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Former Education Secretary Lord Baker has defended University Technical College (UTCs) after it was revealed that some were running at less than a third of capacity.

He said figures showing the 150-pupil Central Bedfordshire UTC was just 30 per cent full for the last academic year, while the 480-pupil Black Country UTC, near Birmingham, was 36 per cent full, would improve.

The Central Bedfordshire UTC opened its doors last year and the Black Country UTC — so far the only one inspected by Ofsted, which gave it a grade three rating — started the year before.

What happens is that head teachers of state schools are allocated pupils by the local authority, but we have to go out and get our pupils with marketing.

A further three were open for the start of 2012/13 and they saw greater percentage headcounts, but the combined figure for all five was still only 55 per cent (795 pupils).

Lord Baker, who is chair of the UTC brand and last month revealed plans for similar 14+ vocational institutions with Career Colleges, told FE Week: “Figures will be a lot higher than 30 or 36 per cent and will be rising, but you can’t possibly put an exact number on it.

“What happens is that head teachers of state schools are allocated pupils by the local authority, but we have to go out and get our pupils with marketing.

“We’ve increased our marketing skills and I’ve met a number of new UTC principals and we’ve been talking about what they’ve got to be doing.

“There is one opening in Warwick next year and it had an opening evening the other night and 700 people turned up, so the news is getting around.”

Sue Clark, governors’ chair at Central Bedfordshire UTC, said: “This is a very new UTC and it is going to take a little while to build our numbers, particularly as pupils and their families need to adjust to the idea of a non-standard transfer age at 14.

“Pupils at our UTC are very positive about the decision they have made to join us, and I expect us to increase our numbers successfully as we become more established.
“The concept of the UTC with its close employer engagement is a very exciting proposition.”

A Black Country UTC spokesperson said: “Recruitment was always expected to be slower in the first few years while a platform is built and the success stories of our students allows others to see what can be achieved in this unique learning environment.

“Establishing a new institution with no story to tell, no precedent and no history of a transfer aged 14 was always going to be challenging. However, the Black Country UTC and Walsall College, our lead sponsors, are firmly committed to the concept and its aims.”

He added: “The grades, apprenticeships and jobs achieved since opening in 2011 clearly show that a specialist institution such as this can deliver significant benefits for students in our region and the Black Country UTC remains tied into Walsall College’s wider strategic growth for engineering.”

The capacity figures were revealed in answer to a parliamentary question. They showed the 180-pupil Aston University Engineering Academy, in Birmingham, was 76 per cent full, the 100-pupil Hackney University Technical College was at 77 per cent and the 540-pupil JCB Academy, in Uttoxeter, was 66 per cent full.

Outline approval has been given to 26 more UTCs to open in 2014 or 2015, in addition to the 12 that opened at the start of the current academic year, including Liverpool Life Sciences UTC, Royal Greenwich University Technical College and Elstree University Technical College.

“What the capacity figures haven’t reflected is that of the 12 that opened this year for example, at Greenwich we had 300 students start and in Liverpool Life Sciences 200 started, and there’s going to be 400 next year, and Elstree opened with 350 students,” said Lord Baker.

The Department for Education declined to comment.

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Editorial 

Back off, Baker

Despite a robust defence from Lord Baker, his UTC project appears to be in trouble.

With so much invested in new buildings, facilities and staff you would have expected the first UTCs to have had an early halo effect, with full classrooms and long waiting lists amid a clamor for limited places.

But no, we find the five UTCs were running at just 57 per cent capacity last year.

As the halo effect fades, and colleges begin competing for the same 14 to 16-year-old learners, the project is at risk of losing hard-won government support.

So, unless the pause button on UTCs is pressed, Baker could legitimately be accused of presiding over a vanity project.

I am sure his intentions are good, but before any more public money is spend on new UTCs it seems reasonable to ask for more evidence of success.

Not just in terms of higher recruitment levels, but also evidence from Ofsted that they deliver a positive learner experience.

So in the meantime, 14 to 16 year-old resources would be better spent on large, well-established and successful FE colleges.

Their time has come, the argument over direct recruitment at 14 has been won — and it’s time for Baker to back off.

Nick Linford

Just over a quarter of applications for FE loans had not been successfully processed by the end of October, new figures have revealed.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) confirmed 52,468 applications had been lodged, seven months after 24+ advanced learning loans were first introduced.

But most recent figures show 13,425 applications were not ready for payment, which works out at 26 per cent.

A further 1,212 applications had been processed, but deemed “ineligible” by the Student Loans Company (SLC).

The Association of Colleges (AoC) confirmed it had raised concern with the SLC that the application system was not working as efficiently for FE learner as for higher education students.

Julian Gravatt (pictured), AoC assistant chief executive, said: “The SLC’s processes are fast for those who supply all the information at the right time, but slower for those who have a missing piece of information.

“This works well for full-time higher education students who apply months in advance, but is more problematic for walk-in enrolments at colleges.

“The priority for colleges at the moment is to ensure that loan applications continue to be converted into loan confirmations.

“There are some areas of the system which need improvement which AoC has taken up with the SLC.”

An SLC spokesperson confirmed the company was prepared to review how it processes FE loans.

He said: “We continue to review and develop the guidance we offer about information needed when applying for a loan, as we seek to continuously improve the service available to all applicants.”

The figures showed a continuing trend of low take-up for apprenticeship loans, as just 404 applications had been lodged.

Apprentices did not have to pay anything towards their training costs before the system was introduced in April for courses starting from August.

Sector leaders expressed concern that fear of paying off loans, that could run to several thousand pounds, was putting young people off apprenticeships.

Stewart Segal, chief executive for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, and David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, claimed the system was failing and called on the government to take “radical action”.

The take-up is well below government forecasts of 25,000 applications for apprenticeship loans this academic year (by July 31, 2014).

A BIS spokesperson conceded there was an issue with apprentice loans.

He said: “The introduction of loans to FE has been very successful. However, application numbers indicate that employers and learners are not engaging with loans in apprenticeships.

“We are keeping a close watch on the data and the implications for the apprenticeship programme.”

The government is to release £232.7m of funding to revamp more than 50 colleges who will match-fund with £250m of their own cash.

An extra £330m will be made available for skills capital investment through the Local Growth Fund in 2016-17.

Business Secretary Vince Cable, speaking at the Association of Colleges (AoC) annual conference, said: “Boosting the quality and availability of training is fundamental to building a stronger economy, with skilled jobs spread across all regions of the UK.

“Our commitment to support modern, well-equipped colleges and training centres to train the next generation sits alongside the government’s industrial strategy giving business the confidence to invest in the long-term.

“For Britain to compete, and for everyone to reach their potential, we need the very best training centres, staffed with the very best trainers. This is why I can confirm that a further £330m will also be available for skills capital investment through the Local Growth Fund in 2016-17 in order to support local priorities.

“This investment, along with these 50 or so new college capital projects takes total government capital investment in FE colleges since May 2010 to more than £1.5bn.”

Projects being funded include Dudley College’s new engineering and advanced manufacturing workshops, Leeds City College centre for mechanical engineering and Runshaw College’s industry standard engineering and science facilities.

The investment in college estates forms the third and fourth rounds of the College Capital Investment Fund (CCIF).

Martin Doel, AoC chief executive, said: “This newly-announced capital investment will make a real difference to further education colleges and their students across England. It is noteworthy, as the Minister points out, that colleges have provided £250m of their own funding which will make these new buildings a reality.

“Unfortunately, the future is less certain. Ministers have announced that local enterprise partnerships will be involved in the allocation of the FE capital budget from 2015 forward but there is little detail as to how government will ensure all bids for funding are treated fairly and achieve similar value for money to the allocations announced.

“There’s also an approaching demographic bubble with the numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds predicted to soar in the latter part of this decade. Ministers need to start thinking about this now.”

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock also announced a new programme — to improve broadband infrastructure and provision in colleges.

Colleges will receive new funding — which was not specified — to install second broadband connections with help to make the most effective use of existing provision, including upgrades to bandwidth.

Mr Hancock said: “Colleges that embrace the latest technologies can revolutionise the services they offer to students and business. This new funding to improve broadband infrastructure will provide colleges with greater resilience and improved broadband speed.

“As many as eight out of 10 colleges are relying on a single connection, for both their operational and teaching needs — including cloud-based applications and online business.

“It’s easy to imagine what happens if that connection goes down, that’s why I’m allocating extra funds to allow colleges to install a second broadband connection — giving them greater ability to operate and support their students with the latest technology 24/7.”

It is thought that as many as eight in 10 colleges are relying on a single broadband connection and maybe unaware of the impact this could have if the connection fails.

Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, said: “The additional investment to support college broadband accessibility is most welcome, as is the reassurance that skills capital funding flowing through local authority partnerships is indeed ring-fenced and guaranteed for an additional year. We will of course be working with partners to establish how this can be used for colleges.”

Peter Roberts, chair of the 157 Group and chief executive of Leeds City College, said: “Last month, the 157 Group published its manifesto for FE and skills. Two key requests focused on policy and funding stability.

“Both the tone and the content of the ministerial speeches indicate that some stability may be coming. This is welcome, as is the clear recognition of the good work being done by most FE colleges.”