Finalists announced for the 2022 AAC Apprenticeship Awards

The national finalists for this year’s FE Week and AELP AAC Apprenticeship Awards have been revealed.

The awards, now in their fifth year, are a celebration of the very best in apprenticeship delivery and provide well-deserved recognition for the people, teams and organisations that make excellent apprenticeships happen.

A record-breaking 370 entries were received from training providers, colleges, universities and employers and we can now reveal the worthy finalists going forward to the national awards ceremony in March.

Shane Mann, managing director of FE Week’s publisher Lsect, said: “We have once again been blown away by the quality of nominations and especially of this year’s finalists.

“It’s been an incredibly challenging couple of years for apprentices, employers and providers, so to be able to return to in-person celebrations this year feels extra special.

“The ingenuity, creativity and care taken by our finalists to give apprentices the best experience possible throughout the pandemic has been inspirational. I can’t wait for the entire apprenticeships sector to come together this March to mark their exceptional work.”

This year’s awards, in association with NOCN, will feature 23 categories, including the illustrious apprenticeship provider of the year, which will be won by either Manchester Metropolitan University, Myerscough College, Realise or Remit Training.

The organisations up for apprentice employer of the year are Barratt Developments PLC, Great Ormond Street NHS, Iceland Foods and Lloyds Banking Group.

AELP chief executive Jane Hickie said: “I am delighted that for the fifth year, FE Week and AELP have come together to host the AAC Apprenticeship Awards.

“We received so many strong nominations across all categories, highlighting the amazing work of providers and employers. This shows the real strength of our sector, despite the challenges of the past few years.

“Throughout the judging process, we saw so many impressive examples of best practice in delivery for our learners and employers. I am really looking forward to the AAC gala dinner on March 22, where the winners will be announced.”

Four individuals are in the running for the outstanding contribution to the development of apprenticeships category.

They are Amy Smith, head of talent at Framestore (visual effects); Carole Carson, non-executive director at DBC Training; Ian Bamford, chief operating officer at Paragon Skills; and Sharon Blyfield, head of early careers GB at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

Winners will be announced at the FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference taking place on March 21-22 in Birmingham.

AAC Judges:

Ben Blackledge, Deputy CEO, WorldSkills UK

Sharon Blyfield, GB Apprentice Lead, Coca-Cola European Partners

Charlotte Bosworth, CEO, Innovate Awarding

Thomas Burton,  Group Director (Apprenticeships), NOCN

Rob Colbourne, Chief Executive Officer, Performance Through People Training

John Cope, Director of Strategy, Policy, & Public Affairs, UCAS

Patrick Craven, Director, City & Guilds

Sharon Green, Professor of Vocational Education and Deputy Head of School, NCFM

Jane Hadfield, National Senior Programme Manager – Apprenticeships, Health Education England

Jane Hickie, CEO, AELP

Jason Holt, Chair, Apprenticeship Ambassador Network

Susanna Lawson, Founder, OneFile

Anne Milton, Former Skills Minister       

Sharron Robbie,  MD, Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network

Stewart  Segal, Board member, AELP Board

Sue Taylor, Joint Chair, Association of Learning Providers Surrey

2022 Annual Apprenticeships Awards Finalists. Click to enlarge.

The white paper was promising – but why are ITPs still fighting for recognition?

Research out next month will prove the value of independent training providers, writes Jane Hickie

The past year saw significant challenges for learners, employers and training providers as Covid continued to affect us all. But the Skills For Jobs white paper, whose anniversary it is this week, offered an excellent opportunity for the sector to shift towards an outcomes-focused approach.

It was good to see the white paper finally recognise the massive contribution independent training providers make in delivering skills training. It was particularly heartening to see the extra emphasis the white paper placed on providers working closely with employers.

We also welcomed the expansion of digital skills provision, moves towards an all-age careers service, better Baker Clause enforcement measures and investment in workforce development across FE.

Yet there is still much to be done if we are to realise an adult education sector that truly prioritises the needs of learners and employers.

For instance, the extension of the Baker Clause to year 7 pupils and better enforcement measures were incredibly positive aspects of the white paper.

So it was surprising and disappointing to see these measures omitted from inclusion in the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill.

We know from our work with Lord Baker and the Department for Education that most schools are still not adhering to the Baker Clause as they should, despite the landmark legislation. The skills bill’s own impact assessment noted that there was only a 40 per cent rate of compliance.

This needs addressing to ensure that that all young people get fair and equitable access to appropriate careers information, advice and guidance – with parity for academic and vocational routes.

As ever, our biggest challenge is to overcome the lack of parity between ITPs and other FE providers. Recent procurement outcomes and the inability for ITPs to access Covid support packages have hit ITPs hard.

Why this lack of parity? We are all working toward a common goal which is to get the economy back on its feet. ITPs are key to that success. It is high time to level the playing field and give ITPs their rightful place in the system to support that recovery.

It is high time to level the playing field

Functional skills qualifications are another example where that lack of parity continues to cause problems for work-based training providers and their learners.

The UK government recently removed the English and maths qualification “exit requirement” for T Levels. As this hasn’t been extended to apprenticeships, the result is a worrying discrepancy between classroom and work-based learning.

Whilst AELP does not advocate for the removal of English and maths from apprenticeship requirements, parity of treatment for learners is a matter of fairness.

Therefore we want to see the same flexibility at the point of exit at the very least, as well as a review of funding for functional skills qualifications.

The announcement on T Levels has added extra pressure for training providers, who are currently being asked to deliver maths and English within an apprenticeship at a rate of just £471 per qualification.

Disappointingly this amounts to just half of the funding available for delivery in a classroom-based setting. It is a situation that is clearly unsustainable.

Despite these challenges, we do know there is a lot of support for, and interest in, what ITPs do.

AELP has been undertaking wide-ranging research on the role and impact of ITPs in the FE sector, which will be released on February 22 in the House of Commons. This will be hosted by Lord Aberdare, who has a long history of advocating for ITPs.

The research will present strong evidence outlining the unrivalled role that ITPs play in supporting the training needs of learner and employers and will support our calls for ITPs to be treated as an equal partner within the further education system.

Although there have been some steps in the right direction through the white paper, ITPs are still being considered an afterthought by FE policymakers.

If we are to achieve our collective ambition of a vibrant, world-class skills system, ITPs must be placed front and centre in a partnership between all providers.

The skills bill is the blueprint for transforming the country

Apprenticeships are extraordinarily popular – and more progress is being made from the skills bill, writes Alex Burghart

Skills lie at the heart of levelling up. Skills will help people drive their careers forward.

Skills will help towns and cities attract and nourish new businesses and developments. Skills will help the economy thrive and public services deliver. 

Our blueprint for a major shift forward in the way we develop people’s skills – the Skills For Jobs white paper – was published a year ago today.

We want everyone at every stage in their life to have the opportunity to step up and move on – be it the school leaver who needs an apprenticeship, or the career changer who wants a higher technical qualification, or the person who sees opportunities and needs a skills bootcamp course.

Something so everyone can switch on, log in and skill up.  

This is why, over the next four years, we are giving new support to post-16 technical education.

My department has secured a massive £3.8 billion to invest in further education and skills over this parliament, including an extra £1.6 billion boost by 2024/25 for 16-19-year-olds, to roll out ambitious, game-changing programmes.

This comes on top of the £1.5 billion we are investing to transform college estates and make them fit for the future.

We have rolled out skills bootcamps, our free courses for jobs offer, the digital skills entitlement ̶ and the chancellor has made a huge investment in basic adult numeracy through the Multiply programme.

Nine new Institutes of Technology will bring the total to 21 across the country. Created in collaboration with companies such as Microsoft, Esh Group, GKN Aerospace and the Met Office, they are playing a critical role in delivering the higher technical skills needed for our future success.

The rollout of T Levels – our new gold-standard technical qualification at level 3, to rival academic routes – marches on, with ten courses now available in over 100 providers.

And we are continuing to build on the almost five million apprenticeship starts since 2010, creating additional flexibilities to help more sectors and employers get the most out of this extraordinarily popular programme. 

And, vitally, we have cemented our vision for lifelong learning, making an iron-clad guarantee that from 2025 there will be a lifelong loan entitlement, giving people the opportunity to train, retrain and upskill throughout their lives. 

These changes will help our businesses get the talented, highly skilled workers they need, delivering productivity gains and an ever-stronger economy. 

We are putting employers at the heart of our revitalised skills system.

As we have seen through the skills bill, there is real cross-party support to make sure we are training people with the skills that businesses need.

Already, we have established eight trailblazer areas where the first local skills improvement plans are being developed by employer representative bodies.

Alongside LSIPs, we are investing £65 million in delivering cutting-edge equipment, upskilling teaching staff and developing new courses across 18 pilot areas, realising the ambitions that providers and employers have for our young people.

These trailblazers and pilots are spurring new collaborative working.

Trailblazers and pilots are spurring new collaborative working

There are great examples of colleges, universities and other providers working hand-in-glove with employers to shape the training provision that local communities and businesses need (for example, in green construction).

With the hard work and support from the sector, we are making leaps and bounds in transforming skills across our country. 

Rarely has there been a time when the economy has been so hungry for skills. As we look toward another crucial year, our reforms will gather pace and deliver a newly skilled and work-ready stream of talent to feed this appetite.

More courses, more opportunities, better life chances.

The skills white paper: too much rhetoric, too little action

A lack of movement is causing planning blight and eroding the skills landscape, writes Sue Pember

In January 2021, the long-awaited white paper setting out the government’s vision for reform of further education arrived. Along with it came a timetable for how the act would journey through parliament, starting in the Lords. 

I wonder whether it was ever imagined by those directing the work of parliament that the Lords would relish the chance to talk about this bill in the way they did.

It was heartening to hear the lords and baronesses speak so knowledgeably and at length about the importance of lifelong learning, skills, apprenticeships and adult education. 

Their ability to offer amendments was outstanding and relentless – they were determined to get us much out of this bill as they could. 

We have yet to see what will stick, but in a way they have already done us all a great favour by raising issues the sector has long been trying to highlight. Mainly that the lifelong learning agenda is really important to this country in improving both productivity and wellbeing.

The main purpose of the white paper was to introduce a lifetime skills guarantee intended to enable people to gain the skills they need throughout their lives.

This guarantee looks like it will just turn into access to a loan for fees for level 4 and above and, we assume, a secondary loan for maintenance. 

If it is as described, giving loans for modules and not just for full years, then it could open up the HE market to more students and be an exciting development.

But, one year on, I would have expected some movement on its introduction. Back in April 2021 we were told by the higher education minister that pilots would start in 2022; however, as yet there has a been little progress.

The white paper also set out plans to introduce local skills improvement plans (LSIPs), which will require colleges to work closely with employers in identifying local skills needs, and places greater emphasis on provider accountability for outcomes achieved. 

There have been some pilots of LSIPs, but lots of teething problems too, with not all key players, such as local authorities, combined authorities and other key providers, around the table.

This was a lost opportunity and another year has gone by without achieving some really necessary local coordination.

Another year has gone by without really necessary local coordination

The focus on colleges in the white paper did also worry adult community education services and institutions. But these concerns were alleviated somewhat when the consultation document was published in July. 

The consultation document clearly set out a role for adult community education services: “Grant funding of colleges and local authority education providers will be the main funding flow in our new system for adult skills.

“Alongside colleges, local authority adult educational services play a key role in meeting learner needs and supporting their communities, typically focusing on community learning and basic skills provision.”

With this statement, it was easier to envisage a future with adult education below level 2 being planned and coordinated by local authorities.

This leaves the higher-level courses to be covered in the new LSIPs. This is something we have been advocating at HOLEX,  as we know learners prefer to learn close to where they live. Planning locally is the sensible option and allows place-based services to join up.

But going forward we need more assurances about the future.

We need progress on the three-year budgets and simplification promises that were proposed in the white paper consultation. And we need to see the response to supplementary consultations on areas such as level 2 and below. 

This lack of information is causing a planning blight, eroding the skills landscape and reducing learner opportunity.

Next year, let’s up the pace. We must put in place a system that allows our learners to progress with equal financial support, whichever route they choose.

Crack down on ‘poor quality’ courses announced by Office for Students

Colleges and universities are being set tougher outcome measures by the higher education regulator – with plans for “intrusive sanctions” like fines and funding restrictions on those who fail to meet targets.

In a consultation launched today, the Office for Students said it wants to use numerical thresholds for student outcomes (see table below). These thresholds will be set around students’ continuation, completion and progression of courses, including degree apprenticeships.

The thresholds are designed to target poor-quality courses and outcomes which are “letting students down”.

One consequence of the measures, as acknowledged by the OfS, is that universities and colleges might withdraw from partnership arrangements and be “disincentivised” to enter them in the future.

“These proposals mark a landmark moment in our work to tackle poor quality provision in English higher education,” said Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the OfS.

“Students from all backgrounds deserve to be on good courses leading to qualifications which stand the test of time and prepare them well for life after graduation.” 

Dandridge said that universities and colleges in England run high quality courses that deliver positive outcomes for students.

“The thresholds that we have proposed will not affect them. They are instead designed to target those poor-quality courses and outcomes which are letting students down and don’t reflect students’ ambition and effort,” she said.  

The OfS is proposing to amend condition B3 of its regulatory framework to include the use of the new numerical thresholds.

These thresholds will be for full and part-time students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. They will also be used for apprenticeships.  

According to the OfS, they have been designed to set a “high bar” which takes account of a university or college’s individual circumstances.

The OfS said it will use its regulatory judgement to set numerical thresholds that represent the point at which they would consider intervening to ensure providers are delivering positive outcomes for each indicator.

In its consultation the OfS gave an example of what these thresholds might look like:

Source: The OfS

Consequences of not meeting requirements

The OfS said that universities and colleges who do not meet the thresholds – which will underpin requirements for minimum acceptable student outcomes – could face investigation, with fines and restrictions on their access to student loan funding available as potential sanctions.

These proposals will sit alongside the OfS’s other conditions of registration on quality in higher education.

“Alongside the thresholds, we are providing detailed information to universities and colleges that will enable them to assess their own performance, and to make improvements where quality is low – whether that is across the board, or for particular groups of students, or in certain subjects,” said Dandridge.

“But we are clear that we are raising our expectations of universities and colleges. Low quality courses which lead to poor outcomes for students are unacceptable, and we are determined to take action where students are recruited onto courses which offer few tangible benefits,” she added.

Partnership arrangements

The OfS admitted that the proposed measures could lead to some providers withdrawing from partnership arrangements rather improving outcomes for the students involved.

“If partnership arrangements that do not deliver positive outcomes for students are terminated, we do not consider that to be adversely limiting student choice,” the OfS said in its consultation. 

“It is, however, also possible that some providers may withdraw or decide not to enter new partnerships because of increased regulatory scrutiny, regardless of the quality of the courses delivered and the outcomes achieved.”

The OfS said it did not expect a provider to “churn” courses or partnerships to avoid regulatory attention.

“If there is evidence that a provider is withdrawing from partnerships to do this, we may undertake further investigation to confirm that its management and governance arrangements for its partnerships are robust and effective and that decisions to work with other organisations are the result of a strategic approach rather than opportunism,” the regulator said.

It added that outcomes of such an investigation could “raise concerns” about a provider’s suitability to hold degree awarding powers that can be used in partnership arrangements.

DfE campaign calls on skilled workers to teach part-time in FE

A new national campaign that calls on skilled workers to take up a part-time teaching role in further education alongside their current job has been launched today.

The Department for Education, which promised such a campaign in the skills for jobs white paper, said there was a particular demand for FE teachers in construction, engineering and manufacturing, legal, finance, accounting, digital and health and social care.

Radio, TV, social media and a new dedicated website will be used to promote the ‘Teach in FE’ campaign to tackle the shortages.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “There are a huge number of industry professionals that already hold the knowledge and skills to make them a great further education teacher.

“We want to encourage those with industry experience to share their skills to inspire and train up the next generation of workers in their field.”

The DfE added that industry professionals looking to take up a “portfolio career” can teach their trade, skill or subject in a “wide range” of FE settings without the need for a specific qualification.

Last year’s skills for jobs white paper promised “significant new investment” to improve the FE workforce in 2021/22.

DfE surveys of college staff, cited in the white paper, showed that more than half of college principals find recruitment difficult and teaching vacancy rates in “crucial” subject areas such as engineering and construction were as high as five per cent.

Today’s campaign is hoped to “reach millions” of prospective teachers. A new website is expected to signpost current vacancies and help existing teachers and lecturers find professional development opportunities.

The campaign follows a £3 million expansion of the Taking Teaching Further programme, which aims to bring as many as 4,000 additional teachers into the FE sector by 2025.

The DfE did not say how much funding was earmarked for the Teach in FE campaign at the time of going to press.

Twelfth UTC closure confirmed

A university technical college (UTC) in London has confirmed plans to close just four years after opening.

Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC, named after the former Conservative politician, announced last May that it would pause student recruitment to consider its future due to low student numbers.

Chair Andrew Christie told the college’s 20 staff this morning that he was “saddened” to confirm the college was no longer financially viable. The college will close at the end of the 2021/22 academic year as a result.

He said: “Over the coming months, we will be working tirelessly with our students to help them secure the very best outcomes as they complete their courses. We will also be supporting our valued staff as they prepare for new roles in September.”

The UTC opened in 2017 and specialises in science, technology, engineering and maths. It has capacity for 550 students aged 14 to 19 but only had 150 on roll last year. This number has since dropped to 75. The college is also yet to be inspected by Ofsted.

According to its financial statements, the UTC recorded an operating loss of £486,000 in 2019/20 and required extra financial support from the Department for Education to stay afloat for the past two years. The college has also received almost £2 million in capital grants since 2017.

Its building is set to be taken over by Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, which opened in 2016 and has been in search of a new home for a number of years. The Department for Education wrote off over £3.2 million on a failed research and development building project for the college, according to the DfE’s 2020/21 accounts.

Christie said he was “pleased that technical education will continue to be delivered” on the UTC’s site through Ada.

“Moving to a technical education provider offering a sixth form and digital degree apprenticeships is a sensible and pragmatic evolution and will ensure the needs and aspirations of the young people of Westminster and the surrounding boroughs will continue to be met,” he added.

Ada’s co-founder and chief executive, Mark Smith, said the campus “will allow us to provide courses to more students that end in a meaningful career in tech”.

More than 50 UTCs have opened since they were launched in 2010 by former education secretary Lord Baker. Many of the colleges have, however, faced difficulties recruiting students and staying afloat financially.

Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC will be the twelfth of its kind to close to date.

To mitigate low student numbers, a number of UTCs have begun recruiting students at age 13 or even 11, rather than their traditional starting age of 14. Many have also joined multi-academy trusts to ease financial troubles.

Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC had previously been in discussions to join Fulham Boys School multi-academy trust, but the move fell through in 2020.

Christie said the UTC has had “may positives” over the past four years.

“Hundreds of young people have been supported by our talented and dedicated staff. You only have to look at the impressive list of employers and organisations our students have joined after they have finished their courses with us to see that they are adding real value to the workplace and wider economy,” he added.

Face masks in classrooms ditched from tomorrow

The government will lift its recommendation that masks be worn in secondary school, college and training provider classrooms from tomorrow, Boris Johnson has said.

Rules requiring coverings are worn in indoor communal areas will no longer apply from Thursday next week (January 27).

The recommendation for face masks in classrooms was brought back in early January, while masks have been recommended in communal areas since late November.

Johnson addressed MPs today following a cabinet meeting this morning where ministers decided to allow plan B regulations put in place to tackle the Omicron variant of Covid to expire.

He said the latest Office for National Statistics data showed infections were “falling”, and while they were “likely to continue rising” in some places including primary schools, “our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally”.

“From tomorrow we will no longer require face masks in the classroom, and the Department for Education will shortly remove national guidance on their use in communal areas,” he told the House of Commons.

Measures requiring self-isolation for those who test positive will remain in place, but Johnson said there would “soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether”.

He said self-isolation regulations were due to expire on March 24 “at which point I very much expect not to renew them”. He added that “were the data to allow I would like to seek a vote in this House to bring that date forwards”.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the announcement would be welcomed “if it is supported by sound public health and scientific advice”.

But he warned of a “danger that we are heading once again for a situation in which the government gives the impression that the crisis is over when in actual fact there is huge disruption continuing to take place in education”.

He added that the situation in schools and colleges “remains extremely challenging with significant levels of pupil and staff absence because of Covid-19 as well as difficulties in obtaining supply cover because of high demand”.

Apprenticeships in prisons STILL being considered, and 4 other takeaways from today’s prison education hearing

Skills minister Alex Burghart and prisons minister Victoria Atkins answered questions from the House of Commons education committee this morning as part of its inquiry into prison education.

To date, the cross-party review has explored issues around how education can be embedded across the prison estate, how well prisons accommodate the needs of SEND prisoners and the practicalities of delivering apprenticeships in prisons.

The two ministers, alongside Phil Copple, director general of prisons and Louise Wright, deputy director for apprenticeships, participation and traineeships at the Department for Education, gave updates on the government’s plans.

Here are some key takeaways of the inquiry’s final evidence session:

Ministers still considering apprenticeships in prisons

Burghart told committee members that the government is still considering a scheme to allow prisoners to start apprenticeships in prison and then continue with them once they have been released.

“It’s a very interesting idea and one that we are currently looking into… there are a few things operationally that we need to work through, but we are hopeful that we will be able to find some way through,” he said. 

Burghart explained there is currently no primary legislative barrier to prisoners becoming apprentices and so it should be possible – either for a scheme to allow prisoners on to apprenticeships or at least a modified form of an apprenticeship.

This might involve prisoners to go out on day release and take advantage of “existing funding streams”.

However, Burghart said that the DfE had only been doing provisional work on the issue and that no formal commitments had been made.

The government has been considering the question of prisoners doing apprenticeships for the past five years.

Personal learning plans to be piloted

During the session ministers were asked what they were doing to ensure that prisoners have some sort of continuity with their learning in cases where they are moved across the prison estate.

Copple told committee members that the government doesn’t currently have data on the number of prisoners who start courses and then move before they can complete them.

However, Atkins said that the government is piloting personal learning plans for each prisoner in four of their “accelerator” prisons.

“So that will be the model for the future… Having the plans follow the prisoner around the prison estate,” she said.

In terms of when the government is likely to roll out such as scheme, Copple said that they are going to link the evidence from the accelerators into the budget allocation decisions that are being made in the next couple of months. Officials will then use that information as they consider how to roll out provision over the next three years.

Plans for tech in cells moving forward

Last October, the Prisoners’ Education Trust called for a “major investment” into prison connectivity, whereby every prisoner has access to a digital device and the internet in their cell.

In-cell learning and investment into digital infrastructure in prisons was discussed during the session.

Atkins told committee members about a meeting she had with an experienced prison governor and how he was initially sceptical about in-cell tech.

“He was particularly worried about the security aspect and whether the technology would be properly looked after and so on,” she said. 

“But he happily admitted he was a complete convert… because it had such good results through his prison.

“It will take a bit of time… but we want to push this forward and use it appropriately and securely, so that when a prisoner has the opportunity in their cell to do some learning, they are seizing that opportunity,” Atkins added.

Prisoners with SEND need more support

Ministers heard concerns that individuals with learning difficulties are not clearly identified in the prison system. And committee members asked what improvements will be made to make sure that prisoners with SEND are properly supported.

“We are recognising that governors need expertise and they need capability to be built in their prisons,” Copple said.

He explained that with the accelerator prisons the government are trialling senior neurodiversity leads to help support prisoners.

Prisons deemed by Ofsted to have an ‘inadequate’ educational offering

The committee heard that the last annual report by Ofsted revealed that only nine of the 32 institutions inspected were judged to be good with the vast majority requiring improvement or were deemed inadequate.

“We absolutely accept those findings, of course we do,” said Atkins.

“It is the very real intent to improve upon those findings that underscores both the spending settlement that we have secured from the treasury but also importantly, the prison strategy white paper.”

Skills minister Burghart told the committee that there are four big providers in prisons, that provide a range of services beyond what they do in prisons. He said that overall Ofsted have found them to be good providers.  

“Where the Ofsted inspections of some prisons are not where we would like them to be, it tends to be because of things like curriculum planning or available space,” Burghart said.

“Some of that comes from the fact that we are only in the third year of the Coates review being implemented. I imagine some governors are still finding their feet, but there is already some very good practice out there.”