Edition 122: Angela Joyce, Sue Georgious, Marcus Clinton and Jacqui Henderson

Governors at Warwickshire College Group have announced that Angela Joyce is to join the college group as its new principal.

Ms Joyce has been principal of Peterborough Regional College since 2010 and joins the group of six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire in April.

Ms Joyce said: “As one of the largest and most respected college groups in the UK Warwickshire has an outstanding reputation for teaching and learning and some amazing facilities that provide a first class experience for over 16,000 students each year.

“I am looking forward to working with the team during this challenging time for FE to take the college forward into the future.”

Ms Joyce began her career as a secondary school teacher in Leicestershire before moving into FE. She worked at Moulton College for eight years developing its sports, land-based and hospitality and catering curriculum before moving to Peterborough as vice principal and then deputy principal. A keen athlete who has competed at international level in athletics, Ms Joyce also enjoys horse riding and one day-eventing.

Governors’ chair Steve Wood said: “Angela has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout her career to date and we know that she will bring a new dimension to Warwickshire College Group, ensuring the college group has a strong and successful future.”

Ms Joyce replaces Sue Georgious. She was appointed this summer following the shock departure of Mariane Cavalli, who stepped down temporarily before it was announced before it that she would not be returning at all.

Her temporary leave of absence was announced “with immediate effect” at the end of June and she was replaced on an interim basis by governors’ chair Ms Georgious.

The college declined to comment further on Ms Cavalli’s departure, citing legal reasons.

“We would like to thank Sue for her strong and visible leadership since July and are very pleased that she will be staying with us until Angela is able to join us,” added Mr Wood.

Meanwhile, Northumberland College has appointed Marcus Clinton, vice principal since 2010, as its new principal.

He said: “These are exciting times for the college and we are blessed to have such a wonderful staff and student community which has always been a hallmark of the college.

“Our priorities are very clear going forward — our focus will be resolutely on serving the communities of Northumberland and beyond. Delivering the right skills and training to ensure positive outcomes for our students, with high levels of employer engagement central to this.

“Northumberland is a wonderful county and we are committed to engaging with students of all ages wherever they live.”

Before joining Northumberland College, Mr Clinton was a head of faculty at South Staffordshire College for 11 years.

Jacqui Henderson CBE, Northumberland College governors’ chair, said: “The college governing body and I are looking forward to working with Marcus as our new principal to take the college forward to deliver a more enterprising and innovative agenda and to continue to fulfil our ambitious aims and objectives.”

 

Is this really the end of the QCF?

Despite Ofqual announcing that the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is set for the FE and skills graveyard, Stephen Wright considers whether any life might remain in the system yet.

In 2004, then-Chancellor Gordon Brown and Education and Skills Secretary Estelle Morris invited Alexander (now Lord) Leitch to consider the UK’s long-term ambition for developing skills.

The subsequent Leitch report of December 2006 paved the way for the Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF) which was launched in 2008.

The hope was that a framework of qualifications built using combinations of shared, standardised units would bring flexibility and order to the “jungle” of qualifications, with common descriptors and structures.

Learners would be issued with a Unique Learner Number (ULN) and a computer based “learner achievement record” which would use a powerful database of available units and qualifications to check progress towards their target qualification as well as seeing what other qualifications the units contribute to. They could also share the banked information with a potential employer.

Now, six years after the launch of the QCF, it has been condemned by Ofqual as promoting a tick box approach that is not fit for purpose. This, together with a realignment of Ofqual from accreditation of qualifications to regulation of the awarding sector, has led to the announcement that “it will remove the QCF rules” — is this the end of the QCF? Well, maybe not.

Gone is accreditation — the QCF was “policed” by Ofqual who accredited the qualifications put forward by awarding organisations (AOs). However, in reality Ofqual never had the resource to evaluate the thousands of qualifications on the QCF and the process become a fairly meaningless tick box exercise.

Ofqual has now lifted the accreditation role in favour of becoming a more thorough regulator with AOs enjoying more freedom to add qualifications to the framework, but facing increased scrutiny and extended requirements with a focus on validity.

Gone are shared units — the learner achievement record required AOs to build qualifications from shared units.

However, a number of flaws in this plan were pointed out including the loss of intellectual property, a disincentive to develop new content and an uncertainty about ownership, especially when a unit was withdrawn or redesigned. While AOs can still cooperate, the removal of the shared unit requirement will see a return to qualifications that are particular to individual awarding organisations.

The removal of the shared unit requirement will see a return to qualifications that are particular to individual awarding organisations

Going – Regulatory IT system (RITS) — the existing system will need to be redeveloped to meet the new Ofqual system.

Going might be the QCF brand — the Impact Assessment document suggests that Ofqual has decided to allow the use of QCF in the title in certain circumstances as long as it is not misleading. The wider use of the brand is still under review. It has been in the market for nearly a decade and AOs have invested heavily in promoting and explaining it to learners and employers.

The loss of the name would throw away brand value and create uncertainty for little or no gain.

Going might also be size descriptors — the QCF introduced common size descriptors of awards (one to 12 credits), certificates (13 to 36 credits) and diplomas (37 credits or more), with a credit being 10 hours of learning.

Redesigning and titling qualifications to meet these descriptors required the renaming of well-established qualifications and considerable effort, however most AOs are through the pain and beginning to enjoy the benefits of clarity.

Coming might be recognition of AOs by level, sector and purpose — it is unclear how this will be applied, and the potential impact is to restrict the number of AOs in any particular sector or level.

The QCF hasn’t delivered Lord Leitch’s vision, however at an enormous investment in both time and money and with a number of flaws, it does bring some clarity and rationality to the vocational qualification provision.

The most common comment at the recent consultation was “not to throw the baby out with the bath water” so hopefully we will end up with a new single framework which retains the elements of the QCF that work.

 

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Ofsted annual report presents mixed bag for FE and skills with growth in quality provision — but employer engagement remains an issue

Ofsted’s annual report today painted a mixed picture for FE and skills, highlighting a rise in the proportion of good or outstanding providers while also pointing to one-in-six learners at less than good providers.

It said that in 2013/14, 3.2 million learners were at grade one or two providers because 81 per cent of providers were judged to be good or outstanding at their latest inspection — compared with 72 per cent the previous year and 64 per cent as at August 31, 2012.

However, “30 per cent of providers did not improve their overall effectiveness grade. Seven declined and were judged to be inadequate,” according to the report.

It added: “Inspectors found that many of these providers had failed to improve the quality of teaching and learning and learners were not making adequate progress towards their learning goals.”

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw (pictured) wrote: “The FE and skills sector has a critical role in ensuring that all young people and adults are appropriately prepared for good-quality jobs. It is encouraging, therefore, that we have seen an increase in the proportion of FE providers judged to be good or outstanding at their latest inspection.

“This reflects improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in providers inspected this year. However, I am concerned that there is not enough good teaching in the subject areas where it is needed most.

“Too many young people are leaving schools and colleges without the skills and attitudes employers are looking for. Indeed, despite there being around one million young people aged 16 to 24 not in work, education or training, 22 employers report that almost three in every 10 vacancies are hard to fill.”

The report went on to echo Ofsted criticism earlier this year on study programmes, saying: “Inspection found that colleges and schools with sixth forms in particular had failed to respond to the requirements of the new 16 to 19 study programmes quickly enough.”

English and maths teaching and learning was “still not good enough,” it said, and also claimed that “too many young people … leave the sector with insufficient direct experience of work at external employers.”

Sir Michael also repeated calls in last year’s annual report for greater employer engagement in the sector.

“If employers, especially small- or medium-sized enterprises, are going to get more involved in the design and delivery of apprenticeships and in vocational education more generally, they must be given the right support and incentives to do so,” he wrote.

“This could be channelled through existing employer networks, such as local enterprise partnerships and chambers of commerce. Such networks could help organise apprenticeships at a local level and give advice to employers on how to source training and funding.”

He added: “The FE and skills sector is generally better than it was two years ago in terms of the quality of provision. However, too many institutions are still not equipping learners with the knowledge and skills that employers seek.”

See edition 122 of FE Week, dated Monday, December 15, for more.

‘Future-proof’ careers listed in new UKCES report

A new careers guidance report highlights today’s jobs that are set to stand the test of time and highlights trades that are likely grow in the years ahead.

Technology-rich roles such as mechanical engineers and software developers are among 40 jobs highlighted by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) in its 36-page Careers of the future report.

But although some shortlisted jobs are in emerging sectors, others are more traditional, with economic growth and technology expected to help future-proof roles such as train drivers, electricians and farmers.

The UKCES report, published today, identifies careers that labour market analysts believe offer some of the best opportunities for tomorrow’s jobseekers.

Jobs are analysed according to pay, business need and predicted job opportunities to produce a shortlist across ten sectors.

Skills Minister Nick Boles (pictured above left) said: “This insight in to the jobs of the future will be an important tool in helping young people make more informed decisions about their career.

“Whether you want to become a mechanical engineer or nursery teacher, our reforms and commitment to driving up the quality of vocational education mean there are now a variety of equally valid and respected pathways in to the world of work.

“I want all young people to be able to fulfil their potential by choosing a route that best suits their skills and ambitions, whether that is developing skills in the workplace through an apprenticeship or studying at university.”

The report is aimed at parents, teachers and careers advisers.

Michael Davis (pictured above right), chief executive of UKCES, said: “This report presents a wealth of options for young people looking to make those all-important first steps into the world of work. It is also welcome news to see increasing opportunities for young people to combine earning and learning when finding their way into work.

“The next step is for employers and education providers to continue to develop close working relationships, inspiring young people and creating better jobs in the process.”

Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “The job market is changing fast with a whole range of opportunities requiring business-relevant skills. All young people should have access to a similar level of support to help them navigate and understand the array of options available to ensure they can make the right choice.

“The government cannot waste another day letting children and young people down on careers advice so we would like to see the establishment of careers hubs in every local area involving schools, colleges, local councils and others.”

Gifts sent to serviceman and women spending Christmas overseas

A group of GCSE learners from Lincoln College donated gifts and toiletries to members of the armed forces who will be away from their families at Christmas, writes Paul Offord.

Most people will soon be exchanging presents and tucking into their Christmas dinner in the company of loved ones.

But GCSE learners from Lincoln College were moved to take action to boost the spirits of men and women who will miss out on traditional home-comforts this festive season while serving with British armed forces overseas.

The learners filled two large bags with books and DVDs and 10 shoe and boot boxes with festive treats.

One of the students, Gemma Tester, aged 18, said: “Everyone brought in something that we thought we would appreciate if we were away from home at Christmas — I brought toiletries.

“I have friends that are in the Army and relatives that are married to people in the RAF and know that it must be awful to be so far from your loved ones at this time of year.”

The idea became reality after GCSE pathway lead Lynn Train-Brown heard from her 14-year-old daughter, Beth, that her Army cadets group, the Lincoln-based Abbey Detachment, was collecting gifts to send to those serving in Kabul, Sierra Leone, and other parts of the Middle East.

Lincoln-College-3wpinsertMs Train-Brown said: “There has traditionally been strong links to the military in Lincolnshire — particularly the RAF which has bases in Scampton, Waddington and Coningsby, which means that many of our staff and students are either ex-forces or have relatives currently serving.

“The Army cadet group was also based at the college until earlier this year and they still have close links with us, so we really wanted to help out.”

She asked a group of 24 GCSE learners if they would like to support the cause and they enthusiastically agreed.

“The students put in things like toiletries, Christmas puddings and hats that they had brought in from home,” said Mrs Train-Brown.

“They also donated lots of tinsel and other Christmas decorations so the troops can brighten up their tents while they’re away.”

She added a number of learners put letters in the boxes which they wrote themselves and were hoping to receive replies.

Ms Train-Brown said: “We were told that troops who are missing home and might not have many people to keep in contact with really appreciate being written to.”

The overall campaign is being run by Sergeant Instructor Kayleigh Tucker, from the Abbey Detachment.

She said: “The aim behind the scheme is to provide those serving overseas during the festive period with as much moral support as we possibly can.

“It is impossible to imagine how hard it is for servicemen and women to be so far away from their families, especially at this time of year, so it is our mission to ensure that serving soldiers have something to brighten their day this Christmas.”

Main photo caption: (From left) Sergeant Instructor Kayleigh Tucker and cadet Kereen Hitchborne