New ofsted regime returns good news

The first general FE college inspection carried out under a new common inspection framework (CIF) has returned a good grading, while positives also emerged from the first re-inspection.

Ofsted inspectors armed with the new CIF gave City College Plymouth two days’ notice for an inspection between October 1 and 5.

They judged the 17,000-learner college to have improved from the satisfactory grade it got in September 2008.

Principal Phil Davies said it was “fantastic” news for the college and for Plymouth. “The college provides education and training for a large proportion of the local population, and we work closely with local businesses to ensure that local people have the skills they need. We have publicly stated our intention to significantly contribute to the social and economic regeneration of Plymouth,” he said.

He believed the college was bucking national trends. “In the last year the majority of inspected colleges saw their grades fall,” he said.

“Despite minimal notice and a new inspection framework, City College Plymouth has moved from satisfactory to good, with outstanding features. We have come a long way in a short space of time.”

But he said that it would not rest on its laurels. “Ofsted has given us food for thought. We know we have a very good and solid foundation on which to build as we continue on our journey to outstanding,” said Mr. Davies.

The new CIF was introduced from September following the inspection body’s Good Education For All consultation that ended in May.

It includes a reduced inspection notice period from three weeks to two days, with a re-inspection of providers ‘requiring improvement’ usually following within 12 to 18 months. Providers awarded the grade twice in a row can be judged inadequate on their third inspection if they haven’t improved.

Lambeth College, which got an inadequate grading when it was inspected under the old CIF in February, was said to be enjoying reasonable progress in the five areas that it was re-inspected on.

The 13,500-learner college had also seen significant progress in a sixth and final area reviewed by inspectors early last month.

Principal and chief executive Mark Silverman said: “We found the new CIF to be good — it is easier and very straightforward, the emphasis is where it should be, on teaching and learning.

“We were prepared as we have been working with the new CIF since June so knew what to expect. The two days’ notice was not an issue as all the relevant evidence was readily available through our own monitoring and quality systems.

“We were very pleased to receive a positive Ofsted monitoring report. We were able to demonstrate that the focus on change and improvement over the past few months is having a rapid impact.

“This is the first step to ensuring an outstanding Lambeth College.”

City College Plymouth’s deputy principal, Nicola Cove, gives an account of inspection under the new CIF on page 6.

Get set, it’s time for The Skills Show

The LG Arena in Birmingham will host a glittering ceremony on Wednesday night to mark the start of the first Skills Show.

Hundreds of the UK’s most talented young people will have spent the weekend cramming in a vital last bit of practice before their skills are put to the test in their bid to be crowned the best in the UK. They can now expect to be put through a series of gruelling tests that will stretch their capabilities over three days.

The show’s expected 100,000 visitors to the NEC will be exposed to hundreds of interac- tive stands. These zones are part of The Skills Show’s £1m “Have-a-Go” local programmes in which 20 FE colleges, training providers, local authorities and other education bodies have developed an array of interactive activities aimed at engaging more people in vocational education. The experiences offered will be closely linked to training, learning and job opportunities in current and future employ- ment markets.

The show will inspire a new generation to get the most from further education, skills and apprenticeships”

More than 50 “Have-a-Go” experiences will be dotted around the centre’s 100,000sqm site – from aircraft engineering to visual merchan- dising to web design to welding. Here are a few examples of the hands-on activities you’ll have a chance to try.

Burton and South Derbyshire College will host a range of activities and demonstrations including a solar car challenge organised by engineering students.

NEW College will showcase its links with Harley-Davidson with a new motorcycle on display. Visitors to the college’s stand will also be able to find out about the inner work- ings of cars and motorcycles by taking part in activity sessions with interactive engine displays.

Dudley College will allow visitors to have a go at car body painting – on Thursday a car will be painted from head to toe in Skills Show branding. Meanwhile, the college’s sports department will mirror the sporting challenges of the popular ITV programme, The Cube.

Up-to-the-minute careers advice will be available from organisations such as City & Guilds, the premier sponsors of the show, and the many other providers who will be there.

And showcase sessions will include demon- strations on theatrical make-up, circus skills, hair sculpture and food presentations – and a yo-yo expert and national competitor, 11-year-old David Braden Holmes.

An artist’s impression of the Skills Show’s “I am in the spotlight” exhibition zone 

Many high profile visitors are also expected. Last year Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson dropped in to the WorldSkills London competition.

Last week the Skills Show announced Theo Paphitis, star of BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den and one of the UK’s most high profile shopkeepers, as its first patron. His appoint- ment followed his visit to WorldSkills London last year.

He said: “Skills are of vital importance to economic growth in the UK. The show will inspire a new generation to get the most from further education, skills and apprenticeships. The event is free and open to students of all ages, and is a must for anyone thinking about their future career.” Mr Paphitis will be at the show’s opening ceremony and competition.

Other famous faces expected to attend in- clude British hockey Olympic bronze medal- list, Sally Walton; Nick Holzherr, star of BBC

TV’s The Apprentice, and founder of food website, Whisk; and Alan Bird, former execu- tive chef of London’s famous Ivy restaurant. All will give real-life practical insights and advice into the world of work and skills.

Try new skills and receive the latest careers advice”

The Skills Show will also have a series of fundraising activities for BBC’s Children in Need, and special visits from the charity’s mascot, Pudsey Bear. Mr Paphitis is also ambassador for this year’s Pounds for Pudsey campaign, which encourages students to use entrepreneurial skills to raise money for the appeal. Every penny raised by Skills Show students will go straight to the charity.

Ross Maloney, chief executive of The Skills Show, said: “We want thousands of young people, parents, guardians, educators and employers to visit the show and be inspired by the highly skilled apprentices and young people in action, as well as try new skills for themselves and receive the latest careers advice that will help them to make informed choices about the future.”

The Skills Show is free and will bring to life the best of the UK’s colleges, apprenticeship and training providers with live performanc- es, interactive demonstrations and exhibi- tions by groups of students. Register now at: www.theskillsshow.com

FE Week will be reporting all of the action from the show. Look out for exclusive cover- age from our Twitter account (@feweek), the FE week website, the next edition of FE Week and our souvenir supplement with all the results, sponsored by City and Guilds.

Students from Bourneville College testing out the College’s iPhone application have-a-go that will be at The Skills Show. 

Q&A with Ross Maloney, Skills Show chief

We are only a few days away from the larg- est UK Skills Show. How are things shaping up and what can we expect to see?
The past year seems to have flown by, it only seems like yesterday that we were finalising plans for the WorldSkills London competition. I am so impressed by what we have achieved in such a little time. We had more than four years to organise WorldSkills London 2011; we’ve had less than a year to organise the Skills Show. It’s been tough and there have been many challenges, but the show is going to be spectacular.

In the end it has all come together rather nicely. The support we have received from the sector has been overwhelming and I want to thank everyone involved for their support.

In terms of what we can hope to see, well, where do I begin. Obviously there is the op- portunity to watch the competitions in which hundreds of the most skilled and talented students will vie to be named best in the UK. The atmosphere will be tense, but it’s great to have the opportunity to see these young people showcase their skills. The breadth of the curriculum covered is huge.

A key aim for us is to ensure the show is an experience for everyone who attends. We have made it a rule that anyone exhibiting must have an interactive stand. So you won’t be seeing lots of stands with bits of paper arranged neatly. They will allow you to have a go at a particular skill.

Who’ll be there over the three days?

For college principals and managers, it will provide an opportunity to meet employers and discuss opportunities for learners. For students it’s an opportunity to see showcased the many vocational oppor- tunities that are out there – and hopefully provide lots of inspiration. Employers will have the chance to meet thousands of poten- tial recruits and to meet providers. We also anticipate thousands of family and friends, particularly on the Saturday.

The show is a massive undertaking. What can we expect over the coming years?

We are only in Year 1, so you can expect to see even more next year. We’ll conduct a postmortem to fix any problems and improve things. So the show can, and will, get bigger and better. We are committed to running the Skills Show for the next three years. Ultimately it is intended that it will become sector owned and led – something that I believe is very important.

 

Apprentice star advises aspiring tycoons

Television star and businesswoman Karren Brady,centreabove, hasbackedan entrepreneurship programme run by an East Midlands college.

Lord Sugar’s aide on the BBC television series The Apprentice, who is also vice-chairman of West Ham Football Club, visited West Nottinghamshire College to launch a scheme in which experts coach aspiring tycoons to help them to get their business ideas off the ground. Ms Brady talked about her experiences and joined a panel, which included Shalini Khemka, co-founder of the London Entrepreneurial Exchange, a support network for entrepreneurs, to be quizzed by 150 students.

Chelsea Salmon, 16, recently set up an anti-bullying website that she wants to roll- out to schools. “Karren made me realise that you can succeed in life regardless of your background,” she said.

Principal Asha Khemka said: “Karren Brady is the epitome of what can be achieved with an entrepreneurial spirit and a determination to succeed.”

SFA takes tougher line on charges

The Skills Funding Agency has “hardened it’s position” on fees charged to fully-fund- ed learners over 19.

Kirsty Evans, director of funding policy at the agency, told delegates at Lsect’s autumn finance conference held at Morley College on November 6, that it now tried to avoid “might” in its documents, using “must” and “have to” instead.

“We’ve done that for clarification, so colleges know exactly what is and isn’t within their remit to charge,” said Ms Evans.

She said that providers must not make com- pulsory charges to fully-funded learners for the delivery of any learning activ- ity funded by the agency, including administra- tion fees, CRB checks and equipment charges.

However, there were charges that the agency believed were legitimate for providers to pass on.

“These include charges outside core learning, such as library fines, and security deposits for equipment and tools. We’ve been as explicit as we can be about those things that we believe are in scope for providers to charge, and those things that are out of scope,” she said.

Delegates raised their concerns about the money that colleges would have to find to cover costs that they previously collected from learners. One delegate estimated efficiency savings could reach six figures.

Another delegate said that current funding levels did not reflect that some courses, such as beauty therapy, needed expen- sive materials.

I think the government had always assumed that these fees were not being charged”

Ms Evans said that she understood their concerns about where they could make sav- ings. “I’m happy that look at whether this could feed into our considerations of pro- gramme weighting factors. But what I can’t do today is guarantee there will be any changes as a result of that,” she said.

Val Wilkinson, Plumpton College                                                           Kirsty Evans, Skills Funding Agency 

When another delegate highlighted the discrepancy between Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency rules on charging fees to fully-funded learners, Ms Evans responded: “I think the government had always assumed that these fees were not being charged…itcameasabitofasurprisetodis- cover that they actually were. That’s why there has been this desire to clarify our position.”

A final point raised from the floor was about “success bonds” – deposits that some providers demanded from students, to be recouped only on successful completion of their qualifica- tion. Delegates asked whether these charges were seen as legitimate by the agency.

“We’ve looked at deposits for things that can be returned, such as equipment, but I have to say that I’m sure that the department would be very uncomfortable with what is effectively a success bond,” said Ms Evans.

Initial indications are that it is not acceptable to charge a success bond to learners”

“I think we too have heard about such inci- dents, and are trying understand the extent to which they are taking place – are they very prevalent or are they exceptional? Initial indications are that it is not acceptable to charge a success bond to learners.”

Nick Linford, managing director of Lsect, updated the delegates on EFA and agency funding reforms. Ms Evans then confirmed that the agency would publish another update by the end of November which, she said “would lay out an approach to the new ap- prenticeship element. “In addition, we are also absolutely committed to publishing in full, in January, what the system will look like and how it will work in 2013/14.”

Paul Smith, head of business development at the Student Loans Company, outlined some of the considerations providers should be making ahead of the implementation of FE loans to learners over 24.

Robert Russell, Institute of Chartered Accountants    Paul Smith, Student Loans Company 

“Providers with a loan facility will need to start making preparations ahead of the launch in April 2013, he said.

“These include appointing someone to man- age the administration of loans, ensuring your IT systems are ready to manage the loan data, and publishing your methodology for award- ing the discretionary learner support element of the fund. This must be done by April 1, and the criteria must clearly reflect the principles of equality and diversity.”

Others to address the conference included Val Wilkinson, director of finance and administration at Plumpton College and Robert Rus- sell, from the Institute of Chartered Account- ants, who together analysed the effectiveness of shared services to avoid VAT; and Chris Mantel, director for college audit and advisory services at RSM Tenon, who discussed accounting concern around partnerships and subcontracting.

Celeb inventor unveils new engineering base

Celebrity engineer and inventor Dick Strawbridge was on hand to open a Yorkshire college’s new £7.5m engineering base.

Kirklees College marked the opening of its state-of-the-art learning centre with fireworks, tours and demonstrations, and a guest list of careers advisers, local business men and women, students and education partners.

Dick said: “Being an engineer is fundamental — it’s all about life and what you do with your life. You’ve got your lives ahead of you and you can make a difference because engineers make a difference.

“The world is there to be changed. What’s going to happen in your lifetime is going to be phenomenal, and you can make it happen.” Around 1,000 engineering and motor vehicle students will pass through the new building’s doors every week, including 350 apprentices with employment in industry.

The new centre’s facilities include maintenance and fabrication workshops, and mechanical workshops, demonstration areas, classrooms, a student refectory and offices for staff.

The college’s governing body chair Jeff Dakers said: “This building is for the future. All buildings make statements, and what is being built here is a statement about the future of engineering in our area.”

Olympian efforts raise funds for students

Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winners have helped to raise £32,000 to support hard-up students in East London.

Record-breaking track athlete David Weir and 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu were among guests at the launch of the Learning Revolution Trust at Newham College.

The charity has been set up to help learners of all ages to pay for fees, books, travel, meals and other course expenses.

More than 200 people bought tickets for the event, which was hosted by six-times Olympian Tessa Sanderson.

“The Learning Revolution Trust is about helping people in the East End, the young, the old, the short and the tall. It’s about putting them on the right track,” she said.

The charity was set up by Newham College with support from the Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy.

Trust chair Martin Cumella said: “We believe in the transformational power of learning to change people’s lives and opportunities. We believe no one in Newham or East London should be deprived of the opportunity to go to college because of hardship.”

Celebrity scientist opens £7m building

Atop scientist gave North Yorkshire students a masterclass on genetics to celebrate the opening of their college’s new £7m building.

Lord Robert Winston also took a tour of Middlesbrough College’s new sixth-form centre and sports academy.
The building of MC6 has been part of the biggest regeneration scheme outside London.

Lord Winston, who has presented a number of factual television series, including Superhuman, said: “It is immensely important to engage with young people as they consider their career options, which is why I’m delighted to be opening MC6 which will offer exceptional facilities for students.

“It’s great to see continued investment in education and the future of the country’s young people at this time.”

College principal Mike Hopkins said: “This is a historic day for the college, our students and for the town of Middlesbrough.

“By creating MC6 and its extraordinary facilities we have raised the bar for the young people of the Tees Valley by providing one of the best further education centres in the country.”

IfL members celebrate tenth anniversary

To mark its tenth anniversary this year, the Institute for Learning (IfL) invited founder members to an afternoon tea at the House of Commons hosted by Barry Sheerman MP,an IfL patron and former chair of the education select committee.

Tim Boswell, also an IfL patron and a former Conservative education minister, welcomed guests to the event and paid tribute to the further education sector and its staff.

“People have an idea of schools and higher education and, sort of in between, is the bit that they do not focus on,” he said. “Further education has the Heineken effect: catching the bits that others cannot reach. But to do this, you need professionalism.”

Referring to recent events impacting on IfL, Lord Boswell said, “IfL does matter and each of you should stick with it.

“Learners and the country will benefit greatly from the professionalism of the services that you offer.”

Toni Fazaeli, IfL’s chief executive, thanked the founder members for their contribution to the profession, their commitment to learners, and their leadership of excellent teaching and learning.

Solicitors team up with college to give one-to-one advice

Midland law students will be keeping bang up-to-date on all things legal, thanks to a new partnership with local solicitors.

Mentors from Howells Solicitors will offer one-to-one advice to 25 Sheffield College students over the coming year.

The firm has agreed to provide work shadowing, and is donating its copies of The Law Society Gazette to students. It has also paid for an academic diary for each of Hillsborough College’s 400 A level students (the colleges share a campus).

Student Grant Robinson, 17, said: “I will gain first-hand experience and I can ask for advice on any topics to do with law, whether it’s applying for a law degree or getting a training contract afterwards.

“All the advice, knowledge and work experience I am gaining from the law interest group is developing my skills and giving me a greater understanding of the roles that underline being a solicitor.”

The Howells mentors include solicitor Tom Bernard. He said: “I know how difficult it can be when you are embarking on a career in law and I can pass on my experience.”