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WHERE IS CAREERS ADVICE GOING

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Introduction

To the generations of us who remember being asked what we wanted to be when we grew up and being told, no matter what it was, that we had to go to university, the idea of good careers guidance is a bit of an oxymoron.

I am sure I am not alone when I say careers advice was the only bit of my education that let me down.

I was lucky enough to receive guidance outside my school, which led me to the eminently sensible decision to duck the low-hanging branches of an expensive higher education and get immediately out into the real world.

But others are not so lucky, and with the number of 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neet) having risen from 31,000 between July and September to 38,000 between October and December last year, the need for advice which can get young people back into work or training is as strong as ever.

As so many of our knowledgeable experts in this supplement point out, we are living in a post-Connexions world in which schools have been ordered to fill the void, impartially.

The page opposite paints the picture of this world, how we got here, and what next.

New statutory guidance for schools is key to government hopes for the future of careers guidance, and it is covered across the following four pages.

The post-Connexions world was intended to be one where the newly-established National Careers Service (NCS) would provide key support for schools and colleges, but it has faced its own issues surrounding the nature of its delivery and also funding. These issues are outlined on page 10, along with a view of the future of the NCS from its director, Joe Billington.

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock has previously spoken of the role of the NCS and has now ushered in the new statutory guidance for schools. He faces tough questioning on careers guidance on page 11, before fellow politicians from Labour and the Liberal Democrats have their say on page 12.

Amid the calls for action, and the issuing of new statutory guidance, came a key report on what a school’s careers guidance service should look like — and what it would cost. Professor John Holman was the author and he discusses his report on page 13.

With this focus on schools and their provision, Ofsted gives its view on the situation bearing in mind its inspectors now look at the service before the views of lecturers, learners and practitioners are represented, across pages 14 and 15.

As always, you can tell us what you think on the FE Week website and on Twitter @FEWeek.

Campus E15

Governors get three-point college improvement plan

College governors have been given a three-point improvement plan in a joint 157 Group and Ofsted report on good practice in the sector.

The report, released today, advises governors to “be clear about what constitutes outstanding teaching, learning and assessment, and look at each component of the definition separately.”

It also calls for governors confident about “immersing themselves in this definition and form judgments based on the widest sources of evidence.”

Further, it says governors should take part in their college’s quality monitoring cycle — “focusing on the self-assessment report and establishing small ad hoc groups of governors to review evidence and progress as necessary”.

The report, called Leadership of teaching, learning and assessment by governors, includes evidence from a workshop held with governors and other pieces of research.

Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, said: “This report focuses on issues of process, structure and human relationships, and showcases some examples of good practice from 157 Group member colleges.”

She added: “While not shying away from the scale of the challenge faced by some governing bodies, we aim to highlight some simple but effective ways of ensuring that they can engage fully with the quality improvement agenda in regard to teaching, learning and assessment.”

Matthew Coffey (pictured), chief operating officer at Ofsted, said: “Governors play an enormously important role in the leadership of their institutions, and we believe that this publication will be of assistance to all those who may be seeking inspiration for how to do a better job of governing.”

It comes with today’s launch by Ofsted of the Data Dashboard — an online tool for governors aimed at allowing them to assess how their provider is meeting the economic needs of its local area and the priorities set out by the local enterprise partnership.

Read 157 Group director of policy, PR an research Andy Gannon’s expert piece on the report.

First exhibition for 69-year-old fine art student who bakes works in oven

Artwork baked in the oven and electric sander-scoured paintings are the kind of offerings you might expect of Young British Artists Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin, but college HND student Stephanie Sanders is turning heads with such pieces at the age of 69, writes Paul Offord.

After a working life spent in retail, Stephanie Sanders decided to follow her passion for fine art in retirement — and at the age of 69 she has just taken part in her first exhibition.

She achieved a distinction in an art foundation diploma at Birmingham Metropolitan College Art & Design two years ago and stayed on to do a fine art higher national diploma (HND).

And her distinctive approach, that includes baking works of art in the oven and even using an electric sander on paintings, has paid dividends with three of her pieces having been displayed, along with those of other fine art students, at an exhibition at Ruskin Glass Centre, in Stourbridge.

“The good thing about being older is that you don’t mind being a bit different about things. I like experimenting,” she told FE Week.

“I don’t think age should be a restriction when it comes to learning — I feel like I’ll never be too old to learn and the HND has allowed me to put my creativity into practice in ways I never thought would be possible.”

Stephanie added: “I had always been interested in art in the past, but never completed any formal training.

“It’s good to have a group of like-minded students around you and a tutor giving good advice.

“There aren’t any other students my age on the course [they range from 20 to 53 years old]. But I have made some really good friends. We all support each other.”

Linda Drury, course leader in fine art, said: “I think it is fantastic that Stephanie came back to education later in life. She is talented and prolific and I am sure she will succeed at putting on her own exhibitions after leaving college.”

Stephanie, a mother-of-two from Stourbridge, decided the time had finally come to develop a lifelong passion for art four years ago.

She enrolled on a level four art foundation diploma at the Birmingham Metropolitan College Art & Design. She achieved a distinction two years later after working in textiles, fashion, fine art, graphics and illustration and three-dimensional art.

Stephanie progressed to a level five higher national diploma (HND) in fine art, which she is due complete next month.

She said: “The course has been really good for preparing us for exhibitions, as we’ve had to research the venues ourselves, send out invitations and hang our own work for our own exhibition [at Ruskin Glass Centre].”

She added: “For those pictures, I took photos of corrugated iron that had rusted.

“I wanted to reproduce the texture of the iron, so I replicated the photos with black and white oil pastels then worked into them with the blade of a pen knife.”

One of her current projects involves painting layers of red, blue and yellow acrylic paint on top of each other, on a variety of different surfaces.

“I started off with bits of card but then moved on to A1-sized sheets of birch-faced ply wood,” she said.

“I used an electric sander on the layers of paint to see how the colours mixed together and kept the dust because that made another mix of colours that I can use.

“Sometimes I have been known to put things in the oven and cook them to see what happens. I recently put some wood I had painted with layers of colours. I wanted to see what would happen when the paint heated up and blistered.”

She added: “I’m really interested in different textures and have also used layers of wax and stones, bits of copper, personal items like an earring, which I mixed with bits of glass, plaster and cornflower.”

Cap: Stephanie Sanders with some pictures she exhibited at Ruskin Glass Centre. Inset: A work of art created by Stephanie for her art foundation diploma containing corn flower, bits of copper and an earring

Indie picks up third award of 2014 at City Hall awards

Independent learning provider MiddletonMurray has won a hat-trick of awards in 2014.

The Kent and London-based firm was recognised as the pre-employment training and job brokerage provider of the year at the Mayor’s Fund for London Awards at City Hall, which recognised outstanding training for 16 to 24-year-olds.

MiddletonMurray also won the best training provider/ sub contractor award at the Apprenticeships4England training provider awards in March and was recognised as the best medium sized business at the Bexley business awards in February.

Speaking at the Mayor’s Fund awards ceremony, chief executive Angela Middleton, said: ‘‘To have our work in youth employment and apprenticeships recognised is a great honour.’’

Pret A Manger also won the apprenticeship employer of the year award at the Mayor’s Fund ceremony.

Cap from left: MiddletonMurray head of marketing Steve Sutherland, personal assistant Charlotte Bullock, associate director Jenny Shepherd, sales director Steve Middleton, chief executive Angela Middleton, and business development director Darren Shanley collect their award from director of charitable activities for The Mayor’s Fund for London Kim Chaplain

Power games with the Prime Minister and London Mayor

Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Harrow College.

The Conservative Party leader and the Mayor were shown around the college’s skills centre and learned about construction-related courses.

They also teamed-up for a table football match against level one plumbing students Stuart Dyde, aged 16, and Jequan Khan, 18, which the politicians won 2-1.

Principal Tony Medhurst said: “We were pleased to welcome the Prime Minister and the Mayor.

“Our students and staff were delighted to meet with and talk to them both about the excellent work we do developing the skills of young people and adults to enable them to secure good jobs in the future.”

Cap from left: David Cameron and Boris Johnson play table football

Golf tournament raises almost £800 for local hospice

Warwickshire College students raised almost £800 for a local hospice through a golf tournament.

Level three business management students Luke Smith, aged 16, Dan Baker, 19, and Joe Coles and Sophie Jones, both 17, spent three months planning the event which involved seven teams of four local golfers.

The tournament raised £781 for Myton Hospice, in Warwick.

Dan said: “We are really pleased with how smoothly it all went. I chose the charity as it’s local and they do a great job in the community.”

Helen Danks, curriculum leader at Warwickshire College, said: “We encourage students to get experience on real-life projects to improve their employability skills at the same time as studying. They have gained a lot of invaluable experience through organising this event and raised a lot of money for this fantastic charity.”

Cap from left: Learners Sophie Jones, Joe Coles, Anita Burrows, from Myton Hospice, with Luke Smith and Dan Baker

Dame Ruth in fine fettle for leadership role return

Dame Ruth Silver is making her FE and skills return with a new sector leadership thinktank funded by money left over from the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS).

The Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL) has a budget of up to £5.5m from LSIS, which counted Dame Ruth as its chair until it ceased to exist last July.

The former Lewisham College principal is FETL’s founding president and said that although many LSIS functions were transferred to the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), LSIS board members had identified the need for a thinktank.

She said: “I think the assumption was that the LSIS work, staff and money would transfer over to the ETF.

“Because the ETF had had difficulty recruiting a permanent chief executive and chair, and because the word then was that it only had two years of funding, we couldn’t transfer the money.

“So we started to look around and the
idea of an independent thinktank for the sector came up.”

According to an FETL policy paper, among its possible “distinctive activities” were sponsorship of an annual lecture on FE leadership; and the funding of an academic chair at a university to bring “stature to the sector”.

It could also “promote and disseminate” a body of knowledge about leadership theory and practice in the FE sector.

Dame Ruth said FETL’s work would start with an invitation to those who wanted to carry out research, with a sub-board dishing out fellowships, grants and bursaries.

She said: “The idea is we will publish invitations in September to ask people if there is anything they would like some time off to research.

“We will then send these scholarships and we will fund their research and a website where all the papers will be published, and have an annual lecture from a thinker on leadership.”

But she insisted that FETL would not necessarily become a permanent organisation, but that it could merge with the ETF or another organisation following a review in two years.

She said: “It’s about getting the sector to think about its own agenda and its own pre-occupations, and in two years we will ask ‘is this working? Should this be placed elsewhere?’ We have absolutely no agenda around keeping it as it is.”

David Russell, ETF chief executive, said: “We have been in discussion with FETL about how best to align our work. Quick convergence is obviously the most efficient and effective option, but it is perfectly sensible for FETL to set up as an independent fund this year as they have a mission which is outside the ETF’s core priorities as set by our board and informed by the sector.

“In the short to medium term though, both ETF and FETL agree that convergence is the most sensible route and we will continue discussions with them about how best to implement that.”

Dame Ruth said FETL would not employ its own staff or rent premises, and said clerk services for the board would be provided by Gloucestershire-based The Trust Partnership at an hourly rate. Its website, fetl.org.uk, is due to go live shortly.

Award-winning apprentice packs punch for HIT Training

Ambitious trainee chef Luke Ramsey was named as the HIT Training regional apprentice of the year.

The 24-year-old was given the award at a graduation ceremony for 37 level two and three apprentices from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex who are registered with HIT and employers from across the hospitality, catering and care sectors.

He recently completed a level two professional cookery apprenticeship with the King’s Head pub, in Lewes, East Sussex, where he is already head chef, and has now moved on to level three.

Jill Whittaker, HIT managing director, said: “Luke stood out from other HIT apprentices because he showed real ambition to climb the catering career ladder. He is extremely career driven and I’m delighted that he has continued to build his experience and has gone on to study for an apprenticeship.”

Cap from left: Award-winning catering apprentice Luke Ramsey with HIT Training managing director Jill Whittaker