A large training provider with nearly 5,000 learners on its books will cease its UK apprenticeship provision after a damning Ofsted inspection found that “demotivated and disengaged” apprentices were walking away from their courses.
The firm has claimed that the education watchdog’s scathing report has accelerated a decision to withdraw from the market after acknowledging that the quality of its apprenticeship training was not up to scratch.
Nearly 100 members of staff are now facing redundancy while thousands of learners will need to be accommodated elsewhere as a result.
Parent company Learning Technologies Group (LTG), which bought the business around a year ago, issued a London Stock Exchange update two days before Ofsted’s report was published saying that it intended to close its UK apprenticeship business in early 2023.
An LTG spokesperson said the decision over the operation, which was anticipated to generate around £9 million in revenue in 2022 from its Education and Skills Funding Agency-funded apprenticeships, was because “the nature of the customer relationships and quality of the offering in the business do not match the high standards elsewhere in GP Strategies and the group, especially following a negative Ofsted report in late 2022”.
It leaves around 4,700 apprentices on programmes who need to be transferred, while GP Strategies also confirmed that 95 jobs are at risk of redundancy.
GP Strategies Training Ltd has been delivering training since 1997 with centres in Stockport, Blackpool, Halifax, London and Bodmin. In 2017 it was selected by the Crown Commercial Service to provide apprenticeship training for the civil service.
At the time of its inspection, it had around 2,700 apprentices in adult care, 1,300 on childcare and education apprenticeships, 700 business and management apprentices and 166 adults on short online courses in healthcare and business.
Inspectors said that almost half of the apprentices had not completed their course within the planned timeframe, with some having missed opportunities for promotion or further employment as a result. Others had been unable to complete mandatory regulations they need for work.
The report said that “leaders maintain that the impact of Covid-19 was to blame for delays” but “leaders’ ineffective plans to enable apprentices to catch up have impeded these apprentices’ career opportunities”.
Inspectors reported that apprentices became “demotivated and disengaged” due to the high turnover of skills coaches, adding that “leaders do not know how many apprentices remain in learning”, and “too many apprentices contacted during the inspection stated that they have left the apprenticeship, are no longer in the sector or are on apprenticeships at other training providers”.
Elsewhere, those on adult learning programmes “lose interest early in the course” because of limited online materials and find the online learning platform “too difficult to navigate”.
Ofsted said that, while the programmes met the needs of national and local employers, leaders had “failed to provide a high-quality curriculum” that met the needs of all apprentices and adult learners.
Furthermore, inspectors said that “in many cases, apprenticeships do not attend taught sessions or have frequent enough contact with their skills coaches” and found that “leaders do not plan the functional skills English and mathematics curriculum effectively”.
In April 2021, the firm was criticised by Ofsted for serious safeguarding failures after concerns were raised by whistleblowers.
That was focused on its early years apprenticeships and found that leaders did not know if apprentices who worked with young children had completed their DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or in how many places they were employed.
A follow-up monitoring report in July that year said the firm was making reasonable progress to address safeguarding requirements and in its latest inspection Ofsted said that safeguarding arrangements were now effective.
The provider had not had a full inspection for more than a decade, with the last in July 2012, but received a ‘good’ rating during a 2016 short inspection and had been subject to the two monitoring visits in 2021.
The worlds of education and business are evolving. Educators must keep up if young people are to find rewarding careers, so that employers can recruit the talent needed to drive performance and improve competitiveness. It is this ‘skills edge’ that will help the future economy to thrive, attracting inward investment so that the UK can compete better globally. WorldSkills UK is working as part of the WorldSkills international movement of over 80 countries driving up standards worldwide and promoting future workforces that will serve young people, employers and communities, improving social and financial mobility around the world.
WorldSkills UK has developed a suite of CPD sessions called, ‘Developing excellence in teaching and training’, developed in partnership with ETF and applicable across a wide range of curriculum disciplines, based on our experience at the cutting edge of professional development. Held on 1 and 2 February, this event will draw on WorldSkills UK’s insights from international competitions, best practice exchanges and standard-setting for curricula.
Using knowledge from national and international experts across a wide range of skills and streamed via an interactive online platform, the sessions will support you and your colleagues in developing your knowledge, understanding and skills as well as those of your students and apprentices.
By taking part, you’ll help move your learners from competence to excellence, learn more about the latest advances in learning technology, and examine how to support learners from underrepresented groups.
I want to do more CPD but how can I fit it into my busy schedule?
You can opt into just one session or as many as you like. Opting into a minimum of two during the live stream you will receive a digital credential to share with your networks and incorporate into your portfolio. All content will be downloadable after the event, so you can revisit or share the link with colleagues.
What’s available?
February 1
Tackling underrepresentation in technical and vocational education:
Gain a greater understanding of how to overcome social constructs that create barriers to inclusion.
Engaging learners through participation:
Appreciate with reference to specific technological solutions, how to engage learners in a range of scenarios typical in technical education.
Extending learning through artificial intelligence:
Understand with reference to specific technological solutions, how to promote and support greater accessibility and inclusion in vocational learning.
Enhancing learning through real simulators and virtual reality:
Understand the learning and business value of developing simulator training solutions.
February 2
Practical applications for achieving excellence with learners:
Understand WorldSkills UK’s seven step pedagogy cycle and related activities for use in a classroom or workshop environment.
Using world-class standards to enrich curriculum planning and enhance learner achievement:
Understand what WorldSkills occupational standards are and what their purpose is.
Competition activity as a method of raising learner aspirations and outcomes:
Experience the benefits of engaging in skills competition activity to individual learners, institutions and businesses.
Coaching techniques for supporting learners in developing effective behaviours and attitudes:
Learn coaching methodologies for supporting learners to achieve excellence.
Effective curriculum delivery to support meeting the needs of industry and net zero:
Gain insight into international best practice at reducing waste and increasing sustainability across vocational skill areas.
How do I book my free place?
Simply register with our quick-to-complete form and you’re ready to go.
Will I get an accreditation for taking part?
WorldSkills UK will award a digital credential to all those who attend two or more sessions, but we’re sure you’ll want to stay longer.
This verified digital credential demonstrates your commitment to professional development and embedding world-class practice into your teaching and can be shared across your professional networks including LinkedIn, bios, and CVs.
Who’s behind the programme?
To produce the programme, WorldSkills UK has partnered with the Education & Training Foundation (ETF), the workforce development body for the Further Education and Training sector. ETF works in partnership with others to deliver professional learning and development for teachers, trainers and leaders to improve education and training for learners aged 14 and over. The Society for Education and Training (SET) is ETF’s membership body, dedicated to professionals working across further education, vocational teaching and training.
We are also grateful to our session partners, the Skills and Education Group, Autodesk and Electude.
What other opportunities are there to enhance my teaching practice?
Competition-based training programmes: Each year, over 3,500 students and apprentices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hone their technical skills in our competition-based programmes, as well as the personal skills that employers look for when recruiting young people, such as communication, planning, teamwork, self-reliance and resilience. 97% of competitors in our National Finals say that taking part has improved their technical skills, and 93% felt their self-confidence had grown. We can help you embed competitions in your teaching to encourage your students to take more responsibility for their own development and to be more aspirational in developing their skills. Applications for the 2023 competition are accepted from 27 February until 24 March 2023 and it’s free to enter and take part.
Those competitors making it to the National Finals have the chance to win medals as an endorsement of their skill level. They also have the opportunity to be selected for Squad UK, from which Team UK is drawn to compete on the global stage. In the WorldSkills Special Editions in 2022, the UK scored gold medals in aircraft maintenance and cabinet making, plus bronzes in Industry 4.0, jewellery making, and car painting. Half of Team UK also achieved medallions for excellence, indicating they had reached WorldSkills’ international standards of excellence. The UK achieved a top ten place overall, up two places from the last international competition in Kazan, Russia, and ahead of countries including Spain, Singapore, Australia and Canada.
While winning medals is important for the participants and their colleges and employers, the benefits of the training programme for them and other members of Squad and Team UK can’t be overestimated as they return to the workforce with improved technical and employability skills, becoming valuable role models for their peers by passing on the skills they have learned, so that the benefits of training are cascaded through the workforce.
Learning Lab:WorldSkills UK’s Learning Lab is a new online space and resource centre which provides free access to world-class skills development tools and resources for all.
Content is built on WorldSkills UK’s insights into international best practice, supporting educators to supercharge both their professional development and teaching skills and equipping them to boost student learning and develop world-class skills.
Easy to navigate, the Learning Lab offers a wide range of teaching tools and resources, from advice on careers education to mindset masterclasses, based on world-class practice from the world of elite sports training and development. Fresh resources will be continually added over time.
Careers Advice Toolkit
Mapped against the Careers Development Institute, Skills Builder and Gatsby Benchmark Frameworks, the Careers Advice Toolkit empowers young people to explore excellence within technical and apprenticeship career pathways. With inspiring bitesize content, the Toolkit can be used flexibly to support independent online learning, as well as any careers curriculum, delivered in the classroom or virtually.
Spotlight Talks
Designed to fit within lesson timetables, the Spotlight Talks video series brings together leading businesses and services to demonstrate young professionals sharing their own career journeys and what it takes to succeed in their sector. The next Spotlight Talks are in spring 2023 and we encourage viewers to pose questions directly to the presenters. All Spotlight Talks are available for download afterwards, so your students and apprentices don’t miss these inspiring and informative sessions. Check out existing downloads here.
Future programmes
We’re committed to continuing to provide educators with high-quality, free to access CPD opportunities. If you would like to be kept informed of new live and digital opportunities that can fit in with your timetable, email us at: getintouch@worldskillsuk.org
The finalists in the running for the AAC Apprenticeship Awards 2023 have been revealed.
Now in their sixth year, the awards celebrate the very best in apprenticeship delivery and recognise the people, teams and organisations that make excellent apprenticeships happen.
A record 375 entries were received from training providers, colleges, universities and employers and we can now reveal the shortlist of those who go forward to the national awards ceremony in March.
Shane Mann
Shane Mann, managing director of FE Week’s publisher Lsect and chair of the judging panel, said: “I know I speak for all AAC awards judges when I say how impressed we were with the standard of nominations this year.
“The quality of nominations gets stronger every year, which makes our job as judges tougher and tougher. Each of this year’s finalists has a powerful story to tell about how putting excellence and innovation at the heart of their provision, with staff at every level working hard to give apprentices the best experience possible.
“We know it has been another tough year in apprenticeships, so I can’t wait to bring the entire sector together at the AAC in March to celebrate the success of our finalists.”
The awards, this year delivered in partnership with City and Guilds, feature 19 categories. Among them is the prestigious apprenticeship provider of the year award, which will be won by either Myerscough College, Manchester Metropolitan University, Paragon Skills or Apprentify.
AELP chief executive Jane Hickie said: “AELP is delighted once again to be coming together with FE Week to host the AAC Apprenticeship Awards.
Jane Hickie
“It is incredibly heartening to see that, despite the extremely challenging conditions the sector faced in the last year, providers and employers all over the country have continued to do amazing work in supporting apprentices to fulfil their potential.
“Throughout the judging process we have seen so many impressive examples of best practice in delivery for our learners and employers. I am very much looking forward to meeting the nominees at the presentation of awards at the AAC gala dinner on March 14, and of course celebrating the achievements of the winners themselves.”
Four organisations are in the running to be named apprenticeship employer of the year: the BBC, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, RSM and Bagnalls.
There are 27 providers vying for 14 training sector awards this year including awards for the best providers in engineering, hair and beauty, care, digital and construction.
The winners will be announced at the Annual Apprenticeship Conference taking place on March 13-14, in Birmingham.
You can find out more about last year’s AAC Apprenticeship Award winners here.
AAC Apprenticeship Awards 2023 judging panel:
Shane Mann, managing director, Lsect, publisher of FE Week (chair)
Jane Hickie, chief executive, AELP (vice chair)
Charlotte Bosworth, managing director, Innovate Awarding
Patrick Craven, director of policy, strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement, City and Guilds
Rob Colbourne, chief executive officer, Performance through People
Anne Milton, former MP for Guildford and minister for skills
Sharon Blyfield, head of early careers, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Ltd
Sharon Green, director of apprenticeships and skills, University of Lincoln
Sharron Robbie, managing director, Devon and Cornwall Training Provider Network
Sue Taylor, joint chair, Association of Learning Providers Surrey
Susanna Lawson, founder, OneFile
Jason Holt, CEO, Holts Group of Companies
Stewart Segal, board member, AELP and BIIAB
John Cope, executive director (strategy, policy and public affairs), UCAS
Jane Hadfield, national senior programme manager – apprenticeships, Health Education England
Ruth Jennings, skills development programmed manager, Sainsbury’s
Jonathan Foot, head of apprenticeships and early careers, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Ian Bamford, chief operating officer, Paragon Skills
This week, the prime minister has set out his ambition that all young people should study maths to 18. Rishi Sunak’s announcement has generally been poorly received. People have pointed out that this is going to be very hard to achieve with shortages of maths teachers across all phases.
For FE and post-16 leaders and teachers, there will likely be a sense of ‘groundhog day’ – another education policy announcement with big implications for FE without funding, a plan, or consideration of the implications, let alone meaningful consultation.
It is also another ‘policy first, evidence later’ initiative. In 2014, GCSE maths resits were effectively made compulsory. Like Sunak’s new policy, the resit idea was partly informed by comparisons with other countries about study of maths post-16. Sunak is right to point out that in many other countries studying maths to 18 is usual. But the way this happens, and the type of mathematics studied are different to our curriculum.
Like the current proposal, the GCSE resit policy allowed the government to make claims about commitment to improving outcomes, but was underfunded. Without adequate resources, individual colleges and organisations like the Education Training Foundation had to do their best to fill the gap in terms of teacher supply and professional development.
Resits mean students take the same exam on the same material again and again – and that’s over 135,000 students a year taking a qualification they won’t pass. A waste of their time and of colleges’ precious resources. Compulsory GCSE resits is a policy failure with barely a quarter achieving the expected standard by 18 – and not much up on the numbers before 2014. This is the result of a badly thought-through policy, made in a rush and with its eye on how it would play to supporters rather than putting young people at the centre.
It’s not a surprise that Sunak’s announcement was received with scepticism
We’re all familiar enough with policies designed this way and that go on not to flourish. Indeed, this isn’t even the only post-16 maths policy to do so. Take core maths, which offers a level 3 qualification in applications of mathematics. Sadly, core maths numbers have remained small, with research identifying the current post-16 funding arrangements as a key barrier to take-up.
So, it’s not a surprise that Sunak’s announcement was received with scepticism by providers. Some have even argued that it is not a serious proposal anyway, but a cynical political distraction from the funding crisis education is facing and our wider social and economic problems.
They might be right, but it does open up a chance to rethink post-16 level 2 maths teaching. A great starting point for discussion is the Royal Society’s work on level 2 qualifications. More broadly, a policy review we undertook as part of the Royal Society’s ‘Mathematical Futures’ programme, including looking at policy internationally, suggests the need for a more fundamental reform of our mathematics curriculum and qualifications.
So, what should the FE sector do in response to Sunak’s proposal?
First, make it clear that it must be fully funded. Doing so will require addressing the inequality in funding for studying level 2 maths between 11- to 16-year-olds and over-16s, incentivising alternative level 3 qualifications like core maths, and significant investment in teacher education and professional development.
Second, ask for a realistic time scale. This announcement looks like a short-term gimmick with the next election in mind. However, it could look different as a twenty- or thirty-year policy goal.
Third, make the case that the key to increasing participation in maths post-16 is to refresh curriculum content as Smith proposed five years ago.
Going beyond this, fourth, make the argument that the school maths curriculum also needs reform, rather than expecting post-16 settings to forever put right education policy failures.
In truth, our maths curriculum is stuck in the 19th Century. Sunak says that currently we are letting children down because we are not equipping them with the data skills needed for work. If we want to really address that then the age of the pupils studying maths matters much less than ensuring the subject reflects the age we live in.
Improving engagement and behaviour is always at the forefront of lecturers’ minds. Often, our solution is to gamify our lessons with the likes of an interactive quiz. But what if there was a way to bring gamification further into our educational settings to drive engagement more broadly?
For those new to the term, esports is not the same as simply playing a video game for fun. Instead, esports is competitive video gaming on the same level as more traditional sports such as football or rugby, with built-in prioritisation of players’ mental and physical health as well as in-game skills.
At St Vincent College in Gosport, our esports journey began in late 2019 when we discovered the British Esports Federation and their student championships through our level 1 IT students. We entered a team and quickly found that giving our students the opportunity to compete against other schools and colleges from the comfort of our educational spaces gave them a platform to develop their understanding of IT terminology and hardware as well as a hobby to strive towards.
The initial uptake was huge, and our first step was to set clear expectations. In order to compete, we insisted that all their work must be handed in on time, their attendance in lessons must be high and their behaviour must be excellent. They obliged, and we saw considerable improvement for the students involved.
Lockdowns impacted, but our students’ understanding of esports and the industry had grown over the short period of time, which allowed us to continue to play in friendly matches known as scrims. We were able to stream these games, giving students and staff not directly involved the ability to watch and support the only active team at the time.
Our expectations set earlier in the year were also adhered to through lockdown, because all our students wanted to compete and represent their team nationally.
In this way, esports kept our learners engaged through lockdown, with many of them completing tasks at home that helped to develop their hard and soft skills as well as evolve our team, the St Vincent Sharks into the organisation it is now.
Students used their own resources and creativity to bring the team to life, from designing the logo and T-shirts to starting social media pages and a YouTube channel.
It is a format that is genuinely equal for everyone
Alongside this, they continued to make progress in other subjects – from literacy in the form of writing to potential local sponsors to numeracy by working out win percentages and costs to create jerseys. This enrichment opportunity proved to be a huge success and, when we returned to onsite learning, we were pleased to find that it was just as effective at re-engaging learners as it had been at engaging them to begin with.
As a result, we went on to develop our curriculum to offer our students the level 2 and 3 BTECs in esports. We are also extremely proud to have made a professional connection and partnership with Dell Technologies, which has led to the creation of our own 30-seat esports arena, nicknamed The Shark Tank.
Of course, there were hurdles along the way. Ours was configuring our cyber security protocols to enable onsite access to video games and the multiplayer aspect while keeping learners safe and secure online.
But the bigger hurdle for many is likely to be negative assumptions about gaming. For our part, we can truly attest that the benefits of esports considerably outweigh any negative perceptions.
Not only can they be used as a platform for students to develop the transferable skills employers need, but it is a format that is genuinely inclusive and equal for everyone, uniting players through their in-game abilities rather than academic or physical prowess.
We know the benefits of extra-curricular engagement. We accept this with music, traditional sports and even chess clubs. We gamify our subjects all the time to bring some of that competition and fun to our lessons.
Esports are here to stay and every college can benefit from their inclusion. And besides, the Sharks need some competition.
Apprenticeship training and edtech firm Multiverse has said it’s on track to grow despite reporting financial losses for the sixth consecutive year.
Accounts for the company’s 2021/22 financial year, published this week, reveal that Multiverse made a £14.2 million loss despite its turnover nearly tripling from £10 million in 2020/21 to £27.2 million in 2021/22.
This follows net losses of £10.9 million in 2020/21 and £5 million in 2019/20.
Multiverse hit the headlines in 2022 by becoming the first UK based company to gain ‘unicorn’ status, which is awarded to edtech companies valued over $1 billion, following a drive for investment in the United States which raised £176 million. The company’s valuation at the time was a staggering £1.4 billion.
It’s these investment rounds that will be sustaining the organisation while it racks up annual losses.
Blair
The company, owned by Euan Blair, son of former prime minister Tony Blair, has said it is “typical” for venture-backed companies to report losses while it invests in its infrastructure.
A spokesperson for Multiverse said: “We’re at the forefront of growing the number of apprenticeship opportunities in both the UK and the US, doubling the number of apprentices we’re training, expanding our geographic reach, and increasing our team of world-class coaches.
“Investing for growth and reporting a loss is completely typical for this stage of the journey of successful venture-backed companies.
“We have made significant investments across all teams at Multiverse to put the company in the best position to meet the need for our apprenticeships in the year ahead.”
The company’s latest accounts show that it has invested heavily in expanding its staff team, from 181 employees in 2021 to 312 in 2022. This more than doubled its staffing bill from £13.9 million to £30.1 million.
Remuneration of its highest paid director also doubled from £125,000 to £257,033.
Its US operations made up a small proportion of its turnover in 2021/22, just 5 per cent, whereas turnover for its UK operations grew to £26 million from £10 million the year before.
Department for Education statistics for 2021/22 show that Multiverse started 4,940 apprentices, up by 1,980 on the year before. It’s offer includes apprenticeships standards in data analysis, team leadership and project management at levels 3 and 4.
In September 2022, Multiverse became the first provider that only delivers apprenticeships to be awarded degree awarding powers. It currently advertises a BSc (Hons) degree apprenticeship in digital and technology solutions.
Multiverse scored a full slate of ‘outstanding’ judgments in its first full Ofsted inspection in July 2021.
From their central role in the levelling up agenda to their vital importance in meeting labour market shortages, apprenticeships were never far from the news in 2022.
This year, the growing trend of using apprenticeships to upskill existing workers and the urgent need to address chronic shortages in specific sectors such as data science, cyber security, and digital marketing will mean they continue to dominate discussions about the skills sector.
Here are six key trends to expect in 2023.
Drive for quality
There will be a huge improvement in the overall quality of apprenticeships this year. A great many apprenticeships on offer do not measure up, for apprentices and employers alike. We predict a crackdown on these low-quality apprenticeship providers as the government enforces a far stricter certification regime.
Organisations are also starting to pay more attention to traditional educational rankings such as Ofsted reports when choosing an apprenticeships partner. Employers who pay the apprenticeship levy will want a better return for their money and will start to understand that not all providers are equal.
In-work apprenticeship growth
There will be a growing acceptance of the value of in-work apprenticeships. Rather than just being seen as a way of getting the unemployed into work, the number of organisations that use the apprenticeship route to upskill existing workers will rise, especially in areas of high demand such as data science and digital marketing.
More nurturing apprenticeships
There will be a shift towards employers offering a clear growth path to employees on apprenticeship programmes. The traditional “enrol and forget”policy has led newly trained and skilled employees to knowing their value in the marketplace and moving on for higher salaries.
It is unrealistic to expect younger staff to confront their bosses and ask for the pay rise justified by their new skills, so those who want to hang on to their apprentices will need to take a more active role in coaching them along the way so they understand their prospects within their companies.
Demand for data analysts
Data analysts will be in even higher demand as organisations realise that this role is not some back-room boffin but essential in driving growth and efficiencies in every part of a business. They will become the keeper of the keys to the kingdom of growth, not just the spreadsheet wizard.
As digital transformation becomes the norm, someone has to make sense of the data that will drive investment decisions. With such skills in short supply, it is vital that companies invest in building teams of data analysts. A year ago, employers were asking why they needed a data analyst. They will stop asking the question as they realise they can’t find out what is driving their business without one.
An urgent cyber-crisis
The chronic shortage of cyber security skills will be addressed by a drive to train non-graduates. With the UK now suffering the third highest number of ransomware attacks globally, companies have to move fast to fill the gap and the sky-high salaries for the diminishing pool of cyber talent will be unaffordable for many SMBs.
Apprenticeships will form part of this strategy, but local and regional authority-funded boot camps will also play a major role as companies understand the urgency of the situation.
Grow-your-own salespeople
One area that has grown rapidly over the past 12 months and will really take off in 2023 is the sales apprenticeship. In the past, salespeople were seen as being “born, not made” – but this is simply not the case. Companies who have struggled to fill sales vacancies will see the value of training their own people with government support, rather than gambling on “proven” sellers that come with a hefty recruiter’s fee and no guarantees.
Secondary schools must provide students with at least six “encounters” with further education providers from this month, following a change in the law.
Legislation was changed on January 1 to provide pupils with more exposure to technical education opportunities in a move to beef up the so-called “Baker clause” introduced in 2018, with a warning that schools that fail to adhere to the new rules face a legal direction from government.
Secondary schools now have a legal duty to provide pupils with “at least six encounters with a provider of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships”.
The new law states that two of these must be in the “first key phase” of school – to take place any time during year 8 or between September 1 and February 28 in year 9. Another two encounters must then be in the “second key phase” – to take place any time during year 10 or between September 1 and February 28 in year 11.
A further two must be offered in years 12 or 13. However, unlike the earlier encounters, sixth formers will not have to attend by law.
The change follows criticism of the lack of enforcement of previous rules, with a 2019 study by the Institute for Public Policy Research finding that two-thirds of secondary schools were still flouting the Baker clause a year after it was introduced.
The DfE consulted on the changes to statutory guidance last summer but has only just published its response and the updated guidance document, despite the law coming into effect four days ago.
Schools that fail to meet the new requirements will be subject to a “ladder of support and intervention”, with a legal direction serving as the most severe form of punishment.
Schools may also lose out on government careers funding if they are non-compliant, the guidance states.
The DfE also announced today that primary school teachers in deprived areas of England will receive training to deliver careers education programmes under a new £2.6 million scheme.
Skills minister Robert Halfon said: “To deliver the future workforce that this country needs, it is essential that careers advice and work experience help young people from all backgrounds to climb the ladder of opportunity.
“The changes we are making to boost our careers programme will raise ambitions from an early age for thousands of children in primary schools across the country, while providing opportunities to unlock talent, think about skills, engage with employers and discover different workplaces.”
In the autumn, Collab Group held a roundtable discussion with our partners, the Global Community College Leadership Network. Nearly 20 colleges from the United States, Canada and the UK were represented. The topic was skilling the workforce, and our intention was to facilitate an open exchange of views and experiences. What was striking was how consistent some of the themes were across different contexts.
Responding to labour markets
All participants pointed out the tight nature of labour markets in their respective jurisdictions and the impact this had on their provision.
In Canada there are more than 1 million vacancies, with a population of 38 million. By comparison, the UK also has more than 1 million vacancies, but with a much larger population of 67 million. Similarly in New Mexico, there is a low participation rate as well as low unemployment. The result is that employers are struggling to recruit and end up poaching staff from each other.
But this is also where colleges can provide a solution with work-based learning, through apprenticeships. Not only can learners continue (or return to) education, but they can also continue being a part of the labour force and meeting skills needs. Indeed, engaging in education at the same time means their potential earnings are likely to rise over the long term too. This is a win-win-win situation as there are benefits for employers, employees/students as well as the wider economy through improvements in skills and therefore productivity.
And this is exactly what our participants said they were doing, with our Canadian and American attendees targeting a 100 per cent participation rate in such programmes for their students.
Engaging with employers
Second, our participants shared the myriad ways in which they engaged with their employers.
South Yorkshire, where The Sheffield College operates, has a large SME population, which are a tougher nut to crack for apprenticeships. The college has taken what it calls a “sectoral approach”, whereby businesses from the same sector will come into the college to speak about their skills needs, and the college may be able to offer more bespoke provision.
New Mexico provides an interesting contrast, as the employer landscape there is predominantly public sector – schools, hospitals, national research laboratories and government agencies. This means Central New Mexico Community College’s attention is more attuned to government-funded schemes, such as a federal government initiative to subsidise the wages of students who undertake internships in certain sectors.
This comes with its own challenges, as government funding streams are rarely permanent. But the common thread is the importance of sustaining links with employers who become advocates for effective educational schemes.
Innovative provision
Third, participants spoke about the more innovative aspects of their activities. Innovation could involve tweaking existing provision to better fit employer needs or engaging in new kinds of activity altogether.
In Southern Alberta, for instance, a recent review of apprenticeships concluded with recommendations for the formal recognition of apprenticeships, updating standards and laws to keep pace with economic change, and achieving parity of esteem with academic routes. These will no doubt sound familiar on this side of the pond.
Derby College is currently developing a programme with a locally-based global engineering company in which the college teaches students on the business’s own premises – an excellent opportunity for staff as well as students. Teachers will be immersed in cutting-edge facilities and equipment and students will become high-skilled, job-ready candidates upon graduation. The company benefits too, thereby potentially driving broader employer engagement with the college.
Some pertinent questions were left open at the end of our discussion, which all colleges were interested in finding answers to. Among these, how do we navigate a situation whereby employers ask colleges for help but are unable to articulate their own skills needs? And how do we help employers engage with and attract our students, especially in sectors not traditionally seen as appealing?
Thankfully, this roundtable was the first in a series. We are sure to return to these issues and more, and look forward to sharing the insights gained.
