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Sector reacts positively to FE progression proposal from Labour taskforce

A Labour Skills Taskforce recommendation that school funding be withheld if students do not progress into FE, employment or training has been greeted enthusiastically by the FE sector.

The taskforce’s third report, Qualifications Matter: Improving the Curriculum and Assessment for All, was published last week, and said that schools cash withheld should go instead towards their careers guidance services.

The Association of Colleges (AoC), the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) all said they “welcome” the focus on careers guidance.

The report also suggested the creation of a national baccalaureate qualification, available to all learners leaving secondary school, consisting of level three core learning, maths and English, a personal development programme and an extended project.

Brian Lightman, ACSL general secretary, said: “This report makes a compelling case for moving towards a broad, national qualifications system that provides progression for all learners. A new focus on vocational education is needed, along with a way to give these qualifications greater credibility.

“A national baccalaureate scheme which provides an accreditation umbrella is an interesting idea and one we would be keen to explore further.

“We are pleased to see the emphasis on aspects such as independent research and personal development alongside the critically important areas of maths and English,” he said.

He added: “The focus on independent careers guidance provided by qualified, trained advisers is welcomed, and we will continue to work with strategic partners in developing this in a way that is appropriate for both schools and colleges.

“Tracking destinations is important, but it must be recognised this is influenced by more than what happens in schools. Before financial sanctions on schools are proposed, very serious, looming funding pressures must be addressed. We need to see real progress towards a national, fair funding formula.”

The taskforce recommended that young people continue to study maths and English to the age of 18, and that jobseekers be given training to bring their maths, English and IT skills to level two.

However, ATL, AoC and 157 Group also said there was “more detailed work” to be done to flesh out the proposals.

Martin Doel, chief executive of the AoC, said mandatory maths and English until 18 was “a good idea”.

He said: “It’s good to see the Labour Party raising a number of key issues, from the suggestion of a national baccalaureate, to the inclusion of tech levels.

“They have rightly placed an emphasis on ensuring careers advice and guidance is of a high quality, to help reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

“As part of our Careers Guidance: Guaranteed campaign, we’re calling for a local careers hub, greater investment in the National Careers Service and for the Department for Education to match the amount given by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

“These broadly match the direction the party is headed in terms of careers advice.”

He added: “It is also absolutely right to identify maths and English as essential vocational skills but we must bear in mind it would be a huge commitment not only in workforce development terms but also in terms of developing a curriculum that meets students’ and employers’ needs in this area.

“We were also very pleased to note that a future Labour government would consider a cabinet level appointment for skills and qualifications, which would give the sector the high profile it so rightly deserves and that there is an appreciation of the need to build on what works as well as to address that which needs more systemic attention.

“There is clearly much detailed work required in order to flesh out these proposal and we look forward to contributing to this important work.”

Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary for policy at ATL, said: “We are pleased the Labour Party is making a commitment to provide high quality vocational qualifications.

“We are also pleased it plans to ensure there is proper careers guidance for young people in areas of high unemployment, and call on Labour to extend this right to all young people.

“It is also good news that the Labour Party plans to provide jobseekers with training in English, maths and IT.

“However, we question where the funding will come from for the training and for developing and running the tests to see who needs training?

“And we are worried about where the training will take place following the recent cuts in funding for further education colleges which may mean that there aren’t enough college places or FE colleges to provide the training.”

Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, said: “It is good to see the Labour party taking a holistic view of post-14 education, and emphasising the need for prestigious vocational pathways for learners of all abilities.

“We have long argued that youth unemployment would be best tackled by taking a broad view of the system from 14 to 24, and this report is a step on the way to that.

“We agree that the success of the education system should be assessed on the aims of what it is trying to deliver — namely a generation of skilled young people who are ready to enter the workplace and have fulfilling careers. High-quality vocational education, including apprenticeship programmes, is key to making that a reality for more learners, and proposals for a baccalaureate system of qualifications seem to be a reflection of that principle.

“We would suggest, though, that what is needed is a restatement of aims and purpose and the freedom for professionals in colleges and schools to deliver on these aims.

“A programme of ‘major reform’ that focuses on detailed arrangements for funding and qualifications may be needed to underpin that.

“We will be working hard with the Labour Party over the coming months as it considers the policy implications of this report.”

Provider cuts averaging up to 15pc expected this week

Providers were expected to be hit with adult skills budget cuts this week at an average of between 10 and 15 per cent, the Association of Colleges (AoC) has warned.

Allocations are due out this week, providing the first indication of the impact of a 19 per cent two-year adult skills budget cut that was outlined in the skills funding statement released last month.

Members of the AoC have been briefed to expect cuts of between 10 and 15 per cent, but it declined to comment.

With 19+ apprenticeships funding protected, it is thought the residual adult skills funding cut will be closer to 20 per cent.

In an update issued last week, the Skills Funding Agency said: “You will now receive your funding statement for the adult skills budget and 24+ advanced learning loans early next week.

“We will reissue the funding statement with any other allocations you receive by the end of March.”

Technology takes centre stage on future talks as politicians clash at 2030 skills report launch

Technology dominated the debate at a conference arranged to discuss the future of the UK skills sector.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills and Work Foundation’s Skills for the Future conference was held at the headquarters of accountants Deloitte in central London last Monday (March 3).

The event was used to officially launch a report by the commission called The Future of Work: Jobs and Skills in 2030, and many of the conference speakers spoke about how technology is becoming a more dominant force in the skills world.

In his keynote speech, Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said: “We all know that an effective skills system is an economic necessity. That is not new. But what is new is that it is becoming more important than ever.”

He used the example of WhatsApp, a smartphone instant messaging service which employs just 55 people which was recently bought by Facebook for £11.4bn — around the same value of clothing brand Gap, which has 135,000 employees.

Mr Hancock said: “It is a sign of the times that technology and globalisation are changing the shape of the labour market, and it is, to me, an extreme version of the argument that has run that the return on skills is higher and that the labour market needs to promote and policy needs to support a high-skill economy.

“As the number of jobs grows in the economy, we also need to make sure that young people can get those jobs. It is absolutely vital in a world where youth unemployment rose even in the run-up to 2004 to 2008. At the moment something is wrong here and we need to address this.”

He said the government and businesses had to work together to address the skills gap England is facing.

He said: “I want to talk about the link between employment and skills, and to argue that employers, where they can’t find the skilled staff they need, part of the problem is because our system has lacked rigour and responsiveness to their needs. I want to explain our response and about how we can tackle this gap and suggest that we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do so.

“The government cannot act alone because high-quality skills provision involves employers, because it is necessarily and by definition vocational and employers cannot act alone because it is important that people are brought together on the journey to make sure it works for everyone.”

Shadow Skills Minister Liam Byrne also spoke about technology, and criticised the government for failing to be realistic about the state of the jobs market.

He said: “The government would like you to think that it is all fine, that all is well in the jobs market, there is now plenty of work to go around. As someone who started work behind a fry station in McDonald’s, I am someone who believes that any work is better than no work.

“I think all of us here would agree that a good job is better than a bad job, and right now there are quite simply not enough good jobs to go around.

“We now live in a country where the great wage crash is producing almost as much damage as the great financial crash a few years ago. I think it is the defining issue with our economy of our times.”

He added: “Our ability to combine technology, whether it’s processing power, cheap sensors, robotics networks, social media, big data, now means we are at an inflection point in our ability to combine and recombine technology in a way which allows us to do new things.

“We are beginning to see extraordinary innovations from Google’s driverless cars now being tested in San Francisco, to better diagnostics of cancer. There is now enough technology in a Nissan Leaf car to render the car a fly-by-wire robot, which is the kind of technology which in the coming years is going to revolutionise the logistics industry.

“General Electric already make robots which can climb and repair wind turbines, Future Advisor uses artificial intelligence which is strong enough to offer personalised financial advice.

“Some economists at the Oxford Martin School just before Christmas put a lot of this together and drew the conclusion that up to 47 per cent of jobs in our economy today will be automated over the next 10 years.

“First it was blue collar jobs, and now it is white collar jobs too. This is going to present policy makers and people like you with some of the most difficult public policy challenges over the next decade.”

In the commission’s report, trends which will shape the future of the UK jobs and skills market are examined. It points to a growing economically-active older population, increased income uncertainty and growing diversity, along with big changes in the way people work.

The report emphasises the likelihood that technology will “replicate the judgement and experience of human workers” and an ensuing “skills activism”, forcing the government to increase budgets to re-skill people to deal with a “rapid growth” in unemployment.

It talks about online platforms becoming the “channel of choice” for education and training providers, and an increase in requirement for company-specific qualifications as a condition of employment.

Mr Hancock added: “In the UK we stagnate and too many of our youngest generation are leaving education without essential skills. But just as important as the quantum skills, too often our young people have the wrong skills.

“If the question is why do we have youth unemployment and at the same time employer demand for skills, I think the answer lies in the structure of the skills system, which has produced young people with low skills and the wrong skills, and we shouldn’t be surprised then if employers cannot get the right people.

“The responsibility with solving that problem lies squarely with us. We have got to fix it.”

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Colleges to be offered carrot to take part in Tech Bacc pilot

A plan to pay colleges to act as guinea pigs for new technical qualifications due to be introduced in the autumn was unveiled by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock at the Skills for the Future conference.

Mr Hancock used his speech to announce that eight institutions would become trailblazers for the new technical baccalaureate, or “Tech Bacc”.

He said: “From 2016, a new set of approved qualifications will be taught, and with only those winning the support of universities or employers included in performance tables.

“These include the new tech level qualifications, the core of the Tech Bacc, which will be taught from this autumn giving high quality alternative to A-levels, and each one has to be endorsed by employers.

“I am delighted today to be able to announce new Tech Bacc trailblazers. We have eight post 16 schools and colleges which have agreed to develop their technical subjects with local employers, we
are funding them to explore how their courses can reflect the real world of work and raise quality
even further.”

The new qualification, which will count towards college and sixth form league tables, has been described by organisations including the Association of Colleges and the Association of School and College Leaders in the past as “a step in the right direction” towards raising the profile of vocational education.

To complete a Tech Bacc, learners will need a “high quality” level three vocational qualification, a core maths level three qualification, which would include AS-level maths, and an extended written project.

The Tech Bacc will be introduced for courses beginning in September, but will not count towards performance tables until January 2017.

The Department for Education (DfE), which will run the trailblazers scheme, has not yet announced which institutions will be involved in the pilot, when it will take place, or how much it will cost.

A spokesperson said no further details could be given at this stage, but that an announcement would take place soon.

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Could traineeships stem skills shortage problem?

Traineeships are most commonly viewed as a means of taking on youth unemployment, but, asks, Fiona Aldridge, could they also help answer skills shortages in science, technology, engineering and maths?

Traineeships, apprenticeships, higher standards and better qualifications were four key priorities outlined by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock in the recently-published Skills Funding Statement.

But six months into traineeships, a key finding of research published by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace) last week, was that while providers and employers alike recognise the potential of the programme in supporting young people into the workplace, a lack of awareness, particularly among employers, risks jeopardising the positive contribution that traineeships might make.

Traineeships undoubtedly have great potential.

The combination of its three core components — work preparation, a work placement and English and maths support — has been shown to make a substantial impact in enabling unemployed young people to take their first steps into the labour market.

Given the fundamental role of employers in offering work placements, this lack of employer awareness needs to be addressed urgently.

In partnership with the Gatsby Foundation, Niace has been exploring how the traineeship programme might be an effective means of securing better access to science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) job roles for young people.

While Stem skills are considered to be critical to future national growth and employment, it is widely recognised that there is a shortage of Stem skills in the UK workforce and that, in particular, more needs to be done to attract young people.

Our research was located in the Dorset local enterprise partnership area, a dynamic concentration of Stem activity.

Traineeships will be most effective if Stem skills strategies are included within local economic and skills planning

Bournemouth and Poole College manages an active engineering and manufacturing employers’ forum of more than 200 members and also recently opened a Stem centre.

The purpose of locating the research in a particular Lep area was to explore whether localised planning and implementation would further support the potential of traineeships to address local labour market needs and meet both current and projected Stem skills shortages.

The overarching recommendation of our research is that traineeships will be most effective if Stem skills strategies are included within local economic and skills planning.

Integration of traineeships (and other programmes such as apprenticeships) into these plans will enable targeted and co-ordinated local implementation, avoiding duplication of activity by different learning providers and introducing a systematic approach to engaging Stem employers, while also ensuring that the content and delivery of traineeships at a local level, meets their skills needs.

By adopting such an approach, providers will benefit by directly engaging local Stem employers in discussions about the contextualised maths provision that they would like to see delivered through traineeships.

This will also mean they are able to work more easily with employers to plan and arrange work placements that provide young people with the most meaningful and worthwhile experiences of Stem workplaces, at the start of what we hope would be lasting and fulfilling careers.

We believe that Stem-focussed traineeships have the unique potential to benefit young people, employers and the economy — both at a local level and nationally.

If planned and delivered effectively, they have the potential to provide clear progression pathways to Stem jobs, meet employers’ Stem skills needs and contribute to social inclusion and growth agendas.

The enthusiasm is most definitely there. All of the employers we spoke to could see the potential positive impact traineeships could have on, in particular, addressing local labour market shortages of skilled workers.

The big challenge is that this potential will not be realised while the majority of employers are still unaware of the traineeship programme.

Hopefully National Apprenticeship Week started the process to give traineeships a similar level of attention as apprenticeships.

Fiona Aldridge, head of learning for work, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education

How far have we gone in achieving a careers guidance ‘culture change’?

Six months after the National Careers Council called for a “culture change” in careers guidance, Deirdre Hughes, in light of a new report from the council, gives an overview of what has changed.

In June 2013 the National Careers Council, set up by government to advise on how careers provision for young people and adults could be improved, published its first report.

We called for a culture change in careers provision, including the provision of more career insights and improved access to independent and impartial career guidance, particularly for young people.

In September 2013, the recommendations were formally accepted by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock in his Inspirational Vision Statement.

Since then, careers provision for young people has remained firmly in the spotlight. A six-month review by the council considers what progress has been made by government in implementing the recommendations and practical steps outlined in the council’s 2013 report.

Overall, the findings indicate an urgent need to accelerate progress, particularly in careers support services for young people.

Findings indicate an urgent need to accelerate progress, particularly in careers support services for young people

The government plans to support the recommended culture change by promoting stronger links between employers, schools and colleges.

Ministers indicate this will not be a top-down scheme, but a change of approach building on the good practice that already happens in the best schools and colleges.

Ofsted has challenged schools ‘to raise their game’ with progress made by the inspectorate in providing examples of successful approaches in individual schools.

Colleges have increasingly promoted their careers offer to young people and parents, especially those seeking to attract pupils aged 14+.

The forthcoming revised Statutory Guidance for schools and colleges is expected to make more explicit the role of intermediaries in bringing educators and employers closer together.

Our findings indicate many schools are unsure what to do and need some support in this period of transition.

Industry, education and careers leaders, as well as many across government, recognise the need to tackle skills gaps and mismatch.

The supply and demand for skills is rapidly changing, influenced by technological, demographic and global trends.

The role of employers in stepping up to provide more career opportunities, particularly for young people, is vital for our current and future economy.

The death of the Saturday job, compounded by limited exposure to work experience, has resulted in a widening gap between young people and the world of work.

The council has reiterated to government the added-value benefits of encouraging a culture change among schools, colleges, employers and career development professionals through the ongoing development of the National Careers Service (NCS), supported by an employer-led Advisory Board.

Since September 2013, closer working links have been established between Local Enterprise Partnerships and the NCS in the re-procurement of careers service delivery in 2014.

Council discussions are under way with the chair and chief executive at the Skills Funding Agency on the option of an employer-led Advisory Board working with the NCS.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the NCS are working with the Career Development Institute to agree next steps for a freely available online directory of independent, impartial and qualified career development professionals.

Labour market intelligence feeding into education and careers support systems is on the increase.

Government has stimulated the careers market, resulting in a plethora of initiatives all keen to work with schools, colleges and employers.

We believe the NCS has a key role in mapping the landscape of careers provision and co-ordinating the efforts of the different organisations engaged in careers work, alongside helping schools to understand where they can access help and support.

We remain fully committed to achieving an all-age careers service that needs to do more with schools in recognition that careers provision must be improved.

Further investment is needed to bring about the culture change that is necessary, particularly if all young people and adults are to benefit from changes in education and the world of work.

Deirdre Hughes OBE, chair,
National Careers Council

Behind the scenes of National Apprenticeship Week

It’s five big days in the calendar for apprenticeships and Barbara Spicer explains not only what happened before and during National Apprenticeship Week, but also how it aims to attract more employers to the programme.

One week: more than 1,000 events, well on track to beat last year’s record, and trending on Twitter.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ll be aware, by now, of what I’m talking about.

Because as you know, this is the seventh year of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW).

A huge amount of effort goes into the week each year, not just here at the Skills Funding Agency, National Apprenticeship Service and National Careers Service, but right across the FE sector and across industry too, ensuring that everything is ready and raring to go on day one.

Throughout the week we promoted apprenticeships at all levels from entry to work to degree level study and this year, for the first time, the recently-launched traineeship programme.

We demonstrated how apprenticeships and traineeships make financial sense for business and are great for personal careers.

But, as the saying goes, it’s all in the preparation.

And I for one know that behind the scenes the ground work has been ongoing for several months.

We’ve put real effort into making sure that our stakeholders have all the tools they need to successfully communicate this week with consistent messaging, giving maximum impact to the National Apprenticeship Week campaign.

Meanwhile, research on apprenticeships has been under-way to support the sell-in of stories to the media, in different formats, way ahead of the week itself and helping to generate record levels of coverage.

We tap into every digital channel we can — Pinterest, Vine, Storify, apprentice.tv — using apprenticeship good news to the maximum, while in recent weeks staff here have worked closely with the Deputy Prime Minister’s office to film the all-important video that launched the week itself.

Yet I’m well aware that it’s thanks to the support of colleges, training organisations, employers and all our partners — many doing their own thing through YouTube videos and social media — that NAW is so incredibly successful.

Their support is fundamental in ensuring we have all the benefits of a consistent, national campaign with the tremendous energy that regional engagement brings.

We have some great household names behind apprenticeships — Jaguar Land Rover, the BBC and BT to name a few.

We are seeing more support coming through from small businesses and it’s fair to say many of the greatest success stories of NAW are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Did you know that nearly a third of SMEs are planning to take on apprentices as a core part of their growth strategy? The week also saw the launch of the SME apprenticeship mentoring service (apprenticemakers.org.uk) which connects SMEs new to apprenticeships to experienced SMEs who can offer free advice and support.

As I wrote this, NAW 2014 was still unfolding and I’d like to share some of my favourite stories so far: Manchester City footballer Jesus Navas planted trees with a local apprentice, the Royal Opera House tweeted its support for NAW 2014 to its 92k followers (and donated its venue for the international apprenticeship conference), while Transport for London tweeted announcing free entry for apprentices to the London Transport Museum.

Back to hard facts. New for this year was the Pledgeometer where, for the first time, employers could pledge their apprentice job vacancies in the run up to and during the week.

And at the end of the week, in a fitting finale, came the Minister’s announcement of the grand total of just how many employers came forward to offer real apprenticeship opportunities that will make a genuine difference to people’s lives, which is what it’s all about.

Barbara Spicer, interim chief executive, Skills Funding Agency

Read Phil Roman’s ‘The DNA of good apprenticeships’ expert article here.

Barry Sheerman, chair, the Skills Commission

Within moments of going into MP Barry Sheerman’s Westminster office, numerous clues hinting at his old day job as a university professor become clear.

Political biographies, volumes of poetry and literary criticism line the walls and by the time the interview is over, a small stack of books has built up in front of me to thumb through.

And as Sheerman leaps up to show me something else, so the conversation bounces just as energetically in different directions as I learn about the different projects he’s helped to set up.

“I unfortunately got into Parliament in 1979 when Thatcher became Prime Minister, so I had 18 years in opposition,” says the Labour politician, who counts co-chair of the Skills Commission with Dame Ruth Silver among his current roles.

“I did loads of shadow minister jobs and it was so frustrating that you weren’t doing anything — so I got in the habit of starting things and gradually built up this empire of social enterprises.”

Sheerman guesses he’s on his 48th enterprise having started with a co-operative development agency in West Glamorgan, followed by a folk club and a jazz club, “and it went from there”.

The enterprise he seems most proud of is an education centre run from the home of 19th century poet John Clare in Helpston, Cambridgeshire, which he discovered was on the market seven years ago.

“We got £1.27m from Heritage Lottery, match funded it, and turned it into a splendid centre, which is both a place where you can worship John Clare, but also it’s a national centre of learning outside the classroom,” he explains.

The project has expanded into the old village pub where Clare learned to play the fiddle.

“We are going to turn that into a hub where anyone can come in through the door — and they may be a young NEET [not in education, employment or training] who has lost their way, doesn’t know what their talents are, never been given any sound advice or maybe a 43-year-old woman who has never found that spark,” says Sheerman.

I wanted to change the world — so I got on the local council

“But they can come through and we use a businessman, managers, university academics, anyone who will give their time to assess them and mentor them and point them in the right direction.”

Middlesex-born Sheerman, aged 73, has long been an advocate of the FE sector (he’s a former chair of the House of Commons Education and Skills select committee, which has since focussed on education) and says his interest dates back to own experience of education and careers advice.

Inset: Sheerman with actor Patrick Stewart, who unveiled part of the John Clare centre in 2009

“I went to a grammar school, it was very posh, and most of the kids from the more working class background dropped out at 16, and I came top in English, top in history and bottom in everything else, so I dropped out,” he said.

A careers adviser told him to try and get into the chemical industry — “he said the future was men in white coats,” says Sheerman.

“So I ended up foolishly being in the paint industry and most of the time I got a day off to study chemistry and paint technology, most of the time with that day off, I went in and was reading economics — and I suddenly got this love of reading about economics.

“And a couple of nice people in the chemical industry said: ‘You should go back and get an education, you shouldn’t be here’.

“So I sold my scooter, I started a painting and decorating business, I cleaned windows, I bought and sold in Petticoat Lane, and I worked my way through my A-levels in a year at Kingston Technical College, and got a scholarship to the LSE to study politics and economics. So that was my liberation.”

Sheerman married wife Pamela in 1965, and his best man was ex-Labour MP and former UKIP Euro MP Robert Kilroy-Silk (“I keep that quiet though,” says Sheerman with a chuckle).

Sheerman went on to do a Masters in political sociology, and was taught by Ralph Miliband, father of Labour leader Ed Miliband, before taking up a lectureship at the University of Wales in Swansea in 1966.

He taught economics and politics in Swansea for 12 years and clearly relished it, but tragedy turned his attention to “changing the world”.

“I was sitting there congratulating myself, as kid from a reasonably working class background, youngest of five, at being a university teacher, we had this lovely cottage on the Gower Peninsula with a couple of acres, toy farm breeding donkeys,” he says.

“It was a really self-congratulatory phase of my life, and then our first baby died at birth.

“In those days they took the baby, it disappeared — my wife was told the baby had been incinerated, I was told it was put in a mass grave.”

The baby, a boy who would have been named Luke, was born in November.

“Anyway, I did this strong partner act, I think, I tried to support my wife,” says Sheerman.

But by the New Year he realised he was struggling.

“I’d lost all my energy, I thought I had leukaemia, I kept getting a sore throat and losing my voice,” he says.

“My wife conned me into going to the university doctor, who gave me a total check-up and told me: ‘There’s nothing wrong with you physically, but men, as well as women, go through a period of reflection after they lose a child,’ — they didn’t say depression then.

“And that was the trigger, asking: ‘What do you really want to do with this life? Spend your life thinking you’re a little working class boy who has made it good… or is what I really want to do in my heart something more active?

“And out of that I decided I didn’t want to write about politics or teach about politics, I wanted to change the world — so I got on the local council.”

Sheerman ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Taunton in 1974, before being elected in Huddersfield in 1979.

He now lives just outside Huddersfield, and he and Pamela now have four children, Lucy, 43, Madlin, 41, John, 35, and Verity, 32.

As he enthuses to me about crowdfunding, an online system where individuals donate money to help get businesses and projects off the ground, I suspect there will be more social enterprises to come.

And his commitment to promoting FE remains unwavering.

“It gave me my second chance,” he says.

“And I only knew about it because people were kind enough to take time to say ‘Look…’ to me, and that’s really nice, when you see someone who is slightly off course.

“So I suppose what inspires me is when I look at kids who are like me.”

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It’s a personal thing

What’s your favourite book?

I read Caitlin Moran’s How to be a Woman, and I just read Giles Coren’s How to Eat Out. My favourite book as a student was Rationalism in Politics and Other Essays by Michael Oakeshott

What’s your pet hate?

I can’t think of anything I hate. Hating is hard, isn’t it? I’m with Giles Coren. I hate people who go to restaurants and pay a lot of money for heated up beef. It’s such a waste of money

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I suppose on reflection I am a frustrated writer

Who, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party?

John Clare [English poet who died in 1864] and Victorian slavery-abolition and factory reform campaigner Richard Oastler

What do you do to switch off from work?

Play with my grandchildren — I’ve got nine under 11. I love walking and reading poetry.

The DNA of good apprenticeships

As the sector celebrates apprenticeships, Phil Romain looks at what makes for a good one.
My passion for apprenticeships stems from my own experiences.

I was fortunate to have had an outstanding apprenticeship in a company where many of the directors and senior managers were ex-apprentices themselves.

This led me to a career in engineering, to managing a top apprenticeship programme, to writing one of the first modern apprenticeship frameworks and eventually to being the national lead for apprenticeships with Ofsted.

I started my apprenticeship when they were considered established career paths, something many young people undertook when they left school.

The Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw’s Annual Report stated that apprenticeships need to improve, but let’s start with a reality check.

When I wrote the first modern apprenticeship for shipbuilding, apprenticeships were rarely mentioned. Most people would say things like: “apprenticeships — what a shame there aren’t any now.”

Thankfully, times have changed and National Apprenticeship Week provides an opportunity to promote their benefits.

Around half a million people started an apprenticeship last year and places are fiercely competitive.

Some apprenticeship schemes I have inspected are world-beaters and, dare I say, better than Germany’s — but far too many are not.

So I want to look under the skin at the DNA of good apprenticeships and ask what it is that is unmistakeably characteristic of the good.

Good apprenticeships offer structured, high quality training.

To some extent simply being in work will make a difference, but relying on a form of absorption by association is not enough.

Apprentices’ skills and competence need planning.

Some apprenticeship schemes I have inspected are world-beaters and, dare I say, better than Germany’s — but far too many are not

I was lucky with my apprenticeship. There was no hiding place in the workshops and design offices, I had to meet with key customers, communicate with senior managers, give presentations, and support a plethora of other activities while learning to manufacture complex systems to exacting standards.

And what drove this? Two things: a dedicated employer that was involved from the top, and training staff with the skills to plan and facilitate good training.

Encouragingly, some providers are acknowledging that their staff play a pivotal role facilitating the training and development of apprentices.

They are moving away from the simple assessment of a technical qualification to the development of the individual — planning and measuring improvements in technical skills, confidence, teamwork, customer relationships, independence, reliability and communication. These are the critical characteristics valued by employers.

Inspectors often comment on the lack of employer involvement at an apprentice’s progress review.

An employer with a clear plan of how their apprentice will develop the skills they need will be present, and vocal, at a progress review.

They will want to know what skills their apprentice has developed since their last review and the progress they are making. If an employer is not interested in their progress then something fundamental is wrong.

The common thread among good apprenticeships is the attention given to developing apprentices’ skills and knowledge at work as well as outside of it.

And the people best placed to do this are employers, through planning and support with mentors and experienced staff.

Soon employers will be in the driving seat. Or if you are as old as I am, back in the driving seat.

When I managed an apprenticeship programme I was without doubt in control. Recruiting, commissioning training, designing the programme, and selecting the best local college to provide the courses I needed.

But the DNA of good apprenticeships will not change — the characteristics of the best will be the same.

Our evidence from last year’s inspections shows little difference in the performance of different types of provider.

They often get the off-the-job training right, but improvements are needed to provide high quality, structured work-based training.

So, regardless of where the funding comes from, the challenge remains. Fortunately there are some excellent examples available and we need to learn from them.

Phil Romain, apprenticeships national lead, Ofsted

Read Babara Spicer’s ‘Behind the scenes of National Apprenticeship Week’ expert article here

Behind the scenes of National Apprenticeship Week

One week: more than 1,000 events, well on track to beat last year’s record, and trending on Twitter.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ll be aware, by now, of what I’m talking about.

Because as you know, this is the seventh year of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW).

It’s fair to say many of the greatest success stories of National Apprenticeship Week are small and medium-sized enterprises”

It’s the week when all eyes are on apprenticeships — when we work with the sector to celebrate apprenticeship talent, skills, achievements and successes and the positive impact they have on individuals and businesses.
A huge amount of effort goes into the week each year, not just here at the Skills Funding Agency, National Apprenticeship Service and National Careers Service, but right across the FE sector and across industry too, ensuring that everything is ready and raring to go on day one.

Throughout the week we promoted apprenticeships at all levels from entry to work to degree level study and this year, for the first time, the recently-launched traineeship programme.

We demonstrated how apprenticeships and traineeships make financial sense for business and are great for personal careers.

But, as the saying goes, it’s all in the preparation.

And I for one know that behind the scenes the ground work has been ongoing for several months.

Their support is fundamental in ensuring we have all the benefits of a consistent, national campaign with the tremendous energy that regional engagement brings.

We have some great household names behind apprenticeships — Jaguar Land Rover, the BBC and BT to name a few.

We are seeing more support coming through from small businesses and it’s fair to say many of the greatest success stories of NAW are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Back to hard facts. New for this year was the Pledgeometer where, for the first time, employers could pledge their apprentice job vacancies in the run up to and during the week.

Barbara Spicer, interim chief executive, Skills Funding Agency