A government report on the apprentice Trailblazers has identified the emergence of “potential risks … that require national attention in coming months”.

The changeover to a new funding system and the pace of development of new apprenticeship standards were among several risks to successful delivery, according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills interim report entitled Evaluation of the Apprenticeship Trailblazers.

It was published on Thursday, March 12, and looked at how the Trailblazer groups, which the government sees as implementing the Richard Review recommendations for greater employer ownership of apprenticeship training, was progressing.

The 60-page report said the ability to manage risks and “set up a structure and process that allows Trailblazers to truly take ownership of their development is the key challenge for the national policy team and one they are tackling head on”.

Stewart Segal, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), said: “We have for some time been recommending that there should be an independent evaluation of the Trailblazer process so we welcome this assessment.

“The report makes some interesting observations on the new standards and raises the issue of different approaches between sectors. We need to ensure that there is a balance between flexibility and having a coherent and transferable system.

“We welcome the flexibility we have seen recently around matters such as end-assessment and grading where the government has accepted that grades are not appropriate for all sectors.

“On funding, the report raises a number of issues that AELP has brought up including the fact that co-investment can take many different forms. It reinforces the concerns of employers if mandatory cash contributions are part of the new system.

“We have long recommended the need for employer investment but this can be achieved in other ways. We hope that the government takes this report’s findings into account in its rethink of the funding model.”

The report came out the same day Skills Minister Nick Boles announced 200 more employers had signed up to the Trailblazer overhaul of apprenticeships.

Mr Boles said: “Giving leading firms from British Gas to video games manufacturer Ubisoft the power to design and deliver high quality apprenticeships, means we can ensure more young people have the skills our economy vitally needs.”

New College Durham principal John Widdowson will be the next president of the Association of Colleges (AoC), it was announced today.

Mr Widdowson, who has been a college principal for 16 years and has served on the AoC board and Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), will take over the role from Exeter College principal Richard Atkins in August.

He is the first principal from a college in the North East to be elected to the role.

Mr Widdowson said he wanted to help the AoC “secure a positive future” for FE, “confronting the practical issues we face and sustaining the values and vision that colleges represent”.

He added: “Whatever government is elected in May, AoC must reinforce colleges’ position as essential to the UK’s economic recovery and making education accessible to all regardless of their background.

“I’m looking forward to working with AoC to influence decision makers to get the best for colleges, our students and communities.”

Born into a family of mill workers and growing up in Lancashire, Mr Widdowson fell into the education world by accident after taking a job at a local college for some extra cash after graduated with a law degree from Durham University.

He joined New College Durham as principal in 1998, having been vice-principal at Cambridge Regional College for 10 years. During his career he has also led sector bodies such as the Further Education National Consortium and the Mixed Economy Group, a group of 44 colleges which offer higher education in an FE setting.

Martin Doel (pictured right), chief executive of the AoC, said: “John brings a wealth of experience to the role of president at a time when further education is looking towards a challenging future but one in which colleges must have a central role.

“After the general election in May, our work with the next government will be of great importance and I know John will be an asset in helping AoC to move towards achieving the aims we set out in our manifesto.

“We’re also pleased that John is the first principal from the north east to be elected as president.”

Richard Atkins said: “John has many years of experience in running a college, as well as experience on the political stage, and I know he will work tirelessly to get the best deal for colleges and their students.

“FE has faced more than its fair share of funding cuts in the past year, but John will help us to look forward to what happens next in the sector.”

Read FE Week’s profile of Mr Widdowson from April 2012 here.

Senior FE figures were told to abandon the traditional “heroic” leadership model at the inaugural Fetl lecture.

The speech was delivered by James Krantz (pictured right), management expert from New York-based leadership consultancy Worklab, to a packed lecture hall containing leading lights from across the sector including Peter Lauener, Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency chief executive, Lorna Fitzjohn, Ofsted national director for FE and skills, and Martin Doel, Association of Colleges chief executive.

Mr Krantz said FE had been a “neglected second child” compared to schools and higher education, but there was “a new aura of hope in the air” because of the importance politicians were attaching to training and retraining workers.

He warned that hiring charismatic individuals for top management posts could cause a “collective escape from responsibility” by staff lower down in the management chain who needed to contribute more to the overall success of their organisations.

Jill Westerman, chair of Fetl, told the audience afterwards: “Most of us know a different style of leadership is called for than the one we grew up with in the 1990s when heroic leadership felt like the right way to lead.”

From left: Fetl honorary president Dame Ruth Silver and Mr Krantz

The majority of young people taking part in traineeships have gone on to apprenticeships, employment or further learning, according to government research published today.

The outcome of an initial government evaluation of the first year of the programme found that half of trainees went on to apprenticeships or employment, and a further 17 per cent undertook further learning.

Skills Minister Nick Boles, in a framework for delivery document also out today that references the research results, said: “We owe it to young people to retain this focus on quality outcomes, which is why we have strengthened the use of performance data from 2015/16.

“As announced in the Government’s response to the funding consultation on traineeships, we will do this via a number of routes; provider funding, the publication of provider-level employment outcomes to inform young people’s and employers’ choices, and by setting minimum standards for progression to employment from traineeships.”

The research went on to highlight high levels of satisfaction in the programme among employers and trainees with 84 per cent of providers and 94 per cent of employers consider traineeships an effective way of increasing young people’s chances of finding paid jobs and apprenticeships.

It also showed how the majority of trainees (82 per cent) said that the traineeship at least matched their expectations, with over half (54 per cent) saying it exceeded their expectation.

Meanwhile four-in-five trainees (80 per cent) said that the support they received during their work preparation training had helped to improve their job search.

Stewart Segal, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, told FE Week: “We are pleased with the findings of this research on traineeships.

“The overall satisfaction ratings from trainees at 80 per cent is very high considering that this is still a new programme.

“It is clear trainees hear about the programme from a number of sources with training providers being the most common source including referrals to employer programmes.”

Traineeships launched in August 2013 with the aim of giving young people high quality work experience and training to help them into an apprenticeship or employment.

In December, FE Week revealed how Job Centre Plus (JCP) staff had been set a target of 10,000 traineeship referrals this academic year amid concerns the programme had not been promoted to benefit claimants because it extended their time out of work.

And information in the statistical first release (SFR) last month showed 5,000 starts on the programme in the first quarter of this academic year, compared to 3,300 in the first six months of 2013/14.

However, Mr Segal said: “We really need to see an increase of referrals from JCP and a commitment to ensuring that they are flexible in managing benefit issues.”

The research was based on interviews with 1,590 trainees who started between August 2013 and and July last year, 200 traineeship providers and 218 participating employers over the same period.

The results come just days after the House of Commons Education Select Committee reported that the impact of the programme was unclear, and called for greater clarity from the government on the success criteria for the programme. However, a full impact assessment of traineeships will be undertaken over the next two years.

Mr Boles, who has said he wants to double the number of traineeships to hit the 20,000 mark this academic year, said: “While the signs at this early stage in the traineeship programme are very encouraging, we are determined to continue raising the quantity and quality of traineeships, ensuring more young people have the best possible start in life.”

See edition 132 of FE Week, dated Monday, March 16 for more on the government’s traineeship research.

Hundreds more employers have signed up to the government’s Trailblazer overhaul of apprenticeship design, Skills Minister Nick Boles announced today.

More than 200 new employers have joined the 1,000-plus organisations involved in the Trailblazers programme, which allow groups of employers to join together to design apprenticeships. Today’s announcement of 26 new groups, who will design apprenticeships in 35 occupations, pushes the total number to more than 100.

The announcement comes alongside news that existing Trailblazer groups have also today been given the green light to develop 34 more apprenticeships including mortgage adviser and software developer. There are now more than 150 in development.

Mr Boles said: “I am delighted to announce that these 200 new employers will be designing top quality apprenticeships.

“Giving leading firms from British Gas to video games manufacturer Ubisoft the power to design and deliver high quality apprenticeships, means we can ensure more young people have the skills our economy vitally needs.”

It was also announced today that 56 employer-designed apprenticeships ranging from boatbuilder to chartered surveyor to outside broadcast engineer have been approved, with some aiming to have their first apprentice starts as early as September. There are now more than 120 approved trailblazer standards.

Skills Minister Nick Boles has revealed government hopes of doubling traineeships to hit the 20,000 mark this academic year.

He has written to FE college leaders ahead of the general election with an update on reforms and programmes, including changes in governance, funding and English and maths.

And on traineeships, which saw 10,400 starts during 2013/14 — the programme’s first year, he said: “Early evidence shows that around half have already progressed to positive destinations, and a further 5,000 young people started a new traineeship in the first three months of 2014/15”.

In December, FE Week revealed how Job Centre Plus (JCP) staff had been set a target of 10,000 traineeship referrals this academic year amid concerns the youth unemployment programme had not been promoted to benefit claimants because it extended their time out of work.

And so far, traineeship numbers are up on last year with figures showing 1,700 more people started on the scheme in the first three months of 2014/15 than in the entire first half of last academic year.

Information in the statistical first release (SFR) last month showed 5,000 starts on the programme in the first quarter of this academic year, compared to 3,300 in the first six months of 2013/14.

Mr Boles said: “We hope that providers and employers will double the number of quality traineeships this year, which would mean over 20,000 opportunities and an even bigger impact on the life chances of young people.”

And he conceded how reforms outlined in the 2013 Rigour and Responsivenes in skills report had “made the role of governor more demanding.”

He added: “Being a governor in FE is both an honour and a major responsibility. The new focus on devolution will increase the demand on governors to develop the right structures to be outwardly accountable and ensure provision is responsive to local needs. I am confident that you can meet this challenge.”

Mr Boles also referred to the Education and Training Foundation review of non-GCSE English and maths qualifications, due to report this month, and said: “I would also like to thank you for your support in ensuring all 16 to 19-year-olds are given the opportunity to secure GCSEs in English and maths by age 19.

“Data suggests that the vast majority of colleges and providers are on track to enrol all students without A*-C GCSE on approved English and maths courses and those that aren’t quite there are being contacted by the Eduction Funding Agency about what further action is needed to support them in this ambition.”