NAS could withdraw funding from providers as they look into “every short apprenticeship”

Funding will be withdrawn from providers who fail to meet standards as government agencies bid to tackle short apprenticeships.

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) is working alongside the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to review every short apprenticeship programme.

It comes following the introduction of Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE) and a series of stories by FE Week, highlighting the concerns over the rising delivery of 12-week apprenticeships.

NAS say the review will “closely consider the circumstances of each short apprenticeship programme with the college or training provider” so they can “fully understand the delivery model and can make a judgement” on whether it meets SASE.

Ultimately, funding will be cut from those which do not come up to scratch.

A spokesperson for NAS said: “Throughout the review, our priority will be to remove apprenticeship funding from provision which fails to meet the required standard, while maintaining provision that supports young people into employment or other training, as well as giving them the opportunity to progress onto an apprenticeship programme.”

However, NAS also said they expect to find some programmes which, despite not meeting the SASE standards, “still provide appropriate and valuable training for young people” not in education, employment or training.

The spokesperson added: “We will work with the providers and employers of such provision, and where appropriate also with the YPLA and SFA, to secure suitable alternative funding where that is appropriate.”

Where apprenticeship provision does not meet the required standards, funding will be withdrawn.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said John Hayes MP, the minister for further education, skills and lifelong learning, is in discussions with NAS over issues with apprenticeships.

She also said that of apprenticeships starting between August 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011, three per cent lasted less than thirteen weeks.

The spokesperson added: “NAS is scrutinising each of these programmes to ensure they are of a high quality, ensure successful outcomes for companies and individuals and provide good value for public investment.”

She also added: “Where apprenticeship provision does not meet the required standards, funding will be withdrawn.”

Although NAS were unable to give further details on the review, including how many programmes it will affect, an investigation by FE Week on the agency’s vacancy website found more than 700 listed for 12 or 16 weeks by De Vere Group.

The hotelier offers apprenticeships in customer service and professional cookery at nationwide De Vere Academy of Hospitality.

They are open to 16 to 24-year-olds, paying £104 per week (the minimum apprenticeship wage) for a 40 hour week over five days.

While acknowledging programmes delivered by De Vere do not meet the SASE requirements, NAS say they do provide “appropriate and valuable provision for young people” who want to work in the hospitality sector.

However, the NAS spokesperson said: “We intend to work with De Vere and the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality sector, People 1st, to develop a tailored ‘Access to Apprenticeship’ pathway to meet the specific needs of employers in the sector that will offer a high quality opportunity to young people wanting to work in the sector.

“While we work together to identify an alternative source of funding, we will continue to support De Vere, young people and employers involved in the programme.

“All live De Vere vacancies posted on the apprenticeship vacancy site will indicate that the provision is under review and is likely to change.”

Meanwhile, De Vere Group – which employs its apprentices under the ‘Academy’ brand and was formally known as the Alternative Hotel Group – said that they have been working with NAS for the last three months.

A spokesman for the firm said: “We are working closely with NAS and together we are confident we can agree a new delivery model that ensures we can continue to support employers and young people who want to work in the hospitality sector.”

Related articles in FE Week (incl. info graphic ~ 11mb):

Adult apprenticeships benefit from Train to Gain funding

Government figures show adult apprenticeships more than tripled

Hundreds of 12 week apprenticeships advertised on NAS website are ‘under review’

Short 12 week apprenticeships are off the menu

Remind me again why I pay the training budget of a $422bn company?

City and Guilds allocated more than £8m for 25,000 Asda Apprentices

Morrisons, Elmfied and the over 25 Apprentices

12 week apprenticeships still advertised

Will 12 week apprentices ever be derailed?

Latest apprenticeship policy slammed

NAS concerned about quality following rapid apprenticeship expansion

Concern at 12 week apprenticeships

External related links:

Guardian: Jobs rebranded as apprenticeships, government report warns

Guardian: Apprenticeship figures are not what they seem

Telegraph: Apprenticeships double but concerns over ‘chasing targets’

Mail on Sunday: The great apprentice racket: Some jobs fall short of skills as firms collect millions

Guardian: Big increase in apprenticeships due to ‘striking rise’ in trainees over 25

BBC Radio 4 In Business programme on supermarket apprentices

Vocational qualifications will not count in performance tables unless they’re high quality, the Department for Education (DfE) announced under new guidance today.

The changes mean that vocational subjects will only be included on a ‘one-for-one’ basis with academic qualifications from 2014.

The DfE hopes the new rules will stop schools from choosing subjects simply to  boost their performance table position, and prioritise student needs instead.

Under the new guidance, qualifications will only count if:

• they offer pupils proven progression into a broad range of further qualifications or careers post-16, rather than narrowing students’ options
• they are the size of a GCSE or bigger
• they have a substantial proportion of external assessment and require students to use knowledge across their subject
• they have grades such as A*-G (those with simple pass or fail results will be excluded).

Nick Gibb, Schools Minister, said: “We want to be sure that the vocational qualifications taken by 14-16 year olds genuinely lead on to further education and are valued by employers. No pupil should be preparing for a vocational qualification simply to boost the schools “GCSE or equivalent” score in the performance tables.

“These reforms introduce a systematic and fair set of rules that will determine which of the many thousands of qualifications taught in schools can be included in performance tables for 2014 onwards.

“They will lead to a boost in the quality of vocational qualifications being taken and will enhance the opportunities for young people to progress.”

The DfE says that they will publish a full list of qualifications that count towards performance tables in early 2012.

GCSEs, established iGCSEs and AS Levels are said to not be affected by the new criteria.

The announcement is in response to a report by Professor Alison Wolf’s on vocational qualifications, which found that the current performance table system enouraged schools to teach qualifications with the most points.

Professor Alison Wolf found that:

• The number of so called “equivalent” qualifications taken in schools up to age 16 has exploded in recent years – from 15,000 in 2004 to 575,000 in 2010.
• In 2009-10, 125,367 students achieved Level 1 (grades D to G) in so-called equivalent qualifications, up from 11,007 in 2003-04.
• In 2009-10, 462,182 students achieved Level 2 (grades A* to C) in so-called equivalent qualifications, including BTECs, up from 1882 in 2003-04.

The DfE states: “Awarding bodies are still able to refine their existing qualifications offer before then. For existing qualifications too new to prove progression or take-up, there will be opportunities for awarding bodies to gather evidence for review. Awarding bodies whose qualifications fail the assessment and/or grading characteristics only, meeting the other characteristics, will have up to a year to redevelop them. There will be a two-year period where no brand new qualifications will be considered for inclusion in the performance tables.”

UNISON have published a press release stating that “last-minute amendment to the Education Bill could remove the legal right to staff and student governors on further education college governing bodies”. Click here for the full text

The press release continues: “The amendment (83A*), which will be debated in the House of Lords today, was placed just two days before the final report stage of the Education Bill in the House of Lords. It would remove the legal, mandatory stipulation that further education governing bodies contained at least two student and two staff governors.”

Jon Richards, UNISON National Secretary Education and Childrens Services said:  “I am shocked at the way the government has tried to slip this amendment under the radar. The motive for doing this seems extremely suspect. It looks like an undemocratic attempt to remove college democracy.  This is not a necessary technical change as the government is trying to claim. They risk giving colleges the chance to remove the eyes and ears of staff and students from governing bodies. We are therefore calling on the government to withdraw the amendments.”

Toni Pearce, NUS Vice President said: “The long-standing tradition of requiring staff and student membership in college governance structures as well as parent membership in schools and sixth form colleges is incredibly important, and to remove it in this way, without any consultation would be extremely worrying. This change runs entirely counter to the governments expressed support for the existence of student and staff governors. The suggestion that this is merely a technical change simply does not hold and it is clear that there is no legal reason why this cannot continue to be a mandatory requirement. The government must urgently clarify whether or not a legal requirement for student and staff governors will be maintained. It is only too clear that a merely voluntary agreement is not good enough as it would allow student and staff representation to be removed on a whim.”

Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary said: “These changes, if voted through, will increase the risk of mismanagement and corruption at colleges and make institutions less answerable to the public. Staff and students play a vital role in ensuring transparency and accountability and in highlighting bad governance when it arises. A voluntary code, as has been shown in numerous other industries, is simply not good enough. With the sector facing huge funding challenges it seems perverse to be pushing these changes through. Colleges benefit massively from the input of the people working at the coalface day in day out and should not just be able to remove dissenting voices.”

FE Week will be seeking comment from both the Government and the Association of Colleges today.