A new centre for excellence is redefining how to tackle skills shortages

The challenges facing the NHS in addressing increasingly concerning staff shortages nationally are well known and laid out starkly in last year’s NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

At the time of its publication in June, it highlighted 112,000 local vacancies. Increasing need from an aging population and exhausted professionals leaving for jobs with better pay or fewer demands are among the reasons the problem has grown.

The report also issued stark warnings of a staff shortfall of between 260,000 and 360,000 by 2036/37 if measures aren’t made to bolster workforce numbers in critical areas.

The plan identified increased education and training to “record levels” and ambitions for upscaling apprenticeships among the key drivers in tackling the problem.

The pilot of new medical degree apprenticeships stole the headlines when the plan was first published, but it is far more than just doctors our NHS needs; nurses, radiographers, care workers and mental health professionals are just some of those also in high demand.

But simply creating more apprenticeships isn’t enough. Health careers are highly rewarding, but we already know that learners need to be inspired and driven to pursue careers in such highly-demanding and, at times, poorly-paid jobs.

It is why a local response is needed to help address national shortages, and a brand new partnership across East Anglia plans to deliver on this.

The East of England Centre of Excellence for Health Apprenticeships (CEHA) will see three further education providers (The College of West Anglia, East Coast College and Suffolk New College), two integrated care systems (Norfolk and Waveney, and Suffolk and North East Essex) and the University of Suffolk team up to boost apprenticeship provision.

It is a model we believe will be critical to the NHS

By working together, health and education leaders across the region will identify the current shortfall in provision and expand the portfolio of apprenticeships the providers will offer to fill those vital needs. That will include working with more employers to deliver those places.

For instance, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan’s modelling indicates that by 2031/32 around 28 per cent of nurses could train through a degree apprenticeship route, including 42 per cent of learning disability nurses and 30 per cent of adult and mental health nurses. Currently, just 9 per cent of nurses qualify this way.

Even more crucially, this partnership will provide progression opportunities for learners as they work their way up the skills ladder. For example, a learner could start out with Level 1 to 3 health and social care qualifications in an FE college, advance to a level 4 or 5 nursing associate programme, and continue to Level 6 and 7 degree apprenticeships at university.

Creating clear progression paths will help learners plan their own journeys much more efficiently, and empower them to remain in their career.

The first new apprenticeships will come on stream in the next 18 months to two years, and the beauty of the model is that more regional partners – be it FE, HE or NHS organisations – can join where needed.

The benefits are clear. Learners taking their first foray into the health or social care sectors can see their progression opportunities better than ever before; The Integrated Care Systems will have a one-stop-shop to recruit and upskill their workforces; and the region’s rural landscape – which can sometimes make it tricky for learners to access opportunities – becomes less of a barrier.

Significantly, links with NHS employers have already been established too.

The partnership is in its infancy, but it is a model we believe will be critical to helping fill the NHS workforce gaps in our area, and development of similar models elsewhere across the country could easily pay dividends nationally.

And if this model works in the health and social care sector, then who is to say it couldn’t be adopted in other areas of common skills shortages, such as construction or engineering?

Identifying the problem is one part of the solution, but real on-the-ground commitment from providers and employers will be the way to drive long-term change. Partnerships that unite all stakeholders towards the same goal will go a long way towards helping drive this much-needed change.

How to personalise PE for learners with SEND

If you asked 100 adults who said they hated PE at school why they hated it, my hunch is 99 of them would say because it was cold and they were rubbish at it. I believe strongly that all young people whatever their age or ability have the right to experience high-quality teaching that provides appropriate physical activity and meaningful competition. Sadly, too many still miss out on opportunities to experience success and to benefit physically and emotionally from movement.

Of course, sharing these benefits with all learners can’t happen by accident. It requires teachers to think about every young person and how best to meet their needs. There will never be a one-size-fits-all, but there are some fundamental principles that can help.

Using the STEP model (Space, Task/Time, Equipment, People), it is possible to adapt all activities to include everyone. By changing one or more of the parameters, anyone of any ability can have fun, feel included, learn, and experience success.

What is perceived as a simple activity to some can be overwhelming to others. If the activity is too easy or too hard, the result is the same for all: loss of concentration and possible behaviour issues. Therefore, all participants should be encouraged to challenge themselves whatever their ability within the same activity.

Competition can be ‘reframed’ so that individuals and groups compete against themselves, trying to beat their own best. This way, if the rules of the activity or the equipment are different it still feels fair.

Take a scenario: a ‘throwing and catching’ activity during a netball/basketball session.

The teacher lines everyone up in pairs with a basketball/netball. The pairs begin throwing and catching. However, one pair spends more time chasing the ball across the playground. The ball is too hard; They don’t like catching it.

Another pair are bored. It’s too easy, so they start laughing at the pair chasing the ball. Before long, the first pair opt to sit out. Suddenly the teacher has behaviour issues to deal with.

Sharing the benefits of PE with all learners can’t happen by accident

They move on to a game so there is some form of competition within the lesson. The able pupils like this. However, the pair who were finding the initial task too difficult are now completely overwhelmed. The ‘good kids’ don’t ever pass them the ball anyway, so they sit out again.

By the end of the session, the only thing the children who found the activity tricky learned was what failure feels like, reinforcing why ‘they hate PE’.

What could the teacher in this scenario have done differently?

Space: the pairs could have moved closer or further away from one another.

Task: the able pair could have tried throwing and catching using one hand or standing on one leg. They could even have come up with their own challenge.

Equipment: the hard ball could have been swapped for a soft ball or a pom pom.

People: Two able pairs could have joined together and tried throwing and catching two balls

Competition time: In your pair/small group how many times can you throw and catch successfully in 30 seconds? In your pair/small group decide your rules: if you drop it do you continue counting or do you go back to zero?

Game: Inclusion does not mean everyone is doing the same thing at the same time all of the time. With an embedded inclusive ethos, the learners won’t expect this either. They become empathetic to each other’s differences and accept that the rules or scoring systems can be different.

The important thing is to always focus on what a pupil can do, not what they can’t. What is your outcome and how can you ensure everyone gets there, accepting that for some this will take longer?

What often helps is to ask students themselves what will help them to be successful. This can only empower and motivate them because they feel valued.

Suddenly those 99 learners who could have grown up to have hated PE won’t have hated PE at all. They’ll have felt successful and won’t have got cold because they will have moved more. They’ll pass on positive messages to their own children about PE, leading to generations of healthier, happier people. Inclusion means everyone’s a winner!

Rachel Bown was named ‘FE lecturer of the year’ at the 2023 Pearson National Teaching Awards. Nominate a colleague or peer for the 2024 awards before 1 March  at teachingawards.com 

Seventy-five years on, human rights education matters more than ever

Last month marked the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Its production in 1948 was one of the first acts of the newly-formed United Nations, tasked in the wake of World War II with upholding international law; maintaining international peace; providing humanitarian aid where needed and protecting human rights.

The UDHR was key to establishing a common understanding of the rights and freedoms that should be enjoyed by all of humanity and was written in a spirit of humility, global cooperation and hope that the future would be better than the past.

Article 26 of the UDHR states that: “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms”. It calls on signatories to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations, racial or religious groups and to further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

It remains a pertinent and powerful statement that underpins the work of Amnesty International and others in human rights education (HRE). Indeed, our HRE model emphasises the development of knowledge (learning about human rights and human rights mechanisms), the development and reinforcement of attitudes and behaviours which uphold human rights and skills to take action, and the acquisition of skills to apply human rights in a practical way in daily life and taking actions to defend and promote human rights.

Amnesty’s last published report shows that globally 4.1 million people from 61 countries and territories were reached through our HRE activities. It shares stories of transformation from across the planet brought about by people learning about rights and how to claim them. HRE is a core part of some nations’ curricula and a feature of national educational policy. In other countries, it inhabits an informal space on the periphery of the mainstream.

Human rights education is not just another tick-list item

But HRE is not just another tick-list item to be ‘embedded’ or bolted on. Rather, it offers a philosophy and a rationale for key elements of a purposeful and inclusive curriculum. Approaching equality, diversity and inclusion on the basis that all humans have rights gives a framework for exploring thorny issues. Thinking about safeguarding risks as violations of human rights enables discussion beyond general principles.

HRE offers a solid basis on which to ground an enrichment curriculum which empowers learners to become more active citizens. Amnesty youth groups were established in FE colleges in 2023 as part of a pilot project to act on issues of importance to them. At one college, local street lighting was poor, making learners feel unsafe as they came and went. The Amnesty youth group wrote to councilors and won support for their cause. When the lighting was upgraded, learners’ actions were clearly beneficial to the college community and, perhaps more importantly, students learned that they could bring about positive change.

In 2024, Amnesty UK intend to increase our partnership with Further Education. As arguably the most comprehensive form of education nationally, Further Education in all its forms is well placed to help people from multiple and diverse backgrounds gain the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to promote and protect their rights and the rights of others.

We would love to see HRE being delivered throughout FE across the UK. As a starting point, we want to hear from FE professionals, so that we understand where opportunities lie and what the appetite is to make our vision a reality.

We are calling on FE professionals of all kinds to participate in our national consultation, beginning with completing the survey below. We want to hear from teachers, assessors, coaches, managers and leaders from adult education, local authorities, colleges and independent training providers.

The survey will be open until 29 February and we will then follow up with a series of roundtable events. It is a short, multiple choice questionnaire, but it is an important first step in shaping our approach to the sector and its needs so that we can support you to deliver on those high ideals first given voice to 75 years ago.

Access the survey here

London mega-college staff cut short strike action over workload agreement

Staff at London’s biggest college cut short their strike action this week after college leaders agreed to union demands over workload.

Bosses at Capital City College Group (CCCG) met with University and College Union (UCU) representatives on Wednesday following three days on the picket lines last week protesting pay and rising workload.

Workers had planned to strike every day this week but paused action from Monday ahead of the meeting with the college on Wednesday. Last week, staff went on strike for three days.

The London-based college agreed to the union’s demand of a maximum class size of 22 learners instead of the proposed 25 per class.

A workload committee will also be set up to devise a policy to deal with the increase in teacher workload.

College leaders also agreed to honour the number of teaching weeks to 36 weeks for staff on City and Islington College contracts. 

Workers on the Capital City College Group contract will have to teach for 37 weeks per academic year but according to UCU, these staff members will get time off in lieu, meaning they will not be working over their contractual 850 hours. 

“[This] would’ve been the case as it stood before the dispute,” a UCU London region spokesperson said.

“Management refused to accept that duties like interviews, parents’ evenings, open evenings and taster days should be included as part of their global hours, which they had done so in the past. Therefore, staff would be working over their contractual hours,” they added.

“The agreement reached was that these duties would be included in overall global teaching hours. Time off in lieu (TOIL) will be granted to all staff undertaking these duties.”

A CCCG spokesperson said: “Following a meeting between Capital City College Group and UCU representatives yesterday [January 24], the dispute has now been resolved. 

“The Group is pleased that UCU was willing to pause their planned action on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning to enable a constructive discussion to take place. It is hoped that in the future agreement can be reached without the need for industrial action.”

They added: “Following the meeting this week and to reach a resolution we have agreed to implement the maximum class sizes which had already been agreed in 2022 and to ensure that teacher workloads are monitored on an ongoing basis.”

Continued pay dispute

College staff walked out in November for three days over pay and workload. The dispute continued into the new year when staff walked out for three days last week.

This was disputing the workload issues described above, as well as the college’s offer of a pay award between 4 per cent and 6.5 per cent, beginning from January 1 this year, and a £500 one-off payment on top.

The union said the offer goes against the Association of Colleges’ recommendation last September of a 6.5 per cent pay award from the start of the 2023/24 academic year.

A spokesperson from UCU London region said: “will be setting out soon their campaign for nationally binding agreements on pay and conditions. 

“If managements across the sector refuse to agree to national binding agreements UCU will continue to defend its members’ pay and conditions at a local level.

“UCU at CCCG will also continue to oppose senior management intransigents who seem to prefer conflict rather than finding resolution of real concerns in the way the group is managed.”

A CCCG spokesperson added: “The 2023/24 pay award for all CCCG staff ranged from 4 per cent to 9 per cent, with part of the award unconsolidated and the larger part consolidated. This action is primarily linked to workload, namely class sizes and the number of teaching weeks. We hope UCU will work more constructively with us to resolve these matters.”

Ofsted tightens inspection early warning alert loophole

Ofsted has shaken up how and when inspectors access provider websites after FE Week sister title Schools Week exposed a loophole that offered advance notice of visits to those who monitored their website downloads.

But the watchdog this week refused to give more details, apparently fearing doing so would allow schools, and other education settings, to identify other ways to predict inspections.

Last year, website provider Greenhouse School Websites claimed to have “developed an algorithm to accurately tell when Ofsted are looking at your school website.” It signed up thousands of its clients, though some opted out when approached about the scheme.

Further investigation revealed the use of such practices was widespread and an open secret, with discussions on IT forum Edugeek about setting up an “Ofsted early warning” system dating back as far as 2015.

At the time, inspection teams were understood to look at key information documents from websites between two and 14 days before inspections.

By monitoring who was downloading documents, schools were able to work out if this was an inspector.

The inspection system is built on the principle that education settings should only be told about inspections in the relevant notice period, up to two working days for FE and skills.

Minister says Ofsted has ‘made changes’

When pressed about Schools Week’s investigations this month, schools minister Damian Hinds revealed Ofsted had “made changes to its processes around how, and when, inspectors access school websites.” 

It is understood this means documents are downloaded much closer to “the call” informing schools they are due to get an inspection. 

Ofsted is “also continuing to consider proportionate technical options to hide or disguise its access to websites prior to an inspection,” Hinds added. 

FE Week understands this includes the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).

Ofsted said the changes were “intended to stop schools from monitoring website traffic, we won’t be putting specific details about them in the public domain.” 

Professor Colin Richards, a former senior inspector, said Ofsted and DfE “have clearly been embarrassed” by the investigation “and are afraid to give anything away – even at the cost of a lack of transparency.” 

But Frank Norris, another ex-inspector and senior manager, said he understood why they “don’t want to alert schools to how they might be able to avoid website searches undertaken by inspectors being detected.”

The Department for Education also refused to say whether it had carried out a formal investigation into the practice when alerted to it last year. 

Former schools minister Nick Gibb had warned monitoring could “cause unnecessary pressure and add to workload for staff.” 

James Bowen, assistant general secretary at the NAHT, added the use of alerts was “further evidence that the impact and significance of Ofsted inspections has gotten out of hand.” 

Improve apprenticeship outcomes with City & Guilds: Supporting you for success

Giving people an opportunity to earn and learn, as well as filling skills gaps faced by many industries, it’s well-known that apprenticeships offer huge potential to transform both industries and lives.

However, despite their potential, apprenticeships suffer from high-non completion rates with nearly half of all apprentices dropping out before completing their programmes.

Over two-thirds of early leavers cite issues with training quality and support. The government has set out targets to address issue and to increase apprenticeship achievement rates to 67 percent by 2025, encouraging providers to analyse performance and boost retention. The St. Martin’s Group, in their Apprenticeship Outcomes and Destinations report and recently released Enabling Better Outcomes report, identified that direct support from providers and employers is vital for apprentices to succeed.

Supporting you to secure apprenticeship success at AAC

At City & Guilds, we believe that by working together we can secure apprenticeship success, and we are here to support you at every stage of the journey from onboarding through to end-point assessment (EPA).

We are looking forward to an action-packed two days of talks and workshops at AAC in Birmingham on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 February 2024. We’ll be exploring topics including:

  • Funding and policy updates – what’s happening with apprenticeships
  • Driving learner success and preparing for EPA in Leadership & Management
  • Closing the digital skills gap through apprenticeship delivery
  • AI in Education: Navigating myths and realities for better apprenticeships
  • Driving success and preparing for EPA within the engineering sector

Access the full schedule here.

Our team will also be at Stand A51 to answer all your questions about delivery support, policy, funding and the evolving landscape of apprenticeships. Whether you are a provider looking for further support to ensure your apprentices’ success, or an employer looking to optimise your apprenticeship programmes, please join us to gain valuable insights and new perspectives.

More apprenticeship support: Guidance and best practice for providers

To help you maximise the success of your apprenticeship outcomes from start to finish, we have also created an apprentice success guide aimed at providers. In the guide we identify some of the key challenges that contribute to apprentice withdrawal at different stages of the journey and share practical tips to help you and your teams overcome them.

The guide includes expert advice on:

  • How to develop a clear onboarding plan and learning structure for your apprentices
  • How to overcome common challenges on-programme and ensure your apprentices develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to succeed
  • How to help your apprentices prepare for end-point assessment
  • Additional support resources to help you plan ahead at each stage of the apprenticeship journey

Download City & Guilds’ apprenticeship success guide

Addressing the unspoken: Why colleges must take harassment seriously

There have been a few unfortunate news stories about sexual harassment in FE recently, training providers as well as  Croydon and Lewisham Colleges have projected dismissive attitudes towards these issues – whether intentionally or not, it’s a perception.

The core of the issue isn’t the actual prevalence of sexual harassment, but the general sense that reporting it often leads nowhere. This dismissiveness is damaging to victims and the reputation of the sector.

According to TUC research, 58 per cent of women in the UK experience sexual harassment in the workplace and 68 per cent of students endure harassment on campus. Yet, a staggering 79 per cent of these incidents go unreported. Why? 

The answer lies in the perceived futility and fear surrounding the reporting process. Victims often believe that their voices will be dismissed or, worse, that they might face repercussions for speaking up.  

This belief isn’t baseless. The response to last year’s Ofsted report by Croydon College, in which students’ concerns were not ‘recognised’, exemplifies this particular issue. Similar concerns have been raised at Lewisham College, where the process and its aftermath allegedly failed to address the severity and impact of the claims made. Now the Metropolitan Police are involved.

When institutions that are meant to be safe havens for teaching and learning don’t recognise when their community is facing such serious issues, they fail in their duty of care and erode trust.

These two colleges are not unique. It’s a wider problem where the real causes – such as power dynamics, hierarchical structures and cultural norms – enable harassment. 

The impact of this can affect mental health, work quality, academic performance and overall wellbeing.  And it perpetuates a culture where sexual harassment is normalised, passed off as ‘banter’, and silence is preferred – sometimes with the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

FE can pivot from this path of seeming indifference

It’s particularly concerning in FE, where young people are continuing to shape their understanding of social interactions and boundaries.  

FE can pivot from this path of seeming indifference to one of proactive engagement. 

When the Worker Protection Act comes in to play in October 2024, the sector will have to make a good show of proactively preventing sexual harassment. 

This means establishing clear, accessible, and safe reporting channels that guarantee confidentiality and protection from retaliation, as well as focused training. 

But it ought to go beyond box-ticking and/or setting up processes; it must work towards fostering a culture where every report is taken seriously and dealt with transparently.

Education and training play a crucial role. These recent stories show that staff and students need to understand what constitutes harassment, how to report it without fear or intimidation, and the importance of speaking up. 

The challenge extends to changing the cultural norms and perceptions around harassment. Sexual harassment needs to stop being viewed as an isolated issue that ‘doesn’t happen here’. Each institution must accept that it does.

There’s plenty of research to back that up. In fact, the ONS says that students in England and Wales are over three times more likely than average to have experienced sexual assault.

Post-16s and college staff have also experienced harassment on campus and if, collectively, we think of it as a systemic issue – it becomes preventable.

This includes removing barriers that often discourage individuals from reporting and providing a system where people can feel safe, perhaps even anonymous, and yet supported. 

For FE, national coverage of harassment and discrimination elsewhere, be it the NHS, McDonalds or uniformed services, should be a wake-up call. Action shouldn’t be for fear of being next, or

because of a new legal requirement with bigger fines but understanding that you have a moral and ethical duty to our communities.

The way forward is clear: Acknowledge that there are issues, take every report seriously, and foster a proper culture of transparency. Nothing short of that will demonstrate the sector genuinely values the safety and wellbeing of its employees and students. 

In taking clear action, colleges will not only protect their own reputations but ensure FE is the safe and nurturing environment it’s meant to be. 

Enter your fabulous FE colleagues into the Pearson National Teaching Awards  

At the Teaching Awards Trust, we know teaching is more than just a job. We know you don’t do it for the accolades, yet every day without fail, thousands of teachers and support staff across the UK go out to inspire and encourage the next generation and we think it’s important to celebrate the impact of our classroom heroes. 

We do this every year with the Pearson National Teaching Awards – the Oscars of the ​​​​teaching profession – but we need your help!  By entering your colleagues you can help celebrate the work that takes place in your college and your community, and give them the recognition they deserve.

Help us to shine a light on the inspiring stars in your community 

Past winners of the Pearson National Teaching Awards have told us these awards not only made them feel appreciated but also boosted the morale of the entire community. “I don’t think people can underestimate the value of this, not only on a personal level but for your community, for parents, and of course for the children.”  

There are 16 categories awarding individuals, teams, and staff members, from early years and primary to secondary and further education. Whether it’s an incredible teacher, knowledgeable lab tech, efficient office staff member, or much-loved lunch supervisor, enter them today! 

How ​​to enter  

It’s easy and free to enter, head to teachingawards.com to tell us about your nominee and their background, and why you think they deserve to be considered for the award. The deadline is 5PM on Friday 1st March 2024.  

We want to hear about the positive impact that your colleague has had on learners, colleagues and the wider community. Whether it be through organising extracurricular activities, building relationships with local businesses, improving academic results, or anything else that has made a difference.  

Make your colleague feel like a superstar  

Silver Winners will be announced on National Thank a Teacher Day (19 June 2024), presented with a trophy and invited to a celebratory tea in London.

A few Gold Winners will have the chance to be revealed on BBC’s The One Show in the week running up to the glittering annual awards ceremony where the remaining Gold Winners will be announced. At the November ceremony the honoured educators will get the true VIP experience with an overnight stay in London, a four-course dinner, and a stunning trophy to serve as a reminder of all their hard work and dedication to their profession.  

Each nominee (Silver or Gold Winner or not) receives a certificate in recognition of their hard work from their peers and community 

Paddy McCabe, headteacher of St. Oliver Plunkett Primary School, Gold Winners of The Award for Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year said,

​​“I am delighted for the staff team, our parents and pupils and indeed our community. The application process forced us to step out of the maelstrom of the daily grind and to take stock and to recognise that we do indeed “Make a Difference”. The Silver and subsequently the Gold Awards, in many ways, are the icing on the cake, the process was prize enough.

 “I was especially proud to receive the award because of the title, ‘Making a Difference’. Having been a past pupil I know the impact that the school had on me and continues to have on children in our community to this day.” 

Paddy McCabe

Help a worthy, hardworking colleague receive the acknowledgment they deserve. Enter an outstanding colleague into the 2024 Pearson National Teaching Awards today. 

‘Ground-breaking’ prisoner apprenticeship scheme flops

Fewer than ten prisoners have enlisted on an interdepartmental apprenticeship scheme, lauded at its launch to offer opportunities to 300 prisoners in England, an FE Week investigation can reveal.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request has found the Department for Education has missed its target by at least 90 per cent, after fewer than 10 people serving time in prison have started apprenticeships in England since long-awaited legislation was introduced in September 2022.

The DfE and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) offered apprenticeships to up to a hundred eligible prisoners across England in the first year of the pilot scheme. It’s expecting up to 300 prisoners to be recruited by 2025.

The data, provided by DfE, specified that fewer than five offenders are undertaking level 2 supply chain warehouse operative apprenticeships, and less than five are on level 2 production chef apprenticeships.

The few apprentices are spread across the country, with nearly five located in the Yorkshire & the Humber, and less than five each in the North West and South East England regions.

The specific number of individuals who signed up for prison apprenticeships is unknown, due to the government’s rounding-up policy, to protect the identity of participants.

Before the law change, thousands of prisoners who were eligible for release on temporary licence (ROTL) to carry out work or training were not able to carry out apprenticeships due to Ministry of Justice policy prohibiting offenders from signing employment contracts, to avoid potential contractual disputes because they are serving prisoners.

Apprenticeships are classed as a contract of employment in law.

After five years of discussing a change, in September 2022, an amendment to the law was made to allow prisoners in low-category open prisons on day release to be able to undertake apprenticeships without the need for a contract of employment.

The news made headlines at the time, with former education secretary Nadhim Zahawi calling the scheme a “life-changing chance” for prisoner rehabilitation and employment.

“We are about to expand the scheme to include more prisoners”

However, figures showing the slow uptake exemplify the cracks in the prison system.

The MoJ says the low figures are due to the department restricting the scheme to a small number of open prisons.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Our drive to get offenders away from crime and into work has seen us double the number of prisoners in employment six months after release, and apprenticeships are just one part of these efforts.

“Since its launch the apprenticeship model has been restricted to a small number of open prisons and we are about to expand the scheme across the wider estate to include more prisoners and increase the numbers of participants.”

A DfE spokesperson said it had nothing to add to MoJ’s statement.

Prison education experts have lambasted the devastatingly low figures, blaming the government for leaving prisons to figure out apprenticeships themselves after changing the law. They also cited multiple barriers to improving apprenticeship take-up, such as understaffing in prisons, uncommitted employers, and a misunderstanding of apprenticeships from prisoners.

“They said, ‘there’s a law change, now off you pop,’ and expected the prisons to be able to respond,” said Alex Miles, managing director of non-for-profit Yorkshire Learning Providers, who works with prisons in the region. 

Prisoners’ Education Trust chief executive, Jon Collins, added: “It is no surprise that it is taking time to get this off the ground.”

“Pressures on prisons are acute and with severe overcrowding and staff shortages, it is really difficult for prisons to implement new initiatives. If we want to give people leaving prison the best chance to thrive, we need to sort out the broader failings in the prison system,” he said.

Miles, who set up a quarterly prison support forum in Yorkshire prisons in anticipation of the law change said even prisoners misunderstood the scheme.

“There’s a women’s prison in York I go into all the time, and they think I’m there to talk to them about apprenticeships for their children on the outside,” she said.

Some employers have quietly walked away from the scheme too. 

Timpson is a large employer of ex-offenders and partnered with training providers Novus and Total People to deliver apprenticeships at the time. But FE Week understands that Timpson has walked away from the provision.

Timpson did not respond to a request for comment.

Pub group Greene King said they’ve found one prison leaver undertaking an apprenticeship and will complete early this year.

A spokesperson for Novus also claimed one of the prisoners partaking in the pilot. 

“To date, one of our learners has started an apprenticeship through the pilot, receiving positive feedback from their employer and going on to secure a job in the hospitality industry following the end of their sentence,” they said.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of hospitality employer representative UK Hospitality, said: “It’s naturally disappointing that there has been such low take-up of apprenticeships through this scheme, but it remains the case that hospitality has a successful track record in helping people re-enter the workforce.”

“It’s not like they let them out willy-nilly”

The Co-op, also a big namecheck in DfE’s launch, did not participate due to the “restricted types of apprenticeships currently on offer that aren’t compatible with roles available at Co-op, for example, hospitality, catering, construction etc.”

A spokesperson for the retailer said: “Also, other factors, such as the practicalities of having prisoners on ROTL, carrying out a job and attending college to study makes the logistics tricky.”

Miles refuted the claims. “Logistically, it’s not too much of a nightmare,” she explained. 

“All of that pre-vetting happens by the prison, it’s robust. It’s not like they let them out willy-nilly,” she said.

Miles added that since then, prisoners, prisons, employers and apprenticeship providers are all on board with the scheme, but central government need to coordinate support with all the parties.

“The issue is that there’s nobody centrally, either via the MoJ or the DfE, coordinating this,” she said. “I think if the MoJ and DfE can come together and fund a coordinated effort, prison apprenticeships would triple.”

One positive Miles says the scheme has done, is improve conversations with prisons about upskilling.

“It has opened prisons up to have a much more skills-based response. In York prison, they have just rolled out their first round of bootcamps in the prison, rolled out two weeks ago.”

The MoJ launched a new Prison Education Service at the start of the academic year, which will seek to recruit a head of education in prisons. MoJ said the service will expand its “ground-breaking” prisoner apprenticeships scheme.