Harlow College student helps launch the new NUS card for apprentices

A society for apprentices with a NUS discount card for members has been launched to boost the status of skills-based training.

The Apprentice Society and its membership card are being billed as a skills-based equivalent to the National Union of Students and its NUS Extra card.

Skills minister John Hayes, Robert Halfon MP and apprentice Andy Huckle launched the card at a reception at the House of Commons.

Mr Hayes said the apprentice card would tackle a perceived gap in prestige between academic and skills-based qualifications.

“When you cease to be an undergraduate, you have a chance to become a post-graduate. When you finish your apprenticeship, you’re an ex-apprentice. “I want to further that. Let’s have a vocational route as rigorous, as robust, as recognised and as seductive as the path that Robert and I trod,” he said.

Andy, who is studying with Harlow College said; “I was working with a small business in Harlow making aircraft labels. I saw Robert’s advert for an apprentice in the local newspaper and thought I would go for it.

“I’d started A-levels, but I was 17 years old, just out of school, and I didn’t have a lot of dedication or commitment. I preferred to have a job with a salary, but I didn’t see any prospects in the job I was in. “I’ve always loved politics, but I’d never thought of working at the House of Commons.

Andy finishes his apprenticeship in one month’s time when he sits the last of six exams in his bid to gain an NVQ level three qualification in business administration.

Position yourself to further your career

Jobs are getting thinner on the ground in FE as colleges across the country are making redundancies. Yet, no matter what sector you work in there is a limitless amount of generic information out there on how to further or even protect your career.

The obvious advice can often be overlooked but it’s often the best place to start. Look at your job role and ensure you cover every aspect of your post to the best of your ability; once this has been achieved you can begin to focus on the areas you are most interested in and prove to your boss that you have the ability to expand your responsibilities. In most situations you need to actively increase your workload in order to highlight your ambitions to your colleagues. This not only demonstrates your skills but it shows your commitment towards the role.

In order to further your career look at the resources available to you; more often than not training courses are on your doorstep. In many other careers trying to persuade an employer that a new course will enhance your skills is a long drawn out process but you are working in an environment where research and training is the main aim! Talk to your HR manager and discuss what opportunities are available to you; this will not only enhance your CV but give you the chance to develop in an area you are most passionate about.

Working in further education will open your eyes to a vast range of jobs; whether you want to advance your career in administration, project management or teaching the opportunities are there. Within this environment you will quickly start to relate to the ambitious atmosphere and motivation becomes second nature.

Talk to your HR manager and discuss what opportunities are available to you”

During the recession many part-time and contract employees found their jobs at risk. This is unfortunate because due to the competitive nature of this work many candidates found themselves in these roles and struggled to land a more permanent role.

This can be a positive position to be in though; you have access to the same resources and benefits as well as the flexibility to train part-time or in some instances work overtime to really prove your commitment.

Lee Biggins is Managing Director of CV-Library

Quality on the bench

For the past ten years I have been working for a private training company offering apprenticeships. Previous to this, I spent 14 years in an FE College leaving after reaching the dizzy heights of Director of Studies.

Transferring a college based quality system to work based training has been an interesting experience. We have achieved this without the overly bureaucratic layers associated with college committees and the tiers of administration. It has grown a successful group of individuals who were rewarded with a Grade 1 status which is still in place to this date.

To my mind, quality is integral to the successful delivery of training and education and has been central to my mission. Quality has grown the reputation of the company on a local level, enabled repeat business and loyalty from employers who value the service provided. It has enabled us to offer a wider provision to our existing employer base through Train to Gain whilst still delivering high success rates and satisfied learners.

We have worked hard to dispel early criticisms of NVQs being a tick based exercise into a valued part of employee continued professional development. Our philosophy has always been to encourage learner ownership and, with trained assessor staff, encourage an atmosphere of self reflection and improvement.

I am proud of what we have achieved but in today’s climate there is no room for complacency. The big boys are moving in – our loyal employers are being courted by national companies promising to deliver an Apprenticeship framework in 4 months without employer contribution against our traditional 12 month delivery before we even ask for money.

As Darwin would say, in a period of change, “adapt or perish”; the niche we have created in a small rural backwater is at risk of no longer being viable to command an SFA contract in its own right.  Fortunately, we have escaped the Minimum Contract Level (MCL)  hurdle for this year but nervously await the next one with some trepidation.

I am proud of what we have achieved but in today’s climate there is no room for complacency.”

The Apprenticeship Act has put the framework as a central pillar for economic recovery and rightly so, stipulating the expectations of a framework. This can only be good for quality if guided learning hours are prescriptive and employers are asked to show their commitment through paid off-the-job contribution to the qualification. This should guarantee the quality but the real truth is that for many providers funding will be a key driver.

And so we move into a new era of performance management where decisions about which learners we work with will be down to a financial formula. Assessors have targets, marketing have targets and there is monthly reconciliation to ensure that all learners funding is maximised to generate income. The pressure will be on us to deliver more for less.

In 1991, I remember my old Principal addressing our staff group by saying that we were being asked to provide “more for less and with even higher quality”. It is a mantra that I have met all my teaching profession. It would be a sad service to our sector if those common words get shortened to “more for less”, quality sitting it out on the bench until such a time as the inspector calls.

Philip Broomhead is Director of Learning and Quality at Riverside Training

Surge in the over-25s sees record rise in apprentices

The Government’s apprenticeship recruitment target of 203,200 for the financial year to March 2011 was exceeded by 54,000, John Hayes, Minister for FE, announced last week.

Particularly striking has been the volume of those apprentices aged 25 and over who started in the first three quarters of this academic year (August 2010 to April 2011).  Provisional data published by the BIS Data Service shows that these starts have increased by 234 per cent to 121,100. So far this year 37 per cent of all starts have been for the 25+ age group (17 per cent for the same period last year). Further analysis of the published figures shows that 33,750 starts (up from 9,810 last year) are for people aged 45-59 (now 10 per cent of all starts, up from 4 per cent last year), and 2,930 aged 60+ (400 last year).

Gordon Marsden MP, Shadow Minister for FE and skills told FE Week; “These figures show the largest increase coming in the post 25 category – most dramatically in 35-59. This must raise questions of how much that increase is simply transfers from Train to Gain, or people already in employment.”

Professor Alison Wolf, an advisor to Government on 14-19 vocational learning told FE Week: “Providers have been saying for some time that, if they are going to make their apprenticeship targets fast, it will be by targeting adults. The recent figures bear this out, which is bad news for youth unemployment.”

Marsden agrees, he said: “What we do know is that the modest increase in the 16-18 cohort won’t be enough to address the deepening crisis around youth unemployment.

“What’s more, if these numbers have been swelled through transfers from Train to Gain, could they also be subject to the same deadweight questions that Train to Gain attracted?”

The employment sectors seeing the greatest number of additional apprenticeship starts, according to the BIS Data Service, have occurred in framework areas that might not be considered ‘traditional’ apprenticeship, such as retail. For more on this see the Morrisons story.

The Guardian has since reported on the issue and you can see our update here.

Morrisons, Elmfield and the over-25 apprentices

Morrisons boasts that it is the UK’s biggest provider of apprenticeships, although in reality the funding is claimed from the Skills Funding Agency by the independent training provider Elmfield Training Ltd.

In the context of a national record number of apprentices (see page 1), what stands out is the rapid increase in adults aged 25 and over participating in their programme.

Figures obtained by FE Week from the Skills Funding Agency, and confirmed as correct by Elmfield Training Ltd, show that so far in 2010/11 there have been nearly 18,000 apprenticeship starts in Level 2 Retail. Incredibly, not only does this make up for 15 per cent of all 25+ apprentice starts in England so far in 2010/11, but this was from a standing start as no Morrisons apprentices over the age of 25 were started in the previous year (see figures below).

Julian Bailey, Head of Media Relations at Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, said: “We think apprenticeships are important for new and existing staff as a way of developing and enhancing skills and work very closely with Elmfield Training in all aspects of apprenticeships”

Simon Shaw from Elmfield Training Ltd said: “Morrisons is the largest employer we work with, and supports the government’s skills and employability agendas in multiple ways, including 16-18 year olds, 19-24 NEETs and adults in local communities without prior qualifications.”

As reported in the last edition of FE Week Elmfield saw their total apprenticeship funding allocation increase in 2010/11 by £21m (to over £40m) at quarter two (quarter three figures have yet to be released by the Skills Funding Agency) and enjoyed pre-tax profits last year of £12.3m on a £33.8m turnover.

The Skills Funding Agency has also confirmed that whilst Elmfield has been planning Morrisons apprenticeship programmes to take just over a year, in fact the average actual duration has been just 28 weeks.

At the time of going to press neither Morrisons nor Elmfield Training Ltd were able to say whether a cash employer contribution was being exchanged.

Elmfield Training Ltd has yet to be inspected as a lead provider by Ofsted.

Bicton florist wins South West UK Skills competition

Bicton College floristry student Sachiko Smale has won through to the national final of the UK Skills Advanced Floristry competition.

Sachiko, who is studying for her Level 5 Master Diploma of Professional Floristry [NDSF], created a stunning bridal bouquet. Sachi said, ‘Winning this competition has proved that I am doing fine and has given me more confidence for my exams, I’m looking forward to the final.’

As the highest scoring competitor in the South West heat, Sachiko has been invited to compete in the UK final to be held at the Royal Horticultural Society show at Tatton Park in July 2011. The winner at that event will represent the UK at the World Skills final in London this October.

Central Sussex College: Rome wasn’t built in a day – it took a month!

Roman architecture came to Crawley after a legion of students from Central Sussex College completed their very own, miniature version of the Colosseum!

The fifteen students, all aged 16-19, are studying Building Craft Occupations (BCO) at the Crawley campus, and were inspired to recreate the world famous structure after looking at construction techniques throughout the ages.

Tutor Mark Blake said: “I wanted the group use their imaginations, and see the potential of bricks and mortar. I was keen that they used their imaginations, and wanted them to see the potential of bricks and mortar – to realise that they could do much more with it than building flat walls and uninspiring structures.”

The Colosseum has now been demolished, and the materials re-cycled for new projects, but it has been such a success that it will be repeated next year. The faculty are also keen to incorporate a trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace in Chichester or even to the Colosseum itself in Rome, for students to experience the scale of the structure first-hand.

Ex Grimbsby student, actor John Hurt wins Gold Award

Award-winning actor John Hurt CBE, famous for films such as The Elephant Man and The Naked Civil Servant, has won an Association of Colleges’ Gold Award. He was nominated by The Grimsby Institute for continuing to inspire generations of art and drama students.

John said he is “forever grateful” for the time he spent at Grimsby Art School, now the Grimsby Institute, where he studied Fine Art from 1956-1958. He was presented with his award by Lord Willis of Knaresborough, President of the AoC Charitable Trust, at a ceremony at the House of Commons earlier this month.

NUS VP advice to FE post-EMA

In the past few weeks, we have heard final details about the Discretionary Learner Support Fund that is to replace the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Managers in Further Education won’t be strangers to the idea of Learner Support Funds, but there are some distinct differences that make this one much more difficult to distribute.

Providing an unidentified number of students who are in receipt of income support, in care, are care leavers and / or are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance with a bursary of £1200; and then trying to negotiate a fair way of distributing what is left (with no guidelines to follow) to allow students to attend college and succeed. It’s not the easiest task, and it’s been made much more difficult by the government’s lack of communication and last-minute, slap-dash approach to funding formulae and allocations to colleges.

We are right to be angry at the last minute reduction in the funding multiplier, ultimately reduced to just £190 per maximum EMA recipient. We should also all be very aware that the final sum of 16-19 Bursary support is nowhere near the final £180million students were promised as it has now been deemed an “aspiration”.

Although the loss of EMA is not something that NUS intends to stop campaigning on, we need to get on with ensuring that students get the best possible deal from the new Discretionary Learner Support Fund while we continue to campaign against cuts to student support.

The first step is to review current methods of distributing Learner Support Funds that are already available, because the new system needs to be much further reaching to make up for the students who won’t be able to claim EMA.

We know the priority groups for the government do not provide holistic coverage of all the students at need in colleges.  We need to take in to consideration:

1. Students who would have been in the £10-£20 EMA brackets who now will not be automatically receiving any grant funding.

2. students who live in local authorities without sufficiently subsidised transport schemes

3. students on courses with high course costs (i.e. equipment for vocational courses and textbooks for academic subjects).

The most important thing colleges can do when reviewing their current systems is to involve students as much as possible in producing a set of fair, accessible and responsible policies around the new scheme. Invite student representatives to meetings where these review processes will be taking place, ask the Students’ Union to feed in to a consultation on the changes the college is having to make, and communicate all of these changes effectively to the student population at large.

There are other areas where colleges can help to reduce hidden costs in Further Education (and thereby reduce numbers of students who require access to the Learner Support Fund), work with local authorities to save and increase transport subsidies, and reduce equipment and college-incurred costs as much as possible (enrolment fees, application fees, materials fees and ID card charges).

NUS fully acknowledges that tough decisions have to be made by managers in FE. Where resource can be utilized elsewhere; it must, where the 5 per cent allowance for admin can be waved; it must too – our task, together, is to do everything to ensure no student drops out due to financial hardship, whilst also hammering the government on what is an inefficient and ineffective policy.

Toni Pearce, Vice President (FE), NUS Tweeting as @toni_pearce