Latest news from FE Week

Don’t ‘reinvent the wheel’ with ethnic minority work review

A prominent campaigner for more black and Asian college principals has warned against “reinventing the wheel” — after a government review into ethnic minority workers came too late to save her group.

Rajinder Mann, (pictured), who led the Network for Black and Asian Professionals (NBAP) from 2013 until it was forced to close due to a lack of funding late last year, told FE Week she felt “very frustrated” that the government was only just now starting to focus on the issue.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced this month that it had launched a review into why black and minority ethnic (BME) people working in the FE sector find it harder to progress into senior positions than their white counterparts.

Ms Mann, who has not been asked to contribute to the review, said: “Our raison d’être was to grow future talent and support black and minority ethnic staff in the workplace — it’s ironic that these things have happened the way they did.

“I applaud the fact that there is a review, but I have my reservations if it’s just going to be a paper-gathering exercise.”

A call for evidence from BME workers in support of the review, which is led by Baroness McGregor-Smith, will run until August 22.

Ms Mann believes that the review seems like a backward step, after the work done by the NBAP.

“Why do they want to keep re-inventing the wheel?” she asked. “Are they actually going to put their money where their mouth is and say ‘this is a serious agenda, we’re going to set targets which will enable us to see change’?”

She pointed out the number of ethnic minority principals in the FE sector had fallen from 17 in 2012/13 to 13 this year.

“I think we’ve become complacent in FE because there’s been a feeling that ‘oh well there isn’t a problem here because we’ve had 17 black principals before’,” Ms Mann told FE Week.

“But there’s no accounting body for this now. Will the review address who is going to pick up these issues?”

The campaigner, who was awarded an OBE in 2011 for her services to BME in the community, cautioned that many of the factors holding ethnic minority workers back today were the same as those initially identified by NBAP.

She said the call for evidence showed a lack of understanding “about what it is like on the ground”.

“There’s a strong urge on the one side to write in to the review,” she said. “On the other — will you be beating your head against a brick wall again?”

Anthony Bravo, principal of Basingstoke College of Technology (pictured left), told FE Week what the closure of the NBAP had meant to him.

He said: “The network was instrumental to me becoming a principal; I and other BME principals are saddened by its demise.

“We (BME) principals are determined to keep spirit of the network alive via the Association of College. The network made a significant impact in many individuals’ lives and careers.”

Commenting on the government’s call for evidence on the progression of BME workers, business secretary Sajid Javid (pictured above) said: “I urge everyone who has experience of trying to progress in work to take part in this review. Employers need to back their workforces and I am also calling on them to make sure everybody has a fair chance to succeed.”

Movers and Shakers: edition 175

Seevic College has appointed Dan Pearson as its principal after Nick Spenceley announced his retirement in February, following a battle against cancer.

Mr Pearson joins the provider in Essex from Redbridge College, where he was deputy principal for three years.

He said he was “honoured” to be in a position to “add value” to Seevic College’s “strengths, and lead on curriculum innovations and improvements, to ensure we offer unique and high-quality learning experiences for our students”.

He added: “Despite the inevitable challenges principals face during this time of area reviews, I feel reassured the spirit and passion of the college staff will give me support and keep me energised.”

Mr Pearson said he was looking forward to bringing some new ideas to the campus.

He said: “I want to make sure students are leaving college with the skills employers want. We will work very closely with local and national employers to give our students every possible opportunity to succeed in securing employment.”

Laurel Penrose will be the new principal at Bath College from August.

She takes over from Matt Atkinson who has decided to leave to set up a business offering leadership support to education providers after leading the college since 2007.

Ms Penrose is currently the deputy principal at North Warwickshire & Hinckley College (NWHC) and South Leicestershire College (SLC). Before this, she was vice principal for curriculum and quality across the partnership.

Of her new appointment, Ms Penrose said: “I have already experienced the warmth of the college’s welcome and been delighted to hear the positive views of students concerning the support and delivery given by staff.

“It was a pleasure to walk around the college and experience the confidence and enthusiasm of colleagues. I am really looking forward to working with staff to further progress the college and build on current good practices.”

Carole Stott, chair of the board of governors at Bath College, said she was looking forward to Ms Penrose joining and “working with the staff and the board to build on the excellent work of Matt Atkinson”.

Meanwhile a the new Nottingham College, made up of a merger between New Nottingham College and Central College Nottingham, has appointed businessman John van de Laarschot as its chief executive.

Mr van de Laarschot has worked in both the private and public sectors in his 35-year career, at Coca-Cola, Mars, PepsiCo, Torridge Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Carole Thorogood, chair of the designate board at the new merged college, said: “John brings extensive private and public sector experience in leadership and managing change, qualities we required in candidates for this important role.

“Once the necessary contractual arrangements are in place, John will assist us with transition planning towards the launch of Nottingham College later this year.”

And Ofqual has announced Julie Swan as its new executive director for general qualifications.

She will take up the position permanently after a spell as the acting executive director when her predecessor, Ian Stockford, left the exams regulator to join AQA in December.

Ms Swan has worked for Ofqual for seven years and was most recently associate director for regulatory policy.

Feature: Apprentice stars front new £13m campaign

A select few of the country’s top apprentices will appear on billboards and TV screens as they star in a new campaign calling on young people to get learning and earning, writes Billy Camden.

The government has chosen 13 talented learners to front its new campaign to attract more young people onto apprenticeships — and wants thousands more to help spread the word on social media.

The lucky few were whittled down from hundreds of hopefuls through an auditioning process last year, involving apprentices at firms including the BBC, IBM and Lloyds Banking Group.

The 13 will now get see their faces on billboards, TV screens and social media channels across England, as part of the campaign “Get In Go Far”.

The first TV advert was broadcast on Saturday (May 14) and apprentices everywhere are being encouraged to share selfies and video clips of themselves at work on social media, in a bid to send the campaign viral.

Daisy Coombes of manufacturing firm JCB, 19, one of the apprentices featuring in the campaign, said: “A lot of people still question apprenticeships and say that university is the better option, so it’s been great to feel like my voice is being heard and that other people will hopefully see the options that are available for them to get qualifications and start a career as well.”

The campaign, which was allocated £13m and will run until 2020, aims to show how an apprenticeship can give young people the skills and experience they need to land their dream job, a Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) spokesperson said.

Xavier Williams of Lloyds Banking Group, 19, another star of the campaign, said: “If you are considering how to better your future then an apprenticeship would be a no-brainer. All it takes is self-confidence.

“I can’t recommend this route into employment highly enough.”

The campaign is part of the government’s drive to deliver on its commitment to create three million more apprenticeships by 2020.

Business secretary Sajid Javid said: “In the past, talented and ambitious school leavers were too often told that university was their only option.

“We have transformed apprenticeships to make sure we have the right mix of skills for our future workforce.”

He added that apprenticeships are being designed by “top employers” who are “best placed” to know the skills and experience young people need to get a job.

This year’s drive builds on a successful £6m apprenticeship campaign which ran throughout 2014.

A BIS spokesperson said it had led to a 140 per cent increase in telephone enquiries to the apprenticeships helpline alongside a “big increase” in web traffic to the government’s apprenticeship website.

Skills minister Nick Boles said Get In Go Far would “show young people and their parents the incredible things you can achieve if you choose to learn while you earn”.

He added: “Our apprentice stars and the millions more who have already benefitted from an apprenticeship, are examples of how an apprenticeship can take you anywhere and help you rise to the top in any industry, any job and up to any level.”

Young people will be directed to a new website, www.getingofar.gov.uk, which will give them more information on apprenticeships.

Four in five apprentices studying at a level they already have

Four out of five people doing level two and three apprenticeships are on a level they have already studied at, according to a worrying new report.

The figure cropped up in an investigation into the prior qualifications of adult apprentices in 2013/14, which was published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Eighty per cent (140,100 out of 175,400) of adults on level two apprenticeships apparently already had qualifications at that level, analysis by FE Week has demonstrated — a higher proportion than at any other time over the last five years.

Peter Kyle (pictured), a prominent and outspoken member of the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee described the figures as “deeply concerning”.

The MP for Hove said: “At a time when the government is looking for three million people to start apprenticeships over the course of this parliament, all efforts should be put into ensuring these are at a level higher than their previous qualifications wherever possible.

“If not, it is hard to see how exactly the proposed expansion of apprenticeship numbers will help close the skills gaps within our economy and contribute to improving the nation’s productivity.”

The report, which used interviews with 3,500 apprentices studying in 2013/14, was based on the sixth annual survey into the previous attainment level of adult apprentices.

In 2012/13, 79 per cent of adults taking a level two apprenticeship were found not to be taking their first qualification at the same level — compared with 72 per cent in 2011/12, 78 per cent the year before that year, and 75 per cent in 2009/10.

The proportion of adults on level three apprenticeships who already had a qualification of a similar level, was also up in 2013/14, to 56 per cent, compared with 53 per cent in 2012/13.

This figure stood at 50 per cent in 2011/12, 51 per cent in 2010/11, and 52 per cent in 2009/10.

A BIS spokesperson did not explain what plans, if any, the government had to address the issue of apprentices taking qualifications at levels they already possessed.

They said that apprenticeships “allow learners to develop specific work-based skills in a real job, adding to and enhancing previous qualifications such as GCSEs”, and that they “help people get on, help businesses to grow and benefit our economy”.

Learning to stand on his own two feet

An RAF regimental gunner returned to his old college to inspire current students with the story of how he overcome life-changing injuries he suffered during an attack in Afghanistan.

Cpl Stuart Robinson was manning the machine gun on a jackal armoured vehicle when an IED exploded directly under him in February 2013.

Lancaster-and-Morecambe-College2 — Ready to play! Joel Gardner, aged 16, finds out how to use Cpl Stuart Robinson’s custom-built wheelchair

He lost both lower parts of his legs, and suffered 18 spinal fractures, a shattered pelvis, a burst bladder, plus fractures to his arm, jaw, shoulder blade and ribs.

Cpl Robinson told public services students from Lancaster and Morecambe College about life in the RAF regiment after completing his public services course, his life after sustaining major injuries while on duty, and the creation of Team Legless, a group which aims to help raise both awareness and funds for the armed forces charities.

Student Ocean Heward-Wearing, aged 17, said: “It was amazing to gain knowledge from someone who did such a heroic thing. It makes you realise what you take for granted.”

Driving the lesson home

A man who was left paralysed from the neck down in a car crash which killed two men recently visited Weston College to warn students about the dangers of drink-driving.

Greg Sumner was paralysed after he got into a car with a drink-driver four years ago, during an attempt to overtake on the brow of a hill.

The car smashed head on into another vehicle and killed both drivers.

Mr Sumner, who was a working 22-year-old at the time, broke 27 bones while his heart stopped four times. He is now paralysed from the neck down and needs round-the-clock care.

He told Weston College sixth form students: “I might be the extreme of what’s possible but I had been told so many times that I shouldn’t get in a car with a drink-driver, and I still thought I would be okay.

“Two people dead instantly, two fathers died instantly, four children were left without a father, all down to drink-driving.

“It turned my life upside down and the lives of countless others. You are told not to get into the car with a drink-driver for a reason, it should not be done.”

Youngsters can earn their Spurs

The next Paul Gascoigne or Gary Lineker could be discovered later this year, when Harrow College holds an open football trial day with Tottenham Hotspur.

Talented young ballers will get the chance to join the college’s education and football development centre for 16- to 18-year-olds if they impress at Vale Farm Sports Centre in Wembley on June 1.

Qualified FA coaches from the club lead three coaching sessions a week at the centre, and prepare students for their weekly matches against other development sides throughout the season.

Lee Janaway, director of student experience at Harrow College, said the ongoing partnership with the Premier League giant provides students with “top-class coaching”, while increasing their employability.

“The activities create opportunities that open their eyes to a range of careers both on and off the field and within the wider sports industry,” he said.

Previous success stories from the centre includes 18-year-old Anton Jarvis who was headhunted by a college in Texas last year and is now based in the US.

You can register for the trial day here.

A helping hand in Barnet

Caring Barnet and Southgate College students have been lending a helping hand to the North London Hospice over the last few months.

Five students from the college are carrying out 100 hours of work experience at the hospice as part of their health and social care level three course.

The volunteers have spent time at the hospice’s inpatient unit, outpatient and therapies service, and supportive care department, giving them experience in caring for patients who are at the end of their life.

Barnet and Southgate College student Beatriz Vierira, aged 17, said this placement has been an “introduction to nursing at
its best”.

She added: “The care provided is so vast and not limited to common perceptions people have of hospice care.

“The work I am undertaking here, such as observing health care professionals, serving patients their lunch, sitting and talking to service users and taking part in the social activities has certainly developed my skills and enhanced me as a student.”

Jane McFadden, curriculum manager for health and social care at Barnet and Southgate College said volunteering is the “perfect avenue” to support students’ “holistic development, future studies and careers across the health and social care sector”.

Concerns over consistency and clarity

Joe Baldwin points out failings with new arrangements for SEND learners.

While the Children and Families Act and the SEND code of practice both came into force in September 2014, the full impact for FE was not truly realised until September 2015.

This was when the first cohort of learners with education health and care plans (EHCPs) — documents which set out the special needs of a young person and the support they require — transitioned from school into colleges across England.

The code of practice devolved critical guidance from the Department for Education to local authorities.

This included freedom around the design and template of the plans and thresholds for assessment, along with the process for transforming the old special education needs statements and learning difficulties assessments into EHCPs.

In my experience this has led to a lack of consistency and clarity, which was vital in ensuring a sound framework for improving provision and outcomes within a new system.

The devolution of funding has meant that nearly all FE colleges find themselves claiming high needs top-up funding from multiple local authorities, as a result of their cross-county campus locations.

The different procedures for each local authority mean that college special needs managers have become adept at plate-spinning, to ensure each authority receives responses in their preferred method (post, email, attachments).

These must also be in line with their confidentiality and encryption protocols and use their required EHCP templates.

The SEND code of practice places significant responsibility on the role of special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO).

But the required qualification for such co-ordinators appointed after September 1, 2008, remains wholly focused on compulsory education.

In reality, the scale of many FE colleges means that their population of students with special needs is likely to be higher than in any one school.

The management and oversight of special needs learners within a school setting can also be more transparent, but this is problematic when scaled-up in FE across multiple vocational areas and potentially across campuses too.

The learners are not receiving the quality of support or provision to meet their needs

Supporting and up-skilling staff to better plan for and meet the needs of learners with SEND is challenging.

Since the reforms gathered momentum, the new changes and requirements for the FE sector have been significant.

I am confident in saying that no one within the sector could have been fully prepared for the scale, demand and resource requirements the reforms would have — even with the greatest foresight.

The few requirements which were outlined by the DfE have caused some of the biggest challenges to both local authorities and education providers.

Such requirements include a 20-week assessment timeline for delivering an EHCP.

The consultation process to request a college placement for an individual with such a plan, the subsequent response timeline, and the statutory annual review of each EHCP have generated an unprecedented amount of work.

Meanwhile, colleges are still trying to stay focused on improved outcomes and opportunities for the learner.

Ofsted’s March report on FE provision for learners with high needs, ‘Moving Forward?’, suggested that so far the Children and Families Act and the SEND code of practice have not met expectations.

The learners are not receiving the quality of support or provision to meet their needs and the postcode lottery still rife.

Putting the bureaucracy and lack of parity to one side, you have to have a learner with real needs, ambitious and aspirations.

We want to be best placed to provide them with an inclusive and supported environment in which they can thrive.

I am determined to create a culture within my own organisation which empowers all staff with the tools to understand individual needs and enables learners to progress towards leading fulfilled adult lives.