David Cameron’s apprenticeship adviser Nadhim Zahawi visited a London school today to launch a scheme that will put apprentices into primary schools.

Mr Zahawi, the Conservative MP for Stratford-Upon-Avon, was joined by 30 apprentices from different sectors at Mayflower Primary School, in Poplar, where they chatted with pupils about their jobs, bringing learning to life and broadening aspirations.

It was for the launch of the Primary Futures Apprenticeships scheme which is intended to help pupils make a connection between what they learn in the classroom and how it relates to the world of work.

It also aims to introduce children to the idea of an apprenticeship at a young age.

Mr Zahawi said: “It’s so important for primary school children to meet with apprentices and I was delighted to have the opportunity to be involved with this at Mayflower Primary School.

“Many of us develop our idea of a dream job while we’re at primary school, and apprenticeships are a great way of achieving these dreams.

“As the government seeks to hit the target of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020, school pupils should be aware of future options they have from a young age, so they’re familiar with the system and what the possibilities are as they shape their future.”

Developed by school leaders’ union NAHT, Primary Futures uses online matching technology to get people from a range of professions to volunteer and give an hour visiting their local school to talk about their job and “enthuse children about the opportunities open to them”.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of NAHT said: “It’s clear that there’s a real benefit in talking to children at an early age about the jobs they might do when they’re grown up; about how important their primary school learning really is in terms of future opportunities.

“Providing the right kind of inspiration can broaden horizons, which is where Primary Futures is proving to be so successful.

“Children are introduced to people from all sorts of jobs and can see the different paths to success, whether that’s degree, apprenticeship or any other route.

“Detailed guidance may come later but careers inspiration shouldn’t wait until children get to secondary school.  Involving apprentices in Primary Futures is a great extra angle to explore.

“Apprentices may well be closer in age to the children they’re speaking to, and as a result they may be more approachable and easier to identify with. Equally, it’s important to demonstrate that apprenticeships are a credible route for future employment.”

Teachers, employers and individual apprentices can visit www.primaryfutures.org to register.

Main pic: Pupils from Mayflower Primary School at the launch of Primary Futures Apprenticeships today

Colleges could be judged inadequate by the education watchdog if they do not ban pupils from wearing face veils when they believe it is hindering effective teaching.

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has announced today he gives his “full support” to college principals who “decided to take a stand against the inappropriate wearing of the veil”.

The announcement follows comments Sir Michael made on BBC Newsnight last week where he supported similar calls from education secretary Nicky Morgan and the Prime Minister.

He said: “I am concerned that some heads and principals who are trying to restrict the wearing of the full veil in certain circumstances are coming under pressure from others to relax their policy.
“I want to assure these leaders that they can rely on my full backing for the stance they are taking.”

Adding: “I have also made clear to my inspectors that where leaders are condoning the wearing of the face veil by staff members or by pupils when this is clearly hindering communication and effective teaching, they should give consideration to judging the school as inadequate.”

He said Ofsted is determined to ensure discrimination has “no place in our classrooms”. “We want our schools, whether faith schools or non-faith schools, to prepare their pupils equally for life in 21st century Britain.

“We need to be confident our children’s education and future prospects are not being harmed in any way.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We fully support Sir Michael’s statement today. We are pleased that heads who choose to implement policies which restrict the wearing of the veil to support effective teaching and learning will receive Ofsted’s backing.

“It is also clearly right that if the wearing of the veil is interfering with education in schools that should trigger action from Ofsted.”

But Leora Cruddas, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the union does not think that it is the role of Ofsted inspectors to judge schools on uniform policies and dress codes.

“Inspectors should focus on what schools achieve rather than what people wear,” Ms Cruddas said.

“Schools make decisions on uniform policies and dress codes with the needs of their staff and pupils in mind and take into consideration relevant educational, welfare and equalities issues.”

The Association of Colleges declined to comment.

The London branch of the University and College Union (UCU) has called an emergency demonstration outside Downing Street in response to government policy on English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol).

The demonstration, entitled Restore funding to Esol: don’t scapegoat migrants, is due to take place on Wednesday (January 27) at 6pm.

It has been arranged jointly with campaign group Stand Up to Racism, and is supported by Action for Esol and Lesbians and Gays support the Migrants.

A Facebook group promoting the demonstration says its aims are to “restore the funding for Esol”, obtain “free English classes for migrants and asylum seekers”, and “popularise the Action for Esol manifesto”.

On the Action for Esol website, the manifesto covers topics such as ‘the right to learn the common language of the UK’, ‘language, community and diversity’, and ‘professionalism’ and ‘pedagogy’ for Esol teaching.

The Facebook group confirms Shakira Martin, vice president for FE at the National Union of Students, and Daneille Tiplady, who has previously led a campaign for student nurse bursaries, as speakers at the event.

Last week (January 18) Prime Minister David Cameron announced that a new £20m fund would be made available to provide English language lessons for Muslim women.

He said that the government needed to be “more clear about the expectations we place on those who come to live here” and the new fund would help Muslim women from areas with “segregation” issues to integrate more smoothly into British society.

A UCU spokesperson said: “The government has slashed funding for Esol, so for the prime minister to come out and start accusing people of refusing to learn English is quite incredible.  It is vital that people are given the opportunity to learn English and that requires sustained funding.

“People want to improve their English to give themselves a better chance of getting work and fully participating in British society, and we should be helping them do that, not threatening deportation.”

It comes after a protest was held outside the Houses of Parliament in October, with around 600 staff and students from across the FE sector gathering to protest against cuts to Esol provision.

The demonstration was focused on the government’s decision in July 2015 to cut funding for a £45m programme of English courses for foreign language speakers, run with Jobcentre Plus.

Main image: Esol protestors make their views heard outside Westminster in October

Further education colleges will avoid being made to hit the new public sector apprenticeship recruitment target, FE Week can reveal.

A government consultation document out today explains how the 2.3 per cent target figure for public sector bodies, previously explained in the government’s English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision report published in December, would apply to those employing 250 or more people in England.

However, while it said some schools would be covered, it did not mention colleges.

FE Week understands this is because the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced in May 2012 that general FE colleges and sixth form colleges (SFCs) in this country had been reclassified from general government to the non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sector.

Yet latest published college accounts (2013/14) showed 196 colleges and six SFCs had 250 or more staff, totalling 110,787 employees.

Were they included in the target, that would be around 2,500 apprenticeship starts, although many colleges already employ apprentices.

The nine question consultation paper explained that “as a starting point for determining an appropriate target for public sector organisations”, the government had “taken the current proportion of public sector workers in the total workforce in England (16.2 per cent)”.

“We would, therefore, expect the public sector to deliver 16.2 per cent of 3m apprenticeship starts, which is around 486,000 apprenticeship starts,” it said.

“These starts will be delivered by a public sector workforce, currently 4.264m in England.

“Therefore, to deliver 486,000 apprenticeship starts by 2020, the public sector will need to achieve approximately 97,000 apprenticeship starts annually, which is equivalent to 2.3 per cent of the total public sector workforce.”

However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was unable to comment ahead of publication on what the current annual apprenticeship starts figure was for the bodies involved — which would have provided a more accurate idea of the rate of increase required to hit the target.

The consultation document said the “majority of other NHS bodies have 250 or more headcount (e.g. NHS Blood and Transplant) and would therefore be covered by the duty”.

It comes after the Vision 2020 report said the NHS was “committed” to delivering over 17,000 apprenticeship starts during 2015/16, reaching more than 100,000 in 2020.

When asked how this would work, taking into account the consultation guidance, a Department of Health spokesperson said: “The 100,000 apprenticeships will be cumulative over the course of this parliament.

“We’ve got 15,000 in 2014/15 and we are aiming for 17,000 in 2015/16.

“The BIS Enterprise Bill will bring in the public sector target later this year and we are working with NHS Employers and Health Education England to provide support and guidance to NHS Trusts,” she added.

The consultation document added all but around 30 of the 354 local authorities, all police and Armed Forces, and the vast majority of fire and rescue services would have to hit the target.

Other large bodies including Network Rail, London Underground, the BBC, Sellafield, Post Office, City of London, Bank of England, Financial Ombudsman Service, and the Financial Conduct Authority would also be covered.

Commenting on the consultation, Skills Minister Nick Boles said:“Our apprenticeships revolution has already given 2.4m people the chance to learn the skills they need to get on in life, with businesses leading the way.

“Now it’s time for the public sector to step up and give those same opportunities as we turbo charge our drive to give youngsters the best start to working life.”

The consultation document added the government would “determine whether or not further support is needed for public bodies to ensure they are maximising apprenticeship growth and, where they are failing to meet the target, taking steps to redress this”.

But it did not say what these steps might be, or what sanctions could be imposed on bodies that fail to hit the target.

It comes after FE Week reported on January 22 that the government had missed its orginal December deadline for launching the consultation.

The government was unable to confirm ahead of publication if it definitely planned to exempt FE colleges from the target.

Chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) Martin Doel has welcomed government moves to end “outdated snobbery” against apprenticeships in schools by legally forcing them to let FE providers talk to students about their benefits.

Schools are already legally obliged to provide careers guidance and a rule change in 2012 saw local authorities stripped of this responsibility with schools taking over.

However, a report by Ofsted in 2013 found that three-quarters of schools failed to equally promote vocational options.

And a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said yesterday (Sunday) that “schools must give equal airtime to the non-academic routes pupils can take post-16, under government plans to end the ‘second class’ perception of technical and professional education (TPE).

“A new law would see apprenticeship providers and staff from colleges visit schools as part of careers advice from early secondary school, to talk to pupils about the opportunities open to them through apprenticeships or other routes,” the spokesperson added.

The move was welcomed by Mr Doel, who said: “To make informed choices for the future, young people need high quality, impartial careers information about all post-16 education and training options, including apprenticeships and technical and professional education.

“We have long been calling for an improvement to the system and welcome the changes outlined.

“Colleges recognise the critical nature of good careers education and will be very keen to continue to work together with their local schools, and this announcement will make that a reality.”

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said that the government wanted to “level the playing field — making sure they [young people] are aware of all the options open to them and are able to make the right choice for them.

“For many young people going to university will be the right choice, and we are committed to continuing to expand access to higher education, but for other young people the technical education provided by apprenticeships will suit them better.

“That’s why I’m determined to tackle the minority of schools that perpetuate an outdated snobbery towards apprenticeships by requiring those schools to give young people the chance to hear about the fantastic opportunities apprenticeships and technical education offer.”

Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE, principal research fellow, Warwick Institute for Employment Research, and former chair of the National Careers Council, said: “I welcome the government’s announcement to publish a new careers strategy.

“For more than 3 years, the government has received many evidence-based reports indicating the careers system in England is fragmented and incoherent.”

Confirmation that tough new strike rules will apply to FE workers will “add confusion” rather than clarity, unions have warned.

The government’s ballot threshold consultation response, published Thursday (January 21) lists teaching and leadership of “pupils aged 5 to 16 in state-funded schools” as “important public services” which would be subject to the new 40 per cent support threshold for strike action, as part of the new trade union bill.

And a spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) confirmed that the tough new threshold would apply to “any teacher teaching a child under 17” whether in FE or a school.

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), called the policy “ill-thought through”.

She said: “The government has a poor understanding of how schools and colleges work.

“This will lead to a greater likelihood of legal challenges from employers which will prolong disputes, even when, like the wider public, union members want a resolution.”

“This legislation will do nothing to serve the interests of students or their parents,” she added.

“Today’s clarity is more likely to add confusion,” said University and College Union (UCU) head of bargaining Michael MacNeil.

 

— ‘I have no idea — or if I had an idea I’m not going to share it’ Skills Minister tells FE figures

— Former SFA director David Hughes tells of worries about employers policing employers

Skills Minister Nick Boles told key FE figures that he had “no idea — or if I had an idea I’m not going to share it” about how big the Institute for Apprenticeships should be to police employers once reforms took effect.

At a Policy Exchange round-table discussion, sponsored by the Learning and Work Institute (LWI), Mr Boles was tight-lipped as to how the employer-led body, that is due to be fully operational in just over a year, would oversee the new system.

He was asked by FE Week, which was granted exclusive reporting access to the event, how big he expected the institute to be in order to police the reformed apprenticeship system of thousands of new standards, 600,000 starts a-year to hit the government’s 3m starts target, 1,000 or more providers and half a million employers.

Mr Boles said: “I have no idea — or if I had an idea I’m not going to share it with you.”

Among those at the roundtable event, in London on Thursday (January 21), was LWI chief executive David Hughes, who told of his grave concerns that government would step back from a “policing” role for the institute to step in.

“The idea that employers will police themselves is nonsense. That really worries me,” he said.

Mr Hughes, who previously had responsibility for apprenticeship funding as a Skills Funding Agency national director, added: “It worries me because the employers that want to game play will ignore those that want to do it right. That’s what history shows us over the years.”

Plans for the new apprenticeships institute were announced as part of November’s spending review and autumn statement, which said the government would “establish a new employer-led body to set apprenticeship standards and ensure quality”.

It would be “independent of government and will also advise on the level of levy funding each apprenticeship should receive”.

The round-table discussion focused on apprenticeships quality and featured LWI plans for an apprenticeship charter, first mooted in the FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference last year, to act as an employers’ quality mark.

Mr Boles described the new apprenticeships institute as “a body that has quite a narrow remit but has very, very deep power within that remit”.

He added: “The way the institute is set up and the processes that it will be running will be ones that should ensure that collective policing of self-improvement.”

Mr Boles did reinforce the idea that the institute “is not a body that is constantly subject to directions by ministers and the latest whims of the latest politician”.

He said: “We will be bringing forward clauses in the Enterprise Bill that will set up the new Institute which will explain, and I hope clarify to everybody’s satisfaction, that that is exactly what it will be.”

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Editor’s comment

Boles bottles it

‘I don’t know, or if I did I wouldn’t tell you’ — it’s quite a statement for Skills Minister Nick Boles to make to FE Week readers.

And to be clear, our presence at this exclusive round-table had been cleared with him.

So it’s disappointing to hear his refusal to give straight answers to simple questions about apprenticeship quality.

As a holder of public office, he cannot simply bluster away such questioning and nor should he want to considering the question asked could well be key to paving the way for standards. Employers and providers are understandably anxious about the shift from frameworks — and on page 5 there’s just more evidence of this.

So if the Apprenticeship Delivery Board serves just one purpose then it would be most helpful if that purpose were to get Boles to be more forthcoming.

David Hughes is quite right to air concerns about giving employers the job of policing employers. We’ll just have to wait and see if it’s a view heard by Boles.

And while the minister may well not want to share his views with the public, the sector would like to share its views with him on this with a consultation — it might just be the only hope of slowing down the mad dash to launch the Institute for Apprenticeships.

Chris Henwood

chris.henwood@feweek.co.uk