Could a learner have committed militant hacking?

Police investigating the hacking of a college website which resulted in it “supporting” the militant group Islamic State (ISIS) have not ruled out learner involvement in the cyber attack.

Carlisle College disabled its website on Saturday, August 30, after various elements were changed, including the main description which appears next to the site in internet search engine results.

Carlisle-College-redring

For several hours late last week, the description (pictured) read: “Carlisle College are proud supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) movement.

“We believe that their actions are justified, and have courses to help new Jihadists.”

According to local newspaper the News and Star, which broke the story, college staff only realised after they were contacted by police officers on Saturday.

But initial speculation that the website may have been targeted directly by Islamic militants appears to have been rejected by the college.

A Cumbria Constabulary spokesperson told FE Week that officers were working with IT specialists and the college’s web team to try to identify the hacker via their IP address.

He said police were at an early stage of a “potentially long investigation”, but added that he could “not rule out” learner involvement.

College head of communications Paul Walker told FE Week: “The investigation is ongoing. It appears that it’s nothing more than a malicious hack, and it’s difficult for us to say more at this stage.

“We are not ruling anything out but we don’t think it’s likely it was a learner. The jury is out on that.”

It is not known how long the changes remained in place before they were discovered by the college.

Speaking to the News and Star earlier in the week, Mr Walker said: “A member of the public from the Cleator Moor area made police aware, and they contacted us.

“We are trying to establish who was responsible and how they did it; we have quite robust security measures in place. Initially my reaction was disbelief.

“Like many of your readers, we can understand if we were high-profile — if we were one of the agencies or somewhere in the United States — but for a small college, in a small city, it’s quite unusual.”

Mr Walker said the college website would be inactive while the police investigation was ongoing.

 

Leps need more responsibility and funding to deliver on digital skills, adult education chief tells Lords

Local enterprise partnerships (Leps) should be given more responsibility and funding to point learners in the direction of opportunities to learn new digital skills, a sector leader has told Lords.

Addressing members of a House of Lords committee looking at the UK’s digital competitiveness yesterday morning, David Hughes (pictured), chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace), said the success of Leps at helping to deliver skills was “patchy”.

His comments came after Lady O’Cathain, a member of the committee, said people did not know about the responsibilities of Leps to promote skills.

She said: “I think [Leps] are somewhat unstructured at the moment. I don’t think people actually credit them with what information they have got or indeed with their ability to pull in all the people mentioned like the chambers of commerce, the unions, the employers.

“It seems to me that if you could tell us if you think it is a good idea to invest in these Leps and try to encourage these Leps throughout the country to take on that responsibility and indeed to channel some funding to it.”

Mr Hughes said: “They are very patchy. Their capacity is very different in different parts of the country.

“But you cannot generalise. There are some fantastic examples of Leps with superb approaches to skills and there are others which have got less experience and less capacity so this is an issue which needs to be addressed.

“I think partly you can address that by giving them more responsibility, and my approach would be for the centre which holds the purse strings to do deals with Leps so locally that social partnership of organisations can team up to deliver outcomes that are related to skills and jobs and inclusion.”

He added that Leps had an important part to play in promoting courses and qualifications available in certain areas of the country.

He said: “Employers getting engaged with the public bodies locally, with the community organisations, with the learning providers, universities, colleges, independent providers seems to me to be a really important part of the answer.

“Lots of the people we talk to don’t understand the system and don’t understand what learning they need. It wouldn’t be adequate just to put out a big list of qualifications, it would bewilder people.

“What does work, we think, is when people can say there are employers who are going to create these jobs over the next five or 10 years, they are looking for people with these sorts of skills and putting those together. Then the providers of learning, the colleges and universities have to follow and help inform that pattern of delivery. They have to give the flexibility that’s needed.

“At the moment, it’s so focused on the transition to work and then people get into a first job and they are left, and that seems to be bizarre given that people will be working for 50 years or more potentially, so I think the local focus is really critical. People can understand it, people can connect with employers, understand the local labour market better.”

No tracking of traineeship job outcomes

The government has admitted it did not ask providers to keep a record of whether traineeships resulted in learners moving into a job or apprenticeship last year.

An FE Week freedom of information request to the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has uncovered that it was not tracking learner progression for the first year of the government’s flagship youth unemployment programme.

It is only from this academic year that the SFA requires traineeship providers to record outcomes such as progression into work as part of the individualised learning record returns.

But the revelation that there is no data with which to judge the progression success of last year’s traineeships has triggered fierce criticism from Liberal Democrat Lady Sharp (pictured), an economist who is the party’s spokesperson on FE in the Lords.

She said the SFA was “not living up to its own standards”, and called for answers about why the information was not collected in the first year.

Lady Sharp, who chaired the 2011 Colleges in their Communities Inquiry that produced the Innovation Code aimed at helping colleges run employer-responsive courses, said: “Given the emphasis on outcomes now required of schools, colleges and universities, I am amazed that since the whole purpose of traineeships is to enable the young person to go on to a job or, preferably, an apprenticeship, the SFA seem to be making no effort to measure this.

“Is this a matter of not practising what they preach? KPIs imposed by the SFA on the college sector require precisely this information — why are they not living up to their own standards?”

Earlier this year, former Skills Minister Matthew Hancock announced that funding for traineeships could be dependent on progression into employment or further training from 2015/16.

And the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched a consultation on the plans in June. The consultation closed in mid-August and the results will be published this autumn.

Traineeships, which were designed to help learners progress into work or further training, got off to a slow start, with an SFA FoI response in May showing that just 4,160 online applications had been made for 3,480 traineeship vacancies in the eight months since the programme’s launch in August last year.

More recent data has revealed that 7,400 traineeships starts were recorded in the first three quarters of 2013/14, but the SFA, in response to the FE Week FoI request, refused to reveal how many had been completed on the grounds that it intended to publish the information at a later date.

An SFA spokesperson said: “We don’t currently hold specific data on progression into work for traineeships, but subject to meeting national statistical standards, traineeship progression data will be published in future Statistical First Releases.”

FE Week and Me 2014 – COMPETITION NOW OPEN

Our annual FE Week and Me photography competition is back and once again FE Week has teamed up with NCFE and the Royal Photographic Society to hunt for stunning pictures that depict student life in the FE and skills sector, through the eyes of students.

In 2014, after over 500 submissions, FE Week and competition sponsors NCFE and supporters Royal Photographic Society, whittled down the photography students’ entries to the competition down to 20 finalists. Following a national vote, Hassan Chowdhury of Newham Adult Learning Service was crowned the 2013 winner.

Entrants will be in with a chance of winning some stunning prizes and the chance to shadow a high-profile professional photographer.

This year there are two categories of entry: photography student and non-photography student.  Each year the competition has been flooded with a real mixture of photographs. Previously, many entrants have not been photography students and it therefore seemed fair to to have two categories going forward.

This years prizes will consist of:

Category – Photography student – Nikon D5100 Camera Kit and work shadowing placement with a professional photographer.

Category – Non-photography student – Samsung Galaxy Camera 2

Free promotional posters are available by clicking here.

You can view last year’s finalists by downloading our finalists PDF – click here

How to enter…

Brief: entrant’s photos need to depict student life in the FE and Skill sector. Photos can be taken on any type of digital photography kit. It is as simple as that!

To enter the competition students need to email their entry along with no more than a 100 word description of their photo and why they’ve chosen this shot to feweekandme@feweek.co.uk no later than October 20, 2014. Entries received later than this date will not be reviewed or considered for short listing.

Entrants need to provide the following information  when submitting their photo. Any entries with missing details will not be considered.

Name

Category entering: photography student or non-photography student

Course studying

College or Learning provider

Email address

Mobile telephone number

Photo description (100 words max.)

Shortlisted entries will be announced in early November.

The winner will be announced at the end of November.

Filling the newly-formed employability and personal development quals void

Charlotte Bosworth thinks that while the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) removal of funding from a raft of level two qualifications had economic merit, young people must be able to learn employability and personal development skills to prove attractive to potential employers.

Earlier this year the SFA announced it was removing funding support for nearly 1,500 qualifications at level two and above.

This followed two government-backed reviews to investigate the merits of continued funding for certain qualification areas at a time when public budgets are under increased pressure and scrutiny.

One of the key qualification areas that has fallen victim to the resulting cuts is ‘employability and personal development’, which was deemed to be somewhat generic in nature and too lacking in robust qualification status to impress potential employers.

The lack of a clear path to work was cited as a primary reason to pull the funding for such qualifications.

Most education stakeholders — including OCR — agree that a process of de-cluttering the qualification system is a positive step forward, especially in areas where there is little or no take-up.

Nonetheless, it is also important that we continue to support young people who have perhaps struggled academically, but could be helped to fulfil their potential through access to relevant guidance and training in skills and personal development.

If we remove funding for employability skills and personal development qualifications in line with the decision of the SFA, then we must strive for alternative options so that the potential for students to miss out does not gain traction

If we are not careful, we could begin to see a gap emerge where such students fail to benefit from the employability skills and development support they require and deserve.

We have a clear duty to ensure that young people who, for a variety of reasons are furthest removed from the workplace, are not forgotten in the race to slash public expenditure.

Such students who have perhaps struggled within an academic environment need to be encouraged and supported in realising their own aspirations to forge a successful working career, despite a lack of formalised qualifications.

We believe that many students’ learning thrives when exposed to a more holistic combination of essential skills such as maths and English, set alongside practical and inspirational learning experiences found, in vocationally-based courses.

This enables them to access the type of skills and characteristics that will ultimately help them in the world of commerce when they are competing against other candidates for positions.

If we remove funding for employability skills and personal development qualifications in line with the decision of the SFA, then we must strive for alternative options so that the potential for students to miss out does not gain traction.

An alternative approach could be to provide adequate funding for programmes of adult learning, rather than reliance just upon qualifications.

Such a programme for the post-19 age group would enable learners to continue to attain the softer skills, which, alongside vocational and practical training, can develop a potential employee with more rounded attributes to set before a prospective employer.

While a programme of this nature may not carry the badge of formal qualification, it will, give students a fighting chance when it comes to securing employment.

I view it as a form of ‘intervention’, where the ability to access skills via learning in a supported environment can only enhance and not diminish the employment prospects of many.

The SFA’s remit is to fulfil the government’s desire to make sure that FE provides the skilled workforce employers need and to help individuals reach their full potential.

While the need to optimise hard-pressed budgets from the public purse is sensible, we should also make sure that by saving cost in the short term we do not also create a bigger and potentially more expensive problem further down the line.

See the first 2014/15 edition of FE Week, dated Monday, September 8, for an expert piece by Dr Fiona Aldridge, assistant director for development and research at the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace), on SFA qualifications reform and its decision last week to list a further 174 qualifications facing the axe.

 

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Math teacher training fund divides opinion after colleges with notice of financial concern are barred

A new maths teacher training fund which will exclude the most cash-strapped colleges doesn’t add up, according to the Association of Colleges (AoC).

The £1.5m ‘funding in-service maths teacher training in FE’ scheme, which will hand out training funds for maths lecturers teaching at GCSE level and above, has been criticised by AoC after it emerged the money would not be available to colleges under notices of financial concern.

Joy Mercer (pictured), AoC director of policy, said: “With the adult skills budget reduced by approximately 35 per cent in the past five years, and Education Funding Agency funding by three per cent this year, colleges have been dealt a double blow.

“Any organisation would struggle to maintain its provision under these circumstances.

“The Skills Funding Agency [SFA] needs to consider applications for this additional funding on a case-by-case basis rather than a blanket ban on colleges in financial health difficulties.”

More than 10 per cent of colleges, FE Week understands, are currently thought to be under a notice of financial concern — in May last year FE Week revealed that 22 colleges had been given the notices.

Colleges are awarding notices of financial concern based on SFA ratings of their financial plans, taking into account their trading results, cash position and debt.

The rating are graded in the same way as Ofsted, from grade one to four with most grade fours being slapped with a financial notice.

Ms Mercer added: “All colleges have an increasing volume of students enrolling this year without a maths GCSE.

“They all need to be able to apply for additional support to get the right teachers supporting students.”

The scheme forms part of a proposed £30m investment by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) over the next two years to increase the quality and quantity of teaching in FE.

Any college or training provider with an SFA contract will be able to apply for a payment of £20,000 per graduate trainee on a first come, first served basis.

A BIS spokesperson told FE Week that the initial commitment of £1.5m, administered by the SFA, was expected to fund training for “more than 100 new maths teachers” and that the impact of the scheme would be reviewed before future commitments were made.

There are currently 981 providers with SFA allocations.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “Maths is essential for any job, that’s why we are committed to getting the basics right and ensuring that all learners are able to develop these vital skills.

“Over the next two years we are investing more than £30million to raise the quality and quantity of teaching in further education.

“This scheme will give the sector the knowledge and confidence to deliver excellent maths teaching and has been designed to give colleges and providers the freedom to train their new teachers in the most effective way possible.”

The move has been driven by the requirement that from September, 16 to 18 year-old-learners without GCSE grade C in maths will have to work towards a GCSE alongside their chosen study programme.

Colleges and providers without a notice of financial concern will be able to apply online for the support between September 1, 2014 and July 31, 2015.

Sixth form colleges, school sixth forms and providers who only have an Education Funding Agency contract are not eligible for the scheme and must use the School Direct Training scheme to employ trainee teachers.

Despite criticising the exclusion of colleges with financial problems, Mrs Mercer welcomed the principle of the scheme.

“One of the best ways of increasing the number of maths teachers who can teach students who haven’t got GCSE grade A* to C, is to provide training on the job,” she said.

“We are very pleased that colleges will have a resource they can use to ensure that potential maths teachers have the best possible programme of training while they are also developing their skills in the classroom.”

Police investigate after college website hacked to promote Islamic militants

A college website inadvertently gave its support to the militant group Islamic State (ISIS) after it was hacked, prompting a police investigation.

Carlisle College has disabled its website after various elements were changed, including the main description which appears next to the site in internet search engine results.

For several hours late last week, the description (pictured) read: “Carlisle College are proud supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) movement. We believe that their actions are justified, and have courses to help new Jihadists.”

According to local newspaper the News and Star, which broke the story, college staff only realised after they were contacted by police officers on Saturday.

Paul Walker, head of marketing and communications, told the paper: “A member of the public from the Cleator Moor area made police aware, and they contacted us.

“We are trying to establish who was responsible and how they did it; we have quite robust security measures in place. Initially my reaction was disbelief.

“Like many of your readers, we can understand if we were high-profile – if we were one of the agencies or somewhere in the United States – but for a small college, in a small city, it’s quite unusual.”

The News and Star also reported that although police had confirmed an investigation had been launched, they could not confirm what offence was being investigated.

For more on this story, check back on the FE Week website on Friday or read the first edition of FE Week for 2014/15, dated Monday, September 8.

Teen apprenticeship numbers could be hit by making employers pay, National Audit Office warns

Government plans to make employers pay for up to a third of the training for 16 to 18 apprenticeships could hit the age group’s already-falling uptake, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.

It said the number of apprenticeship starts among 16 to 18-year-olds, which fell from 129,900 in 2011/12 to 114,500 in 2012/13, could fall further if “risks” caused by reforms were not managed by the Department for Education (DfE).

Under the current pilot, the government has said that although employers would have to pay their contributions upfront, it could be possible for them to earn back some or all the money in the form of a one-off payment of between £600 and £5,400 for every 16 to 18-year-old recruited and a payment of between £500 and £2,700 for apprentices, regardless of age, who complete their training.

An extra incentive up to £2,700 could be made available to businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

However, the NAO isssued its warning about the effect of the reforms in a report entitled 16-18-year old participation in education and trianing, which was released today. The report makes reference to the slump in apprenticeship starts and calls for action to deal with the risks involved in the reforms.

16 to 18The report says: “These statistics show that, as they develop their apprenticeship reforms, the two departments [Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Department for Education] will need to manage potential risks to the overall participation rate.

“Longer apprenticeships, in the context of reduced funding, might lead to fewer apprenticeships in total, which, in turn, could reduce overall participation.

“In addition, the government currently pays the full cost of training 16- to 18-year‑old apprentices, but announced in 2013 that this will change. By 2016, employers will have to contribute towards their apprentices’ training costs (apart from the costs of English and maths study).”

It added: “The government plans to cap the maximum level of its funding for each apprentice and give providers funding using payment by results. The government is trialling a funding model in 2014/15 for apprenticeship starts on new employer-designed standards, including an additional incentive payment for each 16to 18-year-old recruited.

“Through these reforms the government is aiming to make employers ‘co-investors’ in apprenticeships and customers of training, which it considers will incentivise them to take more responsibility for improving quality. However, employers do not have to have apprentices and there is a risk that fewer may do so if they have to meet the training costs themselves or perceive the process to be a burden.”

The report echoes the concerns about the reforms raised by various organisations, including the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP).

Responding to the NAO’s report, AELP chief executive Stewart Segal said: “The NAO has signalled its concern about 16 to 18 participation in apprenticeships which reflects what employers have been saying to our members.

“The proposed requirement of employer cash contributions for apprentices of all ages removes the principle of training for the 16 to 18 age group being fully funded and AELP believes that the number of apprenticeship opportunities for young people will fall substantially if the requirement is implemented.

“Employers already make a major investment in apprenticeships for young people and we need to recognise that routing funding through employers and mandatory cash contributions will reduce the opportunities for young people.”

The education select committee is due to look at why there have been falls in 16 to 18 apprenticeships and a spokesperson told FE Week that oral evidence would probably begin at the end of October or in early November.

It will come with 16 to 18 apprenticeships three months ago having shown their first first year-on-year rise for the third quarter (Q3) of the academic year since 2010/11. However, the NAO report looked at full year figures, which fell.

Plans to make employers pay a contribution were first revealed in April in a technical consultation document. The results of the consultation are due to be published in the autumn.

The DfE did not comment before this story went to print. Visit the FE Week website later this week for their full response.

The north continues to dominate as DfE release names of colleges that can recruit full-time 14 to 15-year-olds

A further nine colleges have been given permission to recruit full-time 14 to 15-year-olds this September, the second year in which this has been possible.

The Department for Education (DfE) announcement this afternoon revealed the list of 14 colleges that have permission to directly recruit, and be funded for, students from 14 years of age.

In addition to the seven colleges given permission last year, nine colleges applied to the DfE to recruit full-time 14 to 16 year-old this September, as reported by FE Week in July.

It would appear that all nine applications have been successful (listed in bold below).

Two colleges, Halesowen College and Hadlow College, had permission last year but no longer feature in the list, leaving the total eligible colleges standing at 14.

Northern England

• Accrington and Rossendale College (since Sept 2013)
• Grimsby Institute of FE    
• Hull College (since Sept 2013)
• Hugh Baird College 
• Leeds City College (since Sept 2013)
• Middlesbrough College (since Sept 2013)
• Newcastle College Group (since Sept 2013)
• Oldham College   
• St Helen’s College 

Central England

 • Stephenson College 

Southern England

• Bromley College   
• City College Plymouth   
• Newbury College    
• West Thames College