Labour leader Ed Miliband has unveiled plans to “revolutionise learning and training” with new technical degrees delivered by the country’s top universities and designed with leading businesses.

Speaking at a vocational education summit in London this morning, he told how “those who have excelled in vocational education and training” would be given the opportunity to take their learning further, through university.

Mr Miliband said: “I am clear that the priority for expansion of university places must be based on assessment of what Britain, our young people and our businesses need in the future when we will compete with the rest of the world on quality, innovation, science and skills. So my priority will be technical degrees, delivered in partnership with business and universities.

“This is a new direction for our country: equal status for vocational qualifications from school to university and beyond; equipping our young people with the skills they need; and providing our country with a reason to be confident for the future so we can compete with the very best economies in the world in a race to the top.”

The speech came at the Sutton Trust’s Higher Ambitions summit, at London’s Institution of Civil Engineers. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock was due to speak later at the event.

“For too long governments have believed there is only one way to success through education which is to follow the conventional academic route: to do GCSEs, A-levels, a traditional academic subject at university and then on to career,” said Mr Miliband.

He added: “But that kind of aspiration cannot be limited only to those young people who choose a conventional academic route. We must be One Nation, not two, because we know that route doesn’t work for everyone and we know as well there have not been clear enough alternatives.

“What do we say to a young person at school thinking about their career for the first time if they don’t want to do traditional academic subjects? What is the gold-standard vocational qualification? What should they be aiming for in the long-run? What do they need to do to get there?

“We know other countries get this right. In Germany, there are proper, joined-up qualifications at every level — pathways on to apprenticeships and careers. Where other countries have succeeded, we have failed our young people.

“For the first time in a century there is the real danger of our children doing worse than their parents, of the Promise of Britain being broken, and our country going into decline. We cannot afford to allow people’s talents to go undeveloped and their hopes unfulfilled.

“A Labour government, working with business and universities, will revolutionise learning and training to underpin the high wage, high skill, high quality economy we will build together for the future.

“The government I plan to lead in 10 months’ time will put this right with reform of vocational education is central to this mission.

“And I can announce today that we will go one step further too by introducing new Technical Degrees as the culmination of our reform agenda for the forgotten 50 per cent who do not currently go to university.

“These courses will be designed together by some of our best universities and our leading employers, teaching people the skills they need to prosper in the new economy.

“For the first time, those who have excelled in vocational education and training will be able to progress further. For the first time young people will have the chance to earn while they learn at university with a degree that provides a clear route to a high skilled technical or professional career. For the first time employers will be able to people who see their long term future with the firm and then develop their specialist skills so they can succeed together.”

The announcement of plans for the technical degrees follows other FE and skills plans from Labour, including the creation of a Technical Baccalaureate for 16 to 19-year-olds with level three qualifications accredited by employers and a work placement, as well as requiring all young people to continue studying English and maths to age 18.

The party has also said it wants lecturers to hold teaching qualifications and for the best FE colleges to become Institutes of Technical Education.

Almost 100 young people were today (July 7) confirmed as UK squad members for next year’s WorldSkills competition in Brazil.

Following three days of gruelling tests in their different skill areas, 98 young people landed a spot on the squad, offering them the chance to go on to compete at WorldSkills in Sao Paulo next year.

The successful competitors will now undergo 11 months of training to bring them up to world class standard, before the final team for Brazil is picked.

Former Westminster Kingsway College cookery apprentice Danny Hoang, aged  20, was one of those who made it on to the squad.

Danny, who is now a chef at The Grove Hotel, in Watford, said: “When I heard I’d got through I just felt massive delight — this week was really, really hard, physically, mentally and technically but I’m really happy with the results.

“When I was standing waiting to hear the judges’ decision I was really nervous — I had a flashback of all my mistakes through the week so I wasn’t sure I’d get through.”

The best bit of the squad selection process, he added, was being able to gauge his own performance and see it improve throughout the week.

“It’s been good to be around people who are just as passionate in their own skill and are same-minded as well, “ he said.

“That’s probably one of the strongest supports you can have in a competition like this.”

Danny made it to selection stage last year, but didn’t get through to squad.

After two years’ involvement with the competition, Danny described his WorldSkills experience so far as “amazing and life-changing”.

Hairdressing competitor Eleni Constantinou, 21, who is an apprentice at her father’s salon, Tino Constantinou in Cardiff, said: “It’s like a complete and utter rollercoaster — at the beginning you think if ‘I do it I do it, if I don’t, I don’t’ but then it becomes such a big thing.

“Until you’re sat out there you’ll never know how much it means, you don’t realise until it gets closer — it’s the worst thing, but when you find out you’ve got in, it’s the best, so you get the best and worst in one day.”

The selection announcement came as a surprise for Mirella McGee, 20 and from Kent, an architectural stonemasonry apprentice at Canterbury Cathedral.

“I thought I didn’t get through — I was told only three would get through, and I heard three of the others’ names and ‘I thought oh never mind’ and then they said my name,” she said.

“I thought I’d really messed up on the last day and that was it my alarm didn’t go off in the morning so I missed the briefing and just everything went wrong… so I’d just accepted that I wasn’t going through.”

She added: “It means everything to get through — it’s the experience, I’ve proved to myself that I’m a bit better than I sometimes think, because I don’t often have much confidence in my work and I guess the training weeks and stuff have paid off because I wouldn’t have been able to do this when I started out — I’m really looking forward to carrying on with the training.”

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock congratulated the squad members.

“The World Skills Competition is an opportunity for the UK to showcase and celebrate our young apprentices on the global stage,” he said.

“It goes to show, that for every skill and every vocational area, we can and should celebrate excellence.

“The young people who have earned a place on Squad UK are ambassadors for our country and demonstrate how high quality apprenticeships can lead to successful careers.”

In the first week of October, 14 of the 37 skills will put forward competitors for EuroSkills, and squad members will also have a chance to show off and hone their skills at The Skills Show, which takes place from November, 13 to 15.

Click here to see some of the squad members in action during the selection process — see below for the full list of competitors.

	County	Region	Training Provider / College	Employer
Aircraft Maintenance
Joe Hedley, 22	Wiltshire	South West	Qinetiq Apprentice Training School	Qinetiq Training School MOD Boscombe Down
Shayne Hadland, 23	Oxfordshire	South East	Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford	RAF Benson
Autobody Repair
Ryan Jones, 19	Leicester	East Midlands	Auto Restore	Auto Restore
James Crawford, 20	Belfast	Northern Ireland	RiverPark Training	Crawfords Accident Repair Centre
Autobody Technology
Jamie Betts, 20	Aberdeen	Scotland	Raytheon	Regency Car Sales
Elijah Summer, 19	Cardiff	Wales	Provq	Halfords Autocentre
Declan McGarth, 20	Co. Fermanagh	Northern Ireland	South West College	Bundoran Motors
Car Paint
Rebecca Wilson, 21	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	RiverPark Training	C M Accident Repair Centre
Patrick Quinn, 21	Co. Antrim	Northern Ireland	RiverPark Training	Quinn Specialist Vehicles
James Grayson, 21	Sheffield	Yorkshire & The Humber	Chesterfield College	S & G Coachworks
Leon Ivin, 20	Mors  Motonmouthshire	Wales	College Gwent	Mager
Refrigeration
Christopher Ballie, 20	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	South Eastern Regional College	BL Refrigeration and AC Limited
Joseph Conroy, 20	Berkshire	South East	Eastleigh College	Trane UK
Ryan Unwin, 21	Manchester	North West	Manchester College	Bruntwood
Cooking
Ruth Hansom, 18	London	London	Westminster Kingsway College	The Ritz
Danny Hoang, 20	London	London	Westminster Kingsway College	The Grove Hotel
Confectionery / Pastry Cook
Sophie Bamford, 20	London	London	Westminster  Kingsway College	William Curley
Mikaela Wright, 20	Glasgow	Scotland	City of Glasgow College
Restaurant Service
Daniel Harrison, 21	Auchterarder	Scotland	Buxton College	Gleneagles
Lucy Jones, 20	Hampshire	South West	Brockenhurst College	Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa
Olivia Whitbread, 20	Kent	South East	Westminster Kingsway College	The Bell Hotel
Beauty Therapy
Rianne Chester, 21	Cheshire	North West	Warrington Collegiate	Akira Nails and Beauty
Amber Scholes, 18	Norfolk	East of England	Great Yarmouth College	Aphrodite Beauty Studio
Ashlea Gissing, 18	Suffolk	East of England	Great Yarmouth College	Rosie’s Beautician & Day Spa
Hairdressing
Eleni Constantinou, 21	Caerphilly	Wales		Tina Constantinou
Abigail Moreton, 20	Herefordshire	West Midlands	Reds Hair  Company	Reds Hair Company
Lucy Knight, 19	Bristol	South West	City of Bristol College	Samuel David Hairdressing
Visual Merchandising
Jasmine Field, 19	Berkshire	South East	Fashion Retail Academy	Marks and Spencer
Catherine Abbot, 18	Berkshire	South East	Fashion Retail Academy
Ashley Goult, 19	London	London	Fashion Retail Academy
Abigail Beekes, 19	Surrey	South East	Fashion Retail Academy
Floristry
Danielle Scanlon, 19	Surrey	South East	Merrist Wood College	Bunches and Pots
Zoe Rowlinson, 19	Oxfordshire	South East	Warwickshire College	The Garden
Louisa Cooper, 20	Staffordshire	West Midlands	South Staffordshire College	School Farm Shop
Jewellery
Ben Pritchard, 20	Essex	East of England	The Goldsmiths’ Company	Emson Haig
Hugo Johnson, 18	West Sussex	South East	The Goldsmiths’ Company	RTFJ
Tylor Ansell, 20	Kent	South East	The Goldsmiths’ Company	Cartier
Health and Social Care
Hayley Edwards, 17 (will be 18 at time of competition if selected)	Cleveland	North East	Middlesbrough College
Georgina Ravenscroft, 19	Merseyside	North West	Knowsley Community CollegeKings College London
Amy Mitchell, 18	Staffordshire	West Midlands	Newcastle –under-Lyme College
Industrial Control
Ashley Eyley, 21	South Derbyshire	East Midlands	Burton College	Toyota
Luke Elsmore, 19	Caerphilly	Wales	Newport University	Industrial Automation and Control
Alex Scott, 21	Newport	Wales	Newport University	Industrial Automation and Control
Hayley Ramadhar, 18	Staffordshire	West Midlands	Black County Technical College
Industrial Electronics
Naomi Stephenson, 19	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	South Eastern Regional College
Mechanical Engineering CAD
Andrew  Beel, 20	Glasgow	Scotland	New College Lanarkshire	Pacson Valves
CNC Turning
Alex Elton, 19	Warwickshire	West Midlands	North Warwickshire & Hinckley College	Clamonta
CNC Milling
Michael Watson, 20	Bristol	South West	City of Bristol College	GKN Aerospace
Steven Castle, 19	Bristol	South West	City of Bristol College	GKN Aerospace
Architectural Stonemasonry
John Reid, 19	Elgin	Scotland	Elgin Training Unit	Historic Scotland
Sam Turner, 18	Leeds	Yorkshire & The Humber	York College	The Dean and Chapter of York
Connor Crawford, 18	Argyll	Scotland	Elgin Training Unit	Historic Scotland
Mirella McGee, 20	Kent	South East	The Building Crafts College	The Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral
Plumbing and Heating
Shane Brannagan, 20	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	Southern Regional College	Self – Employed
Gary Doyle, 19	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	Southern Regional College	Kieran Trainor
Mechatronics
John Peerless, 22	Harrow	London	Middlesex University
Calum Knott, 21	London	London	Middlesex University
Andy Smith, 20	Chester	North West	Toyota Manufacturing UK	Toyota Manufacturing UK
Robyn Clarke, 21	Chester	North West	Toyota Manufacturing UK	Toyota Manufacturing UK
Welding
Thomas Beardsley, 20	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire & The Humber	Chesterfield College	National Grid
Reece Taylor, 21	Co. Durham	North East	Derwentside College	Dyer Engineering
Kurt Rogers, 20	Doncaster	Yorkshire & The Humber	Newcastle – Under – Lyme College	Alstom
Sheet Metal Technology
Jack Higgins, 19	Birmingham	West Midlands	Wolverhampton College	Radshape Sheet Metal Ltd
Harley Brian, 19	Staffordshire	West Midlands	KMF	KMF
Ryan Murphy, 19	Stoke on Trent	West Midlands	KMF	KMF
Construction Metal Works
Christopher Hanson,   20	Bradford	Yorkshire & The Humber	City Training Bradford	Richard Allan
Gethin Jones, 19	Llandysul	Wales	Coleg Sir Gar	Morris Fabrication & Welding
Josh Proctor, 19	Cumbria	North West	Furness College	BAE Systems
Landscape Gardening
Jonathan Gill, 20	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	CAFRE	Historic Royal Palaces
Matthew Beasley, 20	Cheshire	North West		Beesley Landscapes
Aaron Jamieson, 20	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	CAFRE	Lawn + Border Landscapes
Adam Ferguson, 18	Co. Antrim	Northern Ireland	CAFRE
Carpentry
Owain Jones, 20	Gwynedd	Wales	coleg meirion dwyfor	H B Daverport
Mark Hawthorne, 21	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	South Eastern Regional College	Trainor Contracts
Simon McCall, 20	Carmathernshire	Wales	Coleg Sir Gar	Jones & Johnson
Joinery
Dominic Hicks, 20	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Pembrokeshire College	Keating Joinery Ltd
Dale Hodgins, 21	Gloucestershire	South West	OCVC	Oakleigh Joinery
Painting and Decorating
Curtis Baker, 19	Doncaster	Yorkshire & The Humber	Doncaster College	Togel Contractors
Brendan Magee, 20	Co. Down	Northern Ireland	Southern Regional College	Ryan O’Gorman Painting & Decorating
Connor Lambton, 18	Cumbria	North West	Furness College	Horrocks
Brick Work
Louis Wilkinson, 20	East Sussex	South East	Sussex Downs College	Owen Contractors
Ryan Stevens, 19	Shropshire	West Midlands	Shrewsbury College	Craig Chatwood Building Contractors
Jason Whitehead, 21	Barnsley	Yorkshire & the Humber	Barnsley College	Barratt Homes
Connor Cutsforth, 21	Hull	Yorkshire & the Humber	Hull College	Beal Homes
Plastering & Dry Wall Lining
Robert Johnson, 21	Middlesbrough	North East	Redcar & Cleveland College	Classic Plaster Moulds
Nathan Roblin, 21	Ammanford	Wales	Ross	DJ Plastering
Ian Magee, 18	Co. Antrim	Northern Ireland	Belfast Metropolitans College	Gordon Scott
Wall and Floor Tiling
Martin McLaughlin, 18	Derry~Londonderry	Northern Ireland	North West Regional College
Daryl Dailly, 20	Renfrewshire	Scotland	City of Glasgow College	DNA Tiling Specialists
Cabinet Making
Edward Harringman, 20	East Sussex	South East	Chichester College	Harringman Cabinet Making
Steve Pickton, 20	West Sussex	South East	Chichester  College	Grech and Grech
Sam Brister, 20	Buckinghamshire	South East
Electrical Installation
Adrian Canning, 21	Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	North West Regional College	AC Electrical
Willi   County Region Training Provider / College Employer Aircraft Maintenance Joe Hedley, 22 Wiltshire South West Qinetiq Apprentice Training School Qinetiq Training School MOD Boscombe Down Shayne Hadland, 23 Oxfordshire South East Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford RAF Benson Autobody Repair Ryan Jones, 19 Leicester East Midlands Auto Restore Auto Restore James Crawford, 20 Belfast Northern Ireland RiverPark Training Crawfords Accident Repair Centre Autobody Technology Jamie Betts, 20 Aberdeen Scotland Raytheon Regency Car Sales Elijah Summer, 19 Cardiff Wales Provq Halfords Autocentre Declan McGarth, 20 Co. Fermanagh Northern Ireland South West College Bundoran Motors Car Paint Rebecca Wilson, 21 Co. Down Northern Ireland RiverPark Training C M Accident Repair Centre Patrick Quinn, 21 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland RiverPark Training Quinn Specialist Vehicles James Grayson, 21 Sheffield Yorkshire & The Humber Chesterfield College S & G Coachworks Leon Ivin, 20 Mors  Motonmouthshire Wales College Gwent Mager Refrigeration Christopher Ballie, 20 Co. Down Northern Ireland South Eastern Regional College BL Refrigeration and AC Limited Joseph Conroy, 20 Berkshire South East Eastleigh College Trane UK Ryan Unwin, 21 Manchester North West Manchester College Bruntwood Cooking Ruth Hansom, 18 London London Westminster Kingsway College The Ritz Danny Hoang, 20 London London Westminster Kingsway College The Grove Hotel Confectionery / Pastry Cook Sophie Bamford, 20 London London Westminster  Kingsway College William Curley Mikaela Wright, 20 Glasgow Scotland City of Glasgow College Restaurant Service Daniel Harrison, 21 Auchterarder Scotland Buxton College Gleneagles Lucy Jones, 20 Hampshire South West Brockenhurst College Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa Olivia Whitbread, 20 Kent South East Westminster Kingsway College The Bell Hotel Beauty Therapy Rianne Chester, 21 Cheshire North West Warrington Collegiate Akira Nails and Beauty Amber Scholes, 18 Norfolk East of England Great Yarmouth College Aphrodite Beauty Studio Ashlea Gissing, 18 Suffolk East of England Great Yarmouth College Rosie’s Beautician & Day Spa Hairdressing Eleni Constantinou, 21 Caerphilly Wales Tina Constantinou Abigail Moreton, 20 Herefordshire West Midlands Reds Hair  Company Reds Hair Company Lucy Knight, 19 Bristol South West City of Bristol College Samuel David Hairdressing Visual Merchandising Jasmine Field, 19 Berkshire South East Fashion Retail Academy Marks and Spencer Catherine Abbot, 18 Berkshire South East Fashion Retail Academy Ashley Goult, 19 London London Fashion Retail Academy Abigail Beekes, 19 Surrey South East Fashion Retail Academy Floristry Danielle Scanlon, 19 Surrey South East Merrist Wood College Bunches and Pots Zoe Rowlinson, 19 Oxfordshire South East Warwickshire College The Garden Louisa Cooper, 20 Staffordshire West Midlands South Staffordshire College School Farm Shop Jewellery Ben Pritchard, 20 Essex East of England The Goldsmiths’ Company Emson Haig Hugo Johnson, 18 West Sussex South East The Goldsmiths’ Company RTFJ Tylor Ansell, 20 Kent South East The Goldsmiths’ Company Cartier Health and Social Care Hayley Edwards, 17 (will be 18 at time of competition if selected) Cleveland North East Middlesbrough College Georgina Ravenscroft, 19 Merseyside North West Knowsley Community CollegeKings College London Amy Mitchell, 18 Staffordshire West Midlands Newcastle –under-Lyme College Industrial Control Ashley Eyley, 21 South Derbyshire East Midlands Burton College Toyota Luke Elsmore, 19 Caerphilly Wales Newport University Industrial Automation and Control Alex Scott, 21 Newport Wales Newport University Industrial Automation and Control Hayley Ramadhar, 18 Staffordshire West Midlands Black County Technical College Industrial Electronics Naomi Stephenson, 19 Co. Down Northern Ireland South Eastern Regional College Mechanical Engineering CAD Andrew  Beel, 20 Glasgow Scotland New College Lanarkshire Pacson Valves CNC Turning Alex Elton, 19 Warwickshire West Midlands North Warwickshire & Hinckley College Clamonta CNC Milling Michael Watson, 20 Bristol South West City of Bristol College GKN Aerospace Steven Castle, 19 Bristol South West City of Bristol College GKN Aerospace Architectural Stonemasonry John Reid, 19 Elgin Scotland Elgin Training Unit Historic Scotland Sam Turner, 18 Leeds Yorkshire & The Humber York College The Dean and Chapter of York Connor Crawford, 18 Argyll Scotland Elgin Training Unit Historic Scotland Mirella McGee, 20 Kent South East The Building Crafts College The Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral Plumbing and Heating Shane Brannagan, 20 Co. Down Northern Ireland Southern Regional College Self – Employed Gary Doyle, 19 Co. Down Northern Ireland Southern Regional College Kieran Trainor Mechatronics John Peerless, 22 Harrow London Middlesex University Calum Knott, 21 London London Middlesex University Andy Smith, 20 Chester North West Toyota Manufacturing UK Toyota Manufacturing UK Robyn Clarke, 21 Chester North West Toyota Manufacturing UK Toyota Manufacturing UK Welding Thomas Beardsley, 20 North Yorkshire Yorkshire & The Humber Chesterfield College National Grid Reece Taylor, 21 Co. Durham North East Derwentside College Dyer Engineering Kurt Rogers, 20 Doncaster Yorkshire & The Humber Newcastle – Under – Lyme College Alstom Sheet Metal Technology  Jack Higgins, 19 Birmingham West Midlands Wolverhampton College Radshape Sheet Metal Ltd Harley Brian, 19 Staffordshire West Midlands KMF KMF Ryan Murphy, 19 Stoke on Trent West Midlands KMF KMF Construction Metal Works Christopher Hanson,   20 Bradford Yorkshire & The Humber City Training Bradford Richard Allan Gethin Jones, 19 Llandysul Wales Coleg Sir Gar Morris Fabrication & Welding Josh Proctor, 19 Cumbria North West Furness College BAE Systems Landscape Gardening Jonathan Gill, 20 Co. Down Northern Ireland CAFRE Historic Royal Palaces Matthew Beasley, 20 Cheshire North West Beesley Landscapes Aaron Jamieson, 20 Co. Down Northern Ireland CAFRE Lawn + Border Landscapes Adam Ferguson, 18 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland CAFRE Carpentry Owain Jones, 20 Gwynedd Wales coleg meirion dwyfor H B Daverport Mark Hawthorne, 21 Co. Down Northern Ireland South Eastern Regional College Trainor Contracts Simon McCall, 20 Carmathernshire Wales Coleg Sir Gar Jones & Johnson Joinery Dominic Hicks, 20 Pembrokeshire Wales Pembrokeshire College Keating Joinery Ltd Dale Hodgins, 21 Gloucestershire South West OCVC Oakleigh Joinery Painting and Decorating Curtis Baker, 19 Doncaster Yorkshire & The Humber Doncaster College Togel Contractors Brendan Magee, 20 Co. Down Northern Ireland Southern Regional College Ryan O’Gorman Painting & Decorating Connor Lambton, 18 Cumbria North West Furness College Horrocks Brick Work Louis Wilkinson, 20 East Sussex South East Sussex Downs College Owen Contractors Ryan Stevens, 19 Shropshire West Midlands Shrewsbury College Craig Chatwood Building Contractors Jason Whitehead, 21 Barnsley Yorkshire & the Humber Barnsley College Barratt Homes Connor Cutsforth, 21 Hull Yorkshire & the Humber Hull College Beal Homes Plastering & Dry Wall Lining Robert Johnson, 21 Middlesbrough North East Redcar & Cleveland College Classic Plaster Moulds Nathan Roblin, 21 Ammanford Wales Ross DJ Plastering Ian Magee, 18 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland Belfast Metropolitans College Gordon Scott Wall and Floor Tiling Martin McLaughlin, 18 Derry~Londonderry Northern Ireland North West Regional College Daryl Dailly, 20 Renfrewshire Scotland City of Glasgow College DNA Tiling Specialists Cabinet Making Edward Harringman, 20 East Sussex South East Chichester College Harringman Cabinet Making Steve Pickton, 20 West Sussex South East Chichester  College Grech and Grech Sam Brister, 20 Buckinghamshire South East Electrical Installation Adrian Canning, 21 Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland North West Regional College AC Electrical William Falconer, 20 Derry~Londonderry Northern Ireland North West  Regional College Falconer Electrical Theo Webster, 20 Devon South West Petroc KA & TD Williams Ltd IT Network Administration Richard Miller, 19 Motherwell Scotland New College Lanarkshire Bartosz Durma, 19 Bedfordshire East of England Barnfield College Web Design Daniel Levings, 18 Hampshire South East Highbury College   am Falconer, 20	Derry~Londonderry	Northern Ireland	North West  Regional College	Falconer Electrical
Theo Webster, 20	Devon	South West	Petroc	KA & TD Williams Ltd
IT Network Administration
Richard Miller, 19	Motherwell	Scotland	New College Lanarkshire
Bartosz Durma, 19	Bedfordshire	East of England	Barnfield College
Web Design
Daniel Levings, 18	Hampshire	South East	Highbury College

 

The principal and two deputies at Lowestoft College have taken leaves of absence after a consultant reported the college was not making improvements fast enough.

The 4,000-learner college in East Anglia was given a grade three “requires improvement” rating by Ofsted last June, but the college has now announced that principal Simon Summers (pictured above) and vice-principals Phillip Belden and Teresa Miller are on leave and linked the change with the improvement process.

Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, college corporation chairman Richard Perkins said: “A report by an Her Majesties Inspectorate consultant employed by the college to observe improvements since our last inspection in June 2013 indicated that recommended improvements were not being made fast enough for the college to achieve its goal of good, grade two, in its next inspection.

“We are undertaking a process to address these issues and bring about the positive changes in the quality of teaching, learning, leadership and management we need to ensure the long-term future of the college.

“To reach our target of grade two of good we need to drive up quality and take active steps to help us towards that goal.

“The college plays a major part in the life of Lowestoft, Waveney and the wider community, and it is essential that we provide the high level of education and training that our students and their families deserve.

“Our focus is on ensuring the long-term strategic future of the college, which we believe has the potential to be a beacon of excellence in the sector.”

Mr Perkins also said the college had been supported by Ofsted and the Association of Colleges and had consulted the Skills Funding Agency.

 

Representative members from University and College Union (UCU)  and Lambeth College leadership are due to return to the negotiating table as the fourth week of an indefinite strike over staff contracts draws to a close.

Union officials and Lambeth College met on Friday to try to bring an end to the stand-off over contracts which unions say would leave new members of staff with less annual leave, longer working hours and less sick pay.

Although the hour-long meeting did not result in the end of the walk-out, FE Week understands that measures to mitigate the impact of the new contracts were discussed and were taken away by UCU representatives to put to the local branch.

Representatives from both sides are due to meet again tomorrow.

UCU regional official, Una O’Brien, said: “We met with the college last week and we hope to do so again later this week.

“We remain hopeful the dispute can be resolved as soon as possible with minimum extra disruption.”

Lambeth College director of human resources, Musrat Zaman said: “We’re not withdrawing the new contracts but we will talk about the management of the new contracts.

“We will be looking at issues such as the increased working hours and what is defined as working hours… but removing the new contracts is not on the table as far as we’re concerned.”

Meanwhile, striking Lambeth workers found support from an unlikely source — Neil Tennant, one half of the band Pet Shop Boys gave his backing to the protest, sending the union a picture of himself holding a poster reading “Lambeth UCU: your fight is out fight”.

Award-winning film director Ken Loach has also expressed support for the striking lecturers.

In a message apparently sent to the union he said: ““Good luck to the Lambeth College teachers and those who support them.

“We desperately look for leadership to resist the cuts and privatisations imposed by the Government.

“The fabric of a decent and civilised society is being ripped apart and the mainstream politicians leave us undefended. You are showing the way.

“I hope you stay strong and get the support your actions deserve.”