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BIS publishes final impact assessment reports for FE loans
The final impact assessment and equality impact assessment reports have been published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
The government estimates the “total net present value” for the FE loans scheme – which will affect all learners aged 24 and above studying at level three or higher from 2013 – to be £11,197 million.
However, the “business net present value” is estimated at a cost of £6 million, with a further £0.8 million as the “net cost to business per year”.
“Given tighter resources as a result of the Spending Review 2010 – the overall further education and skills budget will be reduced by 25 per cent between 2011/12 and 2014/15,” the report says.
“The challenge for government is to ensure that its remaining investment in this area is targeted such that economic impact, and therefore value for money, is maximised.”
The impact assessment report also reveals that the FE loans policy will be reviewed in September 2014.
(A full analysis of the the impact assessment and equality impact assessment reports will be published in the next edition of FE Week.)
Principal of Barnfield College receives knighthood
Peter Birkett, Principal of Barnfield College, has been awarded a knighthood in the Queens Honours List, announced today. He has been awarded the honour ‘for services to the Further Education and Academy Movement’.
Other honours for staff in the further education sector include:
Maxine Room, Principal of Lewisham College, has been awarded a CBE ‘for services to Further Education and to Race and Gender Equality’.
David Cragg has seen his OBE promoted to a CBE. David is described as ‘Lately National Director of Development at the Skills Funding Agency and Lately Deputy Chairman, WorldSkills 2011’. Award ‘for services to education and skills’
Dr Alison Birkinshaw, Principal of York College and Chairman on the Further Education Reputation Strategy Group has been awarded an OBE ‘for services to Further Education.
David Lawrence, Principal of Easton College has been awarded an OBE ‘for services to Land-Based Further and Higher Education in Norfolk’.
Christopher Morecroft, former Principal at Worcester College of Technology has been awarded an OBE ‘for services to Further Education’.
Michael Oakes, Lately Principal at South Downs College has been awarded an OBE ‘or services to Further Education’.
Patricia Denham,Vice Principal at South Devon College has been awarded an OBE ‘for services to Further Education’.
Peter Garrod, described as ‘Lately Head, Lancashire Adult Learning’ has been awarded an OBE ‘for services to Further Education’.
Click here for the full list of honours (including MBEs)
Guest reporter Shane Chowen heads to Switzerland
On the 18-21 June I’m taking a four day break from being Policy Officer for IfL, and will be in Switzerland for a ‘study and media trip’, reporting exclusively for FE Week
Each day I will be posting snippets from the trip on this web page, so stay tuned.
Also follow the #FEweekontour hash-tag
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Tuesday 19th June, 11.00pm (10.00pm GMT)
What a day!
What’s clear from day 1 is that you can’t help but be impressed with the Swiss set-up for apprenticeships. In fact, as a write this I’m actually slightly jealous and not for the reasons you might think. Today I’ve learned about the infrastructure which enables the apprenticeship system to work effectively. All of this I’m looking forward to going in to more detail on my return, but it’s not the impressive participation figures – both of learners and of employers, that’s got me thinking. It’s not the smooth and apparantly bias-free progression routes in to higher and professional education or even the country’s below-OECD-average youth unemployment rate.
The most staggering difference between the UK and Swiss apprenticeship system that I’ve come across is how embedded vocational education and training is in Swiss society. Forgetting for a moment the technicalities and thinking specifically about policy and culture, today’s Swiss vocational education and training system is the result of over 100 years of development and is now seems an almost effortless part of life. The country’s political system is such that a new administration can not simply overhaul and reform every four years. The system is not littered with for-profit organisations and layer upon layer of administration. Power and funding is not centralised but the qualifications framework is. Even one of the country’s seven Ministers (the majority of whom are women for the first time by the way) is a former apprentice.
Switzerland is the perfect example of where success can be achieved by politicians staying well away and letting the system evolve.
I want to save most of the detail for my full FE Week write up but I want to leave you with this. This morning at the Federal Office for Professional Education and Training, the Swiss equivalent of BIS, I saw the jaws of 10 UK FE representatives hit the floor. Four years ago, demand for apprenticeships exceeded supply – there wasn’t enough to go around. There weren’t enough jobs for young people (sound familiar?) In 2011 though, there were 90,000 apprentices for 93,500 available jobs. In such a short space of time, the Swiss vocational education and training system had clicked in to gear and delivered for its young people. Just hearing the words, “plenty of jobs to go around” sounded odd to me, like seeing people smoking indoors.
Tomorrow is all about seeing the system where the power is – at the cantons (local authority equivalent). One of the major differences between the UK and Swiss system is the power that cantons have over their local economy, very much including the vocational, higher and professional education and training landscape.
Until tomorrow – and don’t forget to follow what I’m up to on #FEweekontour on twitter.
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Tuesday 19th June, 7.15am (6.15am GMT)
Arriving in Switzerland yesterday afteroon was a shock for a couple of reasons. Firstly on landing, when the pilot announced that the ground temperature in Zurich was a toasty 30 degrees celcius my thoughts turned immediately to what is easily the most unprepared packed suitcase possible.
The second, and more serious, concern of mine is this. This trip has been funded entirely through the Swiss Government, their foreign office to be precise. “Nation branding” is a big deal for Switzerland and flying over 10 of us can’t have been cheap. So my job now is to try to do the Swiss tax payer justice.
My colleagues on the trip come from quite an arrray of backgrounds and specialities ranging from a social entrepreneur, a couple of UKCES commissioners, a sector skills council representative, a journalist, an SME expert and none other than the Chief Exec of the National Apprenticeship Service. Anyone would think this was the new series of Skins. (#FEparty)
So this is what day 1 looks like for me. In about an hour we’re heading to the Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology, which is a bit like the Swiss BIS, for an overview of the Swiss Skills system. Expect lots of #facts later on today.
Already I’ve learned that 2/3 of young people in this country do an apprenticeship.
What I’m really looking forward to today is our visit to the Swiss Co-ordination Centre for Research in Education where we find out about cost / benefit for companies in taking on apprentices -figures used with gusto by UK Ministers. With such a higher proportion of young people taking on apprenticeships here, I’d imagine economic benefits for employers are probably better articulated.
Anyway I’m off now to try and figure out I can salvage from my suitcase which will prepare me for a) the heat and b) an apparant thunder storm later today. Any advice please tweet me at @shanechowen.
PS: The picture attached is my view from my hotel in Bern this morning. 
By Shane Chowen
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Havering College hosts live BBC webcast
University fees, pension cuts for doctors and Olympic refreshment prices were among the hot topics that politicians and a TV celebrity were grilled on at Havering College.
The College hosted a live webcast debate after winning the BBC’s Schools Questions and Answers competition.
On the panel were David Willetts, the universities and science minister, Liberal Democrat peer and former MP, Baroness Susan Kramer, Labour MP Rushanara Ali, writer/broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli and Havering College student Jamie Roper.
James Landale, the BBC’s deputy political editor, chaired the discussion, which went out live.
Mr Willetts said: “It has been an excellent debate. Havering College is a first rate college.” Baroness Kramer said: “I was incredibly impressed by the young people who shared their opinions with great confidence.”
Student panellist Jamie Roper, who is the college Student Union president, said: “I really enjoyed making my points in the debate.”
Lewisham College student is The Skills People’s 1,000th apprentice this year
Lewisham College student Connor Holgate is the 1,000th apprentice to be signed up by The Skills People this year.
The bartender at Shepherd Neame’s Ye Olde Whyte Lyon in Kent has started a Level 2 hospitality apprenticeship with the College.
Connor said: “My ambition is to run my own pub. Being an apprentice will teach me the skills to help me realise my ambition.”
Mark Cook, vice principal for business development at The Skills People, said: “I am delighted that The Skills People have recruited their 1000th apprentice. Apprenticeships really do add value to a business, and I am sure the apprenticeship Connor is undertaking will be of tremendous benefit to Connor.”
Angela Barlow, the trainer at the pub, said: “Our apprentices are long-term prospects, people we expect to be here for a while. We are working quite closely with the BIIAB and this apprenticeship fits very well with the rest of our training structure.”
Leicester College’s £1 meal challenege
As part of the ‘Live Below the Line’ worldwide initiative, Christian Aid has partnered with Leicester College to set a tough challenge to its learners – cooking a silver-service standard meal on just £1 worth of ingredients.
Anne Wood, programme area manager for hospitality and food, who put the Level 1 Catering learners to the test, said: “So many interesting dishes were submitted to me. It was really hard to whittle it down to just five of the best entries to be entered into the cook-off!”
Catherine Garsed and Nick Thorley, from Christian Aid’s East Midlands office, were on the judging panel.
Ms Garsed said: “With some clever garnishes, flavourings, presentation and textures they managed to transform very simple ingredients into a feast fit for kings.”
The winners of the event were Ben Dyson and Aaron Wiltshire. They beat off the competition with their dish of vegetable frittata with tomato coulis.