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Queen’s honour’s list recognises peoples’ work with WorldSkills
For the first time the Queen’s birthday honour’s list has recognised people’s work with WorldSkills International.
Seven people received a CBE, OBE or MBE partly because of their involvement with WorldSkills.
David Beresford Cragg, who was the deputy chairman of WorldSkills 2011 and has an OBE, was appointed a CBE. Aidan Jones, who was the chief executive of WorldSkills London 2011, was given an OBE.
The following were awarded an MBE for their role at WorldSkills London last year: Jenna Bailey, was a workshop supervisor for beauty therapy, Keith Nicolas Chapman, was an ambassador for landscape gardening, Eugene Incerti, was a director of skills competitions, Adam Peirson, was an ambassador for cooking, and Richard Sagar, was an ambassador for electrical installation.
Chris Humphries, the chairman of WorldSkills London 2011, said: “We will only see growth return to our economies through an era of skills and entrepreneurship and that’s why it’s so important that our work continues. WorldSkills London 2011 was a potential watershed in changing public attitudes about the value of skills in the UK.’’
The former WorldSkills competitors to be honoured are thought to be amongst the youngest on the honour’s list. Mr Sagar, 25, a WorldSkills ambassador who started his own electrical business following a gold medal win in electrical installation at Calgary in 2009, said:
‘‘I am determined to continue to deliver the high standards of skills that I have learned through WorldSkills. Being involved in skills competitions helps me to constantly improve my business as I am able to compare and contrast different techniques. I really hope it inspires other young people and shows them what can be achieved if you put your heart and mind into something that you love to do. This is a tremendous honour and a once in a lifetime opportunity – I will treasure it forever.’’
Squad selection for next year’s WorldSkills Leipzig competition is kicking off this week. You can find out more details about the event in next week’s paper.
It’s a disaster for workplace learning
I am a huge advocate of Functional Skills. I believe it represents our best chance in a decade to address the skills crisis in the UK, highlighted only a couple of days ago by the latest CBI/Pearson survey which showed that four out of ten companies are now carrying out remedial training in maths and English for school and college leavers who join them.
It has therefore come as a very unpleasant shock to providers operating in this field to learn that the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) intends to reduce the level of funding for Functional Skills. Organisations delivering the standalone qualification in the workplace will receive 40 per cent less compared with the existing Adult Basic Skills qualifications. This move seems to lack any sense of logic.
So, the government introduces a fantastic new set of qualifications to address this issue and then immediately shoots itself in the foot by cutting the funding rate by 40% “
Everyone accepts that Functional Skills will take longer to deliver than Skills for Life. Since it will almost certainly require more contact time between learner and tutor, it would seem only fair that the funding for the new qualification is at the very least on par with that offered for Skills for Life.
The implications of this news are potentially disastrous. We now know from the government’s own figures that over 5.1 million adults are functionally illiterate and that a staggering 16.1 m adults (nearly half the adult working population) lack functional numeracy skills. So, the government introduces a fantastic new set of qualifications to address this issue and then immediately shoots itself in the foot by cutting the funding rate by 40% for adults who seek these qualifications through the workplace as opposed to college training?
For many providers in this field, most of whom rely on this funding as their main source of income, the cut means that delivering Functional Skills will become impossible. We all have to tighten our belts in these difficult economic times, but no organisation can sustain a drop of 40 per cent in revenue and remain economically viable without a huge reduction in their level of service. As a consequence, it seems almost certain that many highly successful and reputable training providers will move out of an area which is absolutely vital to the future success of the UK economy.
I don’t believe that someone from the SFA has simply woken up one morning and said “Let’s cut Basic Skills funding in the workplace by 40 per cent”. More likely, the SFA simply haven’t thought through the implications of their actions. In attempting to set a uniform rate across the whole FE landscape, they have ignored the huge differences between workplace training (with intensive one-to-one support for individual learners) and the classroom scenario where larger numbers of learners can be taught within a single group.
That’s my theory. We can speculate on the reasons why, but what is clearly not in dispute is the devastating impact of these new funding guidelines on organisations who specialise in Basic Skills training in the workplace.
Of course, the use of technology can provide savings and efficiencies. At MindLeaders we have developed a full distance-learning solution for Functional Skills which we are delivering successfully to many organisations across the UK.
But I don’t believe that government funding strategy should be set on the basis that the only way to deliver Functional Skills cost-effectively is to fully utilise technology. I would therefore urge the SFA to review this decision. There are still a couple of months remaining before the introduction of Functional Skills and this is a U-turn which I believe is essential if we are going to tackle the skills crisis in the UK.
Roger Francis,
Services and HR Director, Mindleaders
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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)