Making a job out ofcareers education

It’s been a particularly busy month in FE with the combination of the Skills Show and the Association of Colleges annual conference, and if you’re working in marketing, very very busy.

We also had school recruitment fairs and stands at the Ricoh Arena’s careers event.

And if our presence at these events has taught me one thing it’s that children still like pens and badges.

It was a fantastic experience to engage with so many young people at the Skills Show and yet I did think we were missing a trick in influencing a generation.

So many primary schoolchildren were running around grabbing as many badges, sweets and pens that they could squeeze into their freebie bags and I did not feel like they had been briefed by their teachers as to what the Skills Show was all about.

Do not get me wrong this is not a criticism of the Skills Show — it was an impressive display of providers putting on interactive and meaningful activities for young people to engage with.

It is more an observation that from a young age we have got to get better at educating young people on what they could do and become.

Employers should want to engage proactively with young people to inspire, empower and influence

But whose job is this? Teachers have enough to do and I cannot help but think this showed at the Skills Show. Those teachers who escorted their pupils in the large seemed to provide little focus as to the outcomes of the day.

By the time a group of primary schoolchildren reached our stand and we had asked what they all wanted to be when they were older, they all chimed in perfect harmony “badge makers”.

But it’s not easy delivering exciting and compelling careers education to young people and even more of a task when you get to secondary school where all advice and guidance can easily take a competitive slant.

So what can we do? At a local level we should be inviting our schoolchildren into college and engaging with them as early as possible to show them what their brothers and sisters are up to.

We should definitely be adding focus to activities outside and inside school, for example making sure that there are schemes of work which piece together interests in future occupations and jobs; it would have saved me a fortune in pens and badges if the visitors had been given tasks for the day.

We should be placing more responsibility on employers to engage with young people as the pipeline of their workforce into the future. Employers should want to engage proactively with young people to inspire, empower and influence.

And the National Careers Service needs to be far more proactive in engaging with young people and seen as a service which is readily available to use. At the moment it’s a bit of an enigma.

Schools themselves need to buy in help if they cannot achieve delivery of impartial careers at the statutory level. And this is where colleges could help by delivering a function in partnership.

Staffing in schools, colleges and elsewhere needs to become highly professionalised where such a service is delivered: oh, the irony to make a job out of careers.

I myself am a product of luck — I received little to no careers education, worryingly even less effort was made at my university where I think investing tens of thousands of pounds deserves for you to receive care and attention on an individual level. And not everyone will get lucky, some will fall, some will find their feet but why leave it to chance?

 

Edition 120: Tim Eyton-Jones, Monica Box and Sarah Robinson

Barnfield College has announced that its new principal will be Tim Eyton-Jones.

He is currently the principal of John Ruskin College, but is due to leave in March.

Mr Eyton-Jones leaves the sixth form college, in South Croydon, having joined in 2009 — the year before it was rated as inadequate by Ofsted. It was revisited by inspectors last year, who gave it an outstanding grade.

He said: “I am very sad to be leaving John Ruskin College as it is a truly outstanding organisation. I will miss the energy and professionalism of the staff and students and I want to wish them all success for the future. I would also like to thank everyone for the support I have had while in post.”

A college spokesperson said: “The corporation would like to thank Mr Eyton-Jones for his hard work, commitment and inspirational leadership over the last five years.”

Monica Box, Barnfield College interim principal, will remain in post until Mr Eyton-Jones joins. She has previously led City College Manchester, South Kent College and more recently Kensington and Chelsea College, each in the capacity of interim principal.

She replaced previous interim principal Dame Jackie Fisher at the end of October. Dame Jackie’s interim position was initially for six months, but at the request of the board she agreed to stay on for a further three months.

Governors’ board chair Robin Somerville said: “I’m confident that under Mr Eyton-Jones’s leadership Barnfield College will go from strength to strength, and he will finish the much needed transformation of the college started by Dame Jackie and continued by Ms Box in their interim capacities.”

The recruitment process to replace Mr Eyton-Jones at John Ruskin is under way.

Meanwhile, the 157 Group has elected Sarah Robinson OBE, principal of Stoke-on-Trent College, to serve as chair for the next 12 months.

She takes over from Peter Roberts, chief executive of Leeds City College, who has been chair since November 2012.

Ms Robinson said “I am delighted to be taking on the role of chair at an immensely important time for FE.

“As next year’s general election approaches, the 157 Group’s role in influencing policy will be vital to securing the best possible education and skills system for learners and employers.”

She said she was “proud” of the 157 Group’s work.

Ms Robinson added: “I pay tribute to Peter Roberts, who has led the 157 Group so expertly for the last two years, and to my fellow members of the 157 Group, for their continued commitment to our work.”

Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said, “Enhancing the lives of learners and improving the experience of employers is central to everything that colleges do — and Stoke-on-Trent College is an excellent example of that.

“I am therefore delighted that Sarah Robinson will be our chair for the coming year, and I look forward to working with her for the benefit of our education and skills system.”

 

Lambeth College poised for indefinite strike — again

Indefinite strike action could be set to hit Lambeth College for the second time in eight months, after unions unveiled plans to walk out in a continuing row over staff contracts.

The University and College Union (UCU) has released a timetable of escalating one, two and three-day strikes starting next week, culminating in an open-ended strike from Monday, January 19.

Its members walked out for five weeks beginning in June over plans to introduce contracts for new staff, which the union says would leave teachers with longer working hours and less annual leave and sick pay — returning three days before the summer holidays.

Una O’Brien, UCU regional official, said: “The situation at Lambeth College is now very clear and the management cannot be in any doubt at how angry staff are about the new contracts.

“We hope that strike action, which will certainly mean major disruption again at Lambeth, won’t be necessary. The college needs to sit down with us to talk through changes to staff contracts and work towards finding a solution staff are happy with.”

The new contracts at the centre of the row offer 50 days a year annual leave — 10 days fewer than that given to existing staff.

However, Lambeth principal Mark Silverman has said the terms of the contract, introduced from April 1, were “in line with sector norms”.

He said they were part of the college’s recovery plan following financial deficits of £4.1m in 2012/13 and £3.5m last year.

Mr Silverman said: “I’m disappointed that UCU are calling members out on strike when their own representatives are, in negotiations with the College, increasingly accepting of the current situation where we have two contracts co-existing.”

A strike ballot which opened on September 22 was shelved early the next month while the union considered an “improved offer” from the college, where existing staff would stay on the original contract until September 2017, or accept a £1,500 “cash incentive” to transfer to the new contract.

However, in the latest ballot, the results of which were announced last week, 66 UCU members voted to strike, from a turnout of 80 members from a staff of 250.

The first strike is expected to take place on Thursday, December 4, for one day, followed by a two-day strike on December 9 and 10 and a three-day strike is scheduled for December 15, 16 and 17.

Following Christmas, a two-day strike is planned on January 7 and 8, with three days of striking on January 13, 14 and 15 before the indefinite strike is set to begin on January 17.

A UCU spokesperson said: “We have welcomed a commitment from the college that it will not impose the new contracts on staff employed before April 2014.

“However, the union remains unhappy with the two-tier employment structure the contracts have produced and wants the new contract removed or a fresh one drawn up with its agreement.”

Mr Silverman said: “We have given strong assurances over the last year that the new contract is for new staff, and that we will not be imposing it on existing staff, and I’m pleased that UCU are now acknowledging this.

“We have launched a voluntary scheme where existing staff can transfer to the new contract and accept the incentives that UCU declined last month.

“A good number of staff have already made the transfer, and staff still have a further six weeks to volunteer.

“With staff transferring to the new contract voluntarily, UCU more accepting of both the two-contract status and the college’s assurance of not imposing changes, and such a low turnout on the ballot, one has to wonder what further strike action hopes to achieve.

“Our focus now is to manage the strike effectively and ensure that our learners are not disrupted.

“We plan to keep the college open and functioning throughout further industrial action.

“We will focus on supporting our learners, and we are absolutely determined that we will not allow them to be disrupted.”

All-age apprentice starts down for second consecutive year but improvement for 16 to 18

The number of new apprentices in 2013/14 was down by nearly 70,000 on the previous year — the second consecutive annual fall, according to official figures out this morning.

All-age apprenticeship starts were at 440,400 last academic year, down 13.7 per cent, having been at 510,200 the previous year, and 520,600 in 2011/12.

The 2012/13 fall in all-age apprenticeship starts was the first since 2005/06 when the figure of 175,000 was down 7.5 per cent from the previous year.

Within the fall in the 2013/14 figures, were decreases from 165,400 to 159,100 (-3.8 per cent) for the 19 to 24 age group and 230,300 to 161,600 (-29.8 per cent) among those aged 25+.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said: “The introduction of the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans impacted on the number of adult apprenticeship starts recently — but as soon as it became clear that loans were not the preferred route for employers or prospective apprentices we decided to remove apprenticeships from the loans programme. As such we look forward to seeing this trend reverse in future and a boost to the number of adult apprentices.

“We are reforming the funding of all apprenticeships to put employers in the driving seat and ensure apprenticeships deliver the skills businesses need to grow and compete. More than 1,000 employers are now involved in designing high quality apprenticeships as part of the successful trailblazers initiative.”

However, one positive note in the apprenticeship figures was that 16 to 18 starts were continuing to recover and were up on 2012/13, from 114,500 to 119,800 (4.6 per cent).

It was the first annual increase for the age group in two years, with the 2010/11 number of 131,700 having been 12.8 per cent up on the previous year.

The final (rather than provisional) figures were in today’s Statistical First Release, where the number of traineeship starts for 2013/14 was also revealed to have been 10,400.

“Traineeships are off to a strong start, with the first year of the programme seeing more than 10,000 young people taking the opportunity to gain the skills and work experience that will put them on track for a rewarding career,” said the BIS spokesperson.

“Leading employers such as Virgin Media, Barclays and the BBC have committed to create thousands more traineeship opportunities over the coming years and, following a public consultation, we are now broadening the learner eligibility for the programme from January so that even more young people can benefit.”

For analysis of the figures, read edition 120 of FE Week, dated Monday, December 1.

The Skills Show 2014

Click here to download the supplement 

Welcome to this FE Week supplement covering the Skills Show 2014.

It was an action-packed three days at the Birmingham NEC, with more than 75,000 visitors experiencing more than 50 have-a-go activities and getting inspiration about careers and skills.

Alongside that, we had the National Skills Competitions finals, where, as well as winning a gold medal, talented youngsters could be invited to compete for a squad place for WorldSkills 2017.

We’ve got a quick guide to the Skills Show and some information about its organising body, Find a Future, on page three.

The Skills Show isn’t just about one event however, so you can find out more about the Skills Show Experience and Roadshow, which spread the Skills Show message around the country, on pages four and five.

On pages six and seven we take a look at some of the things happening at the Skills Show and ask some familiar faces what they think of it, and City & Guilds UK managing director Kirstie Donnelly and her PR intern Maria McSorley take on some of the have-a-gos.

Next, Find a Future chief executive Ross Maloney and chair Carole Stott discuss this year’s show and their future plans on page eight, before Skills Show volunteers get some well-deserved credit and then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg gives his verdict on proceedings on page nine.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the show, the UK’s top skills learners were battling it out in the National Skills Competitions and we talk to some of the training managers, judges and competitors from page 10 to 13.

But it isn’t just young people who want careers advice — their parents want to know how to support them, as Chris Mosler, blogger for Mumsnet and Thinlyspread.co.uk, explains on page 14.

On page 15, Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Stewart Segal explores the role of independent learning providers in WorldSkills and the Skills show.

The Skills Show finished in style on Saturday night and we’ve got coverage from the closing ceremony and interviews with the gold medal winners on page 16, followed by full results tables on pages 20 to 23.

The Skills Show may be over but the mission to promote the skills sector and provide careers advice continues, and you can join in the conversation online with @FEWeek.

FE Week Readers’ Manifesto

Click here to download the FE Week Readers’ Manifesto

As we head into the last six months before one of the most unpredictable general elections in the last century, it is clear that FE and skills are going to be on the agenda nationally. But is that a blessing in disguise?
We have already been through a party conference season in which politicians of all political persuasions fell into that age-old trap of knowing the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.
Apprenticeships, considered by our sector to be an essential and specialist form of vocational education, have been reduced to a makeshift solution to youth unemployment, and an ill-advised race to pledge more and more apprenticeship starts has been promised from all sides.

But while it seems everyone wants to talk about apprenticeships, our leaders are still uncomfortable speaking about funding for FE, or rather, the lack of it.
Without the comfort and security of the funding ringfence enjoyed by schools, FE has been left out in the cold by government cuts and frequent changes in policy, which have placed additional administrative burdens on colleges and left lecturers, college leaders and providers even more stretched, and their learners at risk of a sub-standard education.

In the run-up to a general election, all politicians get desperate. Desperate to score points over each other, desperate to win votes by talking the public’s language, and it is our job to make sure the pressure is on them to speak FE’s language too.
It would also be nice for our politicians to publish manifesto pledges which may not necessarily make the news at 10, but are formed from on an understanding and appreciation of the sector’s needs, requirements and aspirations.

The last five years may have seemed tough with the tightening of purse strings in FE. But what is clear is that the next government, no matter what political colour, will have to make deeper and more aggressive cuts. It will make the previous five years seem like the ‘good old days.’

In conducting our manifesto survey, FE Week has sought to unite our amazing sector in one voice, so we can tell those who seek public office and those who elect them what their priorities must be for vocational education and skills policy.
The results will not surprise many in the FE sector, but they make one thing very clear: we cannot go on as we are.

The FE sector trains some of the most vulnerable young people in England. Young people who have been failed by the schools system, hung out to dry by government and left to a life of working for minimum wage, or as one of those most talked-about statistics, those who are Neet – not in education, employment or training.

The FE sector gives those people a chance.

Our sector also gives adults, who may have been failed by a school system many decades ago, the change to come back into education and improve their prospects, and to quote at least two government ministers, there is nothing “Mickey Mouse” about qualifications which get anyone who wants to learn back into the classroom.

The FE sector also gives those people a chance.

But far from simply being a dumping ground for the leftovers of a school system which rewards only the academic achievements of learners and recognises only grades and not potential, FE also trains some of the brightest and the best England has to offer.

More and more young people are choosing vocational pathways into highly-skilled fields such as aviation, aerospace, engineering and manufacturing, into fields like accountancy and law, where apprenticeships were once the norm, but now university is trumpeted by schools and careers advisers as the only route.But these options are not being presented to enough young people as they go through school. This is simply wrong and must change. It is a failing of our education system, which must be addressed, but will take a generation.

Through the results of this survey and the subsequent readers’ manifesto, the FE sector can speak with one voice, loudly enough to ensure above anything else that we cannot be ignored as the race to Number 10 reaches its conclusion.

The phrase ‘sooner rather than later’ has never been more pertinent.

Shane Mann,

Managing director of Lsect Ltd, publisher of FE Week

Learners clean 100-year-old bricks for new skills centre

Birmingham Metropolitan College students cleaned-up more than 6,000 bricks that will be used for its new skills centre.

The college’s original Erdington Skills Centre, which dated back to the early 20th century when the site was a technical school, was demolished to make way for a new £4m building.

More than 6,000 bricks were taken from the site to the college’s James Watt Campus, in Birmingham, where level one brickwork students used heavy machinery to clean cement and grime from them.

They will be used for the new centre that will contain purpose-built classrooms and workshops for the construction trades.

Learner Francis Dean, aged 49, who is studying brickwork after being advised to register for the course by Jobcentre Plus, said: “It was great to see how the bricks would have originally looked after we had finished cleaning them.

“It’s a good idea to re-use materials and has been an interesting project to work on.”

Assistant faculty director for construction Keith Acton said: “The bricks are probably around 100 years old. We were especially keen to recycle materials from the original building to keep some historical context.”

 

Picture caption: Learner Francis Dean

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