A London-based dancer who is about to hit the West End returned to his Gloucestershire college roots to pass audition tips onto current students.
Michael Stewart, from the URDANG Academy, was at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College to speak to level three dance students.
The 20-year-old, who has won a role in the musical, Ghost and has previously performed in a show featuring Got to Dance judge and former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, ran mock audition classes.
The aim was to give the youngsters a real life experience of what to expect at interviews and auditions as they prepare for higher education.
Tutor Danny Burnham said: “It is always nice to see ex-students return to the college and share their stories and knowledge with the students.
“Michael has excelled himself and achieved an ambition he dreamed of.
“Our extended diploma dancers have experienced what it is like at a dance school audition and this experience will undoubtedly support them in the progression applications.”
A group of colleges is establishing a permanent team in New Delhi as part of an Association of Colleges (AoC) initiative to help the British FE Sector expand into the Indian market.
AoC In India, which launches this week, will act as a best practice hub for colleges looking to offer their expertise to meet the growing demand for vocational skills training in India.
John Mountford, the AoC’s international director, said: “India is a market full of potential. They’ve got an ambitious skill strategy, they’ve got big gaps in their own training capacity and they’re certainly looking to work internationally. The opportunities are there, but it is a challenging and competitive market.
“We feel to properly access it you need to have a permanent substantial base in India and by working in partnership the colleges can create the sort of setup that would best enable them to get those opportunities and overcome the challenges,” he added.
FE Minister Matthew Hancock and 50 delegates from the colleges will attend the launch at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in New Delhi on Tuesday 22 January, and FE Week will be joining them.
Readers will be able to keep up-to-date with our reporters through videos, pictures and updates on the new On Location section of our website, and read all about it in our dedicated supplement with next week’s edition.
The team will be based with Indian market entry specialist Sannam S4 Consulting Pvt Ltd., and the project will be chaired by Asha Khemka OBE, principal of West Nottinghamshire College (right).
The colleges involved in the initiative will seek to provide a range of services, from delivering training programmes in India and consultancy to selling online learning software.
Several of the colleges have previous experience of working in India, and have been confronted with a number of issues, and it is here AoC In India believes it can make a difference.
“An important point with India is scale. They talk in the hundreds of thousands and the millions when they talk about national strategies, so for an institution to access major training programmes in India is quite tricky, whereas if you go there as a consortium you can present a larger scale solution to the opportunities available,” said Mr Mountford.
Membership to the AoC In India group was open to all government-supported UK FE colleges, with the 30 colleges who responded contributing £10,000 to the initiative. Funds from the initiative will be ring-fenced, to prevent any financial losses affecting non-participating AoC members.
Although membership to the consortium is in theory closed, Mr Mountford said if further colleges expressed an interest in joining in the future, their applications might be considered by the AoC In India’s senior management group.
Some colleges will use the Delhi base to recruit students to study in the UK, and according to Mr Mountford, the project could prove beneficial for the sector at home.
“We hope partnerships in India will raise the FE brand, and from that people might become more interested in choosing the UK as a study destination. I think the more you have a positive presence in the market there’s all sorts of benefits that fall out from that presence,” he said.
Mr Hancock said: “The partnership between the UK and India is already a strong one, culturally and economically. But we have the opportunity, potential, and the intent to go even further.”
John Mountford described the sector’s response to the project as “really positive” and said: “This is an exciting initiative by the sector, something other education sectors haven’t done yet. It’s a real credit to colleges that they’re taking such an ambitious perspective on India.”
Some colleges have already entered the Indian market
West Nottinghamshire College sells software
West Nottinghamshire College has been working in the Indian FE sector for almost 12 months, and its principal Asha Khemka is chair of Association of Colleges (AoC) In India.
The college has sold its own educational software, online learning and assessment platform BKSB, around the world but has encountered “barriers” in India.
The college’s deputy principal, Andrew Martin, said: “We’ve had challenges with BKSB, because when you bring a new product into a new country and tell them it’s well used in the UK, that might well be the case, but if it has no local reputation the local market has no way of knowing what it does.
“With a permanent team in India, developing and making sure the local market is aware of what FE colleges do and can actually provide, that’ll make it easier to build credibility.”
In Australia and South Africa, where BKSB has thrived, the company partnered with local colleges who acted as agents and distributors, but fears over the high risk to intellectual property rights in South Asia meant the company was forced to approach the market differently.
The company chose to represent itself in India, but this strategy posed its own set of problems.
There have been lots of barriers we’ve had to overcome”
“There have been lots of barriers we’ve had to overcome, even with simple things like getting paid. It’s very difficult for a publically funded Indian college to make a payment outside of India, so you’ve got payments going back and forth through the British and Indian clearing system for months on end without actually seeing any revenue,” said Mr Martin.
“So we’re now also in the process of establishing a company in India, called BKSB Private Ltd., allowing us to have a local presence for the legal aspects, but also to set up a local bank account.”
“This should be in place in another couple of weeks, and then our business should accelerate at a much quicker rate.”
Mr Martin was optimistic about the potential boost AoC In India could give to participating colleges.
From left: Mandeep Singh, BKSB adviser, John English, BKSB regional adviser, Dr Sharda Kaushik, Regional Institute of English, and Harvinder Atwal director, BKSB.
“At the moment we have to send our team out there every three or four months — and a lot can happen in three or four months.
“Having someone there is going to be a big advantage for us and we will use those services when we’re not physically there.
“For many colleges it will be a great service the AoC can actually provide that will hopefully make their entry into the market, and sustaining their initial effort over a longer period of time, much easier than it otherwise would have been.”
Once the new company is set up, and the AoC’s team in Delhi is established, West Nottinghamshire College hopes to expand its services in the Indian market.
“Our intentions are that once everything is moving quicker than it is now, we’ll want to move in with the other college services such as more training provision, and it should be slightly easier and more facilitated when we’ve got the AoC there to help us.” added
Mr Martin.
New College Nottingham to open academy
One college with experience in servicing India’s growing demand for vocational training is New College Nottingham (NCN), which has been operating on the sub-continent for three years.
Now, along with their Indian collaborators, The Batra Group, they are poised to open New College Nottingham International Lifestyles Academy (NILA), in Gurgaon, New Delhi, offering courses in hospitality management, interactive media, retail management and fashion management.
The academy’s official launch on Tuesday January 22 will be attended by UK FE Minister, Matthew Hancock.
“We’re pioneering, I suppose,” said Nick Whitehouse, NCN’s director of HE and international development.
“Vocational education in India is an area which is expanding pretty rapidly, and our expertise coupled with our partner’s business acumen has meant we are able to offer something different to the Indian market, something that nobody else has offered before.”
The courses offered by NILA have been developed to meet the training priorities set out by the Indian government through the Indian National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
“We’ve been in discussion with the NDSC and have agreed to help them. The four areas we are offering are part of their priority areas. There’s a need in India, it’s a published need and we are targeting areas of need,” said Mr Whitehouse.
He added that the college hoped the NILA campus will be just the first in a string of academies.
Photo of the actual Pooja ceremony, held to bless the new college building
“Our agreement with our partners is to develop up to ten academies over the next ten years. Some of them will be duplicates of our Delhi campus, and some will focus on other curriculum areas which are prioritised by the Indian government or the NSDC,” he said.
The NILA campus may also offer the potential for NCN students to study for part of their qualification in Delhi, while Indian Higher National Diploma students may be able to go to Nottingham to ‘top-up’ their qualification to degree level.
There had been some initial difficulties for the college’s entry into the Indian market, Mr Whitehouse acknowledged, but he attributed the success of the venture to the strong collaboration between NCN and The Batra Group.
“Obviously when you’re dealing with a partner who’s a long way away, there are always communication challenges, but we’ve been working away at this for three years and we have a series of tested processes to ensure the staff get the help they need,” he said.
“It’s fascinating working with our Indian partners and we see this as, if you like, the best of British combined with Indian excellence.”
“It’s very much a partnership where we are shoulder to shoulder with our Indian partners. We are not the dominant partner, neither are they- it’s a partnership of equals.”
In accordance with The Batra Group’s wishes, the campus building was blessed in a traditional Pooja ceremony, to ensure the prosperity of the endeavour.
In the light of such successful collaboration, Mr Whitehouse welcomed the news of AoC’s arrival in the Indian market.
“We’re very proud to have done what we’re doing, and we’re delighted AoC In India is setting up a team in Delhi. As a member of the AoC we will do everything we can to assist AoC In India,” he added
A Hampshire college is proving its cultural credentials with a leading role in boosting creative industries.
City College Southampton is one of four newly-formed regional cluster groups in the eastern and south eastern regions set up to deliver improved training, skills, education and advice to students seeking careers in the creative and cultural sector.
And principal Lindsey Noble has taken on the responsibility of becoming a founder member of CultureSouthampton (Southampton Cultural Development Trust), which is spearheading the creation of Southampton’s Cultural Quarter.
She said: “Creative and cultural industries have never been more important to Southampton — particularly with the Cultural Quarter forming a central part of the city’s social and economic regeneration programme.
“The Cultural Quarter is expected to generate more than 2,000 jobs and it is important that the local workforce has the appropriate skills to fill these roles. By working closely with local employers, education services and other colleges we will be able to ensure Southampton is best placed to maximise on these opportunities.”
“Being a college governor is a serious job that requires enormous commitment,” said FE minister Matthew Hancock at an event to thank college governors for their contribution to the sector.
The reception, organised by the government and presided over by Mr Hancock, was held at Lancaster House and attended by more than 130 college governors and chairs.
A short walk from Buckingham Palace, Lancaster House is filled with glorious chandeliers which hang from the gold-emblazoned ceilings.
An overwhelming and opulent venue that was built in 1825 for the Duke of York, it is now managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
It plays host to a number of government and royal receptions throughout the year and on Wednesday, January 16, it welcomed governors from across the UK.
Mr Hancock began his address by thanking guests for their commitment to FE colleges and reaffirmed the important role they played in the quality of provision offered.
He moved onto discuss the recent Ofsted chief inspector’s report, published in November 2012, and the role governors should play in response to the chief inspector’s criticisms of governance.
“The Ofsted report, which was difficult in someways, highlighted accountability, leadership and governance as vital to any college’s success,” said Mr Hancock.
“There is a direct link between weak governance and poor financial and educational health. It is almost always there as a root cause of poor performance.
I’m hosting this receptionin recognition of your contribution to FE college governance”
“Of the 25 colleges judged as inadequate in the last four years, each one has been judged inadequate for leadership and management and in every college that improved they had improved this rating.
“The chief inspector recognised and identified the critical problems that he saw in governance in some colleges.
“Among these were effective accountability systems, inadequate self-assessment and failure to monitor performance or provide the right challenge to managers.”
Mr Hancock then moved onto express that he was aware of the “impressive” work being undertaken across the sector, but also recognised the government also had a responsibility to offer support where needed.
“I want to be clear, I think there are areas of the sector that are taking a lead and are impressive, that are making powerful efforts to improve standards,” he said.
“However, where there is insufficient evidence we need to ensure that there is a role for the government to play.
“This can involve a change in the leadership team, new governors and the tempering of provision.
“I know that achieving effective governance is not easy and that colleges are large and complex businesses that are striving to meet the aspirations of employers and learners alike as well as performing a vital role in the centre of your communities. We all have a good idea of what effective governance looks like.
“Being a college governor is a serious job that requires enormous commitment. And so I think that it is timely for the government to consider how better to support governors.
“It is your responsibility and your duty to ensure that learning is improved all around. And it is you who day-in day-out, month-in month-out, ensure that leadership is effective and strong.
Centre: Pat Tomlinson, vice chair of corporation, Hull College Group
“Effective leadership and governance is essential in ensuring that further education colleges continue to improve.”
Ending his address to governors, Mr Hancock made a final pledge of support to governors and reaffirmed his confidence in them.
“I am confident that in your hands we can raise the bar in further education,” he said.
“There is a huge amount of work to do to make sure that we get every college performing, to enable us support everyone in the country to reach their best.
“As Minister, I will challenge you, yes. But I will also be at your side, so that we can ensure that we do this the best we possibly can.”
Following his address the minister also fielded several questions from the audience.
The minister was asked for his views on the possibility of a future merger of the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA).
Mr Hancock said: “I don’t see any likelihood of the EFA and SFA combining. I am extremely skeptical of changes within structures of governments.
“Given the amount of changes made to the funding mechanism in recent years, I understand that’s generally welcomed. If anyone wants me to go into battle to recreate the Learning and Skills Council, then let me know.”
College governors also asked for clarification from the minster on the role of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).
“LEPs should be there to draw through the entitlements that people already have,” said Mr Hancock.
“They should be there to encourage companies to get involved with training, to co-ordinate locally and to draw through the skills provision to old and new providers rather than giving a pot of money to LEPs like the old TECs [Training and Enterprise Councils] did.”
Mr Hancock finally fielded a question relating to risk-taking and innovation within the sector.
The minister explained that he was in favour of colleges taking risk in order to improve quality and standards.
“The thrust of policy is to develop a diverse, innovative and dynamic sector with business aptitude,” he said.
“Where there is innovation we should celebrate and support. Of course, where there is taxpayers’ money we need controls. However, I’m in favour with the system of more innovation, more risk-taking. You can hold me to this.
“When someone tries something new to improve and it doesn’t work and it was a good idea at the time, then you won’t find me criticizing. We have to innovate.”
From left: Carol Stott, AoC Board chair, FE Minister Matthew Hancock and Roger Morris, AoC Governors’ Council chair
A talented photographer is hoping his career will soar after landing a high-flying commission for an international airline.
Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) student Jonathan Cox had his photograph of passengers departing on Jet2’s Newcastle to New York flight chosen as the winning entry for the aviation company’s annual competition.
The BTec foundation diploma student, 18, was approached to document the transatlantic voyage after Jet2 representatives viewed his work online.
“It was a shame I didn’t get to go on the actual flight itself but I did get to use the intercom system on the plane to instruct everyone and to photograph the pilot in the cockpit,” said Jonathan.
“Being just 18 it’s important that I grab as many career breaks as possible and this was an incredible opportunity to work with such a prestigious client.”
CCAD art and design lecturer Andrew Edwards said: “Jonathan is so passionate and dedicated about photography and has a real ability to express himself through the camera.”
The airline sent the young snapper a hamper of wine and sweets and put his winning image on their website.
Could a revolution in the promotion of FE be brewing? Graham Morley looks at how colleges could learn a lager lesson or two.
Anyone who visited the Skills Show 2012 at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre in November could not help but be impressed by the spectacle of thousands of young people ‘having-a-go,’ they also competed in skills competitions or received truly impartial information, advice and guidance.
The show played host to businesses, Sector Skills Councils, awarding bodies and training providers and colleges standing side-by-side with the sole intention of demonstrating how fruitful and rewarding a skills-based career could be.
I wonder though, just how many of the meandering crowds noticed the seismic shift that has quietly taken place in colleges in the East and West Midlands.
The collaborative work of colleges reminded me of a conversation I had at a business event earlier in the year.
I was placed at a table next to a gentleman who had been a senior sales executive in the brewing industry.
During the conversation he commented that he wished many sectors would learn the lesson provided by the brewing industry in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The lesson was simple — what they wanted to do at that time was to change men’s drinking habits to lager from the then more usual beer.
The key players in the lager industry agreed that while they would compete on price and qualitative attributes they would not criticise each other and would collectively promote the benefits of lager over beer.
The result is plain to see — lager outsells beer. Many thousands visiting the Skills Show noticed and engaged with the Further Education Feature area where 12 colleges came together with just one intention.
This was not to compete with each other, but to collectively promote the value of FE to visitors and to help them make the right career choice.
A single brochure was produced, three full days of showcasing organised without a single item of college branding and activity stands agreed and allocated.
All of this was designed to demonstrate how good colleges are at meeting learner needs to ensure individuals who come to us have the best possible support in achieving their ambitions.
The original 12 will be at the next Skills Show when more colleges join our quest to promote the value of FE colleges to the communities we serve.
A key element in excellence in competition is to surround yourself with talented individuals”
But the story doesn’t end there. Now college principals and marketing teams have seen the benefits of this approach, they are starting to explore further collaborative opportunities that promote the value of colleges in a single collective voice.
The timing of this change in approach could not be better in some ways.
The introduction of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) over the past couple of years requires colleges to collectively meet the emerging skills agendas.
It is unreasonable to expect LEPs to consult with individual colleges to identify and meet the skills needs of the area. They need a single point of contact they can turn to for accurate and timely data to inform their decision-making and equally to seek support for delivery against their identified skills needs.
If the FE sector does not provide this unified service I fear the calls for skills budgets to be routed though the LEPs will gain momentum.
If the LEPs perceive a void in the provision of skills training they will look to fill it through commissioning.
Fortunately, the approach of the 12 colleges to the Skills Show has proved beyond doubt that we can work effectively as a whole and in the Midlands the momentum continues as we work together to support the work of the local LEPs.
Of course, competition is not a bad thing, but a key element in excellence in competition is to surround yourself with talented individuals or teams that stretch, challenge and test your abilities. FE is no different.
By working together colleges can raise the bar, respond effectively to the nation’s skills needs, but most importantly we can enable our young, our unemployed, our businesses, to make informed choices about their future.
Graham Morley, principal of South Staffordshire College
The phrase “experiential learner” is one that Michael Davis drops into conversation just as the interview draws to a close.
The reference, coming amid discussion of his management style, had been preceded by a notebook scribble that read: “Loads of learning experiences.”
The striking thing about this was not the interviewer’s perceptive (if somewhat simplistic) entry, but the open and informative nature of the interviewee’s responses. Plus, of course, their sheer volume.
This is because the UK Commission for Employment and Skills chief executive is a man on whom hitherto seemingly little information was available.
Internet trawls uncovered limited detail on the man, who, it can be revealed here, is a dad-of-two from Leicestershire.
It was a situation that, admittedly, led to presumptions of a relatively unrewarding interview.
In truth, quite the opposite was the case as conversation moved freely between the personal and the professional.
For example, throughout there were surprisingly easy references to his 11-year-old daughter, Charis, seven-year-old son, Luke, and 40-year-old wife, Julie.
In outlining his own varied career path, for instance, he explains the advice he gives Charis.
“She has just started middle school and it feels like she’s just grown up overnight. Suddenly make-up’s gone on and all that sort of stuff, and she’s started conversations about what she wants to be when she grows up. Suddenly, this seems to matter to her,” he says, having listed the police, an accountancy traineeship and a post with a friend’s marketing firm among his early workplace experiences.
“These conversations have gone along the lines of me saying: ‘It’s great to have ideas of what you want to be when you grow up, but don’t get too precious about them because where you finish up is probably nowhere that you thought at the start’.
“It’s easy to look back as a grown-up and see a plan or a sensible career, but in reality there’s probably quite a bit of luck.”
So what luck has played its part in seeing this 39-year-old economics graduate from Lancaster University, where he achieved a 2.1, end up at the top of a public body with a £74m annual turnover?
As you’d expect, it all comes down to experience.
He says he has been lucky to learn from “role model” chairmen in three of his jobs and chief executive at both the commission and Leicester-based Centre for Enterprise (CFE), and board director at lighting firm Lastolite.
It’s great to have ideas of what you want to be when you grow up, but don’t get too precious about them”
These are the commission’s Charlie Mayfield, who has also been the John Lewis Partnership chairman since March 2007; former CFE chairman Professor John Coyne, who is also vice chancellor of the University of Derby; and CFE founder and former chairman Martin Henry OBE, who also ran Lastolite.
“I’m very much an experiential learner so I’ve been lucky to have had three really exceptional chairmen to work for,” says Davis, who has also served as governors’ chair at Leicester College.
“Charlie is an exceptional person to work for. He is very inclusive and brings out the best of all of our different commissioners. But my two other chairmen, although not as well known, were equally brilliant.
“John is a brilliant economist and has a very dry sense of humour, but he’s thoughtful and analytical. He pushed on my thinking.
“The person who recruited me to the CFE was Martin. He had years and years and years of experience, but he would never try to have a conversation with me that included him saying, ‘In my experience.’ He would never say that to shut the conversation down.
“He would just gently, but constantly question me until I’d figured something out for myself and he did a lot to bring on my confidence.”
The effect of such inspirational characters on Davis’s own style of management comes out as an emphasis on positivity, similarity and conciliation crops up elsewhere in conversation — from a lack of ability at karate, to the unexpected revelation of a love of all things Triumph (the British motorbike firm) and the possibly-conflicting funding approaches favoured in apprenticeship reviews carried out last year by Doug Richard and Lord Heseltine.
“I was captain of a university karate club, but probably more for my management of it than competitive ability,” he says, continuing positively: “I doubt in competition I was much of an asset to the team, but when I left membership was up, money in the bank was up and we were paying our instructor more.”
Meanwhile, motorbikes are a source of similarity between, of all things, economists and engineers.
“I’ve always had motorbikes,” says Davis, who was raised in Redditch, Worcestershire.
“Around six of us friends go away for a week each year. They’re all engineers and we’ve been to Europe and Scotland. They say that if you ask ten economists a question you’ll get ten different answers, but it’s the same with engineers — if something goes wrong with your bike and you ask five engineers, there’ll be five different things wrong with it.”
But perhaps the most impressive leap of bridge-building faith is his analysis of the reviews of former Dragons’ Den investor Mr Richard, who wanted to see the tax system fund training, and Tory grandee Lord Heseltine, who called for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to bid for training cash from a centralised pot.
“What both [reviews] did was to recognise the role of vocational skills and vocational education,” says Davis, whose time is divided between a South London flat for work and his East Midlands family home at the weekends.
“You can choose to interpret Heseltine and Richard as trying to do something different, but what they’re both trying to do is get employers and businesses much more involved in how the system works.”
And the commission itself figures as Davis evaluates his management style.
“I’ve been involved in business dealings prior to the commission where there was a risk of two parties falling out,” he says.
“My approach was to keep restating what they agreed on and then explore what they disagreed on and conclude by saying, ‘so we do all agree on this and these things we disagree on’ and keep going at it and over time the list of what we agreed on went up and what we disagreed on went down.”
He adds: “What the commission wants is a society in which people are highly-skilled, well-utilised and have good and meaningful careers.
“Nobody disagrees with the outcome we’re trying to achieve, so it’s always a question of how best to achieve that.”
“Central to the commission is creating the space where businesses, colleges and schools really work closely at every level, like designing courses and providing good work experience.
“And what the commission has is a fantastic leadership model. We work really hard in profiling our commissioners, which is why you won’t find anything on me.”
Until now, that is.
It’s a personal thing
What’s your favourite book?
The Complete Works of Shakespeare because it only cost 79p on my Kindle. It was the first piece of fiction I’d read in 20 years, which is quite embarrassing
What did you want to be when you were younger?
A policeman
What do you do to switch off from work?
Take an interest in anything on two wheels
If you could invite anyone to a dinner party, living or dead, who would it be?
My late nan, Margaret Peagam. She was really quite influential with a very strong work ethic. That’s better than what my kids said. Luke said Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and a Storm Trooper. And then my daughter, who has a brilliantly dry sense of humour, said: “Yoda, so I could offer him a booster seat.”
What would your super power be?
A Sky Plus controller, so I could skip through boring meetings and slow down interesting times. Luke said he wanted one to skip through maths
The fear an Ofsted inspection can strike into the hearts of principals is well-known in FE. But could that be changing under the new way of assessing colleges? Stuart Rimmer explains his experience of the revamped inspection framework and the improvements he sees within it.
“They are coming” — it was a simple statement from the principal on a Thursday morning that needed no further explanation.
The growing reputation of Ofsted’s new Common Inspection Framework (CIF) for being tough, added to conspiracy theories abounding about the downgrading of the sector, made it a nervous time.
So what was the inspection like? Anyone in a senior post within FE is acutely aware of the impact an inspection can have on reputation, stability, job security and the ability to deliver future improvements.
Overall, our experience of the new Ofsted framework was that it felt fair, collaborative and thoroughly focused on teaching and
learning.
This new focus on teaching, learning and assessment meant the range of teaching inspectors saw — including work-based learning provision — combined with the volume of students they manage to speak to, led to there being very few hiding places.
The old potential for entirely ‘stage-managed’ inspections has quite rightly gone.
The focus on success rates as the key performance measure remains strongly in place as the starting point for inspection.
The outcomes for learners is much broader now. The definition of teaching, learning and assessment within the handbook is also wide and varied.
The ‘seven pillars of wisdom’ (see page 45 of the handbook) are considered thoroughly and with equal importance. As a sector we should welcome this.
Leadership and management under the new regime feel entirely different and much better.
Instead of endless files and a schedule of pre-arranged, pre-prepared meetings, the new inspection allows the single question to be put and answered – ‘how does that impact on learners?’
Grandstanding by senior teams and governors on iconic buildings, college finances or their superb networks with the glitterati in the business or the FE sector gets short shrift.
It is much more grounded in solid performance management, self-assessment and improving learner experience and core teaching activities.
Consider in advance how performance management operates at your college”
As a good, small, northern college this was great and it allowed us to demonstrate how we meet our core college values on a daily basis and how we meet our community needs
To fully implement the nuances of the new CIF will take some time and, whereas the preparation for the new inspection regime requires just as much work, the difference is that it needs to be ready well in advance of the dreaded phone call.
There has been much Ofsted bashing over recent months. I would say, regardless of any philosophical viewpoint as to the purpose or effectiveness of the inspection regime, we found the team to be professional and highly-focused with a clear view of what good teaching and learning should look like in a college.
As for the outcome, the inspection team agreed with our self-assessment and we were judged to be a good college.
There are, however, some basic operational things to consider. Watch out for the BI06 form and ensure you have it completed in draft form in advance.
Leaving it until receiving notice of the inspection will be too late. As always be clear on your data, ensure it matches with all the Gateway reports and have validated sources ready — including destinations and value added.
Ensure an honest, rigorous and up-to-date self-assessment report is on the Gateway. It is the starting point for the inspection and a focus for leadership and management.
Plan the internal logistics of base rooms and inspection arrangements.
At college level, curriculum and service areas should have a short action plan of what to do once the call is received. The two days — plus the weekend — go very quickly.
Consider in advance how performance management operates at your college.
Have a well-briefed, well-prepared nominee. This role is even more important in the new framework to ensure the inspection team see the best the college has to offer and to ensure the inspection evidence base is representative.
Communicate with your students, parents, governors and employers and have these mechanisms drafted in advance. And finally, ensure college timetables are up-to-date, including work-based learning visits.
Stuart Rimmer is director of quality and enterprise at Lancaster and Morecambe College
We need to send out a clear message about apprenticeships — don’t dumb down the brand, says Graham Hasting-Evans.
An independent review of apprenticeships published in November called on the government to improve their quality and make them more focused on bosses’ needs.
Its author, Doug Richard, entrepreneur, educator, former Dragon’s Den star and founder of School for Startups, was asked to consider the future of apprenticeships in England, and to recommend how they could meet the needs of the changing economy.
His subsequent findings recognised the good provision that exists today, but emphasised the need for greater ambition if all apprenticeships were to meet the standards of the best.
Commenting on the launch of his review, Doug said: “No matter who I speak with, everyone agrees that apprenticeships are a good thing – but only when they are ‘true’ apprenticeships. With the myriad of learning experiences which are currently labeled as apprenticeships, we risk losing sight of the core features of what makes apprenticeships work, so my conclusion is that we need to look again at what it means to be an apprentice and what it means to offer an apprenticeship as an employer.”
Although not everyone agrees with everything he said, he did make a few points that I personally believe make sense; including things that we, as a sector have been concerned about for some time.
He echoed debates that have been reported in these very pages. For example, that the title ‘apprenticeship’ should be reserved only for jobs requiring sustained and substantial training.
We need to avoid calling every programme of vocational training an ‘apprenticeship’. We risk undermining the true benefit of this key way of delivering the skills that industries need.
Earlier in November the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee also published a report on apprenticeships, highlighting areas of the government’s apprenticeships programme which needed to be developed.
Commenting on the report — the result of an 11 month inquiry — the chairman of the BIS Committee, Adrian Bailey MP, said: “The apprenticeship programme can play a key role in resolving some of this country’s most pressing issues. It can help us to create a more skilled workforce, to increase employment and to generate sustainable economic growth.” He concluded: “Young people in this country should be given every chance to fulfill their potential in school, in work and in life.”
While apprenticeships may need a new look for 2013, it would be well to remember that they have been around a long time. In the building industry they refer to apprenticeships for the “biblical skills” which gives you some idea about how long these have been in existence. Traditional apprenticeships, like those in building and other professions and trades, have a long and successful history. For generations they have given employers confidence that the person with the apprenticeship ticket can do what it says on the certificate.
Over the last decade an increasing number of apprenticeships have been developed for other skill areas. This is to be applauded in principle. We all recognise that an apprenticeship needs to include:
• A period of working under supervision and being developed to be completely competent (work based)
• Theoretical knowledge and understanding;
• The common skills that employers look to for all employers – functional skills and employability skills;
• Employment rights and responsibilities;
• Safety; and
•Personal learning and thinking skills
All over this is very good BUT (and there is always a but isn’t there?) the apprentice needs a sensible period of time in which to gain all this knowledge and practical
experience.
We have to realise that this may vary between skills, but what is crucial is that employers have confidence in the time that the apprentice has been studying and learning in the work-based environment.
There is a major risk that funding and time pressures can result in corners being cut. Organisations try to get apprentices through the whole process in timescales that allow them no time to really achieve the required standards which an employer wants and needs.
Let’s not make the mistake of dumbing down apprenticeships and damaging a respected institution that has a long and successful track record. In short let’s not damage a great brand that’s been around for centuries by short-termism!
Graham Hasting-Evans is the managing director of the National Open College Network
