Ruth Spellman, CEO, Workers’ Educational Association

With no previous background in education, Ruth Spellman says she isn’t the most obvious candidate for the job of chief executive of the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA).

But she comes to the role – her fourth CEO position – with 40 years of management experience under her belt. And as the first female chief executive of the Association in its 108 year history, she hopes to be able to use that, and her own experience of how education can change people’s lives, to shape the future of the organisation.

The fourth of six girls, Spellman says she led her three younger sisters into “all sorts of trouble”.

Instead of following in the footsteps of her older sisters, who were both educated at girls’ schools, she went to a mixed comprehensive, which is where her dad liked to joke that ‘the rot set in’, “You know how kids ask why? Apparently I did it to a ridiculous extent and drove everybody crazy,” she says .

Spellman put her natural curiosity to good use, excelling academically at school and winning a place at Cambridge University to study Economics – which wasn’t all that common in the town of Pontypool, in South Wales, where she grew up.

Her lecturer father (who later became a college principal) was determined for his daughters to be successful and make the most of any opportunities that came their way.

“He was very keen for us to not just be content to swim along, but to actually maximise our talents and abilities,” she recalls. “I do remember him saying ‘the biggest waste of all would be to waste your talent’.”

A “mousey” teenager who loved reading, the young Spellman had her sights on a career in politics and, eventually, a ministerial role. But she is glad she chose not to pursue her political ambitions, she says.

I said ‘what do you mean it behoves women not to wear trouser suits?’ He said ‘we don’t like it and we don’t allow it’”

If her 40 years in business have taught her one thing, it is that MPs are not as influential as it seems. “You can be a backbench MP and not really influence anything…but knowing a lot of people in the relevant departments and working on policy issues – that way, you can influence things and make things happen and that’s pretty much where I have focused my attentions and efforts.”

She was very aware – from a very early age – that having a fulfilling career was important to her. She recalls: “I didn’t want to just get married and have kids. I was very aware of women and girls who didn’t achieve their potential and there was a general appreciation that it was only by using your brains that you could really change your social class.”

But it didn’t take her long to work out that women can have a much tougher time climbing the career ladder. While she enjoyed the role, Spellman left her first job at the National Coal Board after realising she wasn’t going to be offered the opportunities she was looking for because “basically the only people that got promoted in the mining industry were people with mining engineering degrees and men in general”.

And during the decade she spent working at the National Economic Development Office – whilst bringing up three small children – she became acutely aware that her gender could be the reason she hadn’t been “tapped on the shoulder” for promotions as other colleagues had. “I am pretty sure that was because I had children and it was regarded as unsuitable for me.”

She recalls one particular episode, in the late 1980s, when a senior colleague asked her to stop wearing trousers to work. “I said ‘what do you mean it behoves women not to wear trouser suits?’ He said ‘we don’t like it and we don’t allow it’,” she says, crossly.

I was very aware of women and girls who didn’t achieve their potential and there was a general appreciation that it was only by using your brains that you could really change your social class”

But her hard work has not gone unrecognised. Having also held senior roles at the NSPCC, Investors in People and the Chartered Management Institute, Spellman was awarded an OBE for services to workplace learning in 2007.

“I like to think it’s because I made a difference,” she says. “Some people object in principle to honours but I have to admit I didn’t…I just went for it.”

Her tenacity, and her ability to stand her ground is, at least partly, the result of endless family debates around the dinner table, she says.

“I was taught really to articulate my views and express myself and I found that fantastic.

“I used to really love debates because I like the whole business of you can’t prove someone right or wrong and you have also got to understand the other person’s point of view.

“I think that trying to see it from the other person’s point of view is very important and whichever job I have done, I have always tried to think that actually, not everybody will see it in the same way, so what I have tried to do is to win consensus and to get a belief in what we are doing.”

It is a skill she hopes to put to good use in her new role at the WEA, she says, and her vision is of an organisation that gives a lot more back to its members. “It would be great to see the WEA offering more through an e-membership proposition through e-learning opportunities for people in their own homes.

“I’d also like to see schools open at weekends for adults. It’s a charity with a difference and the job just ticks a lot of boxes for me. It’s a challenge and I think my expertise and background will bring a slightly different flavour to the organisation.”

Government to publish FE progression figures

Education destination measures for students entering and leaving FE will be published for the first time this summer.

The measures, due to be published in July, will show percentage of students progressing to further learning in a school, further education or sixth form college, apprenticeship or higher education institution.

The Department for Education (DfE) announced the move on their website on April 19, saying: “We have made it very clear that we want to put more information into the public domain so that parents and students can make informed choices about the performance of schools and colleges in their area.

“The destination measures will provide clear and comparable information on the success of schools and colleges in helping all their students take qualifications that offer them the best opportunity to progress.

“They will also encourage institutions to make sure their students receive the support needed to prepare for and complete the transition on to a positive sustained destination.”

Two destination measures will be introduced, which will show the destinations of young people the year after they leave school or college.

The Key Stage 4 measure, according to the DfE, will be based on activity at academic age 16, the year after the young person left compulsory schooling, while the 16-18 measure will be based on activity in the year after learning at age 16-18.

The DfE said: “The measures will be based on participation in all of the first two terms (defined as October to March) of the year after the young person left the institution.

“This will encourage schools and colleges to support and prepare their students to progress to a destination which offers sustained engagement. It is also the measurement period that is closest to the point at which the young person left their former institution and so is the point over which the institution has most influence.”

However, this is only phase 1 of the project. For phase 2, the DfE will work on including the “more complex” employment destinations and, if the data is robust enough, they we aim to publish both education and employment destinations in Spring 2013.

The measures will be based on the data the DfE already receives and there will be no additional data collection required.

Holt review finds employers ‘clueless’ on apprenticeships

The businessman behind a review into apprenticeships has spoken of the “cluelessness” surrounding the programme among employers.

Jason Holt has been tasked by the government to take charge of an employer-led review into how businesses can be encouraged to hire an apprentice.

Mr Holt, chief executive of Holts Group of Companies, was given the role in early February and has since been gathering evidence from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) about what the government can be doing to reduce bureaucracy and simplify the process for recruiting and training new apprentices.

In an update on the progress of his review, Mr Holt told FE Week that there are three areas that he is currently investigating.

He said: “One is very much around the issue of awareness from the employer point of view; there’s a sense of cluelessness out there, which is unbelievable.

“Such as not being aware of what an apprenticeship is or where to begin in looking where to recruit an apprentice.”

Mr Holt also said there is an issue with schools. He said: “They are focused on an academic route and the opportunities for apprenticeships aren’t something that’s clearly defined. However, engaging schools with colleges and employers is something that I’m looking to investigate.”

The final area of investigation, he says, is “the process”, adding: “Where’s the best place to broker the marriage between an apprentice and an employer?

“Is it better at a local level or through the National Apprenticeship Service?”

Mr Holt also revealed that he is “getting to the end of the evidence gathering phase now”, but there is still time to submit views.

One of the ways Mr Holt is gathering evidence is through an online survey, which will stay open until the end of April.

He said: “The final phase is putting it together and testing recommendations with various business focus groups. So I’m beginning to form ideas, but they haven’t been fully formed just yet.”

The recommendations, Mr Holt expects, will go to ministers sometime in May.

Meanwhile, the government has revealed there is no current launch date for a separate employer-led review, which is due to assess quality of apprenticeships.

At the time of announcing Mr Holt’s review in February, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills signalled the separate review would be “launched shortly”, but no further announcement has been made.

A BIS spokesperson said: “It is important sufficient preparatory work is undertaken and that a suitable lead reviewer is secured, so as to ensure the review is as effective as possible. The review will take place alongside the extensive measures already undertaken and work currently underway to raise standards and improve quality of apprenticeships.”

Although the final scope and terms of reference for the review will be announced when the review is launched, BIS has given an insight into how it could be formed.

The spokesperson added: “The broad purpose of the review will be to take a medium-long term look at the future of apprenticeship standards in England; aiming to identify best practice and ensure every apprenticeship delivers professionally recognised qualifications which employers need, to world class benchmarks, and ensure that government is maximising the impact of public investment in apprenticeships.”

Survey says employers must pay

Majority of colleges and training providers support minimum fee for apprenticeships

A minimum employer fee for apprentices aged 19 or above has been supported by professionals in the further education (FE) sector, according to a new survey.

The research, conducted by Lsect, funding consultancy and publisher of FE Week, shows that of those who had a view, 60 per cent of respondents said they thought it would be a “quite good” or “very good” idea if the government introduced a minimum fee for 19+ apprenticeships.

Allan Lewis, managing director of Education and Training Associates Ltd, said: “It will create a level playing field and encourage greater commitment from employers towards the programme and its delivery.

“Hopefully it would lead to increased support to learners and increased monitoring of their progress by employers to achieve the outcomes.”

The survey had 194 respondents including senior managers of private training providers, union representatives, as well as MIS managers, principals and vice principals from FE colleges.

Mick Fletcher, a visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Education and consultant, said: “There is little evidence of employer contributions in cash or kind.

“If employers want to ‘own’ skills they should pay their share, not seek to redirect taxpayers’ money to cover their own costs.”

The minimum fee could involve a variable but standard level of funding contribution, set by government, which colleges and training providers would have to collect from employers for any new apprentice aged 19 and above.

The fee could also be collected from the employer after the college or training provider has drawn down funding from its Skills Funding Agency (SFA) allocation.

Nick Linford, managing editor of FE Week, says it is “implausible” to expect that high quality training could be delivered without charging the employer.

Speaking at an evidence session held by the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee for their inquiry into apprenticeships last week, he said: “I think the only way to go, really, is down the route of minimum fees.

“If the government expects to get high quality the only way is for the employer to contribute and I think the government plays a huge role in changing the culture of employers to put their hand in their pocket and pay for it.

“Employers will expect a lot more when they pay for it and you know they’ll want it and use it well when they’re paying for it.”

Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) added during an earlier evidence session: “We need to get to grips with the employer contribution.”

Minimum employer fees were addressed in the “Independent review of fees and co-funding in Further Education in England” carried out by Christopher Banks CBE in July 2010.

“Any failure to collect the minimum fee would be reported and could lead to “clawback” of funding by the Government in an annual reconciliation process,” it states.

“In this way, the minimum fee approach would act as a stronger fees target system, where there is a real penalty for colleges and training providers, in terms of losing funding through clawback, if they fail to bring in the minimum fee.”

The Lsect survey also showed that of those who expressed a view about the issue, 40 per cent had reservations about introducing a minimum employer fee.

Breda Leyne, learning and development consultant at Cogito Development Projects, said: “Although I agree employers might value something they have paid for better in truth the need now is to get young people into some kind of work environment and that might need to have employers incentivised.”

The survey also asked professionals what they thought of the 12 month minimum duration introduced for apprentices aged 16 to 18.

Almost 90 per cent of respondents who had a view said the prescribed length of time was a “quite good” or “very good” idea, while just over 10 per cent thought it was a bad idea.

The survey also asked respondents what they thought of the rapid increase in apprentices aged 25 and above.

Of those who had a view, 54 per cent said they were not supportive of the growth in adult apprenticeships.

Click here for a more in-depth look at the survey results.

Innovation Code criticised for not going far enough

A new flexible provision to deliver programmes tackling localised skills needs has been introduced in the FE sector.

The Innovation Code, which formed part of the commitments featured within New Challenges, New Chances, is now live.

Although the Code has been widely well received, sector membership bodies have told FE Week that they hoped it would go further.

As set out by the Skills Funding Agency, it features six learning aims, which can be used to develop and deliver provision, in conjunction with local business and employers, which addresses current or future skills needs.

It comes following recommendations in Baroness Sharp’s report, issued in November, on colleges in their communities, A Dynamic Nucleus.

Association of Colleges’ (AoC) director of policy, Joy Mercer, said: “While the innovation code was one of the recommendations of Baroness Sharp’s report A Dynamic Nucleus, AoC and members of the commission had a wider vision.

“It was hoped the project would allow colleges to meet a whole range of needs in the community, for example working with people who face mental health problems, or rough sleepers who may be otherwise excluded.”

But, Mrs Mercer added: “However, this is a move in the right direction. This new system gives the flexibility to meet employment and skills needs in the community by developing a qualification after, rather than before, the learning begins.

“So, in this climate, it will be beneficial for students and colleges who are doing their best to meet the needs of their economy in the locality.

“We see this as the first step toward colleges being able to respond to the needs of the communities within which they already play a crucial role.”

Providers seeking to use the Code must be on the Agency’s Register of Training Organisations and the provision needs to be delivered within their existing allocation; there is no additional funding for using the Code.
However, there is no formal application process, nor do providers need to seek permission to use the Code.

According to the Agency, the Code can be applied for up to 12 months and providers will need to work with an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation, so the provision can be migrated onto the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

The 157 Group, although supportive of the Code, has questioned the funding mechanism.

A spokesperson said: “157 Group is fully supportive of any freedoms and flexibilities implemented to enable innovation to flourish within the sector. “However, it is unfortunate that funding can only be given under the Code for qualifications that can be linked to the QCF.”

David Hughes, chief executive of National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), said the Code will show how useful it can be to jobseekers.

He said: “We know there are colleges and providers already wanting to use this new flexibility.

“I was with a college recently who wanted to provide essential learning that local people needed to help them get jobs locally.

“We know that without the Code these people wouldn’t have been able to access the learning they needed to get those jobs.”

FE Week mini-mascot (Edition 25)

Follow the adventures of FE Week’s biggest and smallest fan!

Mostly this week I have been doing a spot of bank holiday gardening”

And also you can follow our FE Week mini-mascot on Twitter @daniellinford

Youth unemployment falls by 9,000

The number of unemployed young people fell by 9,000 in the three months leading up to February 2012, Labour Market Statistics have shown.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed there were 1.03 million unemployed 16 to 24 year-olds in the UK.

Excluding people in full time education, there were 719,000 unemployed 16 to 24 year-olds in the three months leading up to February 2012, down by 11,000 on the previous quarter.

However the ONS figures also show that the number of 16 to 24 year-olds in a job fell by 13,000 to 3.63 million.

The Labour Market Statistics show that the total number of unemployed people in the UK fell by 35,000 in the three months leading up to February 2012,, the first quarterly fall in unemployment since the three months leading up to May 2011.

Meanwhile there were more than 29 million people with a job aged 16 and above, an increase of 53,000 from the previous quarter.

(Read the Statistical Bulletin published by the Office for National Statistics here.)

Kensington and Chelsea student makes judge’s head turn on BBC’s The Voice UK

Excitement was at fever pitch at Kensington and Chelsea College after student Ruth-Ann St Luce impressed some of the biggest names in the music industry to secure her spot on BBC1’s prime time show ‘The Voice’.

Ruth was watched by more than 8 million people on Saturday night as she performed a moving rendition of Leona Lewis’s ‘Run’ to an all-star panel of Tom Jones, Jessie J, will.i.am and Danny O’Donoghue.

Unlike other talent shows the celebrity panel sit facing away from the acts and can only hear them. If the stars like what they hear, they have to hit their buzzer and turn their chair around – at which point they get to see the person.

Within moments of taking to the stage 18-year-old Ruth inspired global superstar, Jessie J to turn her chair.

Clearly moved by the teenager’s audition Jessie J said: “I couldn’t sing like that when I was that age. I am here to work on someone that I think could be phenomenal and I think she is definitely that.”

Now a firm contender in the fight to be crowned the UK’s next great voice, Ruth is getting ready for her once in a lifetime opportunity to be coached by Jessie J as she battles to win the show.

Ruth, who is studying for her Level 2 diploma in music, said: “I am just so overwhelmed right now…all my dreams are full of being a successful artist – I feel like it’s meant to be.”

The talented singer has already shown her versatility and star quality in several college music performances in front of industry names including award winning English rap star Akala.

Head of music at the college, Paul Hall said: “Ruth is a shining example of what can be achieved with the right attitude, dogged determination and a thirst to learn. She has an incredible talent and everyone at the college knows she has what it takes to go all the way.”

English and mathematics in apprenticeships

New Challenges, New Chances’ has made it clear that English and Mathematics remain key elements of the Apprenticeship Framework. Whilst there are some who may feel uncomfortable with the change in terminology there are many others who recognise the importance of providing a single uncomplicated message about what these skills are and why proficiency in them is so crucial.

As The Wolf Report – the Review of Vocational Education – described it …qualifications for the critical labour market skills of mathematics and English have been subject to serial redesign, especially in the case of qualifications for students on ‘vocational’ programmes.

Now there is no longer any debate, the transition phase provided by John Hayes is coming to an end, and in August Key Skills will finally be replaced by Functional English and Functional Mathematics. I am aware that many providers are concerned with this change as they see the Functional Skills as much more extensive in terms of teaching and learning requirements, much more complex in terms of their assessment demands and therefore much more threatening in terms of levels of achievement and performance.

English and Mathematics skills are essential elements of a skilled individual”

However, in the context of apprenticeships those young people who have previously found little value in the academic side of English and Mathematics as subjects have the ideal opportunity to understand their importance as skills in a vocational context that is meaningful to, and valued by, them. In terms of developing English and Mathematics in apprenticeships, context is all and there are many case studies and examples of effective practice that highlight how best to develop, engage and motivate the most reluctant of learners.

The real challenge and the great unknown are unlikely to be the teaching and learning but rather the appropriateness and the applicability of the assessment regimes of the Functional Skills qualifications. Whilst in many ways Key Skills and Functional Skills are congruent in terms of teaching and learning, they are not in respect of the approaches to assessment that are on offer. Each awarding organisation has been given the opportunity to develop their own solutions that meet the Ofqual qualification criteria rather than adhere to a centrally developed assessment regime that is identical for all.

This means that for the first time within the apprenticeship framework there is a real opportunity for providers to select assessment regimes that match the rhythm and structure of their programmes as well as seeking out an awarding organisation that better reflects and responds to their needs.

So whilst we can expect some nervousness in the sector in the first instance I am confident that sooner rather than later the professionalism of providers, together with the market demands placed on AOs, will shape approaches to assessment that will meet the needs of those delivering Functional Skills in the context of apprenticeships.

There is concern in some quarters that the Government is about to make all apprenticeship frameworks irrespective of level have a minimum requirement of a Level 2 in Functional Skills or A*-C GCSEs. This is not my understanding; New Challenges, New Chances makes it clear that whilst a Level 2 achievement in English and Mathematics should be the aspiration for all young people in education and training, there is no intention of changing frameworks at this time.

Indeed the introduction of modular, or stepping stone, qualifications is designed to create a more realistic and viable journey towards Functional Skills and GCSEs for those who continue to find English and Mathematics a potential barrier to progression.

I know that there are those who would like to remove the English and Mathematics components from the apprenticeship framework. Their thesis is: why should the workplace address the failures of the school system? The answer to that is simple: English and Mathematics skills are essential elements of a skilled individual and these skills need to be developed in a place, at a time and in a way that has greatest benefit for and impact on the individual – for many young people that place, time and way is through an apprenticeship.

Barry Brooks
Group Strategy Director, Tribal

This expert piece appears in our special Apprenticeships Supplement. Click the banner below to download it!