Education Secretary Nicky Morgan faced a grilling from MPs over plans for a new business-led careers advice company.

Ms Morgan appeared in front of the House of Commons Education Select Committee this morning to answer questions about the quality of careers advice in England.

It comes after Ms Morgan announced in December that a new independent organisation would be established to help schools fulfil their statutory duty to offer careers advice by brokering relationships between schools and employers.

It also comes after the same committee reported in January 2013that careers advice was “not good enough” and “getting worse”, highlighting a “deterioration” in guidance since the service became the responsibility of schools in September 2012.

During the hearing, MPs asked Ms Morgan about the new company, how it would improve careers advice, who it would be accountable to and how its role would differ from the National Careers Service.

In many instances, Ms Morgan deflected questions about the new company and claimed changes to careers advice would take time, promising “steady improvements”.

She was further quizzed on whether teachers and other school staff were equipped to give advice, while Labour MP Ian Mearns asked how businesses from sectors which were already failing to train their own workforces could be trusted to engage with schools.

She was also pushed by fellow Conservative Dominic Raab on what action schools would face if they were deliberately withholding information about rival providers, but said she would not impose sanctions.

For more, see edition 123 of FE Week, dated Monday, January 12.

Luton’s troubled Barnfield College has been handed an inadequate grading by Ofsted after inspectors found it had “no key strengths”.

College governors’ board chair Robin Somerville described the damning result, published today, as “an unacceptable failure” and apologised to learners.

The report, which comes a year after FE Commissioner Dr David Collins was sent in following a Skills Funding Agency (SFA) assessment of inadequate for financial control at the college, found success and completion rates were too low, teaching in English and maths was “poor” and self-assessment was “unrealistic”.

It said: “The significant majority of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement, or is inadequate. Learners make slow progress in lessons as a result of tutors’ poor planning for learning and insufficient attention to the needs of individual learners.”

The inspection, carried out on November 17, downgraded the college from a grade three, or requires improvement, rating issued in June 2012. But under the latest report’s provider strengths section, inspectors simply wrote “no key strengths”.

However, it added: “Success rate data are now more reliable than at any time during the past year, following a period in which a number of factors contributed to an over-inflation of the performance of the college.”

Mr Somerville said the corporation “fully accepts” the education watchdog’s findings. “This is an unacceptable failure by a significant majority of the previous management, governors and teaching staff,” he said.

“On behalf of the college, I have apologised to students for that failure. What was particularly worrying is the degree to which Ofsted inspectors found that management was overconfident in their assessment of quality, leading governors into a false sense of security.”

It is the latest in a series of blows for the college, which is due to submit plans to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to split from the federation of academies built up under former leader Sir Peter Birkett (pictured below right) from 2007.

Sir Peter was knighted for services to FE and the academy movement in 2012, but left the federation the following year having served as its founding director general. A government probe into Barnfield finances was later launched amid allegations including grade massaging.

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Education Funding Agency (EFA) both published critical findings of their investigations in February, with auditor KPMG having found the college had overclaimed more than £1m for provision which had never happened, leading to allegations of ghost learners.

The investigations found a “lack of oversight” by the governing body and improper use of college funds for Sir Peter’s pay-off, which included two lump sums not in his original contract and an Audi Q5 company car. No criminal charges were pressed.

Dr Collins recommended, in his findings published the following month, that at least half the governing body be replaced and revealed a “general feeling among all levels of the organisation that the college has been relatively neglected in the previous director general/CEO’s pursuit of attempting to grow the overall federation into a national business”.

Dame Jackie Fisher, former boss of Newcastle College Group (NCG), was appointed principal the month before Dr Collins’ report, staying until November, when she was replaced by Monica Box, who is due to step down in March for Tim Eyton-Jones, currently principal of John Ruskin College, to take over.

Mr Somerville said Ms Box had “already started the urgent and robust work to correct the failings identified by Ofsted.”

He added: “Tim has a track record of turning around John Ruskin College which, upon his arrival, was ‘inadequate’. The corporation has set as its goal to re-establish Barnfield’s previous outstanding provision for learners in Luton and the area. We have every confidence that Tim will succeed in that challenge.”

Mr Eyton-Jones also commented on the Ofsted blow, vowing to “work tirelessly” to “transform” the college with the promise of a management shake-up.

“The college will shortly be seeking inspirational and aspirational colleagues to join a new and refreshed senior management team as part of the College’s re-structure,” he said.

“We will be implementing a range of robust and established quality improvement models as well as some innovative initiatives to support the turnaround.”

Sir Peter said: “I am not sure how this has been allowed to happen and hope senior management have now put strategies in place to rectify the points raised in the report and I wish them well for the future.”

Dame Jackie declined to comment.

Scores of apprentices were facing an uncertain future over their jobs today following the collapse of parcel delivery firm City Link — just months after it picked up a national award for its training programme.

The company announced it went into administration on Christmas Eve and administrators Ernst and Young warned there would be “substantial” job cuts among its 2,727 staff, while a further 1,000 self-employed drivers and agency workers also expect to suffer.

City Link had 68 apprentices in October, and has trained 178 since 2012, but a spokesperson for Ernst and Young said he was unable to confirm how many apprentices the Coventry-based firm currently had, or whether they would lose their jobs.

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA), which awarded a £57,981 allocation to City Link as an employer provider in 2014/15, has vowed to support any learners affected.

It comes just months after the troubled firm picked up the Training & Apprentices Award at this year’s National Courier Awards. It came in recognition of the company’s commitment to developing the skills of young employees – from front-line staff through to potential managers. It has two training programmes – one in warehousing & distribution and the other in contact centre operations.

During their 12 months of on-the-job training each apprentice acquired “the skills necessary to pursue a career in the transport industry and work towards the nationally recognised NVQ,” according to City Link.

It also claimed to have made a “substantial investment in the scheme, writing all course materials and delivering the training in-house. The course is in line with standards set by awarding bodies”.

“From the first year’s intake alone 27 successfully completed an NVQ level three in leadership & management. Nine of these were later promoted into supervisory, team management and depot management roles,” according to the firm’s press release on the award.

However, a spokesperson for Ernst and Young said administrators had “begun directly informing the company’s employees on the administration and the potential for significant redundancies through a series of employee meetings across the City Link sites”.

He said: “The joint administrators believe that the company will unfortunately have to make substantial redundancies, which will take effect on December 31, 2014, as a result of the company being unable to continue trading and accept further parcels.

“The joint administrators will confirm the number of redundancies across City Link Limited’s sites when all employees have been informed over the coming days.”

He added any affected employees, across the firm’s 50-plus sites, would be offered appropriate advice on claiming redundancy and notice pay, and some workers would continue to be employed to help distribute an estimated 40,000 parcels still in the City Link depots.

An SFA spokesperson said: “We are aware of the announcement about redundancies at City Link. We will be working to ensure that if there are any apprentices affected they are supported to enable them to continue their learning.”

Are you a City Link learning provider? Or apprentice? Email news@feweek.co.uk to get into touch with an FE Week reporter.

The abolition of GCSEs in favour of tests at the age of 18 has been put forward by Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director general John Cridland.

His New Year message, released today, outlines a system of “tailored learning plans” for 14 to 18-year-olds, complemented by the “abolition of GCSEs at 16”.

“Britain’s young people are streetwise and impressive, but our education system doesn’t always serve them well,” said Mr Cridland.

“While the average is gently improving, we see too many left behind, and others who could be high achievers not fulfilling their potential. We need to get the basics right first time in primary school and then provide a personal menu of tailored learning plans for all 14 to 18-year-olds offering high quality academic and vocational A-levels, and encouraging young people to mix and match, depending on what’s right for them.

“This will involve the eventual abolition of GCSEs at 16, as peak level testing would then take place when students are 18.

“By boosting skills we will see productivity rise — along with earnings. And business will play its part by improving competitiveness, and creating opportunities for young people through apprenticeships, and for older workers through workplace retraining.”

The CBI argues that the case for examining at 16 is weakened with the raising of the participation age to 18 — “especially as it perpetuates the single-track, academic approach that weakens our vocational system,” said a CBI spokesperson.

“Instead, we want each young person to have a learning plan, tailored for them from 14 to 18, with the peak assessment taking place at 18. Everyone would do some form of English and maths, plus a mix of academic or vocational A-levels.”

Mr Cridland’s message comes with the countdown to the May 2015 general election well under way.

“A year of change and challenge beckons for us all as we hurtle towards the general election,” he said.

“It has been a successful year for the UK economy, and we have emerged stronger and more able to tackle the challenges ahead.

“Our economy is among those enjoying the fastest growth among the G7 nations, with 1.2 million jobs created this year and employment set to grow in every region of the UK in 2015.

“But the political and economic risks at home and abroad represent a clear and present danger. As the election countdown accelerates, I urge politicians of all hues not to take their eyes off the economic ball.

“We must sustain the best launch pad for the UK economy and our young people. Cementing Britain’s reputation in the world as one of the best places to do business has to be a top priority for 2015.”

He added: “There is much more to do but the signs are positive. UK growth is expected to hit 2.5 per cent in 2015.

“Restoring wage growth will help more people feel that they are benefitting from the recovery, but the upsurge in productivity required will only follow on from increasing skills across the piece.

“I’m optimistic that we can grow living standards, spread the benefit of growth for the country and move forwards with confidence if we make the right choices. Let’s get on with it.”