Join us at the Skills and Education Group Conference 2023 – a highlight of the further education and skills calendar

After a successful 110-year anniversary event last year, the Skills and Education Group Conference takes place again on 23 May 2023.

This annual event is a highlight of the further education and skills calendar. It offers staff from the sector the chance to get inspired by keynote speakers, learn from experts in the sector, and connect with colleagues old and new.

Here’s what you can expect at this year’s event.

Explore the pressing issues in education

The theme of this year’s conference is Levelling Up – an issue that has been high on the government agenda and the topic of much debate.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis have made tackling inequality even more challenging. The conference will look at how we can ensure equal opportunities, and the role the further education and skills sector can play in this.

Our panel sessions will explore some of the key questions relating to Levelling Up. The first session will discuss ‘Levelling up communities’. Opportunities being available throughout the country is crucial to Levelling Up – if talented individuals have to move away from their local area in order to access opportunities elsewhere, what happens to the community they leave behind? The panel will provide a range of perspectives on this topic, informed by their backgrounds in education, research, public service, and skills regeneration.

In the afternoon, our second panel session will focus on ‘Levelling up the sector’. Here, the focus will switch to how our sector can address the needs of all learners. High-profile and important voices from the education sector will talk about how we can ensure that all learners are able to access the provision and support that is right for them.

This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Robert Halfon MP, Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education. Robert was previously Minister of State at the Department for Education from July 2016 to June 2017, and was Co-Chairman and then Vice Chairman of the Further Education, Skills and Life-Long Learning All-Party Parliamentary Skills Group.

This will be a unique address, specific to the Skills and Education Group, so you won’t want to miss it.

Hear from sector leaders

This year’s conference brings together national leaders from across the sector, key decision makers and government officials to discuss the latest issues facing the UK. Join us on the day to hear from our speakers as they share their thoughts on a range of pressing issues.

Find out more about some of our speakers below.

Paul Joyce HMI, Deputy Director – Further Education and Skills, Ofsted – Paul joined Ofsted as HMI in 2005 having previously worked within the further education and skills sector in both general and specialist further education colleges.

Immediately before working for Ofsted, Paul was a consultant for the former Department for Education and Skills and worked on national initiatives supporting improvements to teaching and learning.

Paul has significant inspection experience in both the schools and further education and skills remits and, prior to being appointed Deputy Director, was a Senior HMI with responsibility for the college inspection programme nationally.

You can hear from Paul at our ‘Levelling up the sector’ panel session at the conference.

Rob Nitsch CBE, Delivery Director, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) – Rob is a widely experienced leader who has held board-level directorships in skills-based education and training, engineering, operational delivery, and personnel.

At the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, he has played a leading role in establishing the Institute as the employer voice in apprenticeships and technical qualifications in England, whilst overseeing the successful implementation of standards-based apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

In his previous role he was the Army’s Personnel Director, where his achievements included the opening of combat roles to women; the maximising talent programme; and managing the impact of low recruitment.

Rob will also be part of our ‘Levelling up the sector’ panel.

Shelagh Legrave CBE DL, FE Commissioner, Department for Education – Shelagh Legrave was appointed Further Education Commissioner in March 2021 and took up the role on 1 October. Prior to that, Shelagh was Chief Executive of Chichester College Group for eleven and a half years, which during that time merged with Crawley and Worthing colleges. She also opened Haywards Heath College. Chichester College achieved Outstanding from Ofsted in 2014 and Outstanding for the Group in 2020. She was appointed an OBE in 2015, a Deputy Lieutenant in the same year and a CBE in 2021. She also chairs Stonepillow, a charity for homeless people in West Sussex.

You can hear from Shelagh at our ‘Levelling up the sector’ panel session.

To view our full lineup of speakers, visit the conference website.

Be inspired by our special guest

Will Njobvu, TV and Radio Host, Capital XTRA – Will Njobvu is a TV and radio presenter whose infectious personality and talent for broadcasting has earned him numerous credits.

Will hosts both the Saturday Breakfast Show and Sunday afternoons on Capital XTRA and covers the Entertainment Presenter role on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. He has also hosted The Masked Singer: Unmasked and Life After Love Island: UNTOLD.

He talks openly about how he has negotiated his way through being a young, gay, black man in the UK today. As a champion of the LGBT community, Will is passionate about the importance of being comfortable with your identity and taking care of your mental health; as he too has overcome depression in the past.

Join us at the conference to hear Will share his inspiring journey and explore what it takes to become a more inclusive and just society.

In the meantime, you can also hear from Will on the Skills and Education Group’s Let’s Go Further podcast. In the first episode of Series 2, he spoke about the need for greater diversity and representation in schools and colleges as well as in the workplace. You can listen to the conversation here.

Learn new things in interactive workshops

All attendees will have the opportunity to attend two workshops at the conference, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

These are a great way to learn about new topics and gain fresh ideas to apply in your job role. The workshops are delivered by experienced trainers from a variety of fields and are a stimulating and enjoyable way to enhance your professional development.

Here are some of the sessions you can choose from.

Leading through Strengths – This workshop will focus on some of the key concepts around leadership and how individuals can use their strengths more intentionally, helping them to effectively meet their goals, improve career prospects and overcome challenges.

The workshop will be delivered by Hannah Miller, Founder and Director of Sidekick. Hannah has worked in the education sector as a teacher, senior leader of education (teacher training) and as an Assistant Headteacher. More recently, Hannah has worked as a qualified coach and mentor for five years. As a CliftonStrengths coach, Hannah helps people understand and utilise their strengths in order to perform at their best.

Supporting the Mental Health of Staff and Learners – This workshop will provide an opportunity to promote the importance of mental health and wellness through a variety of useful techniques and strategies. It will also show the impact of a range of concepts that are being implemented across the sector to support both staff and learners.

This workshop will be facilitated by Kim Rutherford, a psychotherapist, coach and corporate trainer with a career spanning over a decade in corporate business at a senior level. Kim’s understanding of and experience in mental health spans more than three decades, and, after her own personal experiences of mental health concerns, Kim retrained and created her own 8WiseTM Wellness Programme.

Work Ready for Decent Work – This workshop will highlight the importance of raising awareness of workers’ rights to help eliminate labour exploitation. Background will be given about the Level 1 Award in Workers’ Rights and Labour Exploitation, developed by the Skills and Education Group and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, and how it is now having a positive impact in helping individuals and local communities.

During the workshop, delegates will hear from the Fashion and Textiles Association (FTA), who were a flagship education provider in introducing and embedding the qualification into their curriculum.

This session will be delivered by Frank Hanson, Head of Prevention and Partnerships at the GLAA, and Jackie Bertram, Deputy CEO of Fashion Enter.

Discover new connections and opportunities

The conference will also include regular opportunities for networking and browsing our exhibition. A wide variety of organisations from the education sector and related fields will be in attendance to showcase their services.

Here are some of the companies you can expect to see on the day.

The Skills Network – Headline Sponsor. The Skills Network is an award-winning e-learning training provider, delivering high-quality educational content and resources through expertly developed technology. Formed in Yorkshire in 2009, The Skills Network is the UK’s largest provider of e-learning experiences. It upskills more than 35,000 learners in the UK alone each year and supports over 5,000 organisations and 500 colleges and independent training providers in delivering distanced learning courses, staff training and apprenticeship programmes.

As well as being part of our exhibition, The Skills Network will also be delivering a workshop on ‘Online Learning: nice to have or an essential part of the skills ecosystem?’ Facilitated by Mark Dawe, CEO, this will look at how online and blended learning drive improvements in efficiency, quality and accessibility.

Lightcast – Digital Content Sponsor. Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) is the world’s leading authority on job skills, workforce talent, and labour market dynamics. They work with over 100 education providers and economic development agencies to help them understand skills demand in relation to key agendas such as Skills for Jobs and Levelling Up.

Lightcast will deliver a workshop at the conference on ‘Using LMI (labour market insights) to articulate intent’. This session will focus on how Hull College Group is using Lightcast data to understand local and regional skills gaps and tailor their curriculum strategy accordingly. It will be facilitated by Karla Hoff from Lightcast and Lynette Leith, Vice Principal Quality at Hull College Group.

FE Tech – Registration and Merchandise Sponsor. FE Tech is the UK’s only website designed to help further education providers find the right learning technology solutions that are designed for our industry. The organisation is a community of learning technology product comparison, latest news and trends from industry expert voices which is meaningful for the sector.

We also have a wide range of exhibitors joining us at the conference. You can view all of them on the conference webpage.

Book your place

Our conference promises to be an enjoyable and fascinating day focused on the key issues affecting further education. We hope you will join us.

The Skills and Education Group Conference 2023 takes place on Tuesday 23 May at the Leicester Marriott hotel. Visit our conference website for the full event details, videos from last year’s event, and to book your place.

Five ways to take your teaching career to the next level with Advanced Teacher Status

As a Further Education (FE) teaching professional, your career is dedicated to guiding students through their learning and helping them develop skills to reach the next stage in their careers and their lives. While your primary focus may be supporting your learners to succeed, that doesn’t mean your own learning and development should take a back seat.

Access to valuable continuous professional development (CPD) is crucial, and this doesn’t become any less important as you progress through your career. But what are the options for advanced teaching professionals who want to demonstrate their mastery of teaching and challenge themselves to take their practice further?

Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) is a recognised professional status for advanced teachers, gained after successfully completing a 12-month period of professional development through the Society for Education and Training (SET). The status is maintained through membership of SET and through re-accreditation every three years.

Applications for the current ATS cohort are open until 31 August. Wondering what ATS has to offer and whether to apply? Here are five ways it can help take your teaching career to the next level.

Engage in new research to improve teaching

Practitioners complete a research project as part of undertaking ATS. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore innovative teaching methods and bring fresh perspective to your practice.

ATS alumni have explored a wealth of topics through their research projects. Molli Bennion, FE GCSE and Functional Skills Maths Lecturer at Preston College, focused on the use of technology in teaching as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“My project was about assessing if Microsoft Forms was an effective blended learning tool for improving participation, because a lot of the students were just not engaging with online learning,” Molli explains.

Molli was able to see the direct impact of her research on learner engagement. “Participation went up by 33% so it definitely started to improve things. It meant that as a teacher, it made it easier for me to monitor to see who was making progress and who was not.”

Beyond the impactful results of the research, Molli found the improvement in her core research skills to be highly beneficial. “Doing ATS also made me a better researcher. Actively researching things for ATS made me realise how much it can help me develop my practice and teaching techniques.”

Gain recognition and confidence

Undertaking ATS further hones your teaching skills, but it also provides recognition of your status as an advanced teacher. Achieving ATS through a rigorous professional development programme demonstrates your mastery of teaching to colleagues and employers alike.

Jacqui Scott, Head of Teaching and Learning Standards at Riverside College, appreciates the recognition ATS grants senior and experienced teachers: “For experienced teachers, where there may be few or limited profession opportunities for them in colleges, ATS provides another way of rewarding them for all their efforts.”

Those who achieve ATS are also awarded Chartered Teacher Status. Ecaterina Bright, Senior Tutor/ICT at Haringey Adult Learning Service (HALS), explains how this recognition is an additional benefit: “Being awarded with Chartered Teacher Status was a bonus, especially because I thrive to be recognised for having evidence-informed, high-quality teaching practice, to maintain excellence in teaching and secure the best outcomes for learners.”

Many alumni have found that achieving ATS brought them renewed confidence in their practice. Peter Saban, Hostage Negotiator Development Manager in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary, summarises his positive experience: “I am really pleased I completed [ATS] because I enjoyed it, and personally, I got a lot from it. It’s made me feel more confident about my delivery and made me think differently about how I deliver.”

Lead change in your organisation by sharing your learning

Following their experience of ATS, many alumni have successfully implemented change across their organisations, sharing the learning from their research to drive improvements in teaching practice.

Oxana Nikitin, Maths Lecturer at East Surrey College (ESC), describes the impact of her learning on her organisation: “ATS gave me the opportunity to cascade my knowledge and professional skills among my peers, colleagues and organisation, and it allowed me to share my experiences and help others to develop their professional practices.”

Oxana details wider cultural changes within her organisation that were supported by ATS: “Undertaking ATS also helped towards the ESC’s goal as an organisation: to change the culture of teachers’ professional development towards a community of collaborative practice in which every practitioner is supported and able to reach their full potential.”

After undertaking ATS, Sally Richards, GCSE English Lecturer at Hartpury College, saw the impact of her learning within her department: “I have been able to share the results of my project and benefits of technology report with my colleagues, which has strengthened our department.”

Others found ATS provided a foundation for progression within their role. Molli Benion shares her own path of progression: “Since being awarded ATS I’ve been given more responsibilities; I’m getting PGCE students to mentor and I do a lot more cross-college working than I did before.”

Benefit your learners

Ultimately, honing your teaching practice and developing your own skills comes down to the same key goal: benefiting your learners. Many practitioners have seen the fruits of their labours in undertaking ATS realised in the form of more effective engagement with learners and better results in the classroom.

Sally Richards explains: “My teaching practice has changed because I am more reflective and critical. Being reflective on a regular basis allows me to improve my teaching from week to week. The critical way I can now read allows me to choose the most appropriate strategies and ideas for my students.”

Molli Benion shares how her research project on the use of Microsoft Forms as a blended learning tool has benefited students, even after they returned to physical classrooms following the Covid-19 lockdowns. “It’s been such a great success that we still use it in maths classes now that we’re back to teaching face-to-face, and engagement and participation is still very high.”

Challenge yourself

As a rigorous programme of work over 12 months, ATS is an opportunity to challenge yourself. Many alumni note that it requires hard work and dedication, but that this makes it all the more rewarding.

James Foster, Head of Academic Studies and Quality Improvement Manager at Weymouth College, admits that he initially underestimated how challenging ATS would be: “I found the reflection to be really good and I enjoyed the project, but I just didn’t expect it to be as demanding. During the process I would sometimes think to myself ‘why am I doing this?’, but then at the end when I finished the process and I got the award, it felt amazing and brilliant.”

Molli Benion shares her advice for meeting the demands of the programme: “Breathe! Ask for mountains of support and advice. Speak to peers on the programme. […] Speak with your mentor and your students, and constantly be in communication with other people to talk about how you’re doing, which way you’re heading, and to bounce ideas off.”

She concludes “ATS is a journey and it’s a process and everyone’s journey is different. Embrace change and enjoy it. I had a ball! It was hard but I loved it.”

Take the next step in your career today

If you’re interested in ATS, you can find out more about the eligibility criteria and apply today via the SET website. Applications close on 31 August 2023. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your professional development and achieve recognition for your advanced teaching practice.

HR firm judged ‘inadequate’ over unsafe recruitment practices

An HR specialist firm has contested an Ofsted’ ‘inadequate’ report for its apprenticeship provision after inspectors found unmonitored vetting checks and other unsafe recruitment practices.

Absolute HR Solutions Ltd, which trades as Absolute Works, was handed the bottom rating in an inspection report published today, dropping from ‘requires improvement’ it received at its last full inspection in January 2020.

The firm, which became an approved apprenticeship provider in May 2017 but has operated as an outsourced human resources (HR) consultancy since 2011, provides training to around 20 apprentices in business administration, team leader supervision and customer service.

Inspectors claimed the provider’s safeguarding arrangements were not effective, explaining that “leaders do not follow their own policies on safeguarding and managing safer recruitment”.

“The currency of staff disclosures and vetting checks is not closely or routinely monitored to ensure that all staff have the required clearances in place prior to working with apprentices, a minority of whom are under 19,” today’s report said.

It added that governance is “not effective”, as arrangements did not include members appropriately qualified and experienced to challenge leaders on safeguarding and quality of education.

Ofsted inspectors also said quality assurance was “not fit for purpose” and trainers did not update their teaching practices or vocational knowledge in their sector regularly. 

The report found that not all learners knew of opportunities available to them after their apprenticeship, and while an impartial careers guidance plan had been implemented by leaders it was too soon to see the impact of that.

While most learners achieve their apprenticeship, “too little of the development of new knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices have undertaken throughout their apprenticeship is because of the teaching they have received, and is more closely linked to the development that apprentices have received from their employer,” the report said.

In addition, some learners fell behind in their learning because they did not get their full off-the-job training entitlement, while teachers did not ensure apprentices developed significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

It said that often new topics were introduced in short online sessions with learners expected to carry out research and complete self-study activities after.

Despite that, the report said that apprentices did complete work to the required standard, the curriculum was logically ordered and leaders linked with local businesses to develop their curriculum plans.

It praised the relationships trainers and apprentices developed and the motivation of business administration apprentices.

Joy May, founder and chief executive, said the organisation has formally challenged Ofsted’s rating.

“We are hugely disappointed with the judgment and do not recognise some of the comments as representative of our apprenticeship provision,” May said.

“We became a provider in 2017 and all of our apprentices except one have passed their apprenticeship, many with distinctions. We are pleased to have helped apprentices on their career journey.

“We have received excellent feedback from employers and apprentices since the commencement of our apprenticeship provision.”

May confirmed the organisation was currently in discussion with the Education and Skills Funding Agency, whose guidance states that funding is pulled for providers which score an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 423

Kate McDonald

Assistant Principal, Riseholme College (part of Bishop Burton College)

Start date: April 2023

Previous job: Director of Further Education, DN Colleges Group

Interesting fact: Kate loves all things sport: playing, watching, supporting. Being a football mum and a rugby fan are particular highlights.

David Melia

Head of Operations: Green Skills Academy, The Growth Company: Education & Skills

Start date: April 2023

Previous job: Head of Quality, Construction EPA Company

Interesting fact: David has three brothers, all working in construction training at different training providers, which makes for interesting discussions during the family get togethers.

Neil Bentley-Gockmann, WorldSkills UK

Neil Bentley-Gockmann is extremely proud of pivoting the focus of WorldSkills UK’s from one big showstopping annual competition event to loftier ambitions around “tackling vocational snobbery”.

But he still misses the buzz the big national skills competition final used to give him in the pre-pandemic years.

Bentley-Gockmann, who is stepping down as chief executive at the charity next month after seven years at the helm, still gets “emotional pangs” when he recalls the bustling event.

Last May, he was at a Pet Shop Boys concert at Birmingham’s NEC and couldn’t resist dragging his husband across to the venue’s empty conference hall where, pre-Covid, around 100,000 young people showcased their skills over three days each year.

“It was fabulous and fantastic – oh, my God, everybody loved it – the scale of it all,” he gushed. 

When Bentley-Gockmann joined the charity in 2015 after 11 years in senior management roles at the Confederation of British Industry, the charity, then called Find a Future, was “very much focused on careers advice”. Bentley-Gockmann led a renaming the next year to WorldSkills UK, and added role modelling and research to its portfolio.

Then the pandemic delivered a bitter blow to the skills competition, from which it has yet to fully recover. Local and national events were put on hold throughout 2020, then WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 was postponed in both 2021 and 2022 due to lockdowns and restrictions. In the UK, small-scale WorldSkills finals took place across 25 venues in 2021 and seven venues in 2022, culminating in virtual awards ceremonies.

Bentley-Gockmann recalls Covid as “such a low point” when he felt the “loneliness of leadership” – “having to make decisions around what to do next in everybody’s best interest when you just have no clue how long this was going to last”.

But the pandemic also gave the charity the opportunity to innovate.

During the first lockdown, WorldSkills UK launched a Centre for Excellence in conjunction with NCFE to drive up training standards for professional development. Although they had “no idea” if anyone in the sector would be interested, they were “overwhelmed with demand”.

It quickly grew.  An innovation network was set up for partners to share data and best practice nationally and internationally, which would not have been possible without the pause in the cycle of national and international competitions programmes. “It gave us space to see things differently,” said the west Belfast-born chief.

Despite his nostalgia for the former final, he does not regret the shift.

“We have moved to really trying to spread high quality within the skills system. We’re now much more plugged into it, bringing our know-how into colleges and training providers more effectively to help raise standards as opposed to just inviting people to our event once a year.”

Learning from other countries

Bentley-Gockmann claims the shift in thinking about raising standards is “not just think-tanky stuff”, but learning from the UK’s competitors about what they are doing better than us.

WorldSkills UK’s latest report last month featured insights gained from the last international competition. In Japan, becoming a vocational educator is a “really prestigious career pathway for professionals” who are “trained to very high levels”.

Inspired by the country’s model, the Centre for Excellence is now exploring how to “give prestige” to the profession of educators and FE on these shores.

Lessons are also being learnt from Switzerland and Austria, where industry is more “embedded in the training system”, and “sharing tech know-how with training systems and intelligence about the direction of travel for technology development”.

He believes professionals are “crying out” for similar collaboration with industry in the UK and is concerned over a lack of funding in colleges to buy the latest equipment that industry is using, with a “gap evolving between what’s being trained for… and what industry needs”.

The next stage of the Centre for Excellence’s work is around “bringing industry insights and knowhow much more closely into that CPD discussion”.

British resilience in adversity

When FE Week first profiled Bentley-Gockmann just before the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in January 2020, he feared Brexit would leave the country “internationally exposed”.

Three years later, he believes it has not had a lasting impact on our standing; although Brexit caused a “wobble” in our relationship with European partners who “couldn’t understand why we were leaving”, we remain “world-leading” on skills, particularly when it comes to our “focus on creativity and problem solving”.

The UK is still among the top 10 leading nations within the global WorldSkills league table, despite facing “really fierce competition” from those countries we seek to learn from.

Bentley-Gockmann believes it is the UK training system’s “huge emphasis on coping with adversity” which makes it stand out. When things go wrong, our contestants “stay focused and in control”.

One British competitor who showed resilience in spades and inspired Bentley-Gockmann more than any other was Dan McCabe, a teenager from Liverpool whose mum described him as a “bit of a nightmare” because he would “sit in his room playing video games all day”.  McCabe went on to win a gold medal for 3D games art at Euroskills Gothenburg in 2016.

While he did not get a medal at the global final the following year, he was “quite sanguine” about it, describing the contest as the best experience of his life. He went on to spearhead a global campaign on mental wellbeing for other young people through WorldSkills.

Since 2017, WorldSkills has engaged over a million young people and, for Bentley-Gockmann, it is youngsters like McCabe who have “kept [him] going” over the last seven years.

But, while he was in awe of the skills of some contestants, Bentley-Gockmann admits to not having those same practical attributes himself. He claims to be “too clumsy”, despite coming from a family of skilled workers.

His dad was a process operator, his uncle a plumber and his brother a train driver. However, a passion for chemistry at school meant he particularly relished the opportunity to watch the lab technicians at WorldSkills events.

Focus on leadership

Bentley-Gockmann’s next move involves taking the reins at The Whitehall & Industry Group, which enables closer collaboration between industry, government and the third sector.

It will allow him to focus on leadership development, his biggest passion,  something he discovered he had in 2013 on an authentic leadership course at Harvard Business School. It was instrumental in his decision to quit the CBI and gave him clarity about his passions for education and diversity.

But the show is not over for Bentley-Gockmann and WorldSkills; he is staying on the UK board to “see them through this transition period” and also as chair of the WorldSkills Global Research Council, a new part of the organisation, to push forward its research agenda.

“There is a Hotel California syndrome at WorldSkills that you check out but never leave. So they have booked me a room, because I’ll be staying a part of the WorldSkills family for a while yet.”

Boosting diversity

One of Bentley-Gockmann’s proudest achievements is managing to boost the diversity of WorldSkills UK’s participants. When he joined the sector, he had assumed it would be “really progressive” around equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). But he was “surprised at the lack of discussion” on the issue.

At the time, the UK team faced “a lot of criticism” because it was “very white and gender segregated”, which did not reflect the make-up of UK colleges. Bentley-Gockmann set about turning things around.

In 2018, WorldSkills interviewed 700 stakeholders around diversity, followed by a big marketing push. Partners were encouraged to “purposefully seek out diversity” – not just young people from ethnic minorities, but also young women in engineering and construction.

Bentley-Gockmann believes the word competition “put off a lot of young people, because they don’t think they’re competitive”. So the wording was softened to “competitions-based training and development”.

Work is continuing at pace with the Association of Colleges, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers and Collab Group around EDI, and Bentley-Gockmann is “really happy” there is now a “really active debate” taking place in the sector on the issue.

The unfulfilled dream

Despite pride in his achievements at WorldSkills UK, Bentley-Gockmann admits he did not achieve all his ambitions. There is one big goal he is leaving for his successor – getting the UK to host WorldSkills International.

The UK has hosted it three times since the two-yearly contest began in 1950, but not since 2011.

It was “not for want of trying”, with Bentley-Gockmann’s team working for a “long time behind the scenes” to “drum up appetite” for a campaign.

He had “lots of really good discussions” with governments around hosting the event here, but it was “never the right timing in terms of government and funding” with “so much change going on in the policy world and politics”.

He believes hosting would have a “really positive, galvanising effect on the skill system”. He witnessed this first hand when the UAE hosted in 2017, and Russia in 2019.

“We have this great international reputation, it’s time for the UK to rehost and showcase what it can do,” he said. “People see Worldskills as an event, but it’s much more than that. It’s a catalyst – the run-up to it is about driving change, getting the sector engaged in the whole agenda and creating a legacy.”

The next WorldSkills will be in Lyon, France in 2024, then “hopefully” Shanghai in 2026, and “beyond that is still up for grabs”.

If the UK does get to play host, Bentley-Gockmann promises he will be “cheering very loudly from the sidelines”.

DfE signs off on £1m UTC contract after termination notice

The Department for Education has released almost £1 million to fund an expansion of a university technical college (UTC) it issued a termination warning notice to just eight weeks ago.

A contract was published this week confirming that Galliford Try Building Limited had been awarded £890,778 to develop the site of Bolton UTC, now known as University Collegiate School. A further £81,227 has been awarded to Conlon Construction Ltd to build the college a multi-use games area.

It comes two months after the DfE’s regional director for the northwest, Vicky Beer, issued a termination warning notice to the board and trustees at Quest, the trust which runs the UTC, over the need for “significant improvement” following an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted judgement in February.

The DfE said the UTC expansion was announced in August 2020, prior to the UTC’s grade four Ofsted rating, explaining that the project is well developed.

A spokesperson added that the regional director has the power to terminate the funding agreement, which would effectively mean it is re-brokered to a new trust rather than closing down entirely, but they are not duty-bound to do so.

It means the regional director could decide to implement other measures rather than terminate the funding agreement.

However, the DfE said that it expects trusts to provide details of how they will drive rapid and sustained improvements.

The DfE would not be drawn on whether it had reconsidered the expansion plans in light of the UTC’s struggles.

Quest and the UTC refused to comment on the plans.

The expansion project is expected to total £10 million and is designed to help the UTC, which caters for students aged 11 to 19, accommodate more pupils and would include fresh sports facilities.

It is currently running at two thirds capacity, with 394 students on its roll against a maximum of 600.

The UTC opened in 2015 originally for students aged 14 to 19 under the Bolton UTC name, but has had a chequered history.

It was handed an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating at its first inspection in 2017, where students told inspectors they had been “sold a dream”.

Whistleblower reports a year later then prompted an investigation into the UTC’s finances, which found some fiscal decisions had gone unchallenged and “inadequate” financial controls.

In April 2019, the UTC was given a second wind when it secured a ‘good’ Ofsted rating following a series of monitoring visits, and joined Quest in August 2020, where it was renamed University Collegiate School.

A fresh visit by inspectors at the end of 2022 resulted in February’s ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report and subsequent termination warning notice.

It compelled the UTC to provide clear evidence of improvements, to safeguarding, leadership and governance, behaviour, curriculum planning and education standards, as well as a school improvement strategy.

Duplication error sees large apprenticeship firm missing from QARs

One of England’s largest apprenticeship providers was left out of this year’s qualification achievement rates (QARs) after a systems error caused the duplication of 700 learners, leaving its figures “unreliable”.

Several other big providers that were included in the government’s official performance tables told FE Week they experienced similar problems but did not spot the issues until after the deadline for challenges, adding that their true rates are higher than those published.

But officials have insisted the issue was not widespread and is understood to not have had a significant impact on national results.

ILR transitions create duplications

Apprenticeship achievement rates were published at national and provider-level on March 31 for the 2021/22 academic year.

The data showed that the achievement rate for standards stood at 51.4 per cent, down 0.4 percentage points on the year before and a long way off the 67 per cent achievement rate target that ministers have set for 2025.

Two providers were redacted from the formal QAR dataset – one of which was Paragon Education and Skills Ltd, a long-running apprenticeship firm that had 3,270 leavers in 2021/22.

The company’s commercial director Paul O’Hagan told FE Week the redaction was based on “an error in one field of our ILR (individualised learner record) upload” caused after Paragon migrated to a new systems provider.

“There was a duplication of 700 learners at R04,” he explained. “What that meant was our stated QAR was coming out 10 percentage points less than it actually was. The transition created the duplication, and this was not picked up by the ESFA data self-assessment toolkit or the software we use to check success rates from multiple year ILRs.”

O’Hagan said the ESFA was “very supportive in terms of redacting the data based on the premise that it wasn’t reflecting of actually where we are as a business from a QAR perspective”, adding that the firm’s systems provider was “very open and very supportive with taking all the actions, so it’s not an issue moving forward”.

When the data duplication was removed, Paragon’s QAR moved from 39 per cent to about 49.9 per cent.

Nine of the 20 largest apprenticeship providers in England are recorded as having overall achievement rates of below 50 per cent in the DfE’s official QAR data.

They include the likes of Lifetime Training (45 per cent), Babington Business College (48.1 per cent), and HIT Training (36.1 per cent).

Several other providers that spoke to FE Week said they experienced similar data issues to Paragon – there was a problem with learner identification during their migration to new systems, which counted some leavers twice.

Jill Whittaker, managing director of HIT Training, said this impacted her provider, leaving its QAR around five percentage points lower than what it truly is.

Some of those affected said they experienced the issue when moving to Bud Systems.

A spokesperson for Bud said: “Bud was made aware of a system error that affected a small number of our customers. Bud worked closely with our customers and the ESFA to diagnose the issue and the extent of the impact. The ESFA concluded that the error did not have a significant impact on national QAR production. This issue has now been rectified within the software.”

A DfE spokesperson added: “We have a clear and robust process for calculating QARs based on data submitted by providers, who are responsible for the quality of their own data.

“Every year, providers have had the opportunity to report any issues regarding QAR, and we have worked with them to address these concerns. Any concerns raised have been fed into the usual Quality Assurance processes supporting final publication.”

QARs are for a ‘different world’

Regardless of the system issues, there are sector-wide concerns that the way in which apprenticeship achievement rates are calculated is out of date and represents a regime prior to the introduction of an employer-led system.

Lifetime Training, for example, said its QAR reflects the Covid-19 period, when its core sectors of hospitality, care and retail were facing significant challenges which impacted learners and caused many withdrawals.

A spokesperson for the provider said the current QAR calculation is a “one-dimensional metric which does not consider sectoral differences around turnover and workforce dynamics”.

Whittaker echoed this. “When the ESFA measure QAR it is assumed that all leavers are the providers fault, when most leavers are down to the learner or employer. How can the provider be responsible for learners who change career or move to an employer who doesn’t want to continue the apprenticeship?” she told FE Week.

“QAR was developed to measure the success of apprenticeship frameworks. We are now in a different world, working under a different regime which is very much controlled by employers, not by providers. It is time to update the current outmoded measurement systems to reflect this.”

Emergency funding review set to pass planned end date – again

Promised emergency funding uplifts for a select few apprenticeships under the most pressure from rising costs face yet another “shocking” delay due to “excessive bureaucracy and indecision”.

Cash boosts for 20 apprenticeship standards were supposed to be finally introduced from May 1, but sign off on the process is still with the Treasury with just days to go before the deadline.

Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education chief executive Jennifer Coupland revealed last month that just half of those in scope have actually opted to go through the exceptional process, which was first announced six months ago.

FE Week understands it is unlikely that all remaining 10 standards will have a positive outcome.

Apprenticeships that are going through the emergency funding review include hard-pressed industries such as adult care, hospitality, and HGV driving.

A spokesperson for the institute told FE Week: “We continue to work closely with the department to conclude the exceptional funding band review process and implement any funding changes as soon as possible.”

Some providers have put starts on hold in anticipation of a funding uplift in recent months and have been left angered by the prospect of another setback.

Jill Whittaker, managing director of HIT Training, which offers several standards going through the review, said: “This was supposed to be an emergency funding uplift: firstly, we are told it will only be one funding [band] level which will still not cover the costs of delivery; secondly, we hear it will only be applied to future starts, which disadvantages existing providers over new entrants to the market; and thirdly, the urgency is real, and it was urgent when the review was announced.

“A number of providers have gone bust in recent months. Where’s the urgency? To delay further is shocking.”

Is the funding band review process is fit for purpose?

In November the Education and Skills Funding Agency announced plans to quickly increase funding bands in the hardest hit sectors to recognise the impact of soaring inflation on training delivery, with an ambition to unveil details of the process at the end of that month.

The IfATE belatedly announced in January that this “exceptional funding band review” would only apply to 20 “high-volume apprenticeships in skills shortage occupations and priority sectors”.

The chosen standards represented about 20 per cent of all apprenticeships starts. Evidence for an uplift was needed by early March and the new funding bands had planned to be implemented by May 1.

IfATE said the exceptional review would not include the full apprenticeship content or end-point assessment review that the ordinary revisions process includes, to help speed up the process.

Coupland told last month’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference that the institute received “different responses” from the 20 trailblazer groups that were identified for the review, where “one didn’t want to go for it and another clutch said they would prefer to go through the usual funding band process, because they actually wanted us to review their end-point assessment, the content of the apprenticeship, as well as the funding”.

Any uplifts will only be by one funding band, and they will only apply to new starters.

Responding to the likelihood of yet another delay, Jane Hickie, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “As the sector waits for any news of these uplifts, and inflation rates continue to soar, providers are under enormous financial pressure and apprentices suffer despite being lauded as part of the governments flagship programme.

“Excessive bureaucracy and indecision would appear to mean that we will not see the promised funding increases to be in place for May’s new starts.”

She added: “At a time when the Treasury are collecting hundreds of millions from employers, and the system cannot work for even a very small number of standards, questions must be asked about whether the funding band review process is fit for purpose.”

Another Saudi college venture ends

A major college group’s venture in Saudi Arabia has officially ended – but questions hang over whether millions of pounds in tax will need to be handed back.

Activate Learning has run The Oxford Partnership LLP – a group of four colleges for female students – in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the country’s Colleges of Excellence programme since 2014.

But the college group failed to reach an agreement to renew the funding contract when it expired in 2020, so The Oxford Partnership LLP ceased trading and went into liquidation in April 2022, according to Activate’s recently published accounts.

At the point of liquidation Activate Learning wrote off a £31,500 initial investment, but there is concern that the Saudi Arabian tax authority could come knocking.

The group’s accounts said: “Prior to being wound up, The Oxford Partnership LLP was appealing against income tax and withholding tax determinations from the Saudi Arabian tax authority in relation to certain tax treatments adopted for the financial years 2015 to 2018.

“Although the group have received professional advice that the tax treatments used were appropriate and in accordance with relevant legislation, there is uncertainty over whether the group will be pursued for settlement.”

As a result, Activate Learning has held a £2.4 million liability within its latest financial statements, which represents the “remaining net assets of The Oxford Partnership LLP in case a future claim should arise”.

A spokesperson the college group added: “We have been prudent in providing for disputed legacy tax liabilities, should they materialise. Given the circumstances, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on the matter.”

Colleges of Excellence was founded in 2013 to boost technical and vocational education and training in Saudi Arabia through partnerships with international providers.

However, a number of providers dropped out of the programme early on as challenges with operating in the region became apparent.

Several England-based colleges that were involved experienced various financial issues, and the number involved in the country has dropped significantly.

Activate Learning’s spokesperson explained that the group’s operation in Saudi Arabia ended when funding contracts came to a natural conclusion. The group was seeking a renewal, but at that time, the “local agency responsible for commissioning the delivery of teaching and learning in the region were looking to work with a local partner, rather than continuing their relationship with an international college”.

Just two England-based colleges appear to still operate in Saudi Arabia: Burton and South Derbyshire College and Lincoln College Group.

Burton and South Derbyshire College’s current contract expires in 2023.

A spokesperson said the college was in “meaningful dialogue with Colleges of Excellence, whilst also exploring other commercial opportunities in the country”.

The spokesperson added that the college would not expect its Saudi Arabian operation to be impacted by the recent reclassification of colleges to the public sector, as it has worked in the country “for over a decade and, for this reason, do not see this work as novel, contentious or repercussive”.

Lincoln College Group was unavailable for comment.