The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has criticised the body established to police the reformed apprenticeship system as having a “disappointingly narrow” set of duties and responsibilities.

Pippa Morgan (pictured), head of education and skills at the CBI, raised the concerns during a webinar for members on the apprenticeship levy on Wednesday (April 13).

She said the initial remit of the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA), the employer-led body which will set standards and maintain high quality, was inadequate.

Ms Morgan expressed concern that this could render the body, which will be fully operational in time for the levy launch in April 2017, a mere “standards factory — rubber-stamping the [apprenticeship] standards”.

Speaking during the webinar, Ms Morgan said: “In terms of the remit that the Institute has, we pushed for a very strong business voice.

“Its initial set of duties and responsibilities are disappointingly narrow in terms of being very focused on the standards and the assessment element of apprenticeships.”

She added: “We have actually had some wins in terms of shaping the remit and pushing it to better reflect the needs of businesses and the needs of the apprenticeship system to reflect what skills needs are in the economy — rather than just operate as a standards factory — rubber-stamping the standards, which is currently being done.”

She added the CBI would continue to lobby and challenge the Institute as its fulltime team continues to be assembled over the coming year.

To date, the only public appointment to the IfA has been Rachel Sandby-Thomas to ‘shadow chief executive’, as reported in FE Week in March. An Enterprise Bill factsheet, published on February 26, said the powers of the IfA would cover “quality and approval functions in relation to apprenticeship standards and assessment plans”.

It added the body would have “wider quality assurance functions, including making arrangements for assessing the quality of the end point assessment for each apprenticeship”; and “responsibility to advise government of funding allocations per each apprenticeship standard”.

Neil Carberry, director of employment and skills at the CBI, who also participated in the CBI webinar, raised the suggestion that the levy could end up being a disincentive for employers to take on more apprentices.

He said that “the cost is very significant and the ability to recover that is questionable for most businesses”, adding it was “gallows humour” among his team that “every sector thinks it is subsidising every other sector”.

“The challenge there is that the levy as currently designed is actually an incentive to do fewer apprenticeships not more apprenticeships, because it increases the cost per apprentice,” he added.

Mr Carberry added there was “lots of support” among employers for more flexibility around how the levy money could be spent.

Responding to the issues raised in the webinar, a spokesperson for BIS said: “At the heart of our apprenticeship reforms, lies the principle that employers must be in the driving seat.

“They are best placed to ensure our young people get the right skills and experience. That’s why we are creating the independent Institute for Apprenticeships that will be led by employers.”

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has published geographic funding data for the first time — ahead of devolution of the adult education budget.

It is based on learners’ postcodes and relates to non-apprenticeship adult skills budget (ASB) delivery in the 2014 to 2015 funding year.

The data sets out the proportion of provision that each provider delivers within both their home local authority and region.

The SFA’s weekly online Update bulletin said this afternoon: “We are publishing this data to support you in discussion with local government authorities in future adult education budget commissioning discussions.

“This will help establish a shared understanding of the current pattern of delivery,” a spokesperson added. “It will be particularly important if you work in areas that have a skills devolution agreement or a skills incentive pilot.”

The spokesperson said its allocations methodology would change in future years “to support the devolution of funding to local areas”.

But she added: “The publication of this [geographic funding] data does not presuppose what that methodology will look like or how funding will be distributed.

“Further information will be issued on this in due course.”

Providers were advised to contact their central delivery service adviser for more information.

For more analysis see the next edition of FE Week.

Application guidance for up to £100k consultancy grants that will support the implementation of area review recommendations has been published — a month after FE Week exclusively revealed they would be made available to colleges.

The memo, which went online this morning, also revealed that colleges could receive more than one grant, as it would be available for “each significant change resulting from an area review”.

It explained that such a change might include a “significant curriculum rationalisation, establishment of “a shared services arrangement”, or “the establishment of a joint venture” such as a merger.

Publication of the guidance comes after FE Week exclusively revealed on March 6 that the government would be providing cash to help colleges implement area review recommendations.

The online document, which includes a link to an application form, said: “The minister for skills [Nick Boles] announced that he had agreed grants of up to £100,000 to support each significant change resulting from an area review.

“This was in recognition of the challenges associated with implementing recommendations effectively.”

It added: “The EFA and SFA will identify options which may be in scope as a significant change, and the amounts that may be claimed for them.

“This will be done during the latter stages of the area review process and will be subject to later consideration of formal applications.”

Colleges can only make one application “in relation to each significant change arising from an area review,” the document explained.

And it stressed that requests for this funding should be made within two months of the date of final area review steering group meetings.

However, later applications will be considered in “exceptional circumstances”.

The memo said a successful application for up to £100,000 funding could be for the closure of a college, a merger of more than two institutions or of two institutions with a combined turnover of more than £25m, or the establishment of a multi-academy trust of two or more colleges.

A grant of up to £50,000 could also be provided for a single sixth form college conversion to a 16 to 19 academy, or merger of two institutions with a combined turnover of less than £25m, it added.

The smaller grant could also be given out where there is “a significant rationalisation or other significant change at a college or colleges “where this change is reasonably expected to have significant upfront costs”.

The online document stressed that only colleges will be able to make applications for the funding.

But it added “a college may apply on behalf of itself and / or on behalf of any other organisation which will incur eligible costs relating to the agreed relevant significant change”.

“Where a college applies on behalf of any other organisation, it will be accountable for its own compliance with the funding conditions and that of the other organisation,” it said.

It added funding could only be spent on funding “relevant skills” including project management, legal, finance, commercial, estates and “turnaround”, while relevant services also include “due diligence” and asset or liability valuation.

Colleges must provide evidence of spending on such “eligible costs” to the Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency “within 30 days of the final amount of the grant funding being spent, or at the latest within 30 days of the first anniversary of the final steering group”, the document said.

The grant would become repayable, through a future reduction in funding, if for example the funding is not spent on eligible costs, match0-fuunded with a required “25/75 per cent split”.

A college in Cornwall has become the first to be rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted since the introduction of the Common Inspection Framework (CIF) in September.

The education watchdog’s report on Truro and Penwith College (TPC), published today, was full of praise for the college, rating it grade one ‘outstanding’ overall.

Ofsted returned the highest possible rating for six headline fields, including leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, outcomes for learners, and 16 to 19 study programmes.

It was the first outstanding Ofsted report for a college since the new CIF was launched seven months ago.

Inspectors found that “governors, leaders and managers work relentlessly to ensure that learners experience outstanding teaching, learning and assessment”.

“Learners enjoy great success because of the ethos of aspiration and achievement that pervades the college,” the report continued.

This comes just a few days after FE Week published a full breakdown of all general FE college inspections since the CIF was launched in Edition 169.

It showed that of the 51 published inspections since September, 39 (76 per cent) were full, with three colleges losing their grade one and none of the remaining 48 gaining a grade one.

From the full inspections, there were 15 grade two, 15 grade three and nine grade four overall results.

The report on Truro and Penwith also said that its “curriculum is broad and accessible”.

Courses on offer at the college, which has an Education Funding Agency allocation of £23.4m and a Skills Funding Agency allocation of £4.6m for 2015/16, met “local and regional needs well and prepared learners exceptionally well for employment or higher level study”, inspectors found.

The vast majority – over 5,100 – of TPC’s learners are on 16 to 18 study programmes, the report said.

Teaching for these learners was “often inspirational”, and “learners enjoy their lessons”.

Safeguarding arrangements at the college were said to be “effective”, with the result that “learners are safe and feel safe”.

Support for learners with high needs was “very well planned and highly effective”, the report added.

Provision for adult learners and apprenticeships were the only areas where inspectors found improvements could be made — although both were rated as ‘good’.

TPC principal David Walrond told FE Week he was “delighted” with the “remarkable” report.

One of the keys to the college’s success was a “really close focus on teaching and learning”, Mr Walrond said.

“Although we’re very strong financially and we are a very successful business, we understand the limits of the business metaphor.

“All of us are very operationally engaged in management – and that includes senior management. Nobody is allowed to lock themselves in a room doing strategy,” he told FE Week.

The college had used a “very detailed, very robust and very challenging” self-assessment process to maintain high standards, Mr Walrond said.

“If you go a long time without inspection, a good college will actually say, we’ve got to impose this discipline ourselves. We’ve got to make the rigour of an Ofsted inspection part of our practice and our process as well,” he added.

This was the first time the college, which has 6,500 learners, had been inspected since it was formed from the merger of Truro College and Penwith College in 2008.

Truro College was last inspected in November 2006, when it received an outstanding grade across the board.

Penwith College was branded inadequate in November 2006, but a subsequent inspection in January 2008 found it had improved to ‘satisfactory’.

The 157 Group has proposed that single colleges should take a lead for level three and above training for key industries across London.

It called for the establishment of a series of “technology institutes” delivering “levels three, four and five skills to leverage the full capacity of London”, in a report unveiled this morning ahead of next month’s mayoral election.

The document, called Skills for Work, Skills for London, said this model would apply to “critical growth sectors” such as construction including housebuilding, digital, the creative industries and financial services.

It said employers “benefit from this model as it gives them one point of contact and one offer.”

“Beyond the entry level skills, we believe there has to be a London‑wide offer,” the report added. “London faces its biggest skills challenge at levels three and above.”

“A 32‑borough or subregional solution will not work. It needs a London‑wide solution led by the mayor,” it added.

The document explained that under the proposed model, the Boris Johnson’s successor should also “set a framework and outcomes” and “have accountability” for levels three to five.

“The 157 Group London colleges are ready to work with the next London mayor to create this new approach,” it said.

The report added: “In partnership, key stakeholders should agree a hub‑and‑spoke model for the London technology institutes, establishing a main centre for a specific skill and then satellite centres across London.”

It explained these “would offer core curriculum as well as specialist skills taught only at specific centres”.

“For learners this approach leverages the full capability of London and means they would not have to move institutions or travel long distances to study in a sector, they could remain at their satellite institution,” it added.

“The economies of scale would mean each student having better facilities and resources than if their college were working alone attempting to deliver all the capacity needs of the sector in their part of London.”

FE Week asked 157 Group if it had identified which colleges should become technology institutes and how it would respond to criticism that this model would limit choice.

A spokesperson said: : “This is a point of view document suggesting a model that we believe would be most effective for creating the best provision for the skills needed in London.

“A main point we are making is that this type of sector institute should be collaborative across many institutions, a hub and spoke model with many colleges and providers across London specialising in aspects of the overarching sector provision.

“Giving named examples at this stage would be limiting the idea.”

She added: “This idea does not limit choice for the learner, it enriches provision. As the document specifies, this model works for colleges as it is agile and cost-effective and it is beneficial for learners as it leverages the full capability London providers have to offer.”

More than 1,800 college sporting stars will travel to Tyne and Wear this weekend to compete in the 38^th AoC National Championships.

Students, who qualified for the championships through regional tournaments that took place in the autumn term, will compete in 15 different sports across Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead venues.

The golf tournament will kick off the whole weekend from 8.30am on Friday, followed by the opening ceremony that night, which will be hosted by Great British gymnast Craig Heap.

It will feature speeches from England international footballer, Jill Scott, and Great British long jumper Chris Tomlinson.

Throughout the following three days, students will compete in badminton, cricket, football, hockey, rugby, squash, tennis, volleyball, basketball, cross country, netball, swimming, table tennis, and trampolining.

As well as competing in their chosen sport, students will battle for points for their region.

The region whose teams and individuals accumulate the most points will win the prestigious Wilkinson Sword trophy.

Last year’s competition, which was held at Bath University with just under 1,800 students, saw the South West claim the trophy, with the South East in second place and West Midlands third.

The winners of this year’s event will be awarded at the closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

The championships are being hosted in partnership with The Tyne & Wear Consortium, which includes Tyne & Wear Sport, Northumbria University, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and Nirvana Europe.

AoC sport managing director Marcus Kingwell said: “We are really excited that this year’s National Championships are almost upon us.

“A lot of work has gone into the planning and preparation for the event in partnership with Tyne and Wear Sport, and we are certain the 2016 Championships will be the biggest and best showcase of college sport to date.

“The venues which will host the different sports look fantastic and will provide the students with excellent facilities befitting of the occasion.

“We also anticipate the championships to be the perfect platform to reinforce our new strategy ‘Fit for College, Fit for Work, Fit for Life’, which outlines our ambition to get every student active.”

Northumbria University’s director of sport, Colin Stromsoy said: “We are delighted to be hosting the AoC Sport National Championships this year.

“The event is an exciting opportunity for us to bring some of the country’s most talented young athletes to the university and to showcase our sporting facilities and services.

“Sport Central is a fantastic venue for the opening ceremony, which will kick-start an exciting weekend of competition across all of our university sport facilities.”

FE Week is the media partner for the AoC National Championships and will be covering the event over the three days. See edition 171 for the full results.