Peter Jones enterprise academy to launch in the West Midlands

BBC Dragon Peter Jones has increased his interest in further education by launching his first academy in the West Midlands.

From September, Solihull College will be home to the Diploma in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship for youngsters aged 16 to 19 after becoming the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA) West Midlands Hub.

The aim of the course is to “shift the boardroom into the classroom” equipping the future generation of businessmen with the skills and ambition to aim higher by giving experience of business life.

Kate Angel, Business Enterprise Manager for PJEA, said: “This is a really exciting time for the College.

“We will be giving young people the chance to study a new enterprise qualification, designed to hep them realise and achieve their business dreams.

“As part of the course, students will work on real-life business challenges and interact with employers to prepare them for their entrepreneurial careers.”

The diploma is delivered at two levels dependent on experience.

The Level Two involves developing a viable business idea, creating a full business plan, and pitching to investors.

However, Level Three supports students in setting up and running a micro-business for at least four months, during which time they will learn about planning and finance, communicating with customers, and planning for future expansion.

The National Enterprise Academy is the brainchild of Peter Jones and was set up in September 2009 as a non-profit educational institution dedicated to teaching enterprise and entrepreneurship.

– The college is hosting a PJEA Awareness Session at its Blossomfield Campus on August 17 at 4pm.

Alternatively, for more, visit www.solihull.ac.uk/pjea or call 0121 678 7000.

Foundation Degree awarding powers granted to FE colleges for the first time

Newcastle College Group and New College Durham are the first FE colleges to be granted Foundation Degree awarding powers in England.

The announcement last week follows an intensive scrutiny process by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Stephen Jackson, Director of Reviews at the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) told FE Week: “After working with Newcastle College and New College Durham and carefully considering the evidence, we were assured about the quality of student experience that each college provides, and their systems and procedures for establishing and maintaining academic standards.”

The development is a significant breakthrough for the Further Education sector and allows both New College Durham and Newcastle College Group to validate the foundation degrees which they currently offer.

Dame Jackie Fisher, Chief Executive of Newcastle College Group, told FE Week: “We are delighted to be able to award our own Foundation Degrees.

“Foundation Degree awarding powers creates a platform for us to forge ahead with our plans for Taught Degree awarding powers and gives us the opportunity to provide students with degrees that will give them the skills to get jobs and progress in their careers.”

Newcastle College Group plans to develop new degrees which satisfy national industry demands, such as jobs in the renewable energy sector.

The college is the country’s largest provider of Higher Education in an FE environment and offers more than 85 Foundation and Honours Degrees.

Newcastle College Group recently announced that it would charge a maximum of £5,800 for HE tuition fees, a figure significantly lower than that of many rival HE institutions.

Update:

FE Week has since spoken to Business Secretary Dr Vince Cable, who said: “Foundation degrees have grown in popularity in recent years, with around 100,000 students enrolled in them last year. We want to increase the study choices for students by enabling FE colleges to offer higher education qualifications; they can often do so in a more flexible way.”

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: “I am delighted that the first two further education colleges have now been awarded foundation degree awarding powers. We want to ensure that institutions offering high quality work-focussed degrees can compete on a level playing field for prospective students.”

College principal to ride 1000 miles in 10 days with ‘Blind Dave’

The principal of South Birmingham College is helping a local blind man ride a tandem bicycle the length of the UK for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support.

The Top2Toe event will challenge local blind man Dave Heeley to run a 26.2 mile marathon and cycle 100 miles over 10 consecutive days.

Mike Hopkins, Prinicpal of South Birmingham College will be the front-rider of the tandem bicycle and guide ‘Blind Dave’ from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Dave Heeley said: “To have the support of a principal of a college really does add fantastic profile for Top2Toe. It also encourages many young people to follow what we are doing to help make a difference to the lives of people living with cancer – thank you so much.”

Mike Hopkins will be riding alongside Dave as he completes his daily marathon run, completing around 1,000 miles in total.

Mike Hopkins told FE Week: “I’m a keen racing cyclist and compete in road races, time trials and cyclocross, and the college and I have supported Macmillan Cancer for many years, so this was the perfect challenge for me to take part in.”

Six members of the college staff will be running the Birmingham marathon-leg and have been individually raising money to help Dave reach his goal of raising £100,000 for Macmillan.

Media students from South Birmingham College are also planning to film the pair’s journey for a special video.

They will update their daily progress through the Prinicpal’s blog and use a Top2Toe app to show the location of Dave and his team.

The college’s staff and pupils have raised over £1,300 so far through sponsored walks and raffles.

Mike added: “I’m very pleased that the college is able to provide help and support to Dave on this challenge. Our media students will be able to put into practice what they have learnt in their classes and I know the staff running the Birmingham marathon leg have been training hard over the summer and fundraising as much as they can.”

The Challenge will take place between 10-19 August and coincides with the birthday
of the Charity’s founder, Douglas Macmillan.

Follow Mike and Dave’s progress via these links:

www.blinddaveheeley.co.uk/top2toe
http://www.principalmiketop2toe.blogspot.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/blind_dave_100
www.youtube.com/user/blinddave100

Make a donation here: http://www.justgiving.com/blinddavestop2toe

Skills Funding Agency announce late and unexpected changes to learner fees

The Skills Funding Agency has announced for the first time that non-tuition fee income (such as for registrations and exams) will not be permitted for fully-funded learners starting courses from this week.

The Agency published their Adult Skills Budget Funding Requirements 2011/12 last Friday, for courses starting just three days later. Given the lateness of the Funding Requirements publication, few expected any surprises. In fact, the Agency had already published three seperate smaller 2011/12 Guidance Notes in December 2010, April 2011 and July 2011.

Yet, paragraph 36 of the Funding Requirements states for the first time: “It is the Agency’s policy that all learners following learning aims that are fully-funded classroom learning cannot be charged any fees or charges, including registration, assessment or examination charges in connection with those learning aims”

Most colleges charge registration and exam fees to learners on fully-funded courses, and had signed off their 2011/12 fee policies with their governing body many months ago. Since then colleges have been advertising their fees in line with the Agency’s 2011/12 Learner Eligibility and Contribution Rules .

Paragrpah 91 states:”Providers must also ensure that all learners are aware of their Fees and Charging Policy” and many learners have already paid their registration fee in advance of starting their course.

Julian Gravatt, Assistant Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges told FE Week: “This rule change was announced on 29th July for implementation on 1st August. Clearly there are arguments for and against the charges that are made to their students but the Skills Funding Agency needs to consult, to evaluate the impact of its plans and to give enough notice. AoC has taken this up with SFA staff and we’re hopeful of a resolution.”

In defiance of the change in government policy FE Week has been unable to find a college that is intending to change their fees policy at this late stage.

UPDATE 3rd August. Statement from the Skills Funding Agency:

“We are aware of sector concerns around learner fees, raised in the Funding Guidance published on our website last week. We are working with sector representatives and will provide clarity in relation to the fee charging policy in the next few days.

The Agency also recognises concerns over the delay in the funding guidance being published. We apologise for this. The delay was due to ensuring the funding requirements reflected all of the latest policy changes. However, the Agency tried to ensure that any substantial changes were previously trailed through the series of guidance notes published throughout the year.”

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below, and read our FE Week expert’s view by clicking here.

 

New report calls on the government to make maths mandatory

A review comissioned by the Conservative Party proposes that young people should be forced to study mathematics up to the age of 18.

The report, titled ‘A world-class mathematics education for ALL our young people’ is available here. It states: “To bring this country into line with the rest of the world, mathematics, in some form, should be made compulsory to the age of 18. The implementation of this recommendation is a matter of urgency.”

To the surprise of many working in further education, the report does not reference the role of FE colleges, apprenticeship programmes nor alternatives to the GCSE in mathematics, such as the Functional Skills qualification.

Carol Vorderman, who assembled and led the taskforce for the report said: “This report does not make comfortable reading. It is aspirational, but this does not mean making maths ‘harder’ for everyone. It means making the teaching better, and what is taught much more suitable for those who are learning it. The curriculum which exists is a trickled down version of the needs of the most talented.”

A spokesperson from the Department of Education said: “This [the report] was comissioned by the Conservative Party and whilst the government have already published The Wolf Report  [a review of 14-19 vocational education] we will consider its recommendation.”

The Wolf Report, published in March 2011, made similar suggestions regarding compulsory mathematics.

Recommendation 9 of the report states: “Students who are under 19 and do not have GCSE A*-C in English and/ or Maths should be required, as part of their programme, to pursue a course which either leads directly to these qualifications, or which provide significant progress towards future GCSE entry and success.”

Update:

FE Week has spoken to the Association of Colleges (Aoc) and a number of college principals to get their views on the recent report.

John McDougall, Principal & Chief Executive of Havant College said: “I think that the proposal to continue the study of Maths until the age of 18 is a sensible one. Students progressing to ‘A’ Levels or other level 3 qualifications are often unprepared for this level of study due to skill shortages in Maths, and to a lesser extent English language: indeed even students who have secured the higher grade ‘A*’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ passes in Maths find the transfer to ‘A’ Level Maths very challenging given the significant skills gap between these levels.

“A better grounding in Maths and English skills through to 18 would certainly help to bridge this gap and would improve the UK’s European academic league table position, which is sadly at best only average, with Asian economies leading the way in the development of skills in Science and Maths.”

An AoC spokesperson said: “The proposals relating to compulsory Maths in some form up to the age of 18 echo the Wolf report recommendations on this issue; in common with Professor Alison Wolf and Government we appreciate the importance of English and Maths in ensuring young people have successful careers and fulfilling lives but, as the Wolf Report made clear, for some young people between 16 and 19, GCSE qualifications may not be suitable.

“We would want to help Government identify possible alternatives that will give this group the core skills they need to succeed.”

Vicki Illingworth, Assistant Principal of Chichester College and Student Success said: “Although compulsory study to the age of 18 wouldn’t be right for many of our learners, we wholly support the idea of preparing our young people for further study, employment and real life.”

MPs’ report critical of scrapping EMAs and the NUS will continue to demand reinstatement

The education select committee’s report on participation in 16-19 education is heavily critical of both Michael Gove’s education policy (particularly the decision to scrap EMA) and the way in which his policies have been executed. And for good reason. Gove has continued to force his way through the Further Education sector like a battering ram, with little thought for those who will have their access to education damaged or even destroyed by his actions.

This report says in black and white what we all already knew. The only person in favour of scrapping EMA was Michael Gove. Both student and teaching Unions said it was the wrong thing to do (but that is hardly surprising). What is more concerning, is that both the IFS and OECD warned Mr Gove that this was entirely the wrong decision to make, even suggesting to him in April 2011 that he reinstate EMA to avoid damage to the UK economy. And if that wasn’t enough, even the author of the now infamous “deadweight” research has distanced himself from the decision, telling the select committee that the research was not intended to be used for this purpose and had been misinterpreted by the government. On top of this, the report has uncovered that less than half of respondents to the survey were even in receipt of EMA, and that the sample came mainly from school sixth forms in leafy suburbia, hardly the typical face of Further Education in the UK. It appears that Gove is on a one man crusade on this one.

This report says in black and white what we all already knew. The only person in favour of scrapping EMA was Michael Gove. “

And then we move on to the way in which the abolition has been handled. The select committee are very concerned about the way in which Gove has glossed over all most all the advice he has been provided with to implement his own (economically destructive) ideological policy. In fact they say they “would have welcomed a more measured and public analysis by the Government before it took the decision to abolish the EMA”. There were opportunities coming from every angle to improve the Education Maintenance Allowance system. To pick up your ball and run away with it is no way to conduct public policy Mr Gove.

But the report goes further. It suggests that young people should be entitled to free transport, particularly when the training and participation age goes up. And despite Michael Gove’s insistence that refectories in Further Education Colleges are mythical, it proposes that any free school meals eligibility in school sixth forms should be translated to FEIs too!

Overall, the report is a solid endorsement of the policies of NUS and opinions of students up and down the country. Of course it would be naïve to expect a full U-turn on EMA – the Department for Education is likely to be dizzy by now. But NUS will continue to demand the immediate reinstatement of the Education Maintenance Allowance, a call that has only been amplified by the findings of the Education Select Committee.

We know that Michael Gove is used to very public slip ups, but I think he comes out of this the most red-faced of all.

Toni Pearce is Vice President of Further Education at the NUS

FE principal appointed to UKCES Board

The chief executive of Eastleigh College, Mr Tony Lau-Walker, is one of nine new members appointed to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills this week.

“The diverse backgrounds and viewpoints represented by the nine new Commissioners will strengthen the Commission’s capacity to deliver skills for growth across all sectors, helping boost national productivity and competitiveness,” explained Business Secretary Vince Cable who, together with  Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, appointed the nine new commissioners.

They join an existing team of 16 Commissioners, led by Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership.  The commission works with government to raise skill levels, helping drive enterprise, create more and better jobs and promote economic growth. 

Mr Lau-Walker who has worked in Further Education for over 30 years, has been at Eastleigh College for 13 years and sits as Chair of The Windsor Group of Colleges, which focuses on collaborative work with employers to meet the training needs of large organisations. Eastleigh college describes itself as  a General Further Education (GFE) college supporting over 22,000 learners annually.