord Jones has agreed to become chair of governors.
Nicola Mannock
“His wide-ranging business acumen and experience, together with his support for vocational education, have already proved great assets for the college.
“As chair, he will help us ensure that we continue to enhance the employment prospects of young people and work in collaboration with the local economy to respond to the needs of the community.”
Lord Jones’ appointment comes after the FE Commissioner, Dr David Collins, recommended the college “significantly” refreshed its board to include “a majority of new members”, following his first visit in May 2014.
Skills Minister Nick Boles wrote to Stratford Upon Avon College on October 27 to mark the end of a 17-month long intervention by the FE Commissioner, which was triggered after the Skills Funding Agency rated the college’s finances as inadequate.
The college, which has around 4,300 learners, was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted following its most recent inspection in March, which was up from its previous grade three (‘requires improvement’) rating in November 2013.
Lord Jones’ website stated that his role as UK Skills Envoy involved him “campaigning for both private and public sector employers to raise the level of skills of all of their employees to level two”.
The government’s apprenticeship levy may lead to “significant” job losses, the new head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said.
Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said that the 0.5 per cent levy could potentially lead firms to let workers go in an interview with the Sunday Times yesterday (December 20).
Ms Fairbairn, who became the first female director-general of the business lobbying group in November this year, said that unless changes were made, it was “inevitable there will be significant job losses” in some sectors.
The levy will be applicable to businesses with a wage bill of more than £3m from April 2017, and the government hopes it will raise £3bn to fund its target of 3m apprenticeship starts by 2020.
Ms Fairbairn said: “There is a gulf in the government’s understanding of what it is doing here and the impact on sectors like retail and its most vulnerable employees.”
She added that companies are already dealing with the higher national living wage, which starts in April, as well as higher pension costs and a lack of reform for business rates.
Her comments came alongside the release of the CBI’s 18th annual survey, which found that while one in six businesses (16 per cent) believe the new apprenticeship levy is the right approach to address the UK’s skills challenges, almost half (47 per cent) expect it to be costly and bureaucratic.
The survey included 342 respondents employing around 1m employees, and was carried out between August and October 2015.
In response to the findings of the survey Ms Fairbairn said that “skills shortages remain a problem”, adding that “both the Government and businesses must contribute to building a higher skilled domestic workforce”.
On apprenticeships, she commented: “25 per cent [of survey respondents] plan to increase recruitment with 6 per cent planning to reduce it, leaving a positive balance of +19 per cent respondents looking to recruit next year, and more than a third want to see employers given greater control over the levy.”
However, she clarified that the survey was carried out before more details of the apprenticeship levy were confirmed in the Autumn Statement on November 25.
In November George Osborne confirmed that, from April 2017, employers would have to pay 0.5 per cent of their pay roll costs towards the levy — offset by a £15,000 allowance meaning that most employers would not have to pay.
At the time, Ms Fairbairn commented that the levy would be a “significant extra payroll tax on business”, but she welcomed “the creation of a levy board to give business a voice on how the money is spent”.
The levy will fund £900m of apprenticeship spending and comes with a new employer-led Institute for Apprenticeships, which will set standards and quality.
David Hughes raises six key questions that he feels need to be answered to help the Government realise its goal of transforming learning and skills by 2020, as set out in the Skills Funding Letter.
The Skills Funding Letter to the Skills Funding Agency sets out a radical and potentially positive path over the next five years for learning and skills.
With the new apprenticeship levy, an extension of loans and cash protection for the newly-named adult education budget, the Government has set out rising investment in learning and skills over the term of this Parliament.
Nobody was predicting that and it is a welcome respite after five years of cuts which have reduced learning opportunities and brought many colleges close to financial melt-down.
In a very clever settlement, the Skills Minister showed that he has listened and set out a stable policy environment as well as the unexpected rising investment.
But there is always a but, and for me there are six questions which need answering before we can truly view this as a positive outcome for learners, communities and employers.
It’s easy to blame the remote Whitehall mandarins for ‘bad’ decisions, not so easy when the decisions are being taken in the town hall.
Firstly, will apprenticeships be piled high & sold cheap? The 3m target and the levy on pay-rolls over £3m could easily lead to more of the apprenticeships which don’t launch people on a productive career.
The risk of this is compounded by the fear that employers will cease to invest in other much-needed workplace training.
Secondly, will adults invest in themselves? The introduction of loans for those over 24 and for part-time higher education has seen a collapse in participation. What will change now to ensure that more adults do make the investment through the loans?
Thirdly, is this the time for community learning to fly or die? Folding the community learning budget into a new locally-commissioned adult education budget is clever, but will every area understand, value and retain the learning which, for instance, encourages adults to take those first steps, family learning, supports people to stay active in later life?
Next up, will Town Hall leadership be better than Whitehall? It’s easy to blame the remote Whitehall mandarins for ‘bad’ decisions, not so easy when the decisions are being taken in the town hall.
In any devolved system, it is inevitable that some areas will be ‘better’ than others. Where is the balancing accountability for local decisions and who centrally will police it?
Also, are colleges up for the changes needed? The rising investment set out in the letter is very different in nature — it will come very clearly from three sources — the Government via local commissioning, employers via the apprenticeship levy and learners via loans.
Colleges will need to think carefully about how to market, package and deliver the mix, the quality, the flexibility needed to appeal to these new markets.
Some will need to invest in change at a time when reserves have been severely depleted in many places.
Finally, is this the end of the independent training provider market? The Minister set out his view at the Association of Colleges conference by challenging colleges to take more of the growing apprenticeship market and the letter suggests that big national contracts will cease as funding is routed via local commissioning and via employers.
It sets an enormous challenge to independent providers at the same time as the Department for Work and Pensions has set out that the £500m Work Programme will cease, to be replaced by in-house services and a much smaller Work and Health Programme of £130m.
I am optimistic about the next few years because the sector has a policy and funding settlement it can work with and some time to make it work.
That’s great news for us all, and in 2020 I hope to be able to look back at the positive changes which resulted in better access, better quality and better outcomes for learners and employers.
Leeds City College is looking to take on a new apprenticeship subcontractor for up to £400,000-worth of provision, despite a Skills Funding Agency plea to the sector to run more of the training directly.
The college has posted the invitation to tender on the gov.uk ‘Contracts Finder’ site.
It said that the college “is seeking to recruit an organisation to deliver apprenticeships in the health and social care business sector, with a contract value up to £400,000 of Adult Skills Budget funding”.
The closing date for applications is January 4, with the contract scheduled to start on January 25 and run until the end of July 2017.
He told delegates that they would be facing a “huge challenge” when the apprenticeship levy comes into play and allowed subcontractors to received funding directly from the government.
Mr Smith said: “You might be benefiting at the moment from subcontracting bringing money in, but from April 2017 those subcontractors will take that capacity and they will get funded directly through the apprenticeship voucher system.”
Leeds City College used the gov.uk site earlier in the year to advertise “a further opportunity to join a select group of subcontractors to deliver high quality apprenticeships in the Yorkshire and Humber region, with a particular focus on the Leeds City Region and Local Enterprise Partnership priorities”.
The college said it was looking for four organisations to deliver up to £800,000 of apprenticeships in engineering, ICT, retail, business administration and health and social care at the time, but no one was awarded the contract and the opportunity was closed.
When asked by FE Week on Monday (December 14) why it was using the government tendering site to find apprenticeship subcontractors, David Gaughan, director of apprenticeships, said: “We are required to use the website by the Public Contract Regulations, 2015.
“The college engages with subcontractors in order to better meet customer needs.
“We work with providers who effectively reach priority learners in the community and who can demonstrate positive employment outcomes.”
Mr Gaughan added that the college sometimes subcontracted “to access or engage with a new range of customers, to support another provider develop capacity or quality, to provide niche delivery where the cost of developing direct delivery would be unsustainable, or to work with providers that offer sector specific Local Enterprise Partnership priority engagement”.
He added that all sub-contractors “will be subject to the college due diligence process”.
Commenting on Mr Smith’s concerns about subcontracting, Mr Gaughan said: “The college is developing capacity to deliver more apprenticeships across all of its curriculum areas and is already at advanced stages of commencing the delivery of the new Trailblazer apprenticeships as part of the apprenticeship reform programme.
“The college strategy is to reduce reliance on sub-contractors in the future,” he added.
It comes after Skills Minister Nick Boles also raised the issue of subcontracting in his speech at the AoC conference.
When questioned this week on the issue of colleges tendering for subcontractors, a spokesperson for the SFA said: “We continue to monitor all lead providers’ subcontracting arrangements.”
