The government has outlined how its sees the role of a new Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) as different to the work of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF).

At a launch event at the London School of Economics (LSE) today Frank Bowley, deputy director of skills policy analysis at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, who was involved in developing CVER said the organisations would play “different roles”.

The CVER will be based at LSE and will conduct research into the benefits of FE and the effectiveness of policies to feed into future policy formulation.

Mr Bowley said its research would not cover the same as the national Vocational Education and Training (VET) Centre currently being developed by the ETF in response to recommendations from the Commission for Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning (CAVTL), published in March 2013.

“The centre has a very different ethos,” he said. “It is there to advance the research knowledge and make this area exciting for PhD students to come in, for people to do research and to get that information for policymaking for the minister.”

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) took to Twitter to echo Mr Bowley’s comments. “This isn’t duplication, it’s distinct and supportive,” the tweet said.

The VET centre on the other hand, said Mr Bowley, would use evidence produced by CVER as well as gathering examples of “best practice” from colleges and communicate them to the sector.

“Hopefully the CVER will aid the ETF, will aid the Vet centre, and they will help the CVER, but I do think they have very different roles and are very different things” he said.

BIS is giving £3m for three years — with an option to extend a further two years with more funding — for a centre to explore the role of vocational education.

Cavtl chair Frank McLoughlin (pictured right), principal of City and Islington College, sat on the panel assessing bids to run the research centre.

He agreed the new centre would not clash with the ETF, saying there were “two dimensions” in improving vocational learning policy.

“The first is the research dimensions, which is what you have here which the CVER and the best practice dimension which we talked about in Cavtl and which ETF are holding the centre of,” he said. “So they are distinct but it is critically important they talk to each other.”

Jenny Williams (pictured below left), ETF director of vocational education and training, said the organisation was looking forward to working with the new centre. “We have distinct but supportive roles,” she told FE Week.

“We have made research a priority. We are committed to working with researchers at the new ctre to supplement the government data sets in order to enrich the data available across the VET system.”

The CVER’s director, Dr Sandra McNally from the LSE, said the centre’s research would initially focus on three key themes.

“First is about what are the returns — the costs and benefits — to different routes in vocational education to individuals and to firms,” she said.

“The second big theme  is how do we improve the quality of provision within vocational education and the third is how do we improve careers information and advice to facilitate people to make good choices for them and a good match for their skills.”

She added: “There are many good researchers in schools and higher education and schools, but we feel the FE sector has been overlooked in terms of research.”

Skills Minister Nick Boles, who attended the launch, agreed.

“It has been striking to me how little evidence we have for all the debates we have,” he said. “As a result of that absence we all grab hold of prejudices, to use the negative term, or instinct to use the positive term.”

He added he was “looking forward” to getting “real, factual answers” from the centre “so that future reforms can be more surely rooted in evidence than perhaps reforms over the last 20 years, which I suspect rely more on instincts or prejudice”.

The search for a successful bidder for the contract to run the centre was headed up by Professor Alison Wolf, recently created Baroness Wolf of Dulwich and King’s College academic, whose 2011 review of vocational education prompted large scale reforms the of FE sector.

Baroness Wolf said: “It is absolutely wonderful that there is now going to be serious research centre which can actually put findings and arguments from findings in the centre of discussion and counterbalance the way we’ve made education policy for far too long.”

Baroness Wolf said one area where she was keen to see further research was the area of independent training providers.

“Only 60 per cent of the adult skills budget goes to colleges, the rest of it goes elsewhere and actually that’s a particular function of this country — it makes it very distinctive but we don’t know if that’s distinctive in a good or bad way,” she said.

“Anything you can do to get more information for that part of the system has to be better than where we are at the moment.”

Tim Chewter, research manager of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said he echoed Baroness Wolf’s comments. “It’s one part of the sector we know very little about,” he said.

“We’ve started a conversation but I’m not sure even the SFA knows the number of providers, where the money goes — there’s certainly some work to do there.”

A wide-ranging government consultation on the future of FE that launched today has prompted sector calls for a rethink on funding cuts.

Business Secretary Vince Cable (pictured above) unveiled the 90-page consultation paper, entitled A dual mandate for adult vocational education, saying the issues it raised “imply important changes for how we think about further education for adults”.

It poses 44 questions looking mainly at the first part of the dual mandate — providing vocational education for the workplace with a focus on higher level professional and technical skills.

“This is an area where England has had a historic weakness and where we continue to lag behind the performance of other developed countries,” he said, adding that “work to reverse these long-term issues” included support for National Colleges as specialist institutions and by introducing high level apprenticeships.

The second part of the mandate, the document says, is to provide second chances for those who have not succeeded in the school system.

The questions cover National Colleges, higher education, specialisation and government intervention FE among others.

With the consultation, which closes on June 16, coming just days after FE providers received their 2015/16 funding allocations, which have been cut by up to 24 per cent having almost been slashed by up to 32 per cent, many in the sector said they wanted an in-depth look at funding.

Martin Doel (pictured right), chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills [BIS] is right to highlight the dual role colleges play in delivering both technical and professional education and also education and training for people who didn’t do well at school. But BIS must also remember the other significant role colleges play in preparing 16 to 18-year-olds for the move between school, university and work.

“The questions in this paper also provide a useful checklist of the issues the next Government needs to tackle but they cannot be separated from funding.

“That’s why we want a once in a generation review of education funding to ensure it’s being allocated fairly. In addition, Government should invest in order to allow colleges to restructure, consolidate and to develop new business models in the next few years.”

David Hughes (pictured left), chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, said: “We’ve been lacking a unifying vision for learning, skills and employment for some time so I welcome this contribution from Vince Cable to the debate we need. The consultation covers a lot of ground and includes explicit analysis of the challenges we face which support our view that we are facing a skills crisis.

“The crisis is a combination of the need to support better skills achievement while state funding has plummeted. I also welcome some of the thinking and ideas for change, because it is clear that a lot has to change to ensure we have a strong economic recovery.

“We have been calling for an independent commission to be established in the first 100 days of the next Government to help establish a new vision. A commission would be able to set the vision and the ambition, agree the long-term skills needs and establish a new system for funding people to develop and update their skills throughout their careers.

“The commission could engage and involve national and local Government, employers, providers, unions, charities and learners working together to revitalise and revolutionise skills training.”

Dr Mary Bousted (pictured right), general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “We welcome any move to strengthen higher level vocational education, however, given its recent announcement of a 24 per cent cut in funding for adult education, it looks more like this government is seeking to massively cut adult education than expand it.

“If Vince Cable believes FE provides a vital lifeline for the most disadvantaged young adults who lack the basic skills they need for work or modern life, then why is the government planning to dismantle it?”

Andrew Harden (pictured below left), head of FE at the University and College Union, said: “We will be responding to the consultation in full in the coming months and will be making the following key points.

“The consultation identifies a dual mandate for adult vocational educational of which one part is second-chance learners.

“The stark reality now is that thousands of these type of adult learners will face fewer opportunities to get back into education and training as of next year when there is a planned 24 per cent cut to adult education courses outside of apprenticeships, and maths and English.

“While we agree there needs to be a stronger emphasis on higher level vocational qualifications to achieve parity of esteem with academic routes, this will need to be underpinned by investment in professional development opportunities for the vocational workforce, for example, taking part in industrial exchanges and gaining professional qualifications.

“There is a contrast between the apparent ambition for adult vocational education and the reality of what is happening in colleges.”

Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE (pictured right), executive director of the 157 Group, said: “We have understood for some time now that the future landscape of the sector will be different, and, in many ways, it is good that this document now sets out the very important issues that need to be considered.

“We agree that the focus of the future must be on partnership and relationship building and that the increased engagement of employers in the system is vital to ensuring the future success of our job market.

“It is very positive that this consultation also floats some important ideas around the way in which higher level qualifications could be accredited by colleges themselves, how we might combine local needs with national solutions and how colleges might work together with new institutions to deliver the vision for the future.”

Click here to take part in the consultation.

Norton Radstock College’s proposed merger with City of Bath College will be made official next month in a move that could mean nearly 100 job losses.

They will become Bath College on April 6 following the advice of FE Commissioner Dr David Collins, who visited Norton Radstock College last summer after Ofsted gave it a grade four rating.

He told bosses at the 4,700-learner college that it needed to operate “within a larger partnership” and its subsequent search for a merger partner, as reported in FE Week, resulted in talks with 5,129-learner City of Bath College, which was graded as good by Ofsted in 2013.

The colleges, which are ten miles apart and currently employ a total of 677 staff, are now consulting over staffing after the merger goes ahead, with a possible 91 jobs at risk.

City of Bath College principal Matt Atkinson (pictured above), who will become principal of Bath College, said: “We are thrilled to begin a new era of education under the Bath College name.

“The merger will allow the college, its staff and students to face the future from a position of strength.”

However, he said although no job losses had been finalised “difficult choices” would need to be made.

City of Bath College’s board has proposed a merger strategy that could leave 91 employees in academic and non-teaching support roles facing redundancy — however, according to the college, the merger will create 52 new posts, so fewer than 91 job losses are actually expected.

He said: “It’s important to be honest when merging two colleges and a restructure of staff is essential for the new college’s future growth.

“We have formally entered a period of consultation and we will do all with can to minimise job losses.

“Some redundancies will be unavoidable but we have a good track record of working with the trade unions and we are confident the impact of the merger on jobs will be minimal.

“Therefore although 91 individuals may be put at risk of redundancy we do not envisage 91 individuals losing their jobs.”

The 60-day consultation of staff and stakeholders is due to close by the April 6 merger date.

The restructuring will include closing one of Norton Radstock College’s current sites on St Francis Road, Keynsham, near Bristol, but the new college will continue to operate out of City of Bath’s current City Centre Campus in Avon Street, Bath, and  Norton Radstock’s Somer Valley Campus in South Hill Park, Westfield.

The new college will provide vocational and academic training for more than 3,000 full-time students and around 10,000 part-time students.

A new £3m project aimed at researching new ideas for FE will be based at the London School of Economics (LSE).

Skills Minister Nick Boles will today announce that a new Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) will be led by Dr Sandra McNally from the LSE and based at its Centre for Economic Performance.

Plans for the centre, which will be funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), were first unveiled in October.

Alongside Dr McNally, the CVER will also involve Dr Steven McIntosh from the University of Sheffield, Dr Stefan Speckesser from the Institute for Employment Studies and Dr Gavan Conlon from London Economics and will investigate, research and analyse potential new ideas for skills provision in England.

Speaking at the launch later this morning, Mr Boles is expected to say: “A skilled workforce, able to meet the needs of employers and industries, is vital to our continued economic growth.

“I’m delighted to be opening the CVER, bringing together experts from universities and colleges to build on our work driving up standards in skills and training. Creating new ideas for skills provision, rooted in analysis and rigorous research, will help the UK create a world-class workforce of the future.”

Dr McNally, the founding director of the centre, said: “While there are many excellent routes available to young people in vocational education, many do not get the high quality education they need to fulfil their own potential and to contribute to economic growth.

“The new centre aspires to become a world-class research hub to generate a step-change in our understanding of the nature, significance and potential contribution of vocational education to individuals and the wider economy.”

The search for a successful bidder for the £3m, three year contract was headed up by Professor Alison Wolf, the newly-created Peer and King’s College academic whose 2011 review of vocational education prompted some of the largest-scale reforms the FE sector has ever seen, including study programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds.

The assessment panel also included City and Islington College principal Frank McLoughlin, LSE director of spatial economics research Henry Overmann, Nuffield Foundation education director Josh Hillman, BIS deputy director for skills policy analysis Frank Bowley and representatives from the Economics and Social Research Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Baroness Wolf said: “I am absolutely delighted that the government is establishing this centre. It is an opportunity to transform our understanding of vocational education, and its role in society, and to create better education policy at all levels as a result.”

According to the government, the centre aims to advance understanding of the requirements for vocational education, identify the challenges in provision and develop and strengthen the knowledge base to enable “a more agile, relevant and needs-based vocational education sector to become a driving force for economic growth and social mobility”.

In its research, the centre will try to address how vocational education affects prosperity, productivity, profitability and economic growth, how to improve the amount of high quality provision and how the costs and benefits of vocational education influence individuals’ participation decisions.

BIS is funding the project to the tune of £3m for three years — with an option to extend a further two years with more funding.

Potential investors got a sneak peak of what’s going to be on offer at this year’s Skills Show at an awareness raising event today in Central London.

Ross Maloney (pictured), chief executive of Skills Show organisers Find a Future opened the event at Oxo Wharf, looking back at the success of the show, which was held for the third year in a row in November.

“The Skills Show is the UK’s largest skills information event and provides an impressive and incredible platform, and a base from which to support young people, helping them make important choices about their career,” he said.

Mr Maloney pointed to the results of a survey commissioned by Find a Future, asking some of the show’s 75,000 visitors what they thought of the show.

Mr Maloney said: “94 per cent of young people are satisfied with their experience the Skills Show and 86 per cent of adults feel the same.

“Importantly 97 of young people said they were going to take some positive action as a direct result of their experiences at the Skills Show — whether that was about seeking work experience further advice from parents and teachers or undertaking research.”

Ben Blackledge, head of content and experience at Find a Future, told FE Week what the organisation planned to add to this year’s show to make sure young people did actually take that direct action.

“We know people are inspired at the show — when they’re there in the moment they’re really engaged and inspired but the minute they go out it just leaves their heads,  so how can we create a place where they can do it all in one go?” he said.

This year’s show would include a new ‘job shop’ in every sector area.

“So every sector, you go, you’re inspired, and then you can get some careers advice, listen to the spotlight talks and just naturally moving on to taking the next steps,” said Mr Blackledge.

He also shared some more of the improvements the Skills Show team are making “to make sure those three days are as impactful as possible” — such as expanding the resources available to teachers.

“In the last few years the statutory duty to provide careers advice has gone onto schools and so to teachers,” he said.

“So we want to make sure that those people who have got that added as part of their job, are equipped with the right information.”

Find a Future was working with the Careers Development Institute to create resources and a programme of activity to support teachers giving careers advice.

“To create a space within such an inspirational show, where teachers can be upskilled, and equipped to deliver that we think is really important,” said Mr Blackledge.

The team was also looking at how to incorporate the competitions — which will be expanded this year to include squad selection for WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi as well as the national skills competition finals — into the visitor experience.

“It’s about saying to teachers ‘actually, in the same way you play football on a Saturday morning, and then you got to Wembley and watch England play, that’s like doing competitions in your classroom and then going to see the excellence and delivery of that as part of the show,” said Mr Blackledge.

“There’s also the big issue of how to we treat the offer, of 6,400 square meters of exhibition space, so that it’s accessible?

“We trialled the skills passport last year, where visitors collect stamps from each area to encourage them to explore, and that seemed to work in getting young people out and making connections, so we’ll be expanding that.”

The show will also be moving to from its usual spot in the Birmingham NEC to a larger, different section of the same complex, which Mr Blackledge said would allow the different sections to be better linked together.

“Before we had three big vast spaces but this year it’s going to a corridor, so when you walk in, its narrower but longer,” he said.

“Although it’ll still be 100 metres wide, but it’ll be easier to signpost things to make sure visitors see everything, because there’ll be stuff on your right and your left rather than having things in between you and where you want to be.”

The Skills Show would also be expanding the role volunteers could play in the show, he said, involving college students in activities relevant to their courses to give them work experience — for example retail students offering visitors customer service and performing arts students compering spotlight and showcase events.

“This year we want to make something more meaty for the volunteers — so 500 instead of 800 —doing a bigger role, trying to make sure there’s more benefit for them,” he said.

Chris Darling, head of apprenticeships at Virgin Media, issued at heartfelt plea, from his own experience for employers at the event to get involved.

“When we got involved, I expected would be a great corporate social responsibility policy — tick a box, give them ‘x’ amount of money each year, go and have a look and that’s it,” he said.

“But actually what happened is year on year… we’ve started taking our apprentices to run our stall and actually when you as the employer stand back, there’s something that happens in them.

“The passion you see in young apprentices when they’re talking to other young people about what they do is amazing and the confidence in them — we have a fantastic model here for exposure and confidence building in our apprentices.”

This year’s Skills Show will run from November 19 to 21 at the Birmingham NEC.