Further delays for college success rate data

Revised versions of the 2010/11 Education and Training National Success Rate Tables (NSRT) have been delayed until August, according to the Data Service.

Widespread errors were found in the original NSRT, published on May 24, forcing the Data Service to take down and investigate the data.

A spokesperson for the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) then told FE Week they expected the amended versions to be published by the middle of June.

Delegates at the Lsect College Data Conference were then told by the Data Service  that the revisions would be publsihed in mid-July. However, the revised NSRTs are still unavailable.

The Data Service website now states: “Our investigation into this issue has determined that there is an error and we have therefore removed the reports temporarily.

“The revised reports, with details on the revision are expected to be available in August 2012.”

In the original NSRT nearly a quarter of all qualifications were showing an ‘unknown’ level, up from 2 per cent in the 2010/11 Qualification Success Rate (QSR) report.

Members of the College Management Information Systems (CMIS) network said the anomalies were “massive” and included BTEC qualifications and Access to HE courses.

The values also varied for similar qualifications from different awarding bodies.

Comparisons with the 2010/11 QSR reports showed a difference of 672,123 ‘unknown’ starts across all age groups and providers.

The number of ‘unknown’ starts also rose from 8,777 in the QSR to 546,295 in the NSRT for learners of all ages in general FE colleges.

Jerry White, head of planning and performance at City College Norwich, told FE Week he was “very disappointed” that the revised NSRTs had been delayed until August.

“Given that headline national averages were published for 2010/11 QSR in December 2011 as part of provider reports, I fail to understand the delay in publishing the data that underpins those averages in the National Success Rate Tables,” he said.

Colleges use the NSRTs – previously known as Learner Responsive National Success Rate Tables – to compare their enrolments and success rates data with other providers.

“I am sure City College Norwich is not alone in wanting to review our performance in detail against this national data in order to effectively undertake our annual self-assessment,” Mr White added.

“The delays continue to hold up the self-assessment process and will place added pressures on college staff who have been unable to complete the analysis of their data prior to the impending summer enrolment period.”

Blackburn College gets hammered

One of the world’s strongest men has made the trip to Blackburn College to help knock down its seven storey Feilden Street building.

Mark Felix, a strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World’s Strongest Man competition, has joined the staff from the college for the last phase of the building’s demolition.

It is estimated to take around eight weeks, and will make way for a future development zone to extend the campus.

Phil Watson CBE, the vice chair of governors said: “The Feilden Street building has given both the town and the college around 50 years of service and I’m sure holds lots of memories for those who have worked and studied in it.

“Its demolition is one of the final parts of the college’s master plan to create a world-class campus, which started with the completion of the St Paul’s Centre in 2007, followed by the building the University Centre in 2009 and the Beacon Centre last year and will be furthered enhanced by the creation of specialist STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) building next year.”

School leavers choose college over staying on at sixth form

More 16 year-olds chose further education over staying on at a school sixth form in 2009/10, according to new data published by the Department for Education.

The statistical first release, published earlier this week, is the first time the Department has revealed the percentage of students progressing to further learning in a school, FE or sixth form college, apprenticeship or HE institution.

The data shows that of 569,115 students, 37 per cent progressed onto FE provision, including general FE colleges – while 36 per cent studied at a school sixth form.

A further 12 per cent progressed to a sixth form college and 4 per cent enrolled as an apprenticeship.

The data also highlights the destination measures for learners in each local authority.

The Department said they hope the new data will encourage schools and colleges to support and prepare their students for further learning which offers “good long term prospects”.

Schools Minister Lord Hill said: “We are opening up access to this new data so people can see how different schools and colleges, and local authorities, perform.

“It gives parents greater information on which to base decisions.”

Six per cent of young people are not represented in the data either because they are in a job, on a gap year or not in employment, education or training (NEET).

The Department warned that the new data could still contain some errors.

“This is the first publication on ‘education destination measures’ and is classified as experimental statistics as the data are still being evaluated and remain subject to further testing in terms of their reliability and ability to meet customer needs,” the DfE website said.

The statistical first release also showed how many people went on to further learning after taking an A-level equivalent qualification.

It said 64 per cent of young people had studied for at least two terms the following year, with 8 per cent learning at an FE college, 1 per cent at a sixth form college and 3 per cent at an independent FE provider.

More than half were studying at a higher education institution. Lord Hill added: “It is interesting to see how well some local authorities in more deprived areas, and some schools and colleges in those authorities, do in terms of students going to our best universities, compared to those in other parts of the country.”

FE Weekend asks ‘where next for apprenticeships?’

The future of apprenticeships was debated by the sector at FE Weekend last Friday. The summer conference, hosted at Morley College, was FE Week’s first event looking at the latest updates and policy developments surrounding apprenticeships.

The agenda included speeches on various aspects of apprenticeships, such as funding frameworks, minimum durations and subcontracting. One highlight of the day was the panel debate under the title of ‘What would you say to Doug Richards?’ with speakers from NIACE, Ofsted and NAS, as well as questions and comments from the audience.

Matthew Coffey, national director of skills and learning for Ofsted, kicked off the debate by using the example of his teenage daughter. “The advice that was given to my youngest daughter about her post-16 opportunities was very clear and unequivocal, ‘you will stay on at sixth form’.

“And despite that advice – and perhaps because of what her Dad does – she’s enjoying her apprenticeship, thank you very much.”

He highlighted his concerns about the duration of apprenticeships and the focus on assessment, but also discussed the issues around subcontracting. One key point that was raised that Ofsted have not found a correlation between management fees charged and the quality of service delivered, and furthermore, that the cost of these fees can have a negative impact on apprentices due to reduced staff and visits.

The debate was continued by David Hughes, CEO of NIACE, who joked that he had already spent 10 minutes with Doug Richards and aimed to share with delegates a more eloquent version of the advice he had given him. His speech entailed 5 main elements: apprenticeships are an education; they are for adults too; fair access benefits all; apprentices deserve the best; and listening works.

There is very little communication between the college that is delivering the education, and the employer that is delivering the on-the-job training

It was unsurprising that Mr Hughes was particularly passionate on the issue of fair access for all learners, regardless of age, and voiced his concerns about reduced government funding for 25+ apprentices.

Mr Hughes said the obsession with age needed to be “kicked into touch”, and that the government should be prioritising learners based on their experience of the workplace and phase of their life.

“There are three principle stages – the first job, promotion and change of career, and the education and skills gained from an apprenticeship are vital at all three,” he said. “Another problem is when people talk about return of investment, and when the treasury says that we should invest more in 16-18 year old apprenticeships because the return is over a working lifetime of 40-50 years.

“The government needs to see a wider definition of return, as the current argument that older apprentices have less of a return ignores the economic impact that upskilling or reskilling has on that apprentice’s family, their community, their health, the duration of their working life and that impact on their pension and retirement.”

The final speaker of the panel was Karen Woodward, divisions’ director of apprenticeships for NAS. Her speech focused on the need for clarity on the definition of an apprenticeship and the roles that colleges and employers play.

“A great apprenticeship entwines good quality education with strong employer commitment to the development of people and the skills they gain in the workplace,” she said.

“But there is very little communication between the college that is delivering the education, and the employer that is delivering the on-the-job training.”

Mrs Woodward added that funding was also an issue for the sector, especially when it came to employers contributing to an apprenticeship scheme in-kind or in cash.

“We need to be clear about who’s paying whom for what,” she said.

The crux of the debate was summarised by Mrs Woodward’s closing remarks; that when it comes to apprenticeships “we have much to be proud of, but there are still many lessons to learn.”

 

Newcastle College cuts inspection short after ‘troubling incidents’

Inspectors were asked to leave Newcastle College after staff complained of “troubling incidents” during an inspection.

Ofsted were assessing NCG (formerly Newcastle College Group) in May when the inspection was cut short.

However, inspectors were given permission to return to the college and complete the assessment several weeks later.

An email seen by FE Week and sent to college staff by Dame Jackie Fisher, chief executive of NCG, said: “Unfortunately the inspection came to an untimely end as a result of some troubling incidents.

“However, we finally agreed to allow the inspectors to return and the on-site inspection of NCG has now been concluded.”

A spokesperson for NCG told FE Week in June they “would not normally comment on any inspection process.”

When asked if inspectors were escorted off the college premises during the initial dispute, an NCG spokesperson said “it didn’t happen” and was “absolutely not the case”.

Newcastle College was judged to be “outstanding” by Ofsted in every area of its last inspection report, published in July 2008.

It is thought that the new report, due to be published later this month, will downgrade the college from “outstanding” to “good”.

NCG will be submitting an appeal to Ofsted to try and improve some of the report’s findings.

“Many of you are aware that the Ofsted inspection was not entirely trouble-free,” the email sent to college staff by Dame Jackie Fisher said.

“We are planning to pursue with Ofsted some outstanding matters which may improve the grade profile.

“However, based on Ofsted’s track record in listening to provider complaints, this must be viewed as unlikely, regardless of how strong our case is.” A spokesperson for Ofsted said they were unable to comment on the inspection or individual complaints.

A neighbouring college has also appealed against Ofsted because of “inconsistencies” in the way standards were applied during an inspection carried out weeks before.

Richard Thorold, principal of Gateshead College told FE Week: “It appears the overall judgement is, in the main, based on historical data.”

He added that the inspectors appeared reluctant to apply a fair judgement to the in-year data.

“This is, in my mind, where the inconsistencies are in the way the standards are being applied across inspections.”

Stafford College have also submitted an appeal because of “crucial factual errors” in its inspection report.

[download#75]

Fifteen Community Learning Trusts approved for pilot scheme

Fifteen Community Learning Trusts have been chosen to take part in a pilot scheme launching in August.

The successful trusts will involve FE colleges, adult education services, businesses and voluntary organisations working together to try and increase the number of adults taking part in education.

It is hoped the scheme will give communities more power to choose which courses are available in their local area.

Skills Minister John Hayes, announcing the approved trusts last week, said: “Learning is the lifeblood of personal and economic growth in our local communities, which is why we are working with these fifteen pilots to pioneer new ways of learning that put local people at the forefront of the decision-making process.

“By bringing passion, purpose and innovative thinking to the pilot scheme, the Community Learning Trusts can change lives by transforming attitudes and abilities, bringing communities together to nurture the common good.”

The approved Community Learning Trusts are:

– Birmingham CLT Blackburn with Darwen (Sustainable Neighbourhood Services)
– Brighton and Hove Community Learning Trust BHCLT
– CLCumbria (CLC), Community Learning in Cheshire (CLiC)
– Derby Community Learning Trust Learning-for-All (Bedfordshire and Luton)
– Liberate (West Sussex)
– Liverpool Opportunities for Community Adult Learning (LOCAL)
– Sheffield Community Learning Trust
– Sunderland’s Community Learning Trust The Luton Trust,
– The Solihull Source Trust in Learning – new curriculum, in new places for new learners in Exeter and West of England Community Learning Trust (Bristol) The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) have supported the pilot scheme.

David Hughes, chief executive of NIACE said: “We know that a better understanding of what people want to achieve and a joint approach to designing learning leads to better outcomes.

“We are excited to be supporting and learning from these pilot Community Learning Trusts and look forward to the ideas and processes they will formulate over the next twelve months which will set the agenda for community learning in the future.”

Advertorial: The REED NCFE Partnership: Delivering employment outcomes in FE

It’s impossible to ignore the challenges faced by unemployed people in the UK. We seem to be confronted with an almost daily stream of bad news related to the issue.

Only this week Ofsted published its report Skills for Employment. The report was a direct response to the government’s plans for FE providers to offer work-based training to help the unemployed into work and was critical of FE providers. It said that too many courses focussed on the achievement of qualifications, rather than concentrating on training that led to job specific skills.

One way that the sector is challenging these issues is through the REED NCFE job brokerage service. The aim of this service is to place colleges at the heart of the community, positioning them not just as places of learning but as very focussed and effective recruitment centres for local businesses.

The service is helping learners to access potential employment in the hidden jobs market. It is frustrating for job seekers that only around 1 out of 4 vacancies are ever advertised. The REED NCFE Partnership counters this frustration by setting up an on-site employment ‘shop’ at a college, targeting the 75% of vacancies which are never advertised and matching them to students at that college through tailored intervention.

The initiative responds to robust research supported by Harvard University and carried out with over 2000 employers. This research showed that 97% of employers would choose mindset over skillset as the key element in those they seek to employ and retain. This means that those who display the right mindset are 3 times more likely to find work.

I firmly believe that a partnership such as the REED NCFE initiative is the right response to the challenges they face”

The REED NCFE Job Search and Interview Skills qualifications are an active response to this research. The qualifications equip learners to identify vacancies, promote themselves, prepare for a job interview and maximise their chances of success at interview.

Lawrence Vincent, Principal of Bournemouth and Poole College told me: “The Wolf Report sent a very clear message that employment outcomes were set to become a major challenge for colleges; the latest report from Ofsted only strengthens that position. Here at Bournemouth and Poole College, we have embraced this challenge. We are very pleased to be able to offer our students a successful jobs brokerage service that is creating real opportunities.

“Since its launch in January of this year at Bournemouth and Poole, the service has had an average of 160 vacancies ring-fenced for students each month, placing a large number of them in employment at the end of their college courses.”

Whilst the report highlights many of the issues faced by colleges and their learners, I firmly believe that a partnership such as the REED NCFE initiative is the right response to the challenges they face. We are continuing to roll out this distinctive service and a number of colleges will ‘go live’ in the new academic year.

For more information on the REED NCFE initiative, please visit www.reed-ncfe.org.uk

David Grailey is Chief Executive of NCFE

[download#58]