Above, pictured from left: Professional cricketer Tom Poynton, Castus apprentice Laura Martin, aged 23, cricketer Wayne Madsen, Baroness Kennedy, Castus apprentice Alex Bellis, 21, Gary Hides, Castus senior manager, professional footballer Shaun Barker, and 3aaa owners Peter Marples and Di McEvoy-Robinson

An independent learning provider rated as outstanding by Oftsed impressed high achieving apprentices and employers by holding its annual awards ceremony in grand surroundings at Westminster.

Aspire, Achieve, Advance (3aaa), given its grade one rating across all headline fields last month, held its annual awards ceremony in the Cholmondeley Room at The House Of Lords on Thursday (December 4).

Company owners Peter Marples and Di McEvoy-Robinson hosted the event and awards were handed out by Baroness Kennedy, chair of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, Shaun Barker, club captain of Derby County Football Club, and Wayne Madsen and Tom Poynton, first team players from Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

The provider’s eight top apprentices (see below) and a number of firms that employ 3aaa apprentices, including London-based IT infrastructure services firm Computacentre, Derbyshire-based Darley Dale Medical Centre, Sheffield-based website design company Castus.

Ms McEvoy-Robinson told guests at the ceremony: “We are very proud today to be celebrating success today. One of the key reasons for our outstanding [Ofsted] grade is our fantastic employers and apprentices. We have more than 2,000 apprentices and couldn’t bring them all along today, but are proud to recognise our top achievers.”

 

3aaa winners

Mariam Suleman, aged 18

Employer: Bay Accountancy

Training centre: Birmingham Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three accountancy

Paige Nolan, 18

Employer: B & M Stores

Training centre: Liverpool Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three accountancy

Lisa Jarvis, 20

Employer: CSC

Training centre: Manchester Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three IT

Luke Sanders, 19

Employer: Aldi Stores

Training centre: Tamworth Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three IT

Richard Morris, 18

Employer: ASD Solutions

Training centre: Derby Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three IT

Ryan Scales, 21

Employer: Ocado

Training centre: Watford Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three IT

Melissa Smith, 20

Employer: Darley Dale Medical Centre

Training centre: Nottingham Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three digital marketing & social media

Amy Allsobrook, 21

Employer: 3aaa

Training centre: Derby Academy

Apprenticeship: Level three digital marketing & social media

 

‘Relentless’ drive to improve standards

Co-owner of 3aaa Di McEvoy-Robinson speaks to FE Week reporter Paul Offord about the grade one achievement and other FE and skills issues

 

How did 3aaa prepare for the Ofsted inspection?

We didn’t know the inspection was coming, as you only get two days’ notice. But we knew one was due, so made sure all the checks and balances were in place to maintain our high standards.

We have a formal board. I lead a subgroup of that board for quality and standards which I chair every month and the key people in the business have to be accountable for improvements. We are relentless.

We also track the performance and support needed by our apprentices closely and have always observed our trainers and assessors and given immediate feedback.

If they are observed by our internal quality team and they achieve a grade one rating for the learning they provide, they are rewarded with a £300 payment.

We also celebrate that with a little story about them in our weekly newsletter. In addition to that, we bring in external inspectors to check what we are doing. We don’t just assume our internal processes are good enough.

What grade did you get in self-assessment before the Ofsted visit?

We [recently] self-graded a level one in all of the key areas. However, only a year ago, we had self-assessed at a level two and everybody in the organisation had a little part to play in thinking about how we could improve.

How can you improve further?

I think to improve further we need to look down the track and say what is going to be important in teaching, learning and assessment? How, for example, is social media and technology going to have an impact?

One of the key things is bringing in young people — so that’s, for example, 18 to 19-year-olds coming in and delivering technology training. It is so exciting what is happening with technology and they understand it best.

Would the result have been the same if your subcontracted work had been taken into account in Ofsted grading?

We don’t subcontract our own training, but we work as a subcontractor to other colleges where we run training academies and the standards are exactly the same as for the rest of the business. We, for example, work with Bedford College which funds our Milton Keynes Academy and was inspected by Ofsted as part of the overall grade one inspection.

What management fees does 3aaa charge?

As I said, we don’t subcontract ourselves, but no-one who we do subcontracting work for charges us more than 15 per cent. A 40 per cent management fee would be extortionate.

What are your views on the government’s planned apprentice funding reforms and potentially routing funding through employers?

The voice of small and medium-sized enterprises who deliver more than 65 per cent of new apprenticeship starts appears to have been lost in the debate and they certainly do not want the additional bureaucracy involved in the planned reforms.

We believe that employer contributions should be increased through a measured and incremental increase in apprenticeship wages.

Should Ofsted take greater account of providers’ financial situation when it inspects?

Ofsted should undoubtedly take account of the financial state of organisations it inspects. The FE Commissioner’s recent report highlighted key issues that need to be in place to provide all-round assurance to the funding bodies and more importantly to the tax payer, that Ofsted grades reflect strong and sustainable organisations.

Skills Minister Nick Boles (pictured) has announced a second consultation on outcome-based success measures having all but ruled out their use in a “payment by results system”.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched a three-month consultation in August on plans to add post-19 learner outcomes to qualification achievement as measures of success from 2016/17.

It proposed that the data should include whether learners get a job, details of subsequent salaries, and whether they continue learning.

The consultation further looked at proposed definitions for the measures, what additional information would be helpful, the uses to which the data could be put and how it should be presented and published. It also put forward using the new success measures to help set minimum standards that could trigger further investigation and ultimately intervention.

However, a document published by BIS on Wednesday (December 10) outlining the results of the consultation and the government’s own response, highlighted concerns about the possible new minimum standards framework.

It also said the government “expected that the outcome measures would not be used as part of a payment by results system; such a system must be able to track individual learners and matched data cannot be used in that way.”

Mr Boles, in the document, said: “We intend to proceed with the new measures as proposed in the consultation paper, but we want to make sure they are as useful as they can be.

“There are a number of issues we need to explore further and we will consult on the detail of, and timetable for, using and publishing the measures as part of a new accountability framework.”

Joy Mercer, Association of Colleges senior policy manager for quality assurance, said: “BIS has listened to concerns from a number of organisations about using this information to hold colleges to account.

“We welcome further work on the detail, including destinations into self-employment and contextual information.”

Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) chief executive Stewart Segal’s response: “These are complex issues and AELP fully understands why the government is seeking to consult further.

“The government is right to strongly believe in the value and importance of outcome measures and since its founding, the AELP has pressed for a basket of measures which properly reflects the needs of employers and learners as well as recognising the positive outcomes of work-based learning providers.

“We are pleased therefore that the new learner destinations will cover the securing of employment.”

Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said, “We are pleased that the government seems to have listened to our view — and that of many in the skills system — that while developing these measures will give a fuller picture of the real impact of further education, we must take time before deciding how they should be used in any future accountability systems.

“History teaches us that allying such systems to underdeveloped data too swiftly leads to unintended consequences and, sometimes, game-playing. We would much rather see the development of a ‘basket of measures’ that – apart from giving an indication of institutional performance – enables colleges, other providers and employers to gain a better understanding of what we are doing.

“We look forward to informing next year’s more detailed consultation on these issues.”

A BIS spokesperson said the additional consultation would get under way within a year.

Meanwhile, the Department for Education’s response to a consultation on publishing performance measures on school and college websites came out on Thursday (December 11).

The month-long consultation, which ran from June 6, asked for views on whether colleges should have headlines performance measures, including learner progress, attainment, English and maths progress, retention and destinations, displaying on their website to allow parents and potential students to compare institutions.

The response added: “In light of the comments received we plan to continue to explore how we can present the headline measures in a way that best meets the needs of parents.”

Ms Mercer said: “The response reveals that the DfE needs to do some further research into the presentation of performance tables on college websites.

“We would encourage them to continue to involve colleges and schools in their next steps as it is important that parents and young people are not misled by something that looks attractive but does not put the information in context.”

The government will conduct “further user research” to find out the best way to do this and will inform colleges next autumn of the final requirements for 2016.

Government claims to have overseen the two millionth apprentice start have been met with caution after Business Secretary Vince Cable conceded around one-in-four learners may not stay the course.

Dr Cable announced the milestone figure, achieved during the course of this parliament, while on a visit to Oxford on Monday (December 8) to meet Paige McConville.

She started the two millionth apprenticeship, in advanced engineering manufacturing with employers FMB and provider Abingdon and Witney College, in August.

But in an interview with FE Week, Dr Cable conceded that not all the vaunted starts would lead to completions, and he accepted the figure included multiple starts per learner and frameworks of less than 12 months’ duration that were outlawed early on in the Parliament.

He said: “We can’t be absolutely confident because of course not all are completed. The completion rate for apprenticeships generally, and I’m going across all levels, is about 73 per cent. It has been up and down around that level for the past five years. Some people start them and do not complete them.

“The basic numerical narrative is we have started the two millionth apprentice and that is the number of starts over the last parliament.

“So far we will have completed over one million apprenticeships, but you won’t see the full effects of the starts for a few years.”

Statistical First Release (SFR) figures indicate that there have been around 1.99m apprentice starts during current parliament, which started around the fourth quarter of 2009/10. But the two million figure is expected to be listed in the next SFR, due late next month.

It comes against the backdrop of a second consecutive annual fall in the number of apprentice starts with 2013/14 down nearly 70,000 on the previous year.

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

Nevertheless, Mick Fletcher, a founder member of the Policy Consortium, said the two million figure was impressive, but he warned against “headline-chasing statistics”.

“The figures are for starts when what matters is successful completion, ideally with progression into sustainable employment,” he said.

“According to the latest figures fewer than three quarters of apprentices successfully completed their programme and of those who completed only around two thirds were kept on by their employer.

“The figure of 2m starts is still impressive, but only achieved by including programmes that are no longer recognised as apprenticeships — those lasting less than six months for example. This explains why despite meeting the target the trend in numbers is downwards.

“Moreover many members of the public would be surprised to learn that nearly half of the total are not young people starting their working life as ministers imply but adults, mainly over the age of 25 and in many cases already employed.

“Political leaders of all colours deserve credit for their consistent support for the apprenticeship programme but their enthusiasm for headline-chasing statistics risks devaluing their real achievements.”

 

It’s official — FE Week journalism is worthy of an award!

Reporter Paul Offord (pictured), aged 37, walked away from this year’s CIPR Education Journalism awards with the top prize for his ‘outstanding FE journalism’.

His entry, a series of reports last academic year covering Bright International as awarding organisations (AOs) walked away from the independent learning provider and culminating in a damning AO report on its practices, impressed judges who praised the quality of his “investigative journalism”.

He said: “I couldn’t believe it when I won, but am really pleased.

“I would like to thank my colleagues and the many disgruntled learners who tipped me off with different angles to keep the story running and in particular my whistleblower who had the guts to speak out.”

He added: “This is a nice Christmas present for the whole team at FE Week and good recognition of the emphasis the paper places on investigative journalism.”

Chris Henwood, FE Week editor, said: “The award comes as much-deserved recognition for Paul’s dogged determination to follow through to the end a very serious story covering how learners were left in the dark about whether their learning achievements would be certificated.

“His reporting expertly straddled the fine line between what can and can’t be published legally while at all times holding the interests of learners at heart.”

Paul said his £500 prize would be spent on taking wife Gabreille, 44, and their four-year-old son, William, on a Christmas trip to Westleton, in Suffolk.

Ofqual has been warned it needs an alternative system in place when it scraps the qualifications and credit framework (QCF).

The qualifications watchdog confirmed on Monday (December 8) that, following a 12-week consultation launched in July, it would remove the QCF rules.

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

Jeremy Benson, Ofqual’s executive director for vocational qualifications, said the “QCF ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach just isn’t right for every qualification”.

Graham Hasting-Evans, NOCN managing director said: “As we head towards 2015, with the general election in May, we have created a confused and fragmented set of governmental initiatives for vocational skills and qualifications which risk undermining confidence in the system.

“In our view you cannot just withdraw the QCF without putting in place an alternative which provides the UK with an internationally recognised qualifications’ framework.

“Accordingly we now need to focus on establishing a National Qualifications Framework for England which includes common vocational skills such as English, maths and IT, employability skills, apprenticeships, higher apprenticeship, NVQs, GSCEs, A-level and degrees all in a single framework.”

The consultation on the QCF, which was launched in 2008, proposed that qualifications be regulated by Ofqual’s general conditions of recognition.

It was, according to an Ofqual spokesperson, driven partly by the need to put a new approach in place to support the government’s Raising the Participation Age policy.

A second, Guided Learning Hours (GLH), consultation put forward changes to awarding organisations’ estimates of the size of their qualifications and the descriptions of size they use.

Meanwhile, other proposals in the QCF consultation include ending the requirement for awarding organisations to share units as well as maintaining options for awarding organisations to design qualifications broken down into units.

Kirstie Donnelly, UK managing director of City & Guilds, said: “It’s great that we’re moving away from the QCF. Its rigid, ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach was far too restrictive, meaning it could never fully meet the needs of employers.

“Although it’s yet more change in a sector that has seen ongoing churn and turbulence, this is a change that was much needed. Let’s take the opportunity to learn from the past and create a framework that enables further education to better meet the needs of individuals, businesses and the economy.”

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.”

A spokesperson for Pearson said: “The removal of these framework rules will give us more freedom to continue to develop qualifications that students, providers and employers can value and have confidence in.”

The next stages

Ofqual has announced that in early 2015, it will publish plans for implementation of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) changes and hold another consultation.

It had initially planned to wind down unit-sharing and close the QCF unit bank in January, but some respondents to the initial consultation asked for more time to plan.

As a result, Ofqual does not expect to withdraw the QCF rules, close the unit bank, end unit sharing or make any other changes before summer 2015.

Once the rules are removed, awarding organisations will continue to follow their own development processes and Ofqual’s general conditions, without needing to also meet the over-arching principles of the QCF.

Scrapping the QCF: how the sector responded

Teresa Frith, Association of Colleges senior skills policy manager

“The removal of the additional rules surrounding unit-based qualifications will enable colleges to work with awarding organisations to create qualifications that will help both adults and young people gain the skills required for the modern workplace.

“The offer can now be about meeting these needs rather than QCF rules.”

 

Nigel Whitehead, a UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) commissioner and managing director of BAE Systems [whose government-commissioned review last year, recommended an end to the public funding of 95 per cent of the 19,000-plus adult vocational qualifications on offer]

“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.”

 

Stewart Segal, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP)

“We would hope that the removal of the regulatory arrangements for the QCF next summer does not lead to a proliferation of the general conditions, which would create an additional regulatory burden for awarding organisations. Providers should be reassured that they are not looking at significant changes to the qualifications they are currently using.

 

David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, said: “This announcement by Ofqual does not prevent qualifications retaining the accessibility, affordability and flexibility of unit-based delivery but it does remove the requirement. We will work with awarding organisations and learning providers to make sure that they recognise the demand and the power of a unit-based offer, particularly up to level two.

“We know through our work that this has been particularly effective for unemployed people and offenders and will work with adults who want and need to get back into learning.”

 

 

The number of 16 to 18 apprenticeships offer from employers could fall as a direct result of proposed reforms, the House of Commons Education Committee has heard.

A panel of sector experts told MPs on the committee that the government’s decision to re-design frameworks in consultation with employers and route funding through employers, rather than providers, would increase the quality of apprenticeships.

But they also warned reform proposals, which further include an “enforced” employer’s fee for 16 and 17-year-old learners, could put employers off.

The comments came on Wednesday (December 10) with the committee investigating apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Paul Champion, assistant principal for work-based learning at Chesterfield College said: “I think they’re going reduce the number of people trained — I think they’re going to squeeze the opportunities for young people to get those skills, because they need to get them in business.”

Steve Radley, director of policy and strategic planning for the Construction Industry Training Board agreed, saying reforms “could cause smaller firms to walk away”.

He added: “You’re getting small firms to focus on dealing with bureaucracy whereas they should be left to deal with what they do best which is driving up the quality of the experience.”

However, Federation of Small Businesses policy adviser for education and business support Dan Hooper said he would be prepared to accept a reduction in number in exchange “for the increase the quality”.

He added: “The government doesn’t seem to have a clear vision of what happens when the Trailblazers end and employers then take control of the standards.

“Small businesses will be cast aside, therefore the quality wanted and expected from small firms won’t be there.”

FE consultant Mark Corney warned against the effect the “enforced fee” would have when it was proposed in a technical consultation in March. At the time, Mr Corney told FE Week the move would “kill off apprenticeships for 16 and 17 year olds”.

He added: “Why would you think imposing any charge whatsoever on 16-year-olds will increase employer demand?”

Nevertheless, the panel also warned former Education Secretary Michael Gove’s reforms to the English GCSE syllabus could have a knock-on effect on apprenticeships.

All learners who have not gained a GCSE maths or English grade C by the age of 16 must work towards it alongside their chosen post-16 programme.

However, UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “The new English GCSEs focus more towards literature — 19th Century literature and Shakespeare — for students who’ve already struggled with GCSEs, that’s creating a barrier.”

Kate Stock, managing director of Smart Training, agreed, saying: “We already have an alternative programme, it’s called Functional Skills and it’s much more relevant to the actual workplace the learner is in, and it works.”

Skills Minister Nick Boles has stepped away from his predecessor Matthew Hancock’s decision to scrap Functional Skills, and is currently considering a rebrand.

No date for the committee’s next hearing has been set, and the results of the government’s technical consultation, due around a month ago, are yet to be published.