These three men have been sentenced after conspiring together in a loans scam at a London college.

Nathan Simmons (pictured above left), aged 30, admitted eight counts of fraud after hacking into a colleague’s account and signing-off 44 higher education loan applications between December 2012 and May 2013 while working as an administrator at East London’s Newham College, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Leon Marshalleck (pictured above centre), 29, and Peter Couzens (pictured above right), 30, both admitted fraud and converting criminal property after they passed their details to Simmons on the promise they could keep a cut of the loan cash in their name.

The SLC paid out £117,416, but loans worth £209,571 were blocked.

Simmons, of Meath Road, Stratford, was jailed for two years and Marshalleck and Couzens were both ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work on Friday.

Prosecutor Simon Sandford said: “Investigations by the SLC revealed that 44 students had been paid student loans on the basis they had enrolled at Newham College when in fact they hadn’t.”

He added: “Mr Simmons was the inside man who was an employee of Newham College who used another employee’s login without that employee’s knowledge to authorise bogus applications for loans.

“The other defendants allowed their personal details and bank account to be used for bogus applications,” he said. “They then withdrew the money in cash in return for a cut of the proceeds.”

Father-of-three Simmons, who has previous convictions for affray, battery and possession of cannabis, and served a seven-year jail term for heroin and firearms offences in 2007, secured the part-time job on a temporary basis at the college through his girlfriend’s mother, an examinations officer, but Judge Andrew Goymer said she was “wholly innocent” of involvement in the fraud.

He said: “He [Simmons] had himself been in prison so it looked like a very good opportunity for an ex-offender to better himself and turn his back on crime and that indeed is what he should have done.

“Unfortunately, he chose to let her down badly by going back to crime at the very place where he worked.”

Marshalleck and Couzens each received £6,159 from the SLC through the scam, keeping a cut of at least £1,000 each and handing over the rest to unknown third parties.

Couzens, of Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, who has no previous convictions, told police he had provided his name and account details “to make easy money” but did not fill out the applications himself, the court heard.

In addition to the 120 hours of unpaid work, Marshalleck, of Woodville Road, Surrey, who had previous convictions of cannabis and counterfeit currency possession and further drugs offences, received a six month suspended prison sentence, while Couzens was ordered to pay £1,000 compensation.

A spokesperson for the college said: “The SLC contacted us about the irregularities. An investigation took place immediately, as a result of which, the staff member concerned was dismissed and the Police were notified.”

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said more information would be provided about how it planned to reclaim the lost money for the SLC in November.

An SLC spokesperson said: “The SLC detected these fraudulent applications and cooperated with the police during their investigation.

“The SLC’s counter fraud services team works closely with police and other law enforcement agencies to tackle student funding fraud and protect the public purse.”

Image: Nathan Simmons, Leon Marshalleck and Peter Couzens

It had singing, it had dancing, it had speeches and it had an international flavour — no, it wasn’t the WorldSkills opening ceremony, but a hugely colourful visit to a Sao Paulo school by Team UK.

From a schoolboy violinist playing God Save the Queen to pupils dressed as the Village People dancing to Macho Man, every moment of the visit to Plinio Damasco Penna, in the north of the city, will live long in the memory of WorldSkills UK competitors.

The visit kicked off the day of the opening ceremony and came as part of the WorldSkills One School One Country programme in which all the competitor nations and regions are assigned to a local school where children then find out about their team, get to meet them the day before competition and present their findings to the competitors.

And the youngsters at Plinio Damasco Penna had four months to carry out their research, to produce a show with pupils acting out The Beatles’ Twist and Shout, among other impressive and fun representations of UK culture. They also put on demonstrations of their own culture.

In return, the children experienced the Team UK chant led by 21-year-old construction metal work competitor Christopher Hanson, from City Training Bradford and Richard Allan Engineering, and mechanical engineering apprentice Andrew Beel, also aged 21, from New College Lanarkshire and Pacson Valves. The youngsters were also invited to join in for a second rendition.

Hairdressing competitor Eleni Constantinou, 22 and from Coleg Sir Gar and Tino Constantinou hairdressers, said: “It was really good to see how much they wanted to support us and how much effort they put into making us feel welcome.

“I wasn´t expecting to get an experience like that at all. It meant so much to see how they respected us and what we do. It really was lovely.”

School principal Adriana Cunha Premoli said: “We researched all about UK with the children, and thankfully some of our teachers have been there before.

“The children loved putting on the presentations for Team UK and we wish them all the best of luck for the competition.”

The arrival of British ambassador to Brazil Alex Ellis later complemented the morning, which got under way at around 9am with flag-waving children lining the school entrance for Team UK.

He told competitors: “A really big thanks to all of you for coming to Brazil. There are worse places to be, but thank you very much indeed for coming.

“It’s fantastic you’re here — have a great week. This country is all about that — I’ve never lived in a place with so much expression and popular culture. It’s like no other country in the world in that respect. Do us proud this week — be stars.”

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Also in the UK visiting party was Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency chief executive Pater Lauener in his capacity as official UK delegate to WorldSkills 2015.

He told FE Week: “The sheer exuberance of the welcome that was conveyed by the children and also the Team UK competitors joining in as incredible. There were more selfies being taken than I´ve seen all year. It was just terrific and it was great to see the ambassador come along as well and be part of the occasion.

“It was a big change from my day job but it was really interesting coming to see a school in a not particularly affluent part of Sao Paulo, but I’ve seen some great teachers and kids that want to build their lives and the skills that WorldSkills is about will help them build their careers and lives.”

Mr Ellis told FE Week: “This has been a fantastic visit. It’s great to have a host school go to such effort to impress our competitors and also for them to see a real bit of life in Sao Paulo. It´s not a posh end of the city, but you can see the amount of creativity and passion that exists in a place like this.

“I hope this visit will help the children here realise there is a world beyond Sao Paulo. This is a huge city of 20m people and so it can be hard to think of the world beyond. But there is Britain and a lot of the things the children were doing this morning, like singing and dancing, was related to the UK and that’s what I hope the children get — the idea of a world beyond and the UK should be part of that.

“Obviously, Team UK have to perform to their highest possible standard and be great ambassadors for the country, but at the same time I also hope they get to see a little bit of Brazil and think ‘this is interesting, this is somewhere I could come, this is somewhere I could learn a bit and where I could teach a bit’. The future is going to be internationalization.”

He added: “I used to be a teacher. My father was a head teacher and my grandfather was a teacher, so it´s great to get out and do things like this.

“And also we want to build up relationships at all levels in Brazil — it´s not just about me, it´s about all the people that come here from the UK and from WorldSkills. It´s about the kids in the school here and that we all understand a little bit more about each other — that is the best kind of diplomacy.”

The flag-bearing best young tradesmen and women of the world were urged to share with everyone the life lessons of competing in Sao Paulo as the curtain went up on the 43^rd WordSkills competition.

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WorldSkills president Simon Bartley addressed the thousands gathered in Ibiraquera Gymnasium last night after around 1,200 competitors took part in the ever-popular parade of nations. This year it included a growing number of team chants and presentations — including Team UKs which even managed to raise a smile with the audience.

However, Mr Bartley’s speech delivered a message of the benefits that skills can bring to lives across the globe.

“Thank you everyone,” he said. “Thank you Sao Paulo 2015 competition organisers. Thank you CNI. Thank you Senai. Thank you sponsors. Thank you volunteers. Thank you for everything you have done for this our 43^rd WorldSkills competition and our first in Latin America.

“Your dedication and hard work will make sure or competitions have the opportunity to show the world a level of expertise that ensures our message that young people are more than capable of improving our world with the power of skills.

“That message should be heard louder and clearer than ever before.”

The ceremony, which started at around 7pm and closed at around 9.30pm, took place at a venue around four miles from here the competitions will get under way today, at Anhembi Park.

It was hosted by television presenter Didi Wagner and included presentations on the concept behind the medal designs, as well as competitor and expert oaths.

“Tonight, we choose. Over 1,200 skilled young professionals chose to represent their countries and regions at their professions as competitors,” said Mr Bartley.

“Over 1,100 dedicated trainers, teachers and industry representatives choose to represent their countries and regions and their professions as experts. Over 800 of us choose to be volunteers.

“We all choose to be part of the greatest skills movement in history, raising the awareness of the power of skills to transform lives, economies and society.

“And if we are choosing, so is the world — tonight the world is choosing to join us. Our families, our friends, our work and college colleagues have chosen to be part of the millions on social and digital media watching you in every time zone and in every continent and in every country of the world. They want you to succeed. They need you to succeed.

“The next four days are going to be tough. Tougher than anything you have experienced so far, but let me ask you to do four things. First — compete fairly and in the spirit of friendship and mutual development. Second — make friends with your fellow competitors.

“The next four days are the first days of the rest of your lives. Lives where you will treasure those that you have met here in Sao Paulo.

“Third — share what you are doing with everyone, colleagues, experts, WorldSkills, the world. You will never have an experience like Sao Paulo, so fourthly enjoy yourselves and good luck to you all.”

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The government has been accused “making a mockery” of sixth form college (SFC) financial planning after a survey revealed more than a third of SFCs fear they will cease to be a going concern by 2020.

Daphne King, principal of East Norfolk SFC (ENSFC), in Gorleston, spoke out in response to the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA) annual funding survey report, published today.

It showed that 96 per cent of SFC leaders questioned were either concerned or extremely concerned about the financial health of their colleges.

A further 36 per cent said that it was either likely or extremely likely that their college would cease to be a going concern by 2020, while 72 per cent reported dropping courses because of funding cuts.

The report, based on an online survey of the 93 SFCs conducted in June 2015, which 72 responded to, also revealed that a large majority of respondents did not believe their expected 2016/2017 funding would allow them to provide high quality education (70 per cent) or support disadvantaged students (83 per cent).

Ms King (pictured above), who told FE Week on July 21 that her grade two Ofsted rated SFC planned to “strengthen” its existing partnership with fellow grade two Ofsted-rated Paston SFC (PSFC), in North Walsham, has today said: “The [SFCA] survey results will strike a chord with every principal who’s trying to strategically plan ahead.

“We can’t take another cut. It is making a mockery of our planning — how can we plan effectively when more cuts could be on the horizon?”

Lowestoft SFC also confirmed to FE Week on July 21 that it was looking at forming a “partnership” with fellow grade two Ofsted rated Great Yarmouth College and grade three Ofsted rated Lowestoft College, following a review of post-16 provision in North East Norfolk and North Suffolk, which also covered ENSFC and PSFC.

It came after SFC Commissioner Peter Mucklow (pictured right) warned that large-scale mergers may be needed among SFCs to cope with looming funding problems, in a letter to every SFC in the country on July 16.

FE Week also revealed on June 22 that another SFC, Totton College, in Hampshire, is set to “join with “crime prevention charity Nacro from November.

The decision was made after Mr Mucklow warned that Totton could not function alone, having been hit with a grade four across-the-board Ofsted rating on June 15 and placed under Financial Notice to Improve by the Education Funding Agency.

The SFCA annual funding survey report also found that 39 per cent of SFCs had been forced to drop courses in modern foreign languages, while 24 per cent had cut STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).

A further 81 per cent said they were now teaching students in larger class sizes because of the funding cuts, the report added.

It said that in 2011, SFCs experienced, on average, a 10 per cent reduction in their programme funding as a result of entitlement funding for tutorials, enrichment activities, and additional courses being reduced from 114 hours per year to 30 hours.

A 16-19 funding formula introduced in September 2013, the report added, saw “average” SFCs lose 6 per cent of their funding, and a reduction in funding for 18-year-olds introduced in 2014 left SFCs, on average, a further 1.2 per cent worse off.

James Kewin (pictured left), SFCA deputy chief executive, said the report showed that “the sector cannot survive on starvation rations”.

“The government should end the funding inequalities that exist between SFCs and school/academy sixth forms — particularly the absence of a VAT refund scheme that, according to our report, left the average SFC with £317,964 less to spend on the front line education of students last year,” he added.

In response to the report, Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said his organisation was “extremely concerned” about the funding situation, which meant “it is simply not possible to employ teachers in every subject area”.

Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “Forcing SFCs to withdraw courses in modern languages and STEM subjects is illogical at a time when employers are desperate for entrants with these skills and knowledge.”

Shakira Martin, National Union of Students vice president for FE, said the survey showed that “continued attacks” on the sixth-form sector showed that the government was not “putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to providing opportunities and choices for young people”.

Nick Pearce, Institute for Public Policy Research director, also predicted the “continued demise of the SFC as a distinct institution”, having read through the report.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We have protected the schools budget and ended the unfair difference between post-16 schools and colleges by funding them per student, rather than discriminating between qualifications.”

The cover might not quite be off WorldSkills 2015 just yet, but FE Week was today one of the few privileged media organisations to be granted sneak preview access to Sao Paulo´s Anhembi Park venue.

The opening ceremony takes place tomorrow night, but competitors were allowed to ´familiarise´ themselves with the 400,00-sqm site today — and, under strict guidelines not to communicate with competitors, reporters and photographers were let in, too.

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View the @FEWeek Twitter account for more sneak preview images and watch for updates on the #GoWSTeamUK hashtag.

Today´s sneak preview came just moments after a pre-competition on-site press briefing with WorldSkills president Simon Bartley.

He said: “This is the 43^rd WorldSkills — the first one was in 1950 when there were just two members of WorldSkills International.

“Here we have a competition where there will be three further members ratified and we will be 75 countries and regions. Of those 43 competitions, until the competition we have starting after the opening ceremony tomorrow, only one competition has been held south of the Equator.

“The competition that starts Wednesday is the second in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the first competition in Latin America, and I think that is a very important thing to happen.

“WorldSkills is now a global movement — we have changed from being a club to being a movement. We are changing, but we have a long way to go before we can really justify that title, but we are making our way there.

“And this competition here in Sao Paulo is the first really big step that we are taking in that direction.

“You will also know this is the biggest competition there has ever been held within the WorldSkills organization. It is not the biggest skills competition in the world. WorldSkills Americas, Skills USA both have more people competiting, but this competition lasting in most cases four days with 1,197 competitors, around 1,100 experts from 62 attending countries with 59 team of competitors is the biggest in WorldSkills history.

“It will also be the biggest number of block competitions — 50 — at the highest level we have ever had, a level expected by industry and business around the world for them to be able to do what they need in their businesses, in their countries for their economies.

“We also seek this to be an opportunity for countries take back messages, images, information to allow them to encourage their young people to consider vocational, technical, craft careers.

“And also to allow countries in their educational system to be able to raise the standards in all of the disciplines they have to those that match the global requirements in a world where the transference of labour and the globalisation of business is a fact not a future.”

The WorldSkills General Assembly tonight (Monday, August 10) granted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish to host the 2019 competition.

The bid for Kazan, launched on the request of Mr Putin, was the third to be heard at the meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the eve of the 43rd WorldSkills opening ceremony.

A delegation from Belgium had been first up, hoping its bid for Charleroi would impress assembly members before a team from France had the same hopes with their bid for Paris.

However, members’ heads were turned by the third and final presentation, from the Russian delegation. Their bid will see WorldSkills go to Russia for the first time in its 70-year history in 2019 as the competition lands in the West Russian city of Kazan, 500 miles east of Moscow. It takes place in Abu Dhabi in 2017 while this year’s competition starts on August 12.

A WorldSkills spokesperson said: “Congratulations to Russia. Kazan has just been announced the host city of the WorldSkills ‪‬competition in 2019.

“We are very excited to have WorldSkills Kazan 2019 taking place in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, one of the leading economic regions in the country and we are convinced that this event will continue our great succession of promoting skills to the world.”

The bid for Kazan, which hosted the two-month 2015 Fina (Fédération internationale de natation or International Swimming Federation) World Championships this summer and has a population of around 1.1m people, was announced in November 2013 after the WorldSkills International (WSI) board of directors met high-ranking Russian politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets.

“We spend a lot of meetings with representatives of employers to rethink our professional standards. That is why today’s meeting is so important for us, and I hope that our cooperation will help us to implement the tasks facing Russia” said Ms Golodets at the time.

“That is why on behalf of the President of Russia we have made the decision to submit bid to host WorldSkills Moscow 2019. We plan to file our application in July 2014.”

She added: “It is nice to know that Russia is not alone in their concerns to increase the quality of vocational education and that these same problems are being solved and worked on by other countries.

“I am sure that our goals are the same and our collaboration with WSI would be useful. And I hope that together we will make new steps in the development of professional competencies on a global level.”

Keep up with all the action before and during the 2015 competition in Sao Paulo with FE Week – on feweek.co.uk or on Twitter with the handle @FEWeek and the #GoWSTeamUK hashtag.

More than 1,000 competitors from across the globe will be the stars of the show at tonight´s WorldSkills 2015 opening ceremony.

The parade of nations, when competitors from more than 60 WorldSkills member countries and regions enter the ceremony arena with their flag-waving teams, will figure early in the programme for the night.

The 10,200-capacity Ibirapuera Gymnasium, four miles from the vast competition venue of Anhembi Park, from 7pm hosts the two and a half-hour ceremony that will get competition under way.

And Team UK´s 40 young competitors (pictured above at Heathrow before leaving on Friday, August 7) will play their part having visited a local primary school as part of the competition´s One School One Country initiative.

WorldSkills president Simon Bartley said: “The opening ceremony celebrates more than 1,200 competitors, more than 1,100 experts, thousands of member representatives from over 60 countries and regions participating this week, hundreds of partners, sponsors, and volunteers.

“We will have a spectacular look at the culture and beauty of Brazil, and we only have to turn to the person next to us to recognize the effort and achievement that brings us together.

“Surely, tonight is a time to laugh and sing, and perhaps even dance to some Samba. Tomorrow brings a lot of hard work for all of us.”

Keep up with all the action before and during the competition with FE Week – on feweek.co.uk or on Twitter with the handle @FEWeek and the #GoWSTeamUK hashtag.