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Edition 121: Jo Watson, Fiona Quick, Andy Davidson, Liz Redwood, Darran George, Barbara Titmuss and Richard Deane

Half a dozen new directors have been appointed at Weston College, in Somerset.

The new appointments include Andy Davidson, as executive director for strategic intervention; Liz Redwood, as enterprise and commercial development director for data compliance, funding; and, Fiona Quick, as external partnership director.

Jo Watson assumes the role of new business opportunities executive director; Darran George is multi-academy trust executive director and Barbara Titmuss takes on assistant director of inclusivity, leading on the Bristol Futures Academy — a multi-academy trust created and sponsored by the college.

Principal Dr Paul Phillips said: “Competition for these posts was extremely strong and I believe the team we have now will complement and take forward this outstanding college.

“We have seen exceptional levels of enrolments for both Further and Higher Education with yet another success at the North Somerset Business Awards.

“The strategic plan is all about putting learners first and we have focussed on consolidating key aspects of our business as well as developing a multi-academy trust model the college can sponsor.”

Meanwhile, Derby College has appointed a new vice principal to lead on curriculum strategy.

Richard Deane joins Derby College from Warwickshire College, where he was vice principal — curriculum innovation.

He started his working life as a personal trainer and combined this with his passion for music, which took him around the UK and Europe as a drummer with several bands including progressive rock band Ark and also touring with Kirk Brandon and Spear of Destiny.

At the age of 20, he was put in charge of a sports centre in Tamworth — supporting a pioneering active learning programme to support 30 apprentices.

He later joined Sutton College in Birmingham as a sports lecturer — working with employers on developing Training for Work programmes.

A move to North Birmingham College was followed by a head of department role at Solihull College in 2001 where he remained until 2010 when he moved to Sheffield College as assistant principal. He was also appointed as a part-time Ofsted inspector in 2005.

“Education lured me away from the rock star life. However, those early days taught me important skills that I took into business and my career in the FE sector such as being flexible and entrepreneurial to recognise and take advantage of new opportunities,” he said.

Bank of BIS launches emergency college loans

General FE colleges turned away by the banks and facing financial meltdown have been thrown a possible lifeline with a new system of emergency loans from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The rules for “exceptional financial support” were released on Thursday (December 4) and provide hope for a last chance source of funding for cash-strapped colleges. They outline “short-term” loans of up to three months’ repayment and “medium-term” loans to be repaid with a year.

Both options leave colleges open to the risk of financial notices of concern being issued by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and a possible visit from FE Commissioner Dr David Collins — whether loans are granted or not. Meanwhile, even just the application for a “longer term” loan, with no repayment schedule, will see the SFA issue a financial notice of concern and send in Dr Collins.

The new loans system was welcomed by Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel (pictured below right) and 157 Group executive director Dr Lynne Sedgmore (pictured below left), who both pointed to the effect of government funding cuts on college finances.

“Following significant funding reductions from government, some colleges are inevitably experiencing financial difficulties,” Mr Doel told FE Week.

“Therefore, giving them access to loans to facilitate recovery is a welcome move from BIS. However, we have also been calling for an ‘innovation fund’ through which colleges can proactively look at options that further enhance their ability to respond to the needs of employers and local communities.”

Dr Sedgmore said: “The very fact exceptional support is being made available is a sign of the extent to which college funding has been disproportionately targeted over recent years.

“We will be monitoring the uptake as an indication of the financial stability of the sector to inform our very serious discussions with ministers and others in the coming weeks.”

Indeed, it comes with the vast majority of Dr Collins’s 13 published college inspections having been triggered by financial problems identified by the SFA.

Nevertheless, it is understood the loans, not on offer to sixth form colleges, replace the SFA system of advances which, according to the rules document, “will be converted to the new arrangements”.

And they will also have “greater transparency” than advances with successful applications having passed the SFA, BIS, the Department for Education, the Education Funding Agency, Ofsted and Dr Collins himself.

A BIS spokesperson said: “The guidance is primarily about introducing greater transparency and setting out the steps BIS and the SFA will take where a general FE college declares that it is encountering financial weaknesses which it cannot resolve from its own resources or through its usual borrowing facilities.” She said no loan had yet been given out.

Editor’s comment

Paying the principal and calling the tune

The new system of emergency loans for colleges fighting to survive is clearly a positive thing in offering genuine hope of a way through increasingly tough financial times.

It is difficult to have sympathy for principals and governors where weak or misguided decision-making has led a college into dire straits through foreign follies, unproven projects, or whatever.

Struggling to survive in the face of government funding cuts is quite another matter, however.

But common to every college under the cosh will be the threat hanging over the future of learners. They have most at stake here.

So the “greater transparency” promised by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in shifting from a secretive system of Skills Funding Agency “advances” to “loans” is a wise move.

The range of key players involved in the application process should help ensure expert eyes are cast over troubled colleges sooner.

It will also mean greater scrutiny and therefore consideration of scarce public money heading, let’s not forget, to colleges facing the very real threat of going bust.

But also key are the BIS conditions tied up with the loans, which could well include following FE Commissioner advice to, for instance, sack leadership and governance.

He who pays the piper…

Chris Henwood

chris.henwood@feweek.co.uk

BIS plan to cut £300m FE and skills red tape shaves just 2 pc off costs for providers, audit office finds

A government plan to reduce £300m of FE and skill bureaucracy has come under fire from Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chair Margaret Hodge after a National Audit Office probe found it had cut less than 2 per cent of costs for providers.

In a damning report out today, the NAO said the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) Simplification Plan — launched after an NAO report in 2011 estimated the cost of meeting funding, qualifications and assurance requirements to providers was between £250m and £300m — had saved a mere £4m and that a “much more serious effort” was needed.

The NAO report points out the plan, containing 42 actions across 10 different bodies, was “not a strategic stocktake of where simplification might have the greatest impact” and that providers themselves had “little voice” in its development.

Ms Hodge, pictured, said: “I am incredibly frustrated that the efforts of BIS to cut bureaucracy have not reduced the admin burden faced by the FE sector. The department’s simplification plan has brought cost savings of only £4m – which is just a tiny fraction of the £7bn which goes to FE providers each year.

“Worse still, many providers feel that the weight of bureaucracy put on them by complex funding and assurance arrangements is the same or greater than before the plan. It’s no wonder that providers struggle with all the different arrangements when they have to deal with multiple bodies and funding principles for different learners on the same courses.

“I am deeply concerned that public money is being spent on unnecessary admin and diverted away from learners. The department needs to do a great deal more to understand how much it will cost for providers to comply with further changes that might lead to an even greater admin burden.”

The NAO report points out that BIS does not keep a record of compliance costs, and so cannot even track whether the its plan worked. However, it said 30 of the actions had been achieved by September last year, but added that “most providers consulted during the evaluation felt the administrative burden was either worse than or no different from that experienced before the plan”.

The NAO report said: “The plan contains some good ideas, volunteered by the funding and oversight bodies, but implementing these ideas has not impacted significantly on the cost burden of complexity, as this report shows.

“A much more serious effort, led by BIS, is needed to meet the PAC’s concerns and deliver better value for money in a sector that is already hard-pressed.”

It goes on to make five recommendations for BIS, including improve the quality of information on compliance costs imposed by funding and assurance bodies; work with the Department for Education (DfE) to publish a document that clarifies the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of the various oversight bodies; and, work with the DfE to find more radical ways to simplify the complex funding arrangements.

It also said that BIS should ensure that forthcoming changes are implemented consistently with policy aims, but do not introduce unnecessary complexities and costs for providers; and should work with Ofqual, the Joint Council for Qualifications and the Federation of Awarding Bodies to reduce the variation in administrative requirements placed on providers by the awarding organisations.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “We and the PAC have highlighted before the over-complexity in the further education sector and the unnecessary burden this places on training providers. This diverts money away from students.

“Despite some progress there is still too much red tape. While initiatives to reduce the levels of bureaucracy have generated some good ideas, putting them into practice has not significantly cut the cost incurred by hard pressed providers. BIS, working with the Department for Education, needs to consider more radical ways to simplify complex funding arrangements.”

A BIS spokesperson said: “We have made good progress in removing and reducing bureaucracy for FE providers. Funding and inspection systems have been streamlined and providers tell us that this has had a positive impact.

“We will carry on working with the sector to reduce bureaucracy while driving up the quality of FE provision and making it more responsive to the needs of learners and employers.”

For more, read edition 121 of FE Week, dated Monday, December 8.

Employers shamed for underpaying workers — including apprentices

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has named and shamed 25 employers for failing to pay the minimum wage — and more than one is under fire over apprentice pay.

A BIS spokesperson confirmed more than one of the companies had paid learners less than the £2.73 apprentice minimum wage.

She refused to specify the firms at fault over apprentice pay or exactly how many apprentices were affected.

The full list of underpaying employers, who collectively owe workers more than £89,000 and have been fined more than £36,000, is below:

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham, neglected to pay £25,553.40 to 16 workers
Walsall FC Community Programme, Walsall, neglected to pay £9,353.63 to six workers
KIG (Nottm) Ltd, trading as Little Bears Day Nursery Nottingham, neglected to pay £9,298.86 to two workers
Narvida Ltd, Dunfermline, neglected to pay £7,629.00 to eight workers
Associates Hair, Body and Mind Ltd, Durham, neglected to pay £5,349.79 to six workers
Worthingtons The Salon Ltd, Reading, neglected to pay £5,054.89 to a worker
Heropreneurs, Suffolk, neglected to pay £4,374.84 to a worker
Gurdal Ltd trading as Lyng Pharmacy, West Bromwich, neglected to pay £4,120.94 to a worker
Mrs Christine O’Mara, Mr Terry Krause & Mr Anthony O’Mara trading as Discount Sports, Rotherham, neglected to pay £3,475.94 to five workers
Civil Defence Supply Ltd, Lincoln, neglected to pay £3,454.80 to a worker
Ms J Bonaldi trading as Glow Hair Boutique, Prestwick, neglected to pay £3,295.63 to a worker
Mr Terence Brown, trading as Twins Fruiterers, Sunderland, neglected to pay £2,140.82 to a worker
The Gearbox Company Ltd, trading as South West Transmissions, Exeter, neglected to pay £1,524.22 to a worker
Mr G Ieronimo, Mrs C Ieronimo & Mrs J Dean trading as Cutting Club, Cleethorpes, neglected to pay £835.76 to nine workers
Mrs J Norbury & Miss B Norbury, trading as Rare, Oldham, neglected to pay £671.86 to a worker
Valentino’s Hair & Beauty Ltd, Rotherham, neglected to pay £655.70 to two workers
Ms Tuyet Vo, trading as Modern Nails, Manchester, neglected to pay £604.74 to a worker
Xios 1 Ltd, trading as L’Unico Richmond, neglected to pay £485.46 to a worker
Mrs R Collins, trading as Somtum Thai Takeaway Cafe, Dorset, neglected to pay £418.59 to a worker
Premier Autos (Hednesford) Ltd, Staffordshire, neglected to pay £339.12 to a worker
Armonia Ltd, trading as Armonia Health & Beauty Treatment & Training Centre, Doncaster, neglected to pay £286.12 to six workers
TopCon Construction Ltd, Grimsby, neglected to pay £276.02 to a worker
Danhouse Security Ltd, Surrey neglected to pay £161.83 to two workers
Rucola Ltd, Amersham, neglected to pay £130.29 to two workers
Ms D Perry, trading as Dog in a Doublet, Peterborough, neglected to pay £108.97 to three workers

Looking back 100 years to when apprentices could be jailed for ‘idleness’

New research by a Lincoln university professor of history, commissioned by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), shows how apprenticeships have changed since the outbreak of the First World War, writes Paul Offord.

Today’s apprentices might expect to be hauled before their employer or tutor if they are not pulling their weight — but not a judge.

As part of the government’s Made by Apprentices 1914-2014 campaign, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) commissioned professor of history at the Univesity of Lincoln Krista Cowman to study historical records and prepare an overview of early 20th Century apprenticeships.

Professor Cowman found that apprentices who, according to their bosses, were performing below par a century ago could be summoned to appear in court.

It could be for turning up late, being “idle” or just having a bad attitude and could even result in a prison sentence.

The report, which will be published online later this month, stated: “By 1914 law was becoming the last resort for employers… ‘Idle’ apprentices still occasionally appeared before the Chamberlain’s Court in London where the maximum punishment for this crime remained a term of three months in the Bridewell.”

It added apprentices who failed to fulfil their obligations were also being brought before the courts in other parts of the country at that time.

A selection of photos of apprentices taken around 100 years ago in North East England were released to coincide with the campaign, launched as part of commemorations of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, that aims to help boost awareness of apprenticeships among young people and employers and show how they have changed.

It was supported by Edward Padgett, owner of Arthur Padgett plumbing business in Lancashire, which started trading almost 100 years ago and was founded by his grandfather, Arthur Padgett.

He said: “My grandfather started as an apprentice in plumbing over a century ago.

“Since then our trade has evolved enormously, but the need for skilled labour is still as relevant today. That’s why we continue to support apprenticeships.”

Sue Husband, director of apprenticeships at the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “We urge employers to take stock on what has been achieved in the last century and consider how apprenticeships could help their business deliver for years to come.”

Professor Cowman’s research allowed the SFA to compare the 10 most popular apprenticeships in 1914 with those of today

Traditional trades including dress making, carpentry and millinary dominated back then, but it is more varied today with health and social care, business administration and management at the top.

There were 851,500 people taking part in apprenticeships in 2013/14 across all ages and all levels, according to government figures in last month’s Statistical First Release, compared to around 192,000 in 1914, according to the SFA.

Most apprentices in 1914 started work aged 15 to 17, according to the report. But nowadays the 25+ age group is home to the greatest number of starts, at 161,600. For 16 to 18 in 2013/14 the figure was 119,800.

Funding arrangements also differed in 1914, as apprentices were “indentured” — which meant they were legally required to work for an employer for a number of years and had to pay a fee to their employer to cover the cost of training and tools.

Main photo caption: Apprentices in a brass foundry in North East England in 1914. Top left inset: A female apprentice working in an iron foundry at around the same time Bottom left inset: An apprentice fitter sits on a large pile of cables at a shipyard in Tyneside Pics: Tyne & Wear Museum

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Zoo license granted to college

Bicton College has been granted a zoo licence allowing it to show its collection of exotic animals to the public.

The Devon-based college opened an animal husbandry school in March 2014 for animal care, husbandry and conservation courses, which was paid for with a £2,880,000 grant from the Skills Funding Agency.

It contains a number of animal enclosures and paddocks that house animals including ring tail lemurs, alapacas, chinchillas, skunks, snakes, terrapins and spiders.

The college has now been granted a zoo licence.

Sue Merrett, head of animal care, said: “Our plan is to open for programmed education events for schools, youth and community groups and themed activities including junior keeper and face your phobia days.

“Our students will take a primary role in handling the animals and presenting to the public, providing them with extra experience and real-world training to further embellish the skills they present to future employees.”

Main photo caption: Level two animal care apprentice Sophie Harvison, aged 17, holding a skunk.

Chancellor hands employers National Insurance break for apprentices aged 24 and below and promises £20m for careers advice

Chancellor George Osborne today announced that employers will no longer have to pay national insurance contributions (NIC) on apprentices aged 24 and under.

In the autumn statement, he announced the abolition in April 2016 of what he described as the “job tax” on employers of apprentices, claiming it would affect bosses of around 500,000 learners. But apprentices themselves will still be required to pay NIC.

He told MPs at the House of Commons: “We back the businesses who employ apprentices, especially young apprentices under the age of 25. At the moment we charge National Insurance on businesses who employ apprentices.

“Today I can announce that the jobs tax on young apprentices will be abolished altogether. When a business is giving a young person a chance in life we’re going to support them not tax them.”

Apprentices under the age of 21 will already be exempt from employer NICs from April.

Nevertheless, Mr Osborne also used the statement to unveil £20m for improving careers advice, but details of how it will be spent have not yet been announced.

“Career change work experience” also featured with the announcement that, “from April 2015 the government will pilot career change work experience and training opportunities for older benefit claimants to help them gain the experience and training they need to re-skill and get back to work.”

Employers currently make NIC for any employees earning more than £153 a week, including apprentices, although those earning the apprentice minimum wage of £2.73 per hour would not breach that threshold.

In the autumn statement document, the Treasury said: “The government is making it cheaper for employers to take on an apprentice by abolishing employer NI contributions for apprentices aged under 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.

“This means that employers of around half a million apprentices will be exempt from paying employer NI contributions.”

The upper earnings limit is currently £805 per week.

The document went on to say the change would cost the government £105m in 2016/17, £110m in 2017/18 £120m in 2018/19 and £125m in 2019/20, with costings based on the 2012/13 annual survey of hours and earnings along with apprenticeship data from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

For more, read edition 121 of FE Week, dated Monday, December 8.

Learners enter ‘Dragons’ Den’

Level three business students from South Cheshire College pitched their business ideas to a Dragons’ Den-style panel of business leaders.

A total of 75 learners presented proposals to representatives from organisations including marketing agency Momentum Factor UK and accountancy firm The Alextra Group.

Ideas included a relaxation zone in a shopping centre, featuring computer games, where people who hate shopping could wait while their partners visited stores. Another learner wanted to open a night club without DJs where clubbers chose songs at the touch of a button.

The panel selected the 18 best ideas which will be further developed ahead of the college’s Business Exhibition in January, where an overall winner will be chosen.

Claire Finney, business lecturer at South Cheshire College, said: “The students have all worked exceptionally hard on their business ideas and put forward some excellent proposals to employers.”

Photo caption: Back row from left: Students who pitched ideas Tommy Locklin and Jake Toal, both 16, and Mulenga Kangwa, 17, with Phil Taylor from Alextra Accountants. Front row from left: Learners Jess Brown, 18, and Michael Madeley, 16, and Jamie Stewart from Momentum Factor

Giant mural commemorates Falklands War

A giant mural telling the story of the Falklands War was created by A-level art and design students at the HMS Excellent Royal Navy base in Portsmouth.

Base warrant officer Simon Hayman had the idea for the 12ft by 12ft mural while attending a recent commemoration dinner for the conflict between Britain and Argentina in 1982.

He emailed South Downs College to ask if students would like to take on the project.

Around 20 learners developed the concept and a number of stencils over six months, before spending eight days painting it onto a wall in the officers’ mess at the navy base.

Lyn Surgeon, college principal, said: “It’s quite amazing when you think of the quality of work that our young people have been able to produce and the incredibly creative and respectful way they honoured the veterans from the Falklands.”

Mr Hayman, said: “The students delivered something monumental in my eyes. What the students have produced tells a story and they’ve captured every aspect of it.

“For that I am eternally grateful, my mess is grateful and I am proud to be associated to it.”

Main photo caption: Art and design lecturer Mark Kellett, student Luke Aris, aged 21, principal Lyn Surgeon, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Jones, and students Amelia Fewings, 17, and India Benton, 18 at the unveiling ceremony

Left insert: The mural