Latest news from FE Week | FE Week

Disabled learner runs college fair

HJA teenager with cerebral palsy raised £150 through a Christmas fair to help fund sport and social clubs that are accessible to people with disabilities.

Rebekah Gill (pictured), aged 17, who is currently on a one-year individual learning programme at City College Norwich aimed at helping develop her life and employability skills, is confined to a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy.

She organised the fair at the college with help from around 50 members of staff and students who ran 30 stalls offering Christmas craft gifts, jewellery, cakes, badge-making, a lucky dip and tombola. It raised £150 for her next project, which will be to set up disability-accessible social and sports clubs in the college and local community. A further £100 was raised for charities Dogs for the Disabled and Pets as Therapy.

She said: “I was really pleased with how the fair went and the amount of people who came. I would like to thank everyone who helped run the stalls and supported what we were doing.”

Photo caption: Rebekah Gill at the fair

Pitch perfect for training with Manchester United players

Christmas came early for learners from Salford City College Girls Football Academy when they were invited to train with Manchester United first-team footballers Marouane Fellaini, Jonny Evans, Ben Amos, Antonio Valencia and Anderson.

The students were invited invited to train on a synthetic pitch next to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand at Old Trafford with some of the club’s specialist women’s coaches.

They were thrilled when the Premier League stars joined in a kickabout and posed for photos with them afterwards.

One of the learners, Emma Farrington, aged 17, who is studying maths and English GCSEs and a diploma level three in sport, said: “I can’t believe we were given the opportunity to train at Old Trafford. The best bit was definitely meeting the players.”

Kelly Macphail, head coach at the academy, said: “The visit was a fantastic way to reward the team just before Christmas and hopefully this has inspired them to continue working hard so that we can finish this season on a high.”

Photo caption: (Back row from left) Marouane Fellaini, Ben Amos, Anderson, Antonio Valencia and Jonny Evans. Front row: Salford College Girls Academy footballers

Students think singer Jack has the X Factor

X-Factor singer Jack Walton performed and took part in a question and answer session at Lancashire-based Nelson and Colne College.

The singer was interviewed by A-level students Oscar Nommay and Kate Whitaker, both aged 18.

They asked what X Factor judge, Simon Cowell (pictured below) was like in real life and what the singer had done since leaving the show.

Mr Walton, who was part of ex-Spice Girl Mel B’s team on the TV talent show before being voted off last month, also performed to more than 100 guests outside the college’s Farringtons restaurant.

Principal Amanda Melton said: “We were thrilled that Jack was able to join in our festive fun.

“He was a great sport, posing for photos and agreeing to take part in an a question and answer session. Our students certainly enjoyed meeting him.”

Photo caption: Jack Walton performing

Sweet success with selling festive cakes and biscuits

Warrington Collegiate opened its doors to the local community for a fundraising festive market.

Stalls were run by level three hospitality and catering students, who sold home-made festive treats including Italian Christmas bread, cinder toffee, fudge, biscuits and stollen cake, along with a number of external traders.

Hospital and catering lecturer Scott Surtess led a team of level one and two learners from his course, They prepared and served soup, braised steak, red cabbage and mulled wine in the college restaurant.

There was also carol singing and a raffle for a festive hamper featuring a variety of tasty treats either donated or prepared by staff and students, including a Christmas pudding, which raised more than £150. The event raised more than £300 in total for St Rocco’s Hospice, in Warrington.

Bethan Bligh, manager of the college’s Learning Resource Centre, said: “As a college we are very much part of the wider community of Warrington and we wanted to run an event that would be fun for all the family.”

Photo caption: Trader Stacy Daly at her stall

Ofqual scraps QCF

Ofqual has confirmed it is to remove the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) rules.

The decision was confirmed today following a 12-week consultation and earlier review of the rules.

The change is part of the qualification watchdog’s wider plans to “strengthen” vocational qualifications in England and Northern Ireland.

The removal of the QCF rules, along with its bank of shared units, will begin from summer next year, following further consultation on technical details.

Jeremy Benson, pictured, Ofqual’s executive director for vocational qualifications, said: “We put the quality of qualifications above all else. The QCF ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach just isn’t right for every qualification.

“When we lift the QCF rules, good qualifications that meet those rules can stay, we will expect invalid qualifications to be redeveloped or withdrawn.

“Ending shared units will also mean that awarding bodies take clear and sole responsibility for the quality of every single part of their qualifications.

“Vocational qualifications have an important role to play in strengthening skills and supporting economic growth.

“Removing the QCF rules means that awarding bodies will be able to design qualifications that meet better the needs of employers and respond more effectively to innovations in professional practice.

“We have listened to feedback from our consultation and won’t be introducing any changes immediately.

“Over the next few months we will be working closely with awarding organisations, government bodies and others, to enable a smooth transition that minimises impact.”

Nigel Whitehead, commissioner for the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and managing director of BAE Systems, reviewed vocational qualifications for the government in 2013 and said he supported the changes.

He said: “Qualifications must be high quality, flexible and responsive to employer needs. My review found that the QCF rules have been responsible for a rigid tick-box approach to assessment. Rules on unit-sharing have reduced employer involvement and sector expertise in qualifications.

“I am fully supportive of Ofqual’s new approach to regulating vocational qualifications, which puts employer involvement at its heart.

“The UKCES and Ofqual are working together to put in place the conditions that allow employers to take an effective and directive role at the centre of the vocational qualifications system.”

Stephen Wright, Federation of Awarding Bodies chief executive, said: “[It is] difficult to comment until the statement is released, but we would hope that Ofqual has listened to the clear messages from the awarding sector about keeping the elements of the QCF that work well, not least the QCF name which we have been communicating to employers and other key groups for four years.

“[The name] is just starting to gain some recognition, also the size descriptors award, certificate and diploma were difficult to introduce, but we are through the pain and they bring clarity to the qualification structure.

“Freeing up the framework may provide an opportunity to revisit one of the original objectives of creating an overarching framework for all qualifications, including national awards.”

Charlotte Bosworth, OCR director of skills and employment, said: “We welcome the proposal to withdraw the regulatory arrangements for the QCF and to regulate using only the general conditions of recognition.

“However, during the implementation of the changes we must not lose sight of what is really important – preparing young people for further study and the world of work and helping them reach their potential. We must manage the changes carefully so that we do not jeopardise comparability.”

Graham Hasting-Evans, NOCN managing director, said: “Ofqual’s announcement was expected. What we now need to focus on is establishing an ENQF which is internationally recognised and includes apprenticeships, higher apprenticeship, GSCEs, A Level and degrees all in a single framework.”

Cable marks ‘two million’ apprentice starts

Business Secretary Vince Cable was at Abingdon and Witney College to mark the “two millionth” apprentice.

He met 16-year-old Paige McConville in Oxford, where she began her advanced apprenticeship in engineering manufacture with high-tech engineering firm, FMB Oxford in August.

The Business Secretary also visited the college where Paige and her fellow apprentices study.

Dr Cable said: “Reaching the two millionth apprenticeship is testament to this Government’s commitment to apprenticeships. Paige and her employer are a shining example of how apprenticeships give young people the chance to start a career and give businesses the talent to grow.

“This isn’t just about numbers. From space engineering, to TV production, to legal services, apprenticeships are the ticket to a great job and a route employers trust to access the skills they need.”

The government claims to have hit its target of two million apprentice starts in this parliament. However, a number will be the same learner counted at least once where they may have either started a programme and then changed, or progressed a level.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “Apprenticeships have a vital role to play in supporting the long term economic plan. Thanks to our reforms and through the support of employers like FMB Oxford, apprenticeships are a solid route into some of the country’s most prestigious professions.

“Two million is just the start – I want to see more employers making apprentices a key part of their strategies for growth.”

Richard Atkins, president of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: “We’re pleased that the government has fulfilled its commitment to starting more apprenticeships giving many young people the business-ready skills for their chosen career.

“Further education colleges are well-placed take on the role of expanding higher technical, professional and vocational education so we are delighted that Paige McConville, the two-millionth apprentice, is studying at Abingdon and Witney College.

“However apprenticeships are only part of the answer. Employers and colleges should be given the flexibility to work more closely together to develop learning programmes and qualifications which are relevant and up to date, so that young people and adults can gain the skills required for the modern workplace.

“We would like to see a continued commitment to skills training from the next government, including the development of a pre-apprenticeship programme to support those who are not yet ready to take up a full apprenticeship with an employer.”

The Business Secretary also announced 22 new employer-designed apprenticeships in professions ranging from data analysis to civil engineering to health and social care. The employers, who are part of the Government’s trailblazer scheme, design apprenticeships to meet the needs of their industries making sure people have the right skills to get on in the world of work.

Jayne Sloane, group training manager of trailblazer employer Costain, said: “The trailblazer apprenticeships give us the opportunity to ensure apprenticeships are fit for purpose and provide our industry with the skills needed for the future.”

Fourth ‘national college’ gets digital skills focus

England’s fourth national college will focus on digital skills and coding, it has been revealed.

The National College for Digital Skills, which will begin working with part-time learners next year and open a new campus in London in 2016, will focus on higher apprenticeships and foundation degrees for learners over 18, with some provision for 16 to 18-year-olds, all at level three or above.

But the college, which was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron today, will be the first in the government’s national college initiative to incorporate as a completely new organisation without the backing of an existing FE provider.

New colleges for the nuclear, fracking and rail industries announced earlier this year all involve the expansion of one or more existing institutions.

But Mark Smith, one of the project’s founders, told FE Week it was a model which best suited the aims of the college.

He said: “We are very much looking to identify the right FE providers to work with in the long-term, but we felt very strongly that to create the ethos and culture we wanted, establishing a new institution would give us a real blank canvas.

“Being autonomous is also important in our bid to become successful.”

The college will be founded by the Aldridge Foundation and has named Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deloitte, Gamesys, Henderson Global Investors, IBM, King, Oracle Academy, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the Tech Partnership among its supporters.

The project launched last year with an initial £100,000 donation from Gamesys which allowed Mr Smith and co-founder Tom Fogden to work full-time.

Mr Smith said he expected the capital costs, which have not yet been worked out, to come from industry with match funding from government, with revenue funding eventually coming from both the Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency.

Campus 36

Thinktank calls for 14 to 19 review as it issues warning of ‘sleepwalking’ into RPA

A new report from a left-of-centre thinktank has warned the Coalition is “sleepwalking” into the raised participation age and called for it to “rethink what the offer for 14 to 19-year-olds should be all about”.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report Avoiding the Same Mistakes: Lessons for Reform of 14 to 19 Education in England, published today, goes on to urge the government to look at “particularly how all the 16 to 18-year-olds who will now be staying in education or training can really benefit from this extra participation”.

It says: “It does not seem that there has been much coherent thought about how to ensure that such a significant change in leaving age will result in better outcomes for young people and a better system overall.

“Rather than simply sleepwalking into the raised participation age, it is time to rethink what the offer for 14 to 19-year-olds should be all about, and particularly how all the 16 18-year-olds who will now be staying in education or training can really benefit from this extra participation.”

The 20-page report claims other countries with similar economies, such as the Netherlands, have shown it is possible to bridge the gap between employers and education with mechanisms for engaging both sides. Employers, it says, are engaged consistently in qualification design and in offering apprenticeships and work placements for young people, helping them to move more smoothly from education to work or further study.

It also looks at the vocational education and training (Vet) system of Australia to arrive at recommendations for England’s system. It says that reforms in England have “tended to focus excessively on changing the structure and content of qualifications, rather than on the wider system – this should not be the future starting point”. It also says: “We need to ensure that our Vet system is supported by strong, simple and stable institutions that bring together employers, providers and the state.” And that “apprenticeships are important, but high-quality pathways for all young people will require stronger provision in schools and colleges as well.”

Louise Evans, IPPR senior research fellow, said: “As we enter 2015 – the year when 18-year-olds in England will be required to participate in education and training for the first time – it is important that we learn from other similar economies, such as the Netherlands and Australia, who have better rates of participation and youth unemployment. Our research shows that these countries have clearer transition systems from education to work, particularly supported by strong vocational education for young people.

“This means moving on from further, isolated qualification reform. We need strong college-based vocational route alongside further apprenticeships, all supported by simple, strong structures to involve employers in this phase of education.”

Martin Doel, chief executive of the Associaiton of Colleges, said: “FE colleges are uniquely well placed to take on the role of expanding higher technical, professional and vocational education but to do this there needs to be a two-way street with employers being fully engaged as partners in this work. We must work together continuously to co-create meaningful qualifications for today’s fast-changing global skills economy.”

He added: “For the UK economy to succeed there needs to be a strong vocational system in place. Despite the political parties’ obsession with apprenticeships, these are only a part of the answer. We need employers and the college community to work together to look at ways to give young people a good, robust skills-based education to start them on their choice of career path with business-ready skills.”