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.

Keep BTECs until T Levels have stood the test of time, MPs demand

Ministers must halt their controversial planned bonfire of BTECs and other level 3 qualifications until there is evidence T Levels are a “more effective” replacement, a committee of MPs has warned.

The House of Commons education committee has called for a moratorium on the government’s plan to defund a raft of applied general qualifications (AGQs), warning a “clear track record” of T Level success should be a “prerequisite” to their defunding.

The committee made the demand as it published the findings of its inquiry into reform of post-16 qualifications, in which it also urged the government to address the fall in young people taking apprenticeships, called for a “wholesale review” of 16 to 19 funding, and proposed an independent expert panel to look at the possibility of adopting a post-16 baccalaureate model in England.

Department for Education officials are working to introduce a streamlined system for students finishing their GCSEs that pushes them to study either A-levels, their new technical equivalent T Levels, or an apprenticeship from 2025.

Alternative AGQs, such as Pearson’s popular BTECs, will only continue to be funded if they do not overlap with T Levels or A levels and pass a strict new approvals process.

The education select committee, chaired by Robin Walker (pictured), who was schools minister between September 2021 and July 2022 when the reforms were being pushed through, warned “tried and tested” applied general qualifications should only be withdrawn when there was robust evidence proving T Levels were more effective in preparing students for “progression, meeting industry needs and promoting social mobility”.

The ability of businesses to offer “sufficient, high-quality industry placements”, and a “clear track record” of T Level success, as well as evidenced improvement in equalities outcomes, “should be prerequisites to scrapping further applied general qualifications on the basis of overlap”.

Walker said: “We have concerns about the feasibility of scaling up T Levels, and, as it stands, the planned withdrawal of AGQs will constrict student choice and could deepen the skills shortages that these reforms are meant to fix.”

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, which has led on the Protect Student Choice campaign, said he hoped that “ministers will finally start to listen and rethink their damaging proposals” adding that AGQs “serve a distinct and different purpose to the government’s new T Levels”.

The committee also demanded key data around T Level graduates’ destinations and progression be published as soon as possible.

In an interview with FE Week, Walker said that removing AGQs simply because they overlapped with T Levels “risk removing some of the steppingstones for people to be able to move forward”.

He distanced himself from involvement in discussions on the reforms during his own tenure in the ministerial team.

He said: “Those were discussions that would be taking place really between the secretary of state and the skills minister of the time.

“It wasn’t something I was intensively involved in. As schools minister, I would have been briefed on the outcomes of those discussions rather than engaged in them.”

The committee’s report said that while T Levels were rightly rigorous and challenging, there was not yet the right balance between “rigour and accessibility”.

Tom Bewick, chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, said: “This damning report from a cross-party group of MPs should send shockwaves through the Department for Education.

“It is not too late too late to take stock of these reforms.”

MPs also said that up to 250,000 T Level employer placements could be needed but employer interest in offering placements had fallen from 36 per cent in 2019 to 30 per cent in 2021. Nearly two thirds of employers were not interested in offering placements at all.

The committee also pointed to DfE data which estimated one fifth of first cohort students dropped out, and exposed a 14 per cent progression rate for T Level transition programme students onto a full T Level, with just under half (49 per cent) progressing into a different level 3 programme.

DfE’s own equalities impact assessment found that students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those from disadvantaged backgrounds, from Asian ethnic groups and males were “likely to be particularly affected by the reforms”.

The committee added: “Early evidence indicates that schools and colleges are setting high entry requirements, and we heard that, as a result, T Levels could be restricted to a small pool of academically gifted students who have a specific employment goal in mind by age 16.”

Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said ministers have “dug their heels in and appear to be determined to scrap a proven set of qualifications,” and can “only hope that they now pay heed to the warnings of the education select committee”.

A spokesperson from the DfE said: “Our post-16 qualifications system provides a ladder of opportunity for young people from all backgrounds, so every qualification leads to a rewarding career, either through higher education or skilled work.

“We welcome the committee’s recognition of the importance of our reforms. We will consider the recommendations and respond in due course.”

DfE issues final call for flexi-job apprenticeship agencies

Final calls have been issued for applications to join the register of flexi-job apprenticeship agencies, as education chiefs signal their intent to close the scheme to fresh bids in the future.

The Department for Education said that applications for the latest window of opportunity are open until 10am on May 31, and follows the latest round in the autumn.

Flexi-job apprenticeship agencies are designed to operate in industries where it is tricky for apprentices to operate for 12 months with a single employer, such as in the screen or creative industries.

The organisations act as the official employer for apprentices, covering administration and other tasks, with the learners moving around a series of businesses through the duration of their apprenticeship.

However, announcing the opening of the latest application window this week, the DfE said: “We have no plans to open another application window after this period. Therefore, any organisation who wants to deliver apprenticeships via a model where they place apprentices with host employers for the majority of their apprenticeship, must apply before May 31, 2023.”

It warned that only organisations on the register will be able to start new flexi-job apprenticeships after January 1, 2024, and any who facilitates that type of apprenticeship who is not on the register after that date will be in breach of the funding rules.

The register launched in February last year with 15 names, 11 of which shared £5 million of grant funding.

Two names dropped off the register with another joining before the second wave of applications last autumn.

That resulted in 16 new additions joining in January, all without grant funding.

The DfE confirmed that a number which had failed in that window on financial grounds only would be reassessed against a new sustainability criteria, resulting in five successful additions over Easter.

It means there are now 35 on the register.

The DfE confirmed that the sustainability criteria, which featured an assessment of the organisations’ trading history, sources of funding and current financial position, will remain a consideration for the future round, alongside pre-existing financial checks such as full accounts, balance sheet and profit and loss accounts.

The government had set a target of 1,500 to 2,000 learners on flexi-job apprenticeships by 2023. FE Week asked the DfE how many it has hit to date but did not receive a response at the time of going to press.

A report by the education select committee published today on the future of post-16 education said the department must expand its flexi-job uptake to 5,000 learners by 2025.

English Football League apprenticeship provider nets top Ofsted marks again

A large training provider for apprentices at English Football League (EFL) clubs has netted another ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating – 11 years after scoring its first grade one.

League Football Education was given the education watchdog’s top rating in a report published today following a visit in February, having last been inspected in April 2012.

The organisation, formed in 2004 by the EFL and the Professional Footballers Association, works with 64 EFL clubs, nearly 1,200 learners on level 3 sporting excellence apprenticeships and 584 on the level 3 programme in sports coaching and development.

It also runs level 2 sports education programmes, and, since 2016, has offered community trust study programmes in partnership with the EFL and EFL Trust for 16-to-18-year-olds to study sports qualifications while representing their football club.

The provider has arrangements with 39 subcontractors.

Ofsted’s report praised learners’ “exemplary” behaviour and positive attitude to learning, finding that learners and apprentices with the provider “do extremely well”. Many apprentices scored distinctions in their final assessments, it said.

The watchdog found learners quickly improved their public speaking and gained confidence from their work experience, while apprentices were “prepared exceptionally well to develop their resilience by transition officers in case they are not successful in achieving a professional football contract”.

Inspectors said that apprentices frequently participate in community activities such as supporting foodbanks and fundraising for charities, as well as volunteering to provide football coaching for primary school children.

Ofsted reported that specialist training was offered from external organisations to promote positive mental health and learning on sexuality and gender issues in the sport, while specialised careers advice is also provided by regional officers to help them make informed decisions about their next steps.

Inspectors described the relationships with subcontractors as “very strong and highly effective”, and had helped reduce the number of people not in education, employment or training in their local areas.

The curriculum was sequenced logically, and deemed “highly ambitious” by the watchdog, and included additional teaching to support learners’ development in the wider industry.

The report said that “high-quality bespoke teaching” in English and maths included one-to-one teaching applying those skills to areas like nutrition, while off-the-job training was “highly effective”.

League Football Education chief executive Sarah Stephen said: “Once again, we are extremely proud that Ofsted have rated us ‘outstanding’ in all areas, an achievement that confirms all our staff and stakeholders are committed to providing outstanding, tailored education programmes for all young people and go above and beyond everything we do.”

ESFA ups childcare cash for young parents as demand falls

Bursaries to cover childcare costs for young parents so they can stay in education have been boosted, as data shows the numbers of claimants are plummeting.

Care to Learn cash is paid to parents aged up to 20 who continue with their studies by helping fund childcare costs.

In an update this week, the Education and Skills Funding Agency confirmed the maximum amount has increased from £160 per child per week to £180, or an increase from £175 per week to £195 per week in London.

Official data up to 2021/22 indicated that take-up of the subsidies had fallen dramatically in eight years, with demand now a fifth of 2013/14 levels.

Figures for 2021/22 showed there were 1,052 claimants with allocations totalling £4.6 million. That compares to the 5,674 claiming in 2013/14, where total payments exceeded £24.5 million.

The government previously told FE Week that a fall in teenage pregnancy rates had reduced demand.

But concerns were raised in 2020 by the National Union of Students that the complexities around claiming the cash were also to blame, prompting the union to call for a simplification of the system and extension of eligibility to include apprentices, who are excluded as they earn a salary.

Funding rules dictate that the young parent, the education institution they attend and their childcare provider must all be eligible in order for the cash to be paid.

Learners must also submit a fresh application every year, even if their programme runs for more than one year.

According to the rules, parents must be under the age of 20 on the first day of their study programme, be the main carer and be in receipt of Child Benefit to be eligible.

Their study programme must have some direct public funding, and can include GCSEs, A-levels, BTECs, short programmes, further education programmes in higher education institutions, and foundation HE courses at FE providers.

HE courses at HE providers, apprenticeships, and higher technical qualifications are not in scope.