Institute for Learning (IfL) chief executive Toni Fazaeli has announced plans for her retirement after six years in the role.

She will hand over the reigns to Dr Jean Kelly, currently director of professional development at the organisation.

In a statement released this evening, Ms Fazeili said she was proud of what the IfL had achieved under her stewardship.

She said: “At a time of great change in our sector, IfL has made considerable strides in raising the profile and status of the teaching profession across the diversity of the sector, supporting members to achieve excellence in their professional practice, and giving teachers and trainers a voice to influence policymaking.

“Following a period of regulations, IfL has gone back to our proud roots as a voluntary professional membership body, with a distinctive role to play in supporting tens of thousands of individual practitioners.

“I know from my visits around the country and evidence from teachers, trainers and leaders that IfL has had an impact on the way the sector recognises and thinks about the central importance of professional development and the idea of teachers and trainers being empowered to drive their own professional learning.

“With many thousands of teachers and trainers choosing to engage with IfL and one another, as fellow professionals, IfL will continue to make a difference for the profession, and for the benefit of learners. It is a good time for me to move on as we have reviewed and built up excellent services and engagement with our members.

“I am delighted that Dr Jean Kelly, a distinguished educator, will take IfL forward after Easter. It has been my privilege to lead IfL for the last six years, and to work directly with very large numbers of teachers and trainers, and many others across the sector who share our passion for the highest quality teaching and learning.”

Sue Crowley, whose term as chair of the non-executive board has been extended for a year, said: “We would like to thank Toni for everything she has done for IfL and the teaching profession, before and during her six-year tenure as chief executive.

“Under her leadership, and thanks in no small measure to her persistence, IfL won a long-fought battle for further education teachers and trainers with Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) to be recognised in law as having parity with teachers holding Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and as being qualified to teach in school settings.

“Through IfL, teachers and trainers have been given a strong voice: tens of thousands of members have taken the opportunity to share their views, experience and evidence, to help inform policymaking and thinking about pedagogy and to enhance their practice across the further education and skills sector.

“Toni has fought tirelessly for teachers and trainers across a very diverse sector to be recognised as professionals – dual professionals who are expert and stay up to date in their subject or vocational area, as well as in teaching methods, through continuing professional development. Her strong belief, which IfL shares, that all learners are entitled to have trained and qualified teachers and trainers has shone a spotlight on the issue of initial teacher qualifications and the need for a clear national policy.

“Toni and her executive team have also worked to establish key partnerships with other sector bodies, the inspectorate and several leading universities to ensure a much greater focus on teaching and learning; practitioner research; professional development programmes; evidence-based practice; and vocational pedagogy.

“I would wish Toni a long and happy retirement, but know only too well that she will be working hard, continuing to make her valuable contribution to a sector and profession about which she cares very much –as chair of governors at an FE college; as a commissioner on the Skills Commission; as founder of a not-for-profit organisation that provides learning opportunities to older people in care homes; as a writer; and as a highly respected Fellow of IfL.”

The government is investing £2.9m in a new research centre that will focus on improving adult literacy and numeracy.

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock announced the launch of the Behavioural Insights Research Centre for Maths and English during a Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee hearing on adult numeracy and literacy this morning (Tuesday).

It will receive a three year start-up grant of £2.9 million from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Hancock said: “This new centre will team world leading academic researchers with our best and brightest policy makers to give scientific insights into how adults best gain skills in English and maths and the ways in which government can apply these methods to benefit the highest possible number of people to help them reach their potential.”

The centre will be tasked with finding out the most effective ways of motivating people to improve their English and maths skills.

Joy Mercer, director of policy at the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: “AoC is very encouraged by BIS’s commitment to investment in research that will demonstrate why people engage in improving their skills in literacy and numeracy.

“We would be very pleased to see how the evidence this produces can influence policy to develop sustained improvements in national literacy and numeracy.

“It will also help colleges to target those most in need, particularly those who are unemployed.”

Andy Ganon, director of policy and research for the 157 Group, said: “This announcement recognises that the reasons why people of all ages engage in learning are complex.

“Understanding motivation and behavioural barriers will enable all of us to better serve learners.”

David Hughes, chief executive of National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, said: “I am looking forward to working with the new centre, to build on the work NIACE and others have done to move our thinking forward.

“Our recent inquiry into family learning showed great examples of nudging people back into learning. It will be great to understand how other solutions might be used to tap into the motivation of adults.”

Joe Vinson, NUS vice president (further education), said: “This is something that we would welcome particularly because it recognises that not everybody learns in the same way.

“It’s a positive move for students who are, at the moment, being failed by the current education system.”

A Skills Funding Agency (SFA) investigation has ruled that defunct training provider Elmfield did not receive funding it was not entitled to for Morrisons apprenticeships.

A BBC Newsnight probe screened in October last year, supported with information uncovered by FE Week, raised questions about Elmfield’s dealings with workers at supermarket giant Morrisons.

It was alleged Elmfield signed Morrisons staff up to apprenticeship programmes they had declined, enabling the provider to claim public funding for training.

A separate probe was launched around six months ago by the SFA and its findings are finally set to be published tomorrow morning.

However, FE Week has already seen a copy of the two page report.

It concluded: “Some of the actions taken by Elmfield indicate weaknesses in their controls and were not good practice.

“However, the actions did not result in Elmfield receiving any funding to which they were not entitled.”

The SFA looked into allegations that Elmfield had placed thousands of learners on apprenticeships knowing they did not want to be on them.

It also checked out claims that paperwork relating to apprenticeships were destroyed and start dates backdated.

The report noted that in January 2011 around 4,500 learners were placed on apprenticeship programmes by Elmfield “without a clear agreement from the learners that this was what they wanted to do”.

But it said: “Elmfield worked with all learners over a period of several months and by the end of May 2011 had identified learners who definitely did not want to do the apprenticeship.

“As a result, Elmfield made an adjustment to the data they submitted to the agency which then resulted in a reduction in funding.”

The report also stated that in November 2011 a group of 1,700 learners were placed on apprenticeships without “clear agreement”.

The report stated: “The action was taken without the knowledge of Morrisons or the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) at the time, although it was supplied retrospectively by NAS and administered by the agency.

“Elmfield worked with these learners over the period to March 2012 and then made adjustments to the data to reflect the learners’ preferences.

“The agency’s audit of 2011/12 provision confirmed that Elmfield did not receive any funding for key skills qualifications for learners who did not wish to undertake this element of an apprenticeship.”

Another accusation was that Elmfield staff used codes to hide the fact that learners did not want to do apprenticeships.

The report confirmed codes were used on paperwork from January to May 2011.

But it added: “The codes were used to describe the stage that a learner was at within a well-documented process rather than being a deliberate attempt to hide their preferences. There is no evidence that learners’ preferences were not followed.”

The report also confirmed that paperwork was changed when learners changed their mind about whether they wanted to do an apprenticeship.

But it said: “Changing paperwork with the agreement of the learner to properly reflect the learning being undertaken is allowed within the agency’s rules.

“There is no evidence that paperwork was changed without the agreement of the learner.”

It was also confirmed that Elmfield staff removed paperwork relating to its apprenticeships from Morrisons stores in August 2013, after its contract with the supermarket chain was terminated.

But the report said while paperwork was “either archived or destroyed”, there was no evidence “paperwork required by the agency to support Elmfield’s funding claims was destroyed”.

In response to accusations that start dates were backdated, it added:  “Elmfield took the action to record start dates in June [2010] to align with Morrisons planned roll-out of apprenticeships across their stores.

“Over 90 per cent of the affected learners completed and achieved their apprenticeship.

“The start dates should have been more accurately recorded but there was no impact on the funding that Elmfield received.”

Elmfield went into administration in November last year owing £11m. It was in debt to more than 180 firms.

Adrian Bailey, chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee, called for the findings to be made public after FE Week revealed the SFA investigation had been concluded three weeks ago.

After being shown the report ahead of a committee meeting with Skills Minister Matthew Hancock this morning (Tuesday), he said: “I will have to discuss the findings with my colleagues before deciding how to go forward.”

A spokesperson for Morrisons said: “We don’t have any comment this late in the evening other than to say that we’ll look more closely at the report tomorrow and we are now using a different provider.”

A company has been fined after an apprentice’s hand was crushed in machinery.

The young man, who was 18 at the time, was a third year apprentice with Miller UK Ltd when his left hand became trapped in a metal cutting machine at the firm’s plant in Cramlington, Northumberland, on March 12 last year.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the safety guard fitted on the machine was ineffective in its design and had been poorly maintained so was not working correctly.

It also found that Miller UK Ltd had failed to carry out a sufficient assessment of the risks associated with the work and the fault had not been reported.

Miller UK Ltd, of Bassington Industrial Estate, Bassington Lane, Cramlington, was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £895 costs after pleading guilty at Bedlington Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

HSE inspector Laura Catterall said: “This young man is now living with a permanent impairment but his injuries could have easily been avoided had Miller UK Ltd adequately assessed the risks, which would have spotted that the guard was not effective.

“This failing was compounded by poor maintenance and a breakdown in the fault reporting system — which together led to one of its workers suffering severe injuries.

“Guards and safety systems are there for a reason and companies have a legal duty of care to ensure they are properly fitted and working effectively at all times.”

HSE said the apprentice suffered a crushed hand leading to the amputation of his index finger below the second joint. His second finger was also broken.

He was in hospital for three days and stayed off work for six months.

Mike Askew, managing director of Miller UK Ltd, said: “Miller has been operating a family owned business successfully for 36 years, and has always placed a high value on our employees and their wellbeing.

“This unfortunate incident, while we acknowledge the very serious nature, is the first case in our years of trading.

“From the moment of the accident we have provided full support [to the apprentice], who is a valuable member of our team, and we are delighted that he is back at work and enjoying his job.

“The circumstances around the incident have been identified and addressed.

“We recognise the important role of the HSE and as a company who has built our reputation on improving health and safety in the industry we will continue to work with them to ensure best practice in the factory.

“We deeply regret the accident and acted swiftly to prevent any reoccurrence in the future.

“The company has always invested in staff and machinery ensuring it has seen through the most challenging times of the recession and will always continue to do so to improve the manufacturing processes.”