Government cuts to education spending over the last decade are “effectively without precedent in post-war history”, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Contributing heavily to this are a 14 per cent fall in spending per student in colleges and 49 per cent drop in adult education funding.
The economic research institute also states in its annual report on spending that the extra investment announced by the Treasury at the recent spending review for FE will only partially reverse past cuts.
It warns that while the present government has “ambitious goals” to level up poorer areas of the country, emphasising a big role for technical education, changes to education spending have been working in the opposite direction.
Here are the key findings for FE from today’s report…
Overall spending on education falls by £10bn
Between 2010 and 2019, total public spending on education across the UK fell by £10 billion, or 8 per cent, in real terms, according to the IFS.
Researchers say this led to a fall in the share of national income devoted to education spending, down from 5 per cent of national income in 2007 to 4.4 per cent in 2019,
If education spending had remained at 5 per cent of national income, it would have been £16 billion higher in 2019, today’s report reveals.
There was a 3 per cent real terms increase in education spending in 2020, but this “mostly” reflects the temporary extra levels of support during the pandemic.
Extra 16-18 funding will still leave FE 10% short of 2010 levels
The IFS says funding per student aged 16 to 18 in further education and sixth-form colleges fell by 14 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2019, while funding per student in school sixth forms fell by 28 per cent.
It adds that recent increases in funding, such as the extra £700 million in 2020-21, have been eroded by fast growth in student numbers, which are set for further growth of 10 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
Even with the additional £3.8 billion announced at the 2021 spending review, college spending per pupil in 2024 will still be around 10 per cent below 2010 levels, while school sixth form spending per pupil will be 23 per cent below 2010 levels.
Adult ed and apprenticeships spend still 15% below 2009 levels
In the 2021 spending review, the government allocated an extra £550 million for adult education by 2024–25 (from the previously announced National Skills Fund) and £170 million in increased apprenticeship funding by 2024–25.
As a result of this additional cash, funding for adult education and apprenticeships will rise by 30 per cent in real terms between 2019 and 2024, the IFS said.
However, combined spending on adult education and apprenticeships at this point will still be 15 per cent below 2009 levels.
Spending on adult education on its own fell by 49 per cent between 2009 and 2019 and will still be one-third below 2009 levels even with the additional funding.
Frustration at government’s ‘repeated lack of clarity’ on skills spending
Transparency around the National Skills Fund and other skills policy areas is highlighted as an issue for FE providers in the IFS’ report.
The report states: “The government has promoted the National Skills Fund as a £2.5 billion fund to support adults with training and gaining skills.
“The 2021 spending review allocated £550 million in 2024–25 as part of the National Skills Fund. Yet it is entirely unclear how money will be spread across years and whether the fund has been exhausted.
“Similarly, there remain questions about the design of the forthcoming lifelong loan entitlement. All of this continued uncertainty creates issues for providers of adult education and skills training.”
IFS’ damning verdict on education spending
Luke Sibieta, IFS research fellow and an author of the report, said: “The cuts to education spending over the past decade are effectively without precedent in post-war history.
“Extra funding in the spending review will reverse cuts to school spending per pupil, but will mean 15 years without any overall growth, and college spending per student will still be lower than in 2024.
“Recent funding changes have also worked against schools serving disadvantaged communities. This will make it that much harder to achieve ambitious goals to level up poorer areas of the country and narrow educational inequalities, which were gaping even before the pandemic.
“Fast growth in student numbers in colleges and universities will add to the challenges facing the education sector.”
An apprenticeship trailblazer has been branded ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted after finding a “concerning number” of sexual harassment allegations.
Employer provider PGL Travel, which has 42 apprentices including 27 on the level 3 outdoor activity instructor standard it helped develop, has lost its grade two awarded in 2009.
This was after inspectors uncovered safeguarding concerns such as: “Leaders and managers have not acted rapidly enough to assess, and consequently take actions to mitigate, the risks to staff and apprentices of sexual harassment and/or assault.”
Leaders had identified a “concerning” number of allegations of sexual harassment and assault between staff at the provider’s 14 UK residential centres, the report continues.
They arranged a dedicated meeting to take preventative action and stop these issues reoccurring, yet Ofsted’s report, published today, found “leaders did not have a sufficient focus on the circumstances surrounding the allegations, or fully assess the risks to staff and apprentices.
“Consequently, leaders were unable to put in place effective actions to deal with or reduce instances of these allegations between staff, which have continued to be reported in the months since the meeting was held.”
PGL Travel said this was a meeting of a working group on preventing sexual harassment which was set up in July and has since met three times.
Watchdog warned providers ineffective safeguarding would lead to grade four
Ofsted has been redoubling its efforts to investigate sexual misconduct at providers following the Everyone’s Invited revelations of widespread sexual abuse in education settings, which came to prominence last spring.
Since full inspections returned in September, inspectors have been reviewing providers’ sexual abuse records and looking at how providers handle related incidents.
Changes made to the inspection handbook in June warned that if safeguarding is ineffective, including around addressing learners’ concerns about sexual abuse, “this is likely to lead to a judgement of inadequate leadership and management”.
Leadership and management was the only area of the report PGL Travel was rated ‘inadequate’ for.
Provider has brought in ‘numerous’ measures after harassment allegations
PGL Travel has told FE Week it “simply does not tolerate this behaviour,” but these situations “sadly do arise” as they employ more than 2,000 seasonal staff at peak times.
The provider insisted it has “strong and open procedures for dealing with allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault that are underpinned by robust disciplinary action”.
All allegations of sexual assault are “always” referred to police and it has seen no convictions related to the provider in the last five years, a spokesperson said.
“We share Ofsted’s view that employers need to be more proactive in addressing and mitigating the risk of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.
“We have already implemented numerous measures to increase awareness, improve training and reduce incidence.”
PGL Travel was founded in 1957 and runs outdoor educational activity experiences such as axe throwing, quad biking, and rifle shooting for children and young people aged seven to 17, its website says.
This was after visits to five PGL centres during the half-term and found staff misusing substances and health and safety and environmental health concerns.
PGL Travel later insisted they had referred the substance misuse allegation to the police and say they found no evidence.
Leaders failed to identify safeguarding risks, Ofsted finds
The apprenticeship monitoring visit, conducted at the end of October, found apprentices were “not made sufficiently aware of the risks around them” and do not revisit topics such as consent, appropriate behaviour, and an individual’s right to change their mind.
The report also highlights how a number of PGL Travel’s sites are in areas where county lines activity has been identified, where drug traffickers recruit vulnerable young people into their operation.
Yet the provider’s leaders had failed to note this in their risk assessment, so failed to assess “the risk this poses to staff and apprentices, particularly those apprentices who are living and working away from home for the first time and could be vulnerable to such activity”.
Inspectors did record how apprentices learn significant new skills during their training, especially on the level 3 instructor standard which PGL was part of the trailblazer group for.
The report also compliments how training is organised into intensive blocks around peak activity times at the residential centres, so learners are given time to focus on learning.
Yet while managers conduct a range of quality assurance activities, the outcomes from these do not “sufficiently focus on, or consequently identify, areas for development that will help them improve the quality of the apprenticeships they offer”.
On the overall report, PGL Travel said it was “extremely disappointed” by the outcome and they have “already embarked on a comprehensive quality improvement plan regarding our working practices across PGL and are working closely with Ofsted and the Education and Skills Funding Agency”.
Fifteen winners from across UK schools and colleges have been honoured in the 2021 Pearson Teaching Awards for their dedicated work in education.
The “inspirational” gold winners have been revealed following a week-long celebration of teaching on the BBC’s The One Show.
Now in their 23rd year, the awards celebrate the best teaching across the UK and thousands of nominations were received for the gold award winners.
The week ended with all the award-winning teachers, teaching assistants and lecturers being presented with their trophies at a ceremony at The Brewery in the City of London.
Here are this year’s winners. You can also read about the silver award winners here.
Primary teacher of the year
Jacqueline Birch, St Peter’s C of E Primary School, Wigan
Jacqueline is described as an “inspirational educator” who is a “passionate advocate for children, working tirelessly to unlock their potential”.
During lockdown she embraced technology, supporting learners with their studies and wellbeing remotely as well as producing a digital Christmas video instead of a nativity play.
Secondary teacher of the year
Abigail Chase, Bassaleg School, Newport (Wales)
An English teacher and associate head for pedagogy and reflective practice, Abigail “inspires the whole school community with her infectious passion for learning and genuine care for pupils’ wellbeing”.
She embodies “to her core everything teachers should aspire to in the way she sets the highest expectations for herself and those around her”.
Outstanding new teacher
Hannah Lewis, Troedyrhiw Community Primary, Merthyr Tydfil
Hannah is described as a “vibrant, enthusiastic and committed teacher who motivates positive learning attitudes from all those around her”.
During lockdown, she was “instrumental” in training parents and children to use digital devices, and followed up with in-school support sessions.
Primary school head of the year
Reema Reid, Hollydale Primary School, London
The daughter of a Windrush immigrant who started in education as a lunchtime supervisor and TA in Lambeth, Reema has worked as a substantive headteacher in Southwark since 2013.
As headteacher, she has been “at the forefront” of tracking initiatives that have ensured her school can respond to the challenges of a changing pupil demographic and is driven by continuous school improvement.
Secondary school head of the year
Michael Allen, Lisneal College, Derry (NI)
Michael Allen joined Lisneal College in 2015 as headteacher and his commitment, leadership and inspiration to all stakeholders “has been nothing less than outstanding every day since”.
His “outstanding leadership” has resulted in a dramatic increase in school enrolment and through gradual change and improvement, he has taken the college’s provision to “another level”.
Primary school of the year
Roundhay Primary School, Leeds
Roundhay School has been the “most oversubscribed primary school in Leeds” for the past couple of years, and “consistently” achieves outcomes above the national average.
Over the last 18 months, Roundhay supported the school community through the pandemic by setting up a foodbank and creating bereavement boxes for children who had lost relatives or other loved ones to Covid.
Secondary school of the year
Wymondham College, Norfolk
Wymondham College is one of only a handful of state boarding schools in the country, creating a “culturally diverse community with students from a huge range of backgrounds”.
Many students come from deprived areas and have challenging personal circumstances and are supported to “make great academic and personal progress”.
Excellence in special needs education
Stephen Evans, Derwen College, Shropshire
As sports and leisure co-ordinator for a further education college which caters for young people with a range of learning difficulties, Steve’s students have a wide variety of complex special educational needs and disabilities.
His impact on these students has been described as “life-changing” as he works tirelessly to ensure that every young person is included in the huge range of activities he provides and is able to benefit from regular exercise.
Teaching assistant of the year
Dorota Hall, St Edward’s School, Dorset
Since joining St Edward’s School, Dorota has made a “significant difference” to the learning of every child through her meticulously planned and engaging literacy lessons.
Her patience and determination with students with considerable speech and communication challenges have enabled children to socialise and engage “beyond expectations”.
Impact through partnership
Roma Narrowing the Gap Team, Queen Katharine Academy, Cambridgeshire
Staff at Queen Katharine Academy (QKA) have worked “tirelessly” to understand and support their Gypsy-Roma community, which were originally at the top of school statistics for disruption, poor attainment and attendance.
They visited the Roma community in Slovakia to better understand the people and culture firsthand, employed Roma staff to better foster inclusion, and worked closely with Roma educational organisations to share best practice for supporting these students.
Digital innovator of the year
Emma Darcy, Denbigh High School, Bedfordshire
Emma has been the “driving force” behind the strategic implementation of technology for learning across all schools in the Chiltern Learning Trust MAT, ensuring access for all students.
Her work has ensured digital poverty does not affect some of the most disadvantaged students in the country, long before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lockdown hero award for learner and community support
Matt Jenkins and Jo Fison, The Deaf Academy, Devon
Matt Jenkins is described as an enthusiastic teacher who applies solutions to difficulties commonly faced by deaf learners.
Driven by a desire to ensure that deaf learners had equal access to information and learning around Covid, Matt developed the popular ‘Ask a Deaf Teacher’ YouTube channel.
Jo Fison is an experienced teacher who ensured that online platforms were sign language friendly, able to stream sign language efficiently and clearly, and considered well-being at the heart of all delivery.
She ensured online platforms were accessible to all, even those who had not grown up within the digital age, giving up much of her time, to lead, to handhold and to cajole staff in believing that teaching remotely was possible.
Lifetime achievement award
Marie Lindsay, Saint Mary’s College, Derry (NI)
Marie Lindsey has devoted her 35-year career as an educator to inspiring generations of young women in the city of Derry and beyond.
Her leadership of St Mary’s College has had a “life changing impact” on her pupils, their families and the wider community, and the school is recognised as one of the highest performing all ability secondary schools in Northern Ireland.
FE lecturer of the year
Melissa Tisdale, Walsall College
Melissa has some of the highest achieving media students in the country, despite many students coming from socially deprived areas with historic challenges to education.
Her success stems from her independent production company, Future Flames, where students gain valuable real-world work experience on external commissions, including filming and editing for the NHS.
FE team of the year
The PE Department, New College Pontefract
The team over the last five years has built not only an outstanding track-record of learner outcomes, but also a reputation as the largest provider of extra-curricular activities across the college.
The commitment of the department has led to many standout student athletes and stories of sporting successes. The department has produced students who play hockey for England, as well as Team GB swimmers.
Face masks should be worn in communal areas and close contacts of people with the new Covid variant Omicron should isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.
The changes to education Covid guidance (in full below) were communicated to principals in a Department for Education email sent at just after 4pm on Sunday.
A blog by the DfE adds the changes come into force on Monday, and full guidance was published on Monday morning. The guidance covers sixth form colleges, general FE colleges, independent training providers, designated institutions, adult community learning providers and special post-16 institutions.
Three people with the Omicron variant have now been identified in the UK.
DfE said the measures will be introduced as a “precaution to slow down the spread of the [Omicron] variant while we gather more information”. As such, the measures below are temporary.
“We will continue to keep this under review as the situation develops.”
Here’s what FE settings need to know …
Face masks ‘should’ be worn in communal areas
Face coverings “should be worn by students, staff and adult visitors when moving around FE premises, outside of classrooms or indoor teaching areas, such as in corridors and communal areas.”, the guidance states.
Students should continue to wear face coverings on public and college transport.
It is still the case the face coverings are not required in teaching areas, however FE providers continue to have discretion to require them in particular circumstances. For example, DfE say, “where teaching settings are more reflective of a workplace environment, such as a training kitchen.”
10-day isolation for Omicron close contacts
The current guidance on contact tracing and isolation remains unchanged.
However, in addition, any “suspected or confirmed close contacts of the Omicron variant will be asked to isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status or age”.
Education settings are not expected to undertake contact tracing, with NHS Test and Trace identifying positive cases.
The guidance adds: “You will be contacted directly and told to isolate.”
Re-consider international trips
The guidance says education providers “will want to consider whether to go ahead with planned international educational visits at this time, recognising the risk of disruption to education resulting from the need to isolate and test on arrival back into the UK”.
South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe were moved onto the “red list” on Friday. Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia were added today.
DfE said it had discussed the update with unions ASCL and NAHT, alongside the CST multi-academy trust membership body. They “agreed it would be helpful to issue today rather than wait until Monday”.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi pledged to “continue to prioritise children’s and young people’s education and wellbeing, making sure education and childcare settings are as safe as possible and children continue to benefit from classroom teaching”.
The skills system is crying out for a comprehensive long-term strategy led by experts, writes Sir John Armitt
In the past 30 years, there have been over 70 ministers responsible for skills policy – all believing their personal success is measured by what they can alter.
Most of them have been well intentioned, but these ministers have never been in post for long enough to deliver actual change. In addition, responsibility has moved between the Departments for Education and Business.
The result is decades of neglect for skills in the UK, which in turn has let down three generations of workers and also hampered our economic growth.
‘Cinderella of the skills system’
The situation could not be more urgent. Just over one in four (27 per cent) employers expect the number of hard-to-fill vacancies to increase in the next six months, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s latest labour market outlook.
Some of the hardest to fill vacancies are in construction, healthcare and public administration. So it’s clear that improvements in technical and vocational education is crucial to any longer term strategy to resolve these shortages.
But despite recent ministerial rhetoric and policy centred on improving technical and vocational training in the UK, it still suffers as the Cinderella of our education system.
It suffers from a system which, for too long, has placed too much emphasis on the university degree. The system is also handicapped by the belief that technical or vocational training is something that only needs to be addressed after GCSEs.
In short, our skills system is not yet fit for the challenges we face as a country.
‘Constant churn of government initiatives’
As mentioned, there is the problem of the constant churn of both government initiatives and skills ministers which has led skills and education policy to become short-term in outlook, disjointed and inconsistent.
The apprenticeship levy, introduced in 2017, is a case in point. After its introduction, the number of apprenticeship starts have fallen, and employers have had to cajole government into common sense changes to make the system more practical and effective.
There is still much more to be done if apprenticeships are to work for all employers large and small.
The latest major test for the system will be T Levels – a new technical qualification aimed at 16-19-year-olds and equivalent to three A-levels.
It’s still early days and will take ten years before the picture becomes clear, but if one thing is obvious now, it’s that T Levels deserve to be given a proper chance to succeed, through continued attention and investment from government.
‘Comprehensive long-term solutions needed’
Of course, skills provision is not all on the shoulders of colleges, schools or government. Sadly, not nearly enough employers see training as their responsibility. But training should not require a government handout – it should be a basic element of their cost base.
To see real improvements in our skills system, a collective sense of responsibility is required.
I’m by no means suggesting that government is unaware of these issues or does not understand the need for improvement – indeed, the recent calls to “level up” at least encourage technical training.
But as I step down after nine years as chair of City & Guilds, I know that awareness and understanding just aren’t enough.
Government also needs to put the structures in place that allow for well-thought-out, comprehensive long-term solutions.
Just imagine if we could create an independent education and skills commission that provides expert, impartial advice to government? One that takes a 30-year perspective on how we foster the skills we need, and recommends policies on how we meet them?
We would have a much better chance of creating long-lasting and impactful policy led by collective expertise.
And what’s stopping us? Especially now, as we look to unlock the UK economy post-pandemic, and grapple with these serious skills shortages post-Brexit.
What can be more important than getting our education and training system right not just for now, but for the long term?
We’re seeing an increase in the number of colleges poaching staff, writes Jenny Arrowsmith
The past 18 months have been incredibly challenging for colleges, and it’s perhaps no surprise that many colleges are now facing further disruption, with staff choosing to leave the profession.
This is especially the case in the post-Christmas period, when lots of people start thinking about new roles.
So here are some tips for creating a better place to work:
1. Agree pay levels with other colleges
Some specialist teachers are in high demand and we’re seeing an increase in the numbers of colleges that are poaching staff. This is done by offering them higher salaries, temporary supplements or more attractive benefit packages.
In reality, this is not sustainable for the colleges that poach them. Budgets are tight, and if money is used to pay some teachers more than anticipated, where are they going to make up the shortfall?
So some organisations have used their senior networking groups to raise concerns about pay inflation in hard-to-recruit roles. Together, they have reached informal agreements not to increase salaries beyond a set level with other colleges operating in the same area.
2. Give people the chance to be honest
If you’re seeing an exodus of people from your workplace, do you know why they are leaving? Is it about pay?
Or are they unhappy with other elements of their working environment, their workload or the culture of the organisation?
You won’t know the answers to these questions unless you ask. Exit interviews are useful, but not everyone is willing to be honest during a face-to-face interview about their reasons for leaving.
So it can be helpful to ask them to complete a short survey as well (or instead of) having a meeting.
3. Conduct effective employee surveys
Conducting regular surveys throughout the year is a good way to take the pulse of your organisation and may help you to identify and resolve issues at an early stage.
Staff will usually only answer surveys honestly if a) their responses are confidential; b) you don’t ask too many questions and concentrate on the important stuff; and c) they have faith that the organisation will actually listen to what they say.
4. ‘Re-brand’ yourself
This is about promoting what you can offer to staff beyond their basic salary and tapping into the psychology of what people are looking for from a job.
What does your school or college offer that others don’t? Being known as an organisation that genuinely cares about its staff and puts their welfare first will be an attractive selling point for many teachers and support staff.
5. Invest in training
Make sure that your staff know how you can help them improve their skills and progress within your organisation.
Upskilling staff through training and development courses will help them to keep up to date with new approaches and the skills required in their role.
6. Upskill line managers
Line managers have an important role in setting the tone of the organisation. Some are naturally good at handling people and having difficult conversations, but many aren’t.
If you help them to improve they will be better placed to deal with issues promptly, and minimise the risk of problems escalating or festering.
7. Improve your recruitment process
Make sure that your recruitment process is efficient and friendly. If it isn’t, candidates may be put off working for you and may turn down your offer if they already have another one on the table.
Good candidates are always in high demand and will often have more than one job offer to consider.
8. Get your contracts right
It’s also sensible to review your contracts of employment, particularly if you haven’t reviewed them in a while. How much notice do employees have to give if they want to leave? Can you increase this?
It’s also worth thinking about whether you should include restrictive covenants in the contracts of employment of your senior leadership and management teams.
While usually you won’t be able to prevent them working for someone else, you may be able to stop them from poaching other members of staff when they leave.
The words were an uncomfortable reminder that education support is unfairly complicated outside the school gates, despite the herculean efforts of educators, parents and carers, and the sheer determination of young people.
It is widely known that children and young people have big decisions to make at age 16 and 18. But those learners with more vulnerabilities than their peers, including young people with SEND and learning differences, can find themselves in a position of heightened uncertainty about their future pathway at an even earlier age.
And Ofsted’s revelation that there are “serious weaknesses” in students’ transition between school and college or even employment should remind us of the huge challenges they face.
It’s not surprising to hear that a number of young people and their families feel they are not receiving the level of support they require. They are not following a direct pathway or being pointed in the right direction, leading to confusion as they miss out, further reducing their confidence levels behind those of their peers.
It is time for a rethink! Assistive technology solutions are available and a curriculum based on inclusive teaching and language can be created.
Finally, hearing stories of young people routinely arriving at college with an out-of-date education, health and care plan is deeply concerning. How can we talk of improving the current SEND system if the building blocks are not fully implemented?
Most worrying of all, it indicates a lack of support for an individual at key transition points. How confident could anyone feel in the validity of such an assessment, or the relevance of the stated needs?
Young people and their families quite frankly deserve better.
For many learners with SEND, their ambition is to live an ordinary life and to have choices just like their peers. That means having options in their local community and having the support to navigate education and training pathways.
So, what is the solution?
The problem cannot be sorted overnight. At Nasen, we seek to tackle the barriers to equity in education and promote inclusion in education settings.
At the top of my list I would place collaboration and training across the professional divide, uniting those working in all phases of the education system.
At the top of my list I would place collaboration across the professional divide
I have yet to meet anyone working in education who does not want to do the best they can for learners. The issue is not with educators per se, it’s the system that throws up barriers. Bridging that divide is key.
The needs of learners with SEND must be identified earlier and more effectively through person-centred planning. Standard frameworks and common language need to be used and then shared with the educators and providers along their education pathway.
We also need to invest in a common continuous professional development short module for the wider workforce, especially those working with 16-18-year-olds that promotes inclusive attitudes and ambition for learners and builds on the excellent work of colleges and providers. It can also create the channels for effective communication across the sectors.
The way that information is shared also needs to be simplified and to enable agency for a young person, along with ease of sharing between relevant agencies.
We should focus on having a mandatory strategic role for each local authority area, accountable for ensuring all learners with SEND have good, local options, all the way to age 25.
Our learners with SEND deserve equality in the education system. From classroom to college, let’s act now to prioritise our young people at a vital stage.
Together we can address the potholes on the pathway to adulthood.
An apprenticeship has allowed me to learn in a way neither school nor a BTEC prepared me for, writes Aaliyah Cadogan
I became a sports coach for children through an apprenticeship, and I feel so lucky I took that route. It wasn’t a route my school told me about when I was a student, but it’s just been brilliant.
When I finished sixth form, I knew I didn’t want to go to university. I didn’t want to be sitting in lectures for three years – I learn by doing, and so when I saw an advert for a PE apprentice, I went for it.
I have been on the apprenticeship for three years currently, working towards completing a level 4 diploma in primary physical education practice qualification alongside my level 3 teaching assistant apprenticeship standard.
From the very start, I was getting first-hand experience with the children and doing a proper 9-to-5 job.
Employers always want work experience, and that’s not something you get on a degree. But the apprenticeship is like a two-in-one. It helped me to get a job as a paid sports coach from this September.
The money is fine for me as well. I’m still living at home and don’t have bills to pay, so obviously that helps, but out of me and all my friends I’m usually the only one with money. Their student loan money doesn’t seem to stretch very far. I’m getting paid to work and honestly, anything is better than getting into debt from university.
Out of me and my friends at university, I’m usually the only one with any money
My friends are also quite stressed out at university, but I’ve found my apprenticeship supportive, and I actually feel quite relaxed. On Friday we’re in training and my tutor goes through my coursework with me.
Sometimes I go to my training provider to learn about safeguarding, managing behaviour, first aid and useful skills, with the other apprentices.
But when I started the apprenticeship, I wasn’t confident at all. I didn’t know what to expect, and I had to learn quickly how to be organised and communicate with others.
There are so many people in a school, you have to make sure your communication is on point. It’s a really big learning experience. I used to be quite nervous about taking a whole lesson, but now if someone asks me to, I can do it.
The thing that’s motivated me a lot is the children. In my first year as a PE apprentice I was helping out with the after-school netball club. There was a girl who was trying to learn how to shoot, so I helped her technique. She got the ball in, and she said, “Thank you, thank you”, to me, and I thought, “This is why I want to do this”.
It’s the same feeling when the students ask me, “Miss, are you taking us for PE today?” and if I say no, they are disappointed. It makes me smile. Just seeing the children happy in PE too, especially the ones who previously found it difficult – it gives me something to live for.
At some points it is hard too, of course. Working in a school is very busy and you don’t know what is going to happen on that day. You might have to cover an extra class suddenly, and you have coursework to focus on, on top of that.
My BTEC didn’t really prepare me for my apprenticeship
I was lucky that the first school I worked in had an apprentice before me, so they knew what they were doing when I arrived.
But my own school where I was a student didn’t tell me anything about apprenticeships. I just feel like secondary schools only really care about university, and they make you think if don’t go to university, it’s the end of the world.
If I hadn’t found this apprenticeship, I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing right now.
My BTEC was also quite theory-based, and it didn’t really prepare me for my apprenticeship either. I once had to lead a warm-up for younger students, but apart from that, there wasn’t a really practical aspect to the BTEC.
Without the apprenticeship, I wouldn’t have been able to get this sports coach job, so it’s genuinely been a lifesaver. I just wish they’d talked about apprenticeships more at school.
Jo James started as a typist at her chamber and has shot up the ranks to chief executive. She tells Jess Staufenberg why local skills improvement plans can’t be all things to all people
Apparently Jo James has been out dancing all night. She beams and chuckles throughout our conversation, but is seemingly feeling the effects of the evening before on her feet – it was the business awards ceremony at the Kent Invicta chamber of commerce, where she has been chief executive since 2008. (The ‘invicta’ bit means ‘undefeated’ and is Kent’s motto – something to do with scaring off William the Conqueror.)
The names of the winners have been sat sealed inside envelopes for 20 months, because James refused to do a virtual ceremony – which, let’s be honest, is never as good as the real thing.
“We haven’t had a lot to celebrate until last night, even pre-pandemic – it wasn’t a great environment already for business,” she confesses. This is a reference to Brexit, whose effects on local economies have been worsened by the double whammy of the pandemic.
When she won her OBE for services to the economy in 2019, Prince William had apparently asked James how Brexit was affecting Kent. She’d joked that the trip to Buckingham Palace had at least “given her a day off from Brexit talk”, which, according to Kent Online, made him laugh.
But even someone with a cheeky sense of humour like James (she got her dog on the same day she received her letter from Buckingham Palace, so he’s called, you’ve guessed it, Obe) does not try to make light of the situation facing employers now.
James and her collie, Obe
After Brexit came Covid, plus a prime minister whose flustered address this week to the Confederation of British Industry was criticised as a “failed speech” and “inappropriate” by some business groups.
“To thrive, business needs stability and clarity, and clarity is probably more important,” continues James. “If you don’t have clarity, how can you plan? We’ve had a tough four years of uncertainty. Businesses need to know what the ground rules are.”
“I need to inform and keep all stakeholders on board, but the only voice I need to hear right now is the voice of employers. Yes, there are young people not in education, training or employment (NEET), and there’s the 16-19 agenda, but I’m not being dragged into that. For this piece of work, it’s about the voice of employers.”
The other stakeholders are universities, FE providers, the Careers & Enterprise Company, local authorities, private providers, and more, says James. But she argues she must prioritise employers, because they desperately need to be heard.
“What skills we’re getting in the county at the moment is driven by the student, and there’s no relation between what a student wants, and what business wants, and the growth areas we’re going to have,” she explains. “And actually there’s a mismatch between what’s coming out of HE and FE, and business. That’s not fault of colleges: that’s a fault of the system.”
The skills we’re getting at the moment is driven by the student, not business
One of the systemic problems is the way FE is funded, continues James. “Colleges of course need to have sufficient people to make a course financially viable […] so one of the things the government can do is to enable colleges to put on not so popular courses that are really essential to the growth of the county.”
But how many young people – particularly in Kent, with London so close – will then stay in their county? I ask. How will the chamber ensure students who have taken critically important college courses don’t leave, and the government hasn’t wasted money on a course with no tangible local benefit?
James nods. “Yes, it’s the big London agency that has the pull.” The pandemic has put rural economies even more on the back foot in this respect, she continues.
“On the one hand the pandemic has given us opportunities, but on the other hand there’s also a threat.” Previously, explains James, Kent’s employers could compete with their counterparts in big cities by pointing out the drawbacks of the length and cost of commute. With more people working from home, that’s no longer the case.
“So that’s driving up salary costs here, because employers are having to compete to make the offer more compelling.” It’s a “much more candidate-driven market,” James adds.
James receiving her OBE in 2019
Placed in this context, with business struggling on all sides, James’s friendly but firm determination to listen to them foremost makes more sense.
“I’m not getting sidetracked. The local authority may have a real problem with NEET and want to come and talk to me about it, but that’s for a later stage, that’s not now. The whole thing is about ensuring we’ve got the employer voice at the heart of FE.”
There do seem to be a few tensions here, which will need someone as friendly and light-touch as James to steer through. She’s got a clear process for trying to bring all voices to the table – but business gets the final look-in.
To begin with, her team is gathering the ‘data’ on the problems facing employers. It’s a three-pronged approach: first, through direct conversations and surveys with 25 member organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, the National Farmers’ Union, the House Builders Association and so on, asking them and their members for their views.
The second approach is through a market research company gathering responses from at least 2,000 businesses, asking about recruitment, in which sectors and which skills, and so on. The third is focus groups, with 20 to 30 people led by James and her team.
James expects three issues to become clearer: “the immediate skills needs; the technical qualifications and what needs to change there; and where there is a lack of people going into key sectors”. She is already aware that the sectors most struggling in Kent are manufacturing, engineering and agriculture.
This information will then be gathered and put to an “employer board”, which James expects to convene in the next two to three weeks with about 30 employers (she is clear she doesn’t just want the “usual suspects” representing local business, but those who don’t often speak up too).
“We’ll then say to the board, this is what the data is telling us – does this problem resonate with you? And if the answer is yes, we move on to creating a solutions panel.”
The solutions panel is where FE providers come in ̶ along with HE and private training providers, government department representatives, local authorities, as well as employers and businesses. The panel will propose recommendations to tackle the problems identified by businesses, says James.
“Then we’ll take those solutions back to the employer board and say, do these sound the right solutions to you?”
It’s clear who the LSIP is serving – business – but then, that’s what the government has contracted James to do, and she makes a fair point about the mismatch between skills gaps and education. The only problem is convincing everybody else the LSIP is definitely their LSIP too.
“That’s why it’s so key that those stakeholders are brought into the process, so actually it’s not a chamber of ‘Jo James’ LSIP ̶ it’s a Kent and Medway LSIP,” says James.
But with colleges facing possibly legally binding LSIPs, it will be important that providers aren’t made to feel they’ve lost all autonomy over what is in the best interests of students.
James, however, praises how her local colleges for cultivating a close relationship with the chamber, and it is unlikely many college principals will not see the advantages of making LSIPs work.
My final question is practical. Even if everyone is signed up in principle, frustrations could arise if the plan is not smoothly managed. What is the strategy to ensure LSIPs are actually carried out? Who will keep the plan on track?
“To me the LSIP is just the start of the journey,” explains James. “If it’s just one piece of work, it’s a wasted effort.”
If the LSIP is just one piece of work, it’s a wasted effort
James has a major advantage: she is immensely likeable. She is a former FE student herself, having not enjoyed school and taken a secretarial course at Ashford College. She never even intended to lead the chamber, having been interested in hairdressing.
Instead, as a stay-at-home mum, she one day applied to a newspaper advert for “typist, 12 hours a week”, and it turned out to be at the chamber of commerce. Since then she has shot up through the ranks, and was asked to take over as CEO 12 years ago. “I have a wild imagination, and I never in my wildest imagination would have thought I’d be doing this!”
Her team has got until end of February to submit the LSIP. With so much effort put into them by exhausted employers, let’s hope they might work.
