Apprentice team of the year contest launched

Eight teams from some of the country’s most successful businesses are battling it out to become “apprentice team of the year”.

The Brathay Apprentice Challenge, which kicked off today with a 10-mile whaler boat race across Dorney Lake, includes teams of apprentices from Bentley, the Co-Operative, Virgin Media and Rolls Royce.

Jez Anderson from the Brathay Trust said: “The Challenge is designed to build on the work we have been doing for many years, helping apprentices’ personal development and demonstrating that apprentices don’t just help businesses grow, they also help develop their local communities.

“The search for the apprentice team of the year will not only demonstrate the formidable skills of the nation’s apprentices, but demonstrate the range of careers available to apprentices.”

The competition also has a team of apprentices which are potential candidates for the GB Junior Rowing Team, supported by Junior World Champion Finalist Jack Beaumont.

Rower Jack Beaumont said: “I am proud to be supporting the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. Many athletes who are representing our country, at the highest level, have completed SkillsActive’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence and so we know first hand the positive impact Apprenticeships have not just on those who take them, but on wider society.”

Challenges will take place over the next two months and test the teams’ abilities to work together, while fundraising for a variety of charities and spreading the word about what apprentices can achieve.

Jaine Bolton, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “We know that one of the main reasons employers offer Apprenticeships is to build skills capacity in their businesses and this Challenge will bring to life the benefits apprentices bring to employers.

“In this new era of higher quality Apprenticeships, that are helping the nation’s businesses grow, more needs to be done to recognise the incredible talent and success of the nation’s apprentices.

“Events like the Brathay Apprentice Challenge are vital in ensuring the success of our apprentices is celebrated and rewarded.”

The Brathay Apprentice Challenge will come to a head with a full day contest at Brathay’s Cumbrian training HQ on March 16th.

WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show announced by John Hayes MP

The skills minister announced a UK successor to the WorldSkills London 2011 competition at the House of Commons last night.

The new annual showcase, named ‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’, will be held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham from November 15-17, 2012.

John Hayes MP, speaking at the Parliamentary Reception for National Apprenticeship Week, said: “It will showcase all that is best in our world and by that, I mean the world of skills here in the UK.”

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) say they hope to host all of the existing national competitions at the event, as well as providing an apprenticeship showcase similar to the hugely successful WorldSkills London 2011.

The showcase will include the popular ‘Have a Go’ activities, as well as a number of experts to give out expert information, advice and guidance.

The national heats held at ‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’ will help select the UK squad which will then compete internationally at Leipzig in 2013.

Jaine Bolton, national director for business development at NAS and official UK delegate for WorldSkills, said: “We’re hoping to get a couple of international teams there too, to do some of their own pressure testing ready for Leipzig, which of course only comes in July next year.”

Simon Waugh, chief executive of the NAS, said he thought the international WorldSkills event held in London last year was the best in the competition’s history.

Mr Waugh said: “What we had was the best WorldSkills event in history – by a mile – 200,000 people went to see it and the vast majority of them were 14-18 year-olds, so it was a fantastic demonstration of what we can do.

“It was the best medal haul we’ve ever had for the UK and that’s why the Skills Show we’re going to have is so important.”

The Parliamentary Reception was attended by a number of former apprentices and WorldSkills competitors, including Will Torrent, now a patisserie consultant at Waitrose.

“It’s about reaching out to more and more people, and saying you know what, being in a skill, being in a vocation can be cool, it can be sexy, it’s trendy and it can lead to a lot of amazing things,” Mr Torrent said.

“The Skills Show will see tens of thousands of people, hopefully young people coming and saying, well I’m not really academic, I’m not really great at wring essays, but I want to be a bricklayer, or I wasn’t to be a pastry chef, and this is also how I can represent my country.”

Shane Allum, a former apprentice at BT and volunteer at WorldSkills London 2011, said any apprentice should try and get involved with ‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’.

“When you’re an apprentice there are so many opportunities open to you, and if you can get involved you absolutely should, because you’ll get so much from it,” Mr Allum said.

“The Skills Show sounds like a really, really great opportunity and a great showcase of the things that people in different kinds of apprenticeships can experience and achieve.”

The event will take place just three days before the Association of Colleges (AoC) Annual Conference 2012, held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) between November 20-22, 2012.

Jaine Bolton said the timings of the two events were merely ‘coincidental’.

“There’s some really good opportunities for us there in terms of getting more of the FE college principals and college network to both events, but it is just a coincidence.” she said.

Visitor registration for ‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’ will be open from March 22, 2012.

Colleges and training providers wishing to apply as a showcase organisation or host a ‘Have a Go’ activity at the ‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’ have until April 20, 2012 to submit a proposal.

LSIS hires new apprentices for National Apprenticeship Week

More than a tenth of the staff at the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) will soon be made up by apprentices.

The organisation has hired nine new apprentices to join three existing learners at the company.

LSIS will soon be offering an additional two apprenticeships to make a grand total of 14 out of 130 staff.

Rob Wye, chief executive of LSIS said: “As an organisation better committed with driving improvement through the Further Education and Skills sector, we wanted to demonstrate our commitment to supporting apprenticeships – and what better way to do it than to employ apprentices ourselves.

“As huge numbers of young people are unemployed we are proud to be able to provide opportunities to learn on the job, to earn a competitive wage and to attend college on day release to study for a relevant, vocational qualification such as an NVQ.”

LSIS is a national organisation, based in Coventry, which employs apprentices in a number of divisions including IT, marketing and communications, finance and human resources.

Lizzie Stubbington, an apprentice in the LSIS Skills for Life and Employment team, left university in her first year because she felt she would learn more working ‘on the job’.

“I carefully considered my options before leaving university and decided an apprenticeship would be best for me. I feel at home in a working environment and I don’t feel like an apprentice, I feel like a member of staff,” Lizzie said.

The announcement forms part of the fifth annual National Apprenticeship Week, led by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).

David Cameron launches bidding for £250 million employer ownership pilot

The Prime Minister has opened the bidding for the “Employer Ownership of Skills” pilot and announced a second round of funding for higher apprenticeships.

Employers can now bid for up to £250 million of direct public funding, bypassing colleges and training providers in order to deliver innovative apprenticeships and vocational training.

David Cameron, speaking on the second day of National Apprenticeship Week, said: “By making apprenticeships a gold standard option for ambitious young people, we are sending a message that technical excellence is as highly valued as academic prowess,”

“And by focusing investment where it is most needed to deliver sustainable growth and offering real ownership of vocational training to employers, we are equipping businesses with the skills they need to rebalance our economy and distribute opportunity more widely.”

Mr Cameron also announced the second round of bidding for the higher apprenticeship fund, worth up to £6 million and aimed at developing new schemes in the aerospace, energy and renewable technologies industries.

Skills Minister John Hayes said: “Clarity of policy and certainty of purpose in Government has delivered a record number of apprenticeships and driven up standards at every level.

“We must now go further to create new pathways to excellence for the brightest and best young people and help employers to secure the high-quality skills they need.”

The Prime Minister confirmed that small firms would be offered a £1,500 incentive, starting this week,  to hire their first apprentice aged between 16 and 18.

“I’m delighted to underline our commitment to strengthen our economy by helping employers take on apprentices and ensure that the UK workforce has the skills that businesses need,” Mr Cameron said.

“Under this Government apprenticeship starts are increasing at a record rate, with improvements across the age range, in all sectors, throughout the country.”

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) has launched a prospectus today explaining how businesses can bid for the first £50 million of the “Employer Ownership of Skills” pilot.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)said: “I believe that to improve both the quality and sustainability of vocational skills, we need a shift in the balance of power away from government and towards employers.

“They are the people who really know what their business needs to grow and thrive.”

The UKCES says successful bids should include an increase in the number of people taking part in vocational training, such as apprenticeships, and make a significant impact on employer productivity and growth.

Employer proposals need to be submitted by April 26, 2012, before final decisions are given in June and July.

(The UKCES prospectus can be downloaded here.) 

Commission on Youth Unemployment says more should be done to help NEETs

The ACEVO Commission on Youth Unemployment has criticised the government’s apprenticeship programme and current schemes designed to tackle youth unemployment.

A new report, chaired by David Miliband MP and titled ‘Youth unemployment: The crisis we cannot afford’, says the government could be doing more to help young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

The commission says the Youth Contract and Work Programme in particular will support only a small proportion of the people who need help.

David Miliband MP said: “Britain faces a youth unemployment emergency.

“This is a crisis we cannot afford.

“Government have set the right goal – abolishing long-term youth unemployment – but we will need big change if we are to achieve it.”

The commission says apprenticeship opportunities are “limited in supply” for young people, and attribute the record growth in framework starts to existing employees aged 25 and above.

The report states: “Many companies now put existing, older employees into ‘apprenticeships’ as a way of giving them training whilst on the job.

“We believe there is significant untapped potential for employers (particularly SMEs) to offer more young people apprenticeships as a high-quality route for their transition from education to a career.”

The report references the Wolf Report and says many vocational courses are “of limited value” to young people aged 16 and above, often encouraging them to enroll in consecutive short courses which offer little value.

The report states: “Whilst some apprenticeships are of very high quality, there is significant variation; employers also told us of their fears that the apprenticeship ‘brand’ could be damaged by indiscriminate expansion, and particularly by the use of apprenticeships to give older existing staff additional qualifications.”

The Commission also criticises the poor amount of awareness surrounding the apprenticeship pathway, claiming too few teachers understand the route or promote it to young people or their parents.

Recommendations in the report include bringing forward the third year of spending for the Youth Contract in order to try and double the number of subsidised jobs in 2012.

Other proposals include a UCAS styled system for apprenticeships, as well as implementing further safeguards to ensure quality is upheld in the apprenticeship programme.

Mr Miliband added: “Young people, government, communities and employers will all need to up their game if young people are to succeed in a radically changing jobs market.

“Our report sets out a practical routemap for how they can do precisely that.

“The crisis of youth unemployment can and must be tackled now.

“With action we can make a real difference across Britain.”

The report also proposes an entirely new programme for young people, called ‘Job Ready’, which would help young NEETs back into education or work.

The programme would be delivered by voluntary or private sector organisations in each local community and offer a ‘deal’, such as a financial allowance, subsidised transport or additional housing, to young people to ensure they stay engaged.

Sir Stephen Bubb, chief executive officer of ACEVO, said: “Youth unemployment has been a burning issue for voluntary sector leaders for years now.

“The current numbers only serve to reinforce that concern.

“Charity CEOs are ready and willing to be a key part of the solution, but we need Government and the private sector to work with us.

“The current crisis will only be solved if we see this as a priority for us all.”

More than one in five young people are now NEET, with a further quarter of a million now unemployed for more than a year.

The commission estimates youth unemployment will cost the exchequer £4.8 billion in 2012 – a figure higher than the 16-19 budget for further education in England.

The report states: “The human misery of youth unemployment is also a time-bomb under the nation’s finances.”

(Download the full report here.)

Can you tell me how to get to Havering College?

Students at Havering College of Further and Higher Education were more than tickled pink when Elmo from Sesame Street’s live touring show dropped in.

The irrepressible Muppet character visited the Ardleigh Green Campus in Hornchurch, Essex, to meet some of the students who will be performing alongside stars from Sesame Street at The London Palladium for one night only on March 26. The Havering College project is part of the Cultural Olympiad having been granted the Inspire Mark by the London 2012 Inspire programme.

The accreditation recognises projects that meet the values of the Olympics and Paralympics in terms of promoting respect, excellence, friendship and equality.

Inspiration will bring together 250 young people from Havering College and schools in Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham.

Music Practice degree student Lucy Murphy (20), from Hainault, will be performing Somewhere Over the Rainbow in Inspiration.

She said: “It’s very exciting. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had parts in previous college show in the West End.

“Appearing on stage at the London Palladium with Elmo will be a great experience.”

Jayde Kirkup is the FE Week & Me competition winner

Congratulations Jayde Kirkup!

We asked students to send in a 500-word article explaining what brought them to college, along with their hopes, fears and aspirations and asked you to vote for your favourite entry.

Almost 350 FE Week readers voted in our online survey so a big thank you to all those who voted.

It was a close competition with the winner, Jayde Kirkup, taking the top spot by just a few votes. Jayde will receive either a Macbook Pro or £1000 worth of John Lewis vouchers.

FE Week would like thank all the thousands of talented students who entered the competition and especially our five shortlisters. Look out for our write-up of the competition online soon!

Read Jayde’s entry below.

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Hello there, I’m Jayde Louise Kirkup. I’m 16 and I’m attending East Durham College in Peterlee. The subject I’m taking is the ‘Btec Health and Social Care Level 3 Diploma’.

I’ve chosen this course because I know it’s going to give me the greatest foundation for me to achieve my life long wish. I’ve wished all my life that I will eventually inspire and help others like I’ve been helped all my life.

With me having Cerebral Palsy it’s obviously paid a great deal with my attendance at school.

Since I was only 8 years old I’ve had operation’s to better myself, so for the future, where I am now, I’m able go to college and walk around just like everyone else.

I mean, it’s still painful and I get very fatigued easily and I get a lot of spasms but I have so much ambitions and aims for myself I cant just let this little part of myself stop me when I know there’s other people worse off!

Furthermore, I’ve had to learn to walk again four times, I’ve pushed myself all my life to be where I am now, and I’m still not going to stop until I’ve achieved everything I wish for.

In school, like I’ve previously said my attendance was very poor, so I had to work twice as hard as most people, therefore, my aim for myself before I left school was to get 100% attendance in year 11
which was succeeded with hard work, effort and not giving up even if I was in pain or had hospital appointment’s.

I believe that if you believe in yourself and you don’t give up, anything can be possible.In my course, I need to achieve the highest marks possible which I really hope to get, even though I know I wouldn’t EVER settle for anything less.

I need to get either 2 Merits and 1 Distinction or 2 Distinction and 1 Merit.

My life long desire is to help young, physically disabled people in a job like Occupational therapy or Physio therapy.

With me having the experience of having physio all my life and the benefits from help will hopefully be a great benefit for them to see.

Not just to have people surrounding them to help them but to have someone beside them which would not only help them but actually know what there going through which will then hopefully inspire them to help themselves and believe that nothings impossible.

Also, I hope I can eventually say that ‘If I can do it, you can do it’.

I know in my heart that if I wasn’t disabled, I wouldn’t be inspired or as strong willed as I am today.

I’m so lucky to have a great family who have always encouraged me that I can do whatever I set my mind too.

Which is why I’m hoping that I’ll succeeded in everything I try in life so I shall get the chance to help people the way I have.

I cant just lay back and not do anything with my life and keep watching people who have never got given the chance to get operations and get better the way I have.

It makes me upset sometimes, why was I the one who got given theses chances to change into someone I’ve always dreamed of being.

I’ve always dreamt of being like everyone else, to be able to do things like everyone else can do because  it’s hard to come to terms with things you mentally can do but physically can’t.

Apprenticeship inquiry extends deadline for written evidence

The Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee has extended the deadline for submitting written evidence for its apprenticeships inquiry.

The new deadline, February 10, hopes to attract more responses during National Apprenticeship Week 2012.

Adrian Bariley MP, Chairman of the BIS Select Committee, said: “We want to receive as much evidence as possible.

“National Apprenticeship Week provides a tremendous platform for the BIS Committee to reach a broad range of interested parties across the country and to raise awareness about our inquiry.

“Respondents could, and indeed should, include companies of all sizes – from large corporations to the smallest SMEs – as well as people who have previously been enrolled on apprenticeship schemes, those who are currently enrolled and those who are thinking about enrolling in the future.”

The terms of reference for the inquiry are:

– How successful has the National Apprenticeship Service been since it was created in April 2009? Has it helped bridge the gap between the two funding Departments? (BIS and DfE)

– Is the extra funding promised by the Coalition Government necessary for apprenticeships? How can this funding best be spent?

– Are apprenticeships of a high enough quality to benefit apprentices and their employers? Should there be more Level 3 apprenticeships?

– Apprenticeship bonuses – how should they function? Will they encourage the involvement of more small and medium sized businesses to take on apprentices? If not what will?

– Is the current funding arrangement for training of apprentices of 100% for 16-18 year olds and 50% for 19-24 year-olds appropriate?

(Written evidence should be sent to the Committee using the following e-mail address: biscommem@parliament.uk)

Burton and South Derbyshire College students club together for building project

A cricket club is the latest project to benefit from the skills of hard-working construction students at Burton and South Derbyshire College.

Students on a range of construction trade courses have started work on Whittington Cricket Club’s new clubhouse, after impressing the English Cricket Board (ECB) with their work on the Darley Abbey Cricket Pavillion when it was completed earlier this year.

Wood machinist students will start work by constructing the window components, and bench joinery students will complete the frames in order to construct a dry shell of a building with a roof, heat and light before the Christmas break.

Students on plumbing, painting and decorating courses will then work on the internal finish, with the aim of completing the project in April 2012.

The new facility will provide the cricket club and community members with showers and toilets, changing rooms, entertaining space for social events and secure storage for ground and personal equipment.

Programme area manager Ian Vanes-Jones said: “At the college, we believe in giving our full-time construction students as much on-site experience as possible to ensure they are genuinely ready for the challenges and reality of life on a building site.”