It’s folly to try to transfer a university funding model to FE, says Toni Pearce

National Apprenticeship Week celebrates the success of a system that creates education and employment opportunities for thousands of young people and adults. That’s why it is so worrying that the government is introducing initiatives that haven’t been proven to work or to save money.

From August this year, prospective apprentices aged 24 and over will be expected to pay for their own training or to take out a loan of up to £4,000 per year. Research from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) last year revealed that only 11 per cent of respondents would be willing to take out such a loan.

The decision to place sky-high prices on training almost certainly will reduce the number of adult apprentices – workers who already get a lower wage, justified as a trade off for free training. So how can it be acceptable that they not only pay for their education, but also for the privilege to go to work for a lower wage?

The government constantly fails to acknowledge the unique nature of FE and those who participate in it. FE is not ‘baby-university’; carbon-copying a system that doesn’t work in HE over to FE and to apprenticeships is surely headed for failure.

A university funding model cannot be transferred, not least because of the lack of student financial support available to adults in FE. It is absurd to expect students who are working for less than the minimum wage to take out a loan for their study without the opportunity of maintenance grants or loans, especially since the removal of the adult learner grant.

Skills and education at this level should always be free.”

Last year, the Department for Education conceded that it was unacceptable to force students who complete access courses and progress into HE to take out two loans, and agreed to write off FE loans for those students. That we now have to make the same arguments for those who take vocational routes through FE into HE is typical of the government’s failure to offer parity between academic and vocational options. It also risks making the academic route more attractive.

On top of all this, many of our members say that their institutions, and their prospective students, are not aware of the new system or how it will work. With just over a month to go until applications open, it is deeply worrying that providers haven’t yet been properly briefed.

Over the past two years the sector has become used to fighting battles with a disengaged and ill-informed secretary of state, but this wrong-headedness is up there with his worst moves. Skills and education at this level should always be free, particularly for those who have been failed by the system the first time around.

The NUS is working with Unison, the University and College Union and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers to campaign against  FE fees and loans, and is delighted to have had the support of so many MPs. But we are incredibly disappointed that so few have been made fully aware of the policy and the impact that it could have on their constituents, especially in terms of employment prospects through apprenticeships.

I would love to use this week to celebrate apprenticeships, to promote them as a real alternative to academic learning. But instead I worry that National Apprenticeship Week could soon look less like a party and more like a memorial.

Toni Pearce is the NUS Vice President for Further Education

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This article was published in a special 16 page National Apprenticeship Week 2013 supplement (click on image below to download 15mb PDF

More employer ownership (and tax credits) will help to ensure that apprenticeship schemes drive the economy forward, says Doug Richard

National Apprenticeship Week provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on how valuable but undervalued apprenticeships are in this country. I am a big believer that they need to be both championed and reworked for their ultimate importance to be appreciated.

Employer ownership is key. It not only ensures that those with expertise in a particular industry are taking the lead in shaping the training of future experts, it also means that employers have a greater sense of accountability to make apprenticeships – and, as a result, their apprentices — as impressive as possible.

We must start by giving the purchasing power to employers and keeping it that way. Rather than the state taking the lead in funding apprenticeship training, employers should have a direct working relationship with providers. Employers need to be given the money and the authority to buy the training that they think is best.

It makes perfect sense for those who ultimately require and benefit from the skills that apprenticeships are delivering, to be the main decision-makers surrounding training. A high standard can then be monitored and controlled by the people at the heart of the business.

To ensure value for money, employers should be allowed to buy from approved suppliers.”

However, this funding should not be given to employers unconditionally. The payments should be granted depending on whether workers pass an external examination at the end of their apprenticeship. This is a great incentive to ensure that the training is effective.

This, in turn, proves how essential it is for apprenticeships to be measured more accurately. We need to follow a similar technique to the university degree system, whereby students’ achievements are recognised because they have either met or exceeded a clear criteria. This is an area in which current apprenticeship schemes are falling short.

To ensure value for money, employers should be allowed to buy from approved suppliers – and then would only receive money if their apprentices passed an external examination at the end of training.

This concept builds on the increase in employer ownership and ensures that the achievements of apprentices and employers are more easily and successfully judged. It is the prime incentive for employers to make a success of apprenticeships.

The government is already testing a similar programme that allows employees access to subsidies. This is certainly a step in the right direction but much more thinking needs to go into empowering employers.

We need too to focus on securing workforce tax breaks. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers quickly rejected my recommendations; however, I am still convinced that tax credits are integral to the success of apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are valuable initiatives and must be made as attractive as possible to employers. Offering workforce tax breaks is an excellent way to make that happen. This would allow the state to play a significant part; it could show its support for the work employers are doing whilst the ultimate authority on training and designation of funding is left with the employers.

I am proud to have been so heavily involved in the development and progression of apprenticeships into the 21st century workplace. An increase in employer ownership and a change in enforcement around tax credits will go some way to ensuring that these schemes continue to produce talent that will feed into the success of a business, and, in turn, the wider economy.

Doug Richard is an entrepreneur and author of The Richard Review  of Apprenticeships

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This article was published in a special 16 page National Apprenticeship Week 2013 supplement (click on image below to download 15mb PDF

The sixth National Apprenticeship Week is a chance to reflect and look forward to the changes that will drive up the quality of apprenticeships, says Matthew Hancock

Apprenticeships are booming with more than a million starting since the last election. But there is much more to tell in this success story.

As well as ensuring that each apprenticeship is for a minimum of a year and that English and maths are a priority, we are also offering apprenticeships as an alternative to university into professions such as insurance, accounting, and law. The development of these Higher Apprenticeships is one of my personal priorities.

Doug Richard’s review last year will play an important part in safeguarding the programme’s quality and I will shortly publish details of how we plan to take his recommendations forward.

The figures show that people who complete an apprenticeship at intermediate level – GCSE-equivalent – can expect to earn £74,000 more over their lifetime than people with similar backgrounds and qualifications. With an apprenticeship at advanced level, the rewards become even greater.

A report by the Association of Accounting Technicians shows that while 44 per cent of 2012/13 graduates are predicted to be either underemployed or unemployed six months after leaving full-time education, those with vocational qualifications such as Higher Apprenticeships can earn an estimated £150,000 more over their lifetime than someone with no qualifications —  comparable to the earnings advantage a graduate could expect.

We must make it even easier for businesses to take on apprentices.”

Employers of apprentices also have an interesting story to tell. Nearly three-quarters of them find that having apprentices improves productivity.  And around two-thirds say that they improve staff morale and retention. On average, they make back the money they spend on an apprentice’s salary and other costs within two years.

The rest of us might do well to reflect that every pound of taxpayer’s money spent on apprenticeships has been variously estimated to generate between £18 and £28 of benefit to the economy, helping to create new jobs, new business and new growth.

In the light of facts like these, I quickly learned that my job was not to sell apprenticeships, but to ensure that they met the widest possible range of needs.

At the other end of the scale, we are all aware of the dangers of high youth unemployment. That is why we are establishing a new programme of traineeships to help young people aged 16-24 to develop the skills they need to secure and succeed in employment, including through apprenticeships. I expect the first places on the new programme to be available from this September.

Finally, we must make it even easier for businesses to take on apprentices. I started out in a small family business, so know how daunting this can be. The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers provides £1,500 per apprentice to support smaller employers, who haven’t taken on an apprentice in the past 12 months, to take on up to 10 apprentices aged 16-24.  The grant, now available until the end of this year, will encourage even more employers to find out how much apprentices can strengthen their business.

I hope, too, that many people will find out about the scheme this week. Events are being held in all parts of the country and are well worth seeking out.

Matthew Hancock is FE Minister

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This article was published in a special 16 page National Apprenticeship Week 2013 supplement (click on image below to download 15mb PDF

As an education journalist, I receive hundreds of press releases and dozens of phone calls each week from people wanting me to write about their client or organisation.

I delete most of the emails, unopened, and I rarely return phone calls unless the story is of interest. I know that sounds rude.

But if I followed up every idea, I’d have no time to write. I’m not alone. At a recent conference I hosted for PR and communications professionals, The Daily Telegraph’s education editor Graeme Paton said he received around 170 emails and 20 phone calls a day from people pitching ideas.

You’d be surprised by the tiny percentage of my FE stories that come via colleges or sector organisations.”

Helen Lewis, the New Statesman’s deputy editor, said she received around 30 unsolicited pitches for opinion articles each week, but commissioned, on average, just one in ten.

So why do so few press releases and story ideas capture the interest of journalists and editors? You’d be surprised by the tiny percentage of my FE stories that come via colleges or sector organisations.

This is because many of the pitches do not take into account my needs or priorities as a features writer for national newspapers.

I’m looking for stories that reflect – and sometimes predict – developments in the sector and across the political landscape. And the first question I ask myself when someone contacts me is ‘can I write 1,500 words about this?’ So – and apologies if this sounds harsh – I’m not likely to be interested in writing about your celebration assembly, new drama studio or royal visitor. But a good proportion of the pitches I receive are about exactly that sort of thing.

In fact, many could easily be mistaken for internal memos: stories about what’s happening to individual staff and students, individual colleges or sector organisations.

That’s not to say there aren’t publications, particularly in the trade press, that will run stories like this.

But a one-size-fits-all approach can limit opportunities for quality press coverage, and it can be a bit disheartening to see how few PRs bother to find out anything about me or the publications that I write for.

The most effective PR and communications professionals know they can’t rely on a single press release to generate coverage of their college or organisation.

They understand that building a media profile is about long-term relationships – not one-night stands – so they take the time to get to know their target publications, analysing the kinds of stories editors are running so they can offer them what they want, when they want it.

They appreciate the contrasting needs and priorities of news and features writers (and, increasingly, new media) and recognise that a story that works well for a local paper, may not be suitable for a national or trade publication – or vice versa – and tailor their pitches accordingly.

They also keep a close eye on policy developments and current affairs, so if a relevant story breaks they are well-positioned to offer comment or debate.

And, crucially, they understand that if you focus on what journalists want – and not what you’d like them to want – you’re far more likely to get the results you need.

Janet Murray is a journalist, media trainer and consultant, and founder of www.lastwordevents.com. She will be delivering a session on managing the media with Ed Dorrell (new editor, TES) and Pete Henshaw (editor, Sec Ed) at the Education Innovation Conference and Exhibition at Manchester Central on Friday March 8.