The government has committed to report back on its progress in improving digital skills next year in its response to a critical House of Lords select committee report.

The House of Lords Select Committee on Digital Skills, chaired by Lady Morgan, published its report called ‘Make or Break: The UK’s Digital Future’ in February.

It warned that colleges were failing to meet employers’ digital skills needs.

The response, unveiled today by Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy Ed Vaizey, said: “Training and education must keep pace with the ever-changing technological landscape, with the right skills and infrastructure to underpin digital transformation.

“These are challenges faced by all developed nations, but this government will focus on capitalising upon the UK’s strengths to seize the opportunities that technology provides.”

The House of Lords report recommended that a single Cabinet Office minister should take overall responsibility for driving the digital agenda across all government departments and report on progress annually, starting in summer 2016.

The government’s eight-page response agreed to provide yearly updates in the form of a written ministerial statement, but declined to accept the recommendation to hand over all responsibility to a Cabinet Minister.

It said: “Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, as a joint BIS and DCMS Minister, reports to both Secretaries of State, which ensures that at a Cabinet-level there will be a strong focus on digital, both from an economic and a social perspective.

“This reflects that to truly reap the benefits, digital must be embraced in all aspects of UK citizens’ lives.

“Ensuring the UK’s position as a leading digital economy is by its nature a cross-government effort that requires cross-government Ministerial sponsorship.”

It added that Mr Vaizey was the chair of the Prime Minister’s implementation taskforce on Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion, alongside Cabinet Minister — and former Skills Minister — Matthew Hancock, who has responsibility for the digital transformation of government.

“Consequently the Taskforce is well-placed to co-ordinate activity across government to develop a comprehensive digital agenda,” it said.

Toshiba education adviser Bob Harrison, who contributed to the FE Learning Technology Action Group report, published in March 2014, warned that Mr Vaizey and Mr Hancock would have to convince their colleagues of the need for action.

Failure to do so, he said, could risk creating “a massive chasm between the rhetoric of this report and the reality”.

He said: “These are wonderful recommendations and need to happen, but it seems to me that the biggest job will be persuading ministers in other departments.

“While it says in the report, Ed Vaizey and Matt Hancock are driving this from the Cabinet Office, they need to challenge their colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department for Education to make this a reality.”

Governors at New College Nottingham (NCN) and Central College Nottingham (CCN) have voted to merge the two institutions following a review of FE provision in the city by commissioner David Collins.

Dr Collins, pictured, launched the review in May following recent grade three Ofsted inspection results for both colleges and financial difficulties which led to a £12m rescue package from the Skills Funding Agency so NCN could complete a campus revamp.

The result of the merger, which is due to take place by August 2016, will be one 40,000-learner “Nottingham College” in the heart of the city, with the Nottingham Post reporting that a new £60m skills hub planned for land near the Broadmarsh Centre off Canal Street will be the home of the new establishment

It comes after Skills Minister Nick Boles announced a national review of the structure of the FE sector, with an emphasis on creating “fewer, larger” providers, and cited the work done in Nottingham as a success story.

In a joint statement released by the colleges, the chairs of both governing boards expressed their support for the merger plans.

CCN chair Carole Thorogood said: “This is an exciting time for Further Education and the formation of a single college offers us the opportunity to transform Education and Skills across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire”.

And NCN chair David Nelson said: “This is more than a merger. It is about reshaping Further Education in Nottingham to create the future education and skills infrastructure that Nottingham needs – better, different and driven by the needs of Nottingham’s learners, employers and communities.”

Dr Collins has also voiced his support, adding: “In the light of recent announcements by the Minister of State for Skills it is encouraging to see Nottingham undertaking this pioneering work on behalf of local stakeholders.”

The colleges have confirmed that a new designate board will be established to take the project forward and consult, and buildings related to both colleges are expected to close, although it is yet to be confirmed whether the merger will lead to redundancies.

The news comes after five colleges in North East Norfolk and North Suffolk announced plans to collaborate following a similar pilot review in that area. Further area reviews are due to be rolled out nationally from September.

A study of three colleges has shown that sending regular encouraging text messages to learners can dramatically cut dropout rates.

The experiment was carried out by the Behavioural Research Centre for Adult Skills and Knowledge (ASK), which was launched last September by social purpose company the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

An ASK spokesperson said it involved 2,000 learners aged 19 or above from Manchester College, Leicester College, and Stoke-on-Trent College, who were all studying courses with entry requirements below level two for English and maths.

Half of them were sent texts, which encouraged them to continue with their studies, every Sunday evening during term times throughout 2014/15 and more frequently during the holidays.

A BIT update report for 2013 to 2015, which was published today, said that the experiment had been a success, as “these simple text messages led to a 7 per cent increase in [day-to-day] attendance [rates]” compared to the other 1,000 learners involved with the study who were not sent texts.

It added that the dropout rate, which shows the proportion of students who quit courses and never returned, was 36 per cent higher among learners who did not receive the texts.

Zhi Soon (pictured above), director of ASK, said: “The figures were very encouraging. We sent out more encouraging texts during the holidays, because that is a key time when dropout rates are higher than usual.”

Joyce Black, assistant director for development and research at the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, said: “Any interventions that providers use to support increased retention of learners on programmes are always a good thing. We know that many providers use such interventions regularly.

“We hope that their continued attendance has helped them to grow in confidence, changed their attitude to learning and to achieve their potential.”

Another experiment run by ASK over the last academic year attempted to demonstrate whether employers value GCSEs more than equivalent functional skills qualifications.

The BIT report explained that “variants on a CV were used in over a thousand job applications”, with some showing grade C maths and English qualifications and others equivalent level two functional skills qualifications.

Mr Soon said: “The final data is not back on this yet, but early indications suggest that employers have a more positive reaction to CVs displaying GCSEs.”

He added: “What we are trying to do with all of these trials is to equip providers with additional tools to engage in an even more effective way with their learners.

“We are planning to run more experiments with a larger selection of colleges next academic year.”
David Corke (right), director of education and skills policy for the Association of Colleges, said: “Anything which helps students to stay on the right education and training programmes will be of interest to colleges.

However, he added: “All students need good skills in English and maths in order to go into the work place, but in some cases a GCSE is not appropriate and a more applied qualification would most benefit the student and their future career.

“The government should work with employers in the public and private sector and colleges to develop new maths and English qualifications which are related to the world of work and everyday life.”

BIS declined to comment

No-one from Manchester College, Leicester College, and Stoke-on-Trent College was available to comment.

Film and TV, ceramics, veterinary nursing, and motorcycle manufacturing are among the industries that will be covered by 26 new Trailblazer apprenticeship groups launched today.

The new groups, which will design standards for 39 new, industry-led apprenticeship programmes, will include representatives from Pinewood Studios, Rolls Royce, BT, Dr Martens, and English National Opera.

The new standards will add to 24 that have already been cleared for use and more than 350 currently in development by more than 140 existing Trailblazer groups.

It comes as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) also revealed today that from August 27 there will be deadlines at midday on the final Thursday of every month for groups to express an interest in starting Trailblazers for new sectors.

Pinewood Studios director Andrew Smith is among those who will participate in one of the new Trailblazers, which will be for film and TV.

He said: “Young people are the future leaders of tomorrow’s industry and being part of the Trailblazers means we can guarantee they have the essential skills and training.

“The apprenticeships we create will be a key route for new entrants into the industry and will set them on course for a fun, challenging but ultimately rewarding career.”

However, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) raised concern with FE Week today that there were still not enough small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) getting involved with Trailblazers.

Stewart Segal, AELP chief executive, said that his organisation had “always supported” the involvement of employers of all sizes in the programme.

But, he said: “It is clear that it has been difficult to keep SMEs engaged in the process and more and more employers are recommending an overall governance structure to manage the process.

“All stakeholders, including employers need to be involved in that process.”

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “Our Trailblazer programme allows employers across the country to have their say in training tomorrow’s workforce, helping us achieve 3m apprenticeships by 2020.”

Teresa Frith, Association of Colleges senior skills policy manager, said the expanded Trailblazer list meant “more opportunities for young people”.

She said: “Colleges are already working closely with local employers to make sure they are training young people with the skills these employers need.

“We must ensure that all apprentices are trained to work in the wider industry, rather than just for a specific employer.

“Whilst it is good to see the number of apprenticeships increasing, the Government must ensure that the quality doesn’t suffer.”

It was also announced by BIS today that four existing Trailblazer groups have also been tasked with creating new standards for their industries — with, for example, the video games group developing one for community coordinator/associate community managers, and the financial services group producing a standard for advanced credit controller and debt collection.

The existing construction group is also developing a new standard for roofers and the food and drink group developing one for advanced bakers, BIS added.

A BIS guidance document for the new monthly deadline for expressing an interest in starting Trailblazers stated that “moving to monthly opportunities to submit EOIs [expressions of interest] will mean that employers can put in bids at any time with the assurance that they will be reviewed more regularly.”

The list of exact dates for monthly submission deadlines is available from the BIS website.

The guidance also revealed BIS would be offering financial support for employers from SMEs to cover the cost of travel to Trailblazer meetings.

The guidance said the fund would be “small” but did not say how much would be available, directing providers and employers who wished to find out more to their Skill Funding Agency relationship manager.

An AELP spokesperson said the move was “a very good idea.”

“It looks like they’re listening to some of the concerns that have been raised.”

The full list of new Trailblazers includes asbestos analysts, surveyors and technicians, automotive glazing, bid and proposal, biotechnology, building services engineering, business improvement, business innovation and growth, ceramics, community energy, community health and sport, construction, constructional steelwork, creative venues, and energy and utilities.

Engineering construction pipefitting, engineering project controller, entrepreneurship, film and TV, footwear, lift and escalator electromechanics, metrology, motorcycle manufacturing, project management, real estate and veterinary nursing were also on the list.

 

A new Apprenticeship Delivery Board (ADB) is set to advise the government on how to reach its target of 3m apprenticeship starts in this parliament.

The board, announced today by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), will offer guidance to the government on how to expand the programme, and will be jointly chaired by David Meller (pictured, left) and Watford MP Richard Harrington (pictured above).

A BIS spokesperson said that the other members of the board were still being chosen and would be announced “in due course”.

Mr Meller also chairs the National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network (NAAN), is a non-executive board member for the Department for Education, and sponsors a number of academies university technical colleges through the Meller Educational Trust.

He said: “Through my work as chair of the NAAN, I have seen first-hand just what a difference apprenticeships can make to people’s lives, and how beneficial they can be for employers who gain loyal and skilled staff that add genuine value to their business.”

Mr Harrington was confirmed as the Prime Minister’s advisor on apprenticeships in June.

He said: “The creation of the ADB is further proof of the incredible commitment that this government has to apprenticeships, which will give so many more people the opportunity to earn a wage, and gain a valuable qualification and skill that they will have for life.”

The move was welcomed by Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) chief executive Stewart Segal.

He said that “AELP has previously recommended the creation of a stakeholder group led by employers to ensure that there is an overall governance of the trailblazer process and the expansion of the programme”.

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has released its annual accounts and report for 2014/15, so we had a comb through and discovered the following…

 

1. Staff sickness at the agency has plummeted year-on-year…

 

2. But then again, so has the number of staff…

 

3. And fewer staff means a HUGE rise in the cost of redundancies and other exit packages…

 

4. The financial health of providers is acknowledged as a “significant risk” for the Agency…

 

“Increasing weakness in the financial health of colleges, leading to increased intervention putting pressure on SFA staffing and financial resources. One of the most significant risks that the SFA has had to manage, and will have to continue to manage over the coming years, is the deteriorating financial health of the sector delivering the training provision we fund.

“The financial pressure is due to reduced funding, increased competition, increased costs and a more cautious stance by banks on lending. This will result in increased work for the SFA in managing intervention cases. The SFA will continue to mitigate these risks by analysing early the financial plans of colleges most at risk to establish whether they are sufficiently robust.

“We will monitor potential cases of financial weakness through college management accounts. We will intervene early when there are signs of financial weakness to bring about recovery/ structural change where appropriate.”

 

5. The number of FE providers under a ‘notice of breach’ has risen sharply…

 

6. The number of cases of fraud under investigation by the SFA is down…

Between April 2014 and the end of March 2015, the SFA received 81 allegations of financial irregularity, compared to 132 in 2013/14 (although a “significant number” of those related to a single case).

There were 37 cases brought forward from the previous financial year, compared to 40 brought forward from 2012/13

At March 31, 15 cases were still live (compared to 18 at March 2014) and the SFA was vetting a further eight cases (compared to 22 at the same time last year).

 

7. Apart from almost £50m in capital funding which could have been wrongly paid to colleges, SFA boss Peter Lauener thinks the Agency has done a good job…

“I believe that the risks the SFA faced in the financial year 2014 to 2015 were generally managed effectively, with the exception of the management of capital grants to colleges which resulted in payments in advance of need and the qualification of these accounts.

“Work is under way to learn the lessons which will be shared with colleges and with BIS partner organisations.

“It will be a priority for me to enhance the existing processes and practices of the SFA in the coming financial year.”

 

 

8. The “effective management” of the SFA’s accounts isn’t the only reason Mr Lauener and other senior managers have to be pleased. May we draw your attention to the five and six-figure pension lump sums they are sitting on…

Five FE and sixth form colleges facing “significant financial challenges” are “actively considering” collaboration plans, following a pioneering review of post-16 provision in North East Norfolk and North Suffolk.

Great Yarmouth College (GYC), Lowestoft College (LC), and Lowestoft Sixth Form College (LSFC) released a joint statement this morning confirming that they are looking at forming a “partnership, designed to combine their strengths but still protect the individual identity of each college”.

Daphne King (pictured right), principal of grade two Ofsted rated East Norfolk Sixth Form College (ENSCF), in Gorleston, also said that ENSCF plans to “strengthen” its existing partnership with fellow grade two Ofsted-rated Paston Sixth Form College (PSFC), in North Walsham.

The exact format of both collaborations is still to be agreed.

The moves follow a review of post-16 provision in North East Norfolk and North Suffolk, which covered all five colleges.

It was overseen by the FE Commissioner Dr David Collins (pictured left) and Sixth Form College Commissioner (picture below right) during the first five months of this year.

A report on this published yesterday (Monday) by Mr Mucklow said that it was “clear from the evaluation, that it would be difficult for all five [colleges] to stand alone in the longer term.

“Doing nothing has already been determined not to be a viable option,” the report added.

“There is the strong likelihood of the collapse of some of the local provision within the next two years if nothing is done.”

It added that all the colleges involved were facing “significant financial challenges”.

“Between the five colleges at the time of the site visits, the picture showed a potential deficit for the 2014 to 2015 academic year of just over £1.3m.

“Some of this has since been managed down through in-year efficiencies, but this is projected to rise in 2015 to 2016.”

It added that the combined college liability, in terms of long-term bank loans to fund past capital development, was also almost £11m.

It comes after the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) yesterday announced plans, in its report Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions, for a “programme of area-based reviews to review 16+ provision in every area” of the country.

The North East Norfolk and North Suffolk review and another for Nottingham, which FE Week revealed had been launched on May 1, were pilots for this.

The spokesperson for GYC and LSFC, both rated good by Ofsted, and grade three Ofsted rated LC said: “This is an innovative and arguably overdue solution for the towns of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

“As individual institutions, we are each experiencing the challenge of a fall in the college age population across our two towns, so rather than competing amongst ourselves, we want to explore a way to work together.

“Our aim is to create a new, stronger college group with the secure foundations needed to establish an even wider range of relevant and specialist courses.

“This will strengthen links with local industries, such as our growing energy sector, by delivering a skilled workforce.

“It will also ensure our local students gain the experience they need to secure their chosen career, with a seamless transition from secondary, through to further and higher education.”

Ms King said: “My college and PSFC have been sharing services since September last year and further work is being done to ascertain the benefits of forming a stronger partnership.

“We are two of the highest performing colleges in Norfolk and we want to build on our reputation for excellence.”

No-one from PSFC was available to comment.

Gordon Boyd, assistant director for education at Norfolk County Council, said: “We want the best possible education for Norfolk students, so we are very supportive [of the plans].”

Suffolk County Council was unable to provide a comment ahead of publication.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), which were all involved in the area review, declined to comment.

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) will run next year from March 14 to 18.

The dates for the ninth annual NAW, which celebrates the positive impact that apprenticeships and traineeships have on learners, businesses and the economy, were confirmed today by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Skills Funding Agency (SFA).

This year’s (2015) NAW, which ran from March 9 to 13 and was covered extensively in a special FE Week supplement, saw more than 600 apprenticeship-themed events and activities, staged for example by learners, FE providers, schools and employers, across the country.

A spokesperson for the SFA, which co-ordinates NAW, said that “we hope there will be even more events next year [2016], making it the best ever”.

They will include the second FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference and Exhibition (AAC), which will be held at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre (ICC) for three days from Wednesday, March 16.

Stewart Segal (pictured right), chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers,  said: “NAW is a great opportunity to focus

on the success of the apprenticeship programme and the 2016 week will show the progress towards achieving the 3m target.

“Many training providers work with employers and their apprentices to raise the profile of this vital programme.

“We’ll be supporting our members during the week and are delighted to be strategic partners again in the AAC.”

Teresa Frith (pictured left), senior skills policy manager for the Association of Colleges, said: “Apprenticeships are an important way for young people to bridge the gap between education and the world of work, by earning while they’re still learning.

“National Apprenticeship Week helps to make young people aware that there is another career option open to them.”

Tom Stannard, deputy chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace), said: “The NAW will play a key role in highlighting the importance of apprenticeships for people of all ages and not just young people.  We hope that the government’s ambition for 3m apprenticeship starts results in millions of completions, providing apprentices with a solid foundation for their future career and progression throughout.

“We also hope that the week will encourage more employers to set up quality schemes and benefit from the increased productivity that higher levels of training, including apprenticeships, bring to workplaces of all sizes across the country.”

Richard Harrington, Prime Minister David Cameron’s advisor on apprenticeships and joint chairman of the new Apprenticeship Delivery Board, said: “As part of its remit to stimulate apprenticeship growth, I’m pleased to say that the Apprenticeship Delivery Board will be steering the direction of the next National Apprenticeship Week, which in 2016 will be between March 14 to 18.

“The knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm of the board will assist our colleagues in business, in BIS, the SFA and the FE and Skills sector to deliver a great week that will highlight the government’s key priorities and commitments in this area — including the drive towards 3m apprenticeship starts in this parliament and the progress of reforms to give employers control of apprenticeships.”

A 157 Group spokesperson said: “We continue to support and promote NAW and look forward to getting involved with the 2016 campaign.

“This is a vitally important initiative to raise the profile of apprenticeships, among potential apprentices, employers — particularly small and medium sized enterprises — and the wider public.

“Apprenticeships have been given centre stage by the government’s skills agenda and it is crucial that all employers understand how and why they should get involved.”

Part of the purpose of NAW is to encourage more interest in apprenticeships. This year’s (2015) NAW saw an additional 200 businesses joining the Trailblazer programme, which is challenging employers to design hundreds of new apprenticeship frameworks.

There was also a record-breaking 23,000 apprenticeship vacancies were pledged and the SFA spokesperson said that the “ambition for NAW 2016 will be to better this”.
Sue Husband (pictured left), director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “Last year’s NAW saw some tremendous achievements, but I want next year’s to be the best yet.

“I am looking forward to once again raising the profile of apprenticeships and traineeships and celebrating the important role they play in equipping people of all ages with the skills that they need to prosper in their lives.”

The 2015 AAC attracted more than 600 delegates to Westminster’s Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, in March.

Speakers at the event, hosted by broadcaster and journalist Kirsty Wark, included Skills Minister Nick Boles, Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna and the then-House of Commons Education Select Committee chair Graham Stuart, who used the conference to launch the committee’s report on apprenticeships and traineeships for 16 to 19-year-olds.

Would-be delegates to the 2016 AAC are being urged to save the date, register their interest here and keep an eye out for further announcements about booking information, speakers and other activities, in FE Week and at feweek.co.uk later this year.