The Department for Education has been criticised for its “staggering” decision to scrap all in-year apprenticeship data releases.

Officials announced today that they will stop publishing their monthly apprenticeship starts figures from May until further notice.

It means that the sector will be temporarily prevented from seeing the impact the Covid-19 outbreak is having on recruitment numbers, which are expected to fall sharply.

This looks to me like an attempt to bury bad news

The DfE said it still expects to publish the end of year release to show these figures in November.

Toby Perkins, Labour’s new shadow minister for apprenticeships and skills, told FE Week it is “alarming that the Education and Skills Funding Agency is suggesting that the means of monitoring the impact on apprenticeship numbers will be removed”.

He was also baffled as to why the government’s announcement says the decision to axe the data releases have been made, only to then go on to say they are “consulting on it”.

Perkins said he will now be contacting the DfE to understand what current difficulties prevent them from continuing to publish this information.

He will also be “urging” them to “seek ways to ensure that this important information continues to be available so that government can properly target any measures they take to address any shortfalls”.

Mark Dawe, the chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, described the DfE’s decision as “staggering”.

“How can informed decisions be made if the government is not being transparent about the data?” he said.

“The DfE says that it is focusing on ‘priority analysis and statistics’ but apparently apprenticeship starts falling off a cliff aren’t a priority.”

Dawe pointed out that the department sees the level of levy-funded starts on the digital apprenticeship service in real time, and questioned why they can’t share those.

“They also routinely collect data from providers for all apprenticeship starts and completions and therefore we can’t imagine why it is hard to at least publish the headline totals for these,” he added.

“We all know that the situation is very serious, but if this an attempt to hide how bad it is, then it will further erode trust with the sector.”

The DfE’s move has also attracted criticism from a former deputy director of the then Skills Funding Agency.

Tony Allen, who is now the owner of consultancy firm Allen Apprenticeships and Skills, told FE Week the system to produce apprenticeships starts data is “very automated, so I do not see why it could not continue from a use of personnel viewpoint”.

He added that this looks to him like an “attempt to bury bad news, and I wonder if it is linked to the paucity of support from the government for apprenticeship training providers”.

“Is there a concern, over the next three or four months in particular, that they are worried that by producing data that shows especially that new starts have dropped significantly (as opposed to those still on the programme), pressure will mount for more financial support, especially for levy funded providers?” Allen said.

“What better way of hiding the real position than by turning off the reporting of data?”

The DfE’s only reason for cancelling the data releases was this: “As the demand increases for statistics and data to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department for Education has had to change its data gathering and release practices, focussing efforts on priority analysis and statistics.”

Their announcement said they will publish the end of year releases normally published in November, “but we are cancelling the remaining in year dates which will enable us to provide an additional release with more relevant information to cover the period affected by the pandemic at some point during the year”.

The DfE confirmed that April’s apprenticeship stats release, due on Thursday, is still going ahead but will only include starts up to the end of February.

Despite making it clear that future stats releases have already been canned, the DfE has asked for views on the decision to be emailed to FE.OFFICIALSTATISTICS@education.gov.uk.

A DfE spokesperson insisted that it is “simply wrong to suggest we have cancelled the publication of apprenticeship figures”.

“We will continue to publish headline statistics, including on apprenticeship starts, just not on the previously advertised dates,” she added.

“This is a temporary measure in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and during this period we will continue to publish the end-of-year releases as normal, allowing a fuller picture of the period affected by the pandemic.”

The spokesperson added that the department “recognises the importance of this data” but the “impact of the coronavirus creates challenges in quality assurance, particularly while colleges are largely closed and we have left collections open on a voluntary basis to reduce burden”.

“Temporarily pausing the scheduled in-year release dates allows us more time to quality assure data, and to ensure that information published remains high quality and includes any additional information that will help to monitor and explain what has happened to apprenticeship numbers during this unprecedented time.”

The Department for Education has launched a web page that signposts people to free courses that can develop their digital and numeracy skills during lockdown.

‘The Skills Toolkit’ directs visitors to a suite of programmes such as Everyday Maths and Learn to Code for Data Analysis run by the Open University, and Get Certified in the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by the Google Digital Garage.

Thirteen free courses are listed from the various organisations that created them over the past few years (full list below).

The DfE said the courses develop the skills which are “highly valued” by employers and are ideal for use by workers placed on furlough during the coronavirus pandemic.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said the free courses “will help those whose jobs have been affected by the [Covid-19] outbreak, and people looking to boost their skills while they are staying at home, protecting the NHS and saving lives.

“I want businesses to encourage their furloughed employees to use The Skills Toolkit to improve their knowledge, build their confidence and support their mental health so they have skills they need to succeed after the coronavirus outbreak.”

Digital secretary Oliver Dowden added that technology is “going to play a hugely important role in our economic recovery” and the courses “will help ensure everyone is able to improve their digital skills and take advantage of the opportunities ahead”.

Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director at the Confederation of British Industry, agreed that online learning is a “great way for people to upgrade their skills at any time, but never more so than during a lockdown”.

“The toolkit’s heavy emphasis on the skills that businesses need are welcome,” he added.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a similar tool yesterday for those in Scotland. Their new library of online courses includes offers from 12 providers and can be found on Skills Development Scotland’s My World of Work site.

Sturgeon said: “In the coming weeks and months we’ll expand the number of courses available by working with colleges and universities.”

 

The 13 free online courses on The Skills Toolkit

 

A “considerable number” of Ofsted’s 1,700 staff are under occupied despite offering themselves up as Covid-19 response volunteers, the chief inspector has admitted.

Amanda Spielman told the education select committee this morning that nearly all of the watchdog’s workers have “expressed willingness” to help with “suitable alternative options” that fit with their skillset.

But while they are “absolutely open and responsive to all initiatives”, the “general reaction” from schools and education providers at the moment is that there is “not a perceived need for additional capacity” as less than 1 per cent of students are currently attending.

She then admitted: “We have a considerable number of people who are less than fully occupied at the moment and we are absolutely open to volunteering.”

Spielman did not provide figures for how many of her staff are currently not in work. Ofsted chief operating officer Matthew Coffey said that a total of 56 staff have reported Covid-19 symptoms to date, but all but five of them were back to work as of Friday.

Ofsted’s rolling blog for their response to coronavirus states that more than 50 councils have asked for the watchdog’s help with tasks like mapping and supporting vulnerable children, developing safeguarding processes and communicating with education leaders.

It also says they have agreed for “suitably qualified” colleagues to work in children’s homes, and others to staff advice lines for parents and schools.

And a number of the watchdog’s people are being redeployed to other government departments to support the wider civil service response.

Spielman stressed that the watchdog’s “default assumption” is that “everybody who is not required for the business as usual work or for redeployment to other government departments is available for wider work”.

She said a “number of pieces of work have already been lined up” but stopped short of naming them apart from a project with recruitment first the London London Gold Group.

Ofsted told FE Week a project team of 16 staff is working to create a “new flow of candidates into the care workforce, particularly home and domiciliary care, across the London boroughs, by mobilising the Proud to Care London recruitment portal”.

The watchdog’s staff are “contacting those who have applied through the portal to help establish their suitability and get them trained, speeding up the usual recruitment process and getting people into vital care roles across London in a matter of days”.

Earlier in the accountability session, the chief inspector confirmed that there were no “definite” plans to restart routine inspections, adding that this decision would be largely based on when schools and colleges return to normal operation.

But she made clear they are “not expecting to be asked to resume full routine inspections before the end of the summer term”.

The Association of Colleges has previously called for inspections to be delayed until 2021.

 

FE Week spoke to a handful of colleges that have cancelled their traditional summer open days and already started to advertise an online alternative

’Tis the season for the traditional college open day, a chance for prospective students to visit campuses, chat with lecturers and ultimately choose their place of study for the next academic year.

But the unprecedented nationwide lockdown because of the Covid-19 outbreak has seen nearly all open days postponed until further notice.

Colleges have, as a result, got creative to ensure these vital events go ahead in some form or other.

Software and social media, such as Zoom, Facebook and Microsoft Teams, are all being utilised to conduct the open days virtually.

Live video tours of campuses, one-to-one chats via messengers with lecturers, and telephone enrolments are all replacing physical visits.

City College Plymouth told FE Week it has opted for the Zoom video platform to host around 150 students aged 15 to 18 in real-time on April 25, from 10am to 5.15pm.

Head of marketing Louise Greenleaf said even though their campus is closed for visitors due to the lockdown, “we know that this is still a critical time for year 11s and their parents to consider post-16 options, so it’s crucial that we enable them to find out about the courses on offer and check out our facilities”.

Those who sign up will be able to choose from ten 30-minute sessions tailored for a range of courses, including apprenticeships, from hair and beauty to construction.

Once they choose a session they will be met with a two-minute intro from the session’s “host” – a member of staff working in that area – who will talk through the college’s key stats.

A 15-minute faculty talk will follow, which will be conducted while a member of the marketing team tours around campus to show the facilities on another livestream viewed on the same Zoom window.

Relevant employers, including representatives from engineering firms, the local police and NHS Trust, will then give a three-minute talk before finishing with a ten-minute Q&A.

Around 60 staff will be “speakers” throughout the event.

Meanwhile, at South Devon College during the week commencing May 4, 16 webinars will be broadcast using the Microsoft Teams platform, which students can join securely via a link and use to ask questions live.

The individual 30-minute sessions, each led by two members of curriculum staff, will include all the different subject areas available, how to apply for a course, finance, travel and learning support that is on offer.

They will all be recorded and available to watch back on the college website for students who can’t tune in at the time.

Laurence Frewin, principal of South Devon College, told FE Week that the webinar experience will involve “course-specific information talked through by our experienced and knowledgeable tutors”.

“This will include some visual elements – images and videos – to give participants an idea of the college campus and facilities as well as what college life is like, while they are unable to visit in person,” he explained.

“Our Helpzone Team will then cover some of the important questions asked at our open days, including what support is available for students both with their learning, their finances and their pastoral care.”

Prospective students taking part in the sessions at City College Plymouth and South Devon College will be given the option of signing up to a course on the day via phone, or given the details of their admissions teams to contact at a later date.

Bath College is set to hold its first virtual open day on May 14, and will use bespoke software currently being created by its developers on its website.

Students who sign up will be invited to click on a link that logs them on to the system, where they can listen to a choice of seven pre-recorded webinars and talks, based on topics that include welfare, apprenticeships and higher education and are each around three to four minutes long.

Students can alternatively go to live webchats with the lecturing team for a specific course to ask questions.

Jon Domaille, assistant principal for learner journey and customer relations at Bath College, described open events as “massively critical” and said it is “really vital” to keep them going in some form during lockdown.

“It is an incredibly uncertain time for students at the moment, so this is about us being able to show them that no matter what is happening, we are there for them,” he told FE Week.

“Primarily, over the past few weeks everyone has been using technology to work, speak to family and friends, so from our perspective why shouldn’t technology be used to connect and inspire prospective students?

“They need to build up a picture as to what the subjects are about, what the environment is and who they potentially will be working with. A web or paper prospectus wouldn’t do that alone.”

While the college is embarking into “unknown territory”, if the May 14 virtual open event proves a success, it could be something that the college runs even when it goes back to work properly.

East Riding College has opted to make use of Facebook as the home of its online open events and is hosting a number this month and in June, each lasting around three hours.

Students will be able to take virtual tours of the campus, view 360-degree photos of the teaching rooms, workshops and other facilities and watch video messages from key staff.

In addition, tutors will be online to answer any questions via the social network’s messenger service.

Neil Waterhouse, executive director for commercial and finance at East Riding College, explained: “Often the most useful part of their visit is getting the chance to speak to teaching staff on a one-to-one basis, and that opportunity can be provided online instead of face to face.

“In place of campus tours, visitors can take virtual tours of parts of the campus, and view 360-degree photos of the facilities. The team are also on hand to answer queries about other support available, such as free bus travel and student finance.”

Just like at a real-life event, the marketing team will be on hand to direct “visitors” to the right member of staff.

Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form, which together form the Education Partnership North East (NPNE), are offering similar virtual open days to East Riding, but they will direct prospective students to a dedicated page on their website that will offer live chats, instead of using Facebook.

They also include 360-degree video tours of campuses, while those interested in securing their place on the day will be able to do so instantly via an application fast-track service.

Staff will ring visitors if they would prefer to speak over the phone.

Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive of NPNE, said the events are aimed to “enable prospective students to engage with the college when a physical event was not possible”.

“The marketing team operate a live chat ‘switchboard’ to manage and transfer chats to key curriculum areas and specialist support staff,” she explained.

“Curriculum staff are available throughout the event to log into Live Chat and pick up transferred chats from marketing.”

Thinnesen told FE Week the first took place at Northumberland College on March 31, where almost 250 students participated, followed by one at Hartlepool Sixth Form on April 2, which generated 81 visitors.

Training providers must have a qualification achievement rate for 2018/19 of above 40 per cent to be eligible for the Department for Education’s supplier relief support.

They must have also submitted their latest financial accounts to the Education and Skills Fundiing Agency “on time” and not been judged by Ofsted as making ‘insufficient progress’ as a result of a new provider monitoring visit.

And if a provider wants to receive the supplier relief but has already furloughed staff, they must unfurlough them to be eligible.

The criteria was revealed by the DfE this afternoon. They have given providers just six days to submit their applications, with a closing date of 30 April.

Apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan said: “We recognise the significant challenge continuing to deliver training at this time presents.

“Our provider relief scheme will offer additional financial support so we can continue to deliver the best education and training possible. I would urge all eligible providers to apply.”

To be eligible to receive support from the scheme providers must hold a direct contract that was procured as a service under Public Contract Regulations 2015, the department said.

This applies to apprenticeship contracts for services that commenced in January 2018, for delivery to non-levy employers, and adult education budget contracts for services that commenced in November 2017.

As revealed by FE Week on Tuesday, over 1,000 providers that only train levy-funded apprentices are not eligible.

Any non-levy apprenticeships funded through the government’s digital system are also barred from the support.

The DfE said it is “not yet able to confirm our position around providing support for learning funded through European Social Fund co-financing contracts” as this is a “domestic” funding stream and “we therefore need to agree our approach with the ESF Managing Authority”.

The department will calculate a “funding cap” for each provider requesting support from the scheme, which will be “applied to the amount requested by the provider”.

The cap will be based on a three-month average using their individualised learner record submission for January, February and March 2020.

Existing maximum contract values (MCV) continue to apply and the providers funding cap “cannot exceed 25 per cent of the MCV even where the average earnings exceed this”.

The relief scheme will apply to activity undertaken in April, May and June and paid in the subsequent month.

Funding through this scheme will be paid “on top of the regular payment claimed via the ILR and the “total of the two payments will not exceed the provider’s funding cap”.

Providers will need to demonstrate that they have a “need for the funding requested in order to maintain capacity within their organisations to support learners and respond to the economic recovery”.

If successful, they will need to provide a “summary of how the support funding has been used, and you must retain evidence for audit purposes that this has been used for eligible costs” and the DfE “reserves the right to recover unused funds or funds used inappropriately”.

Here is the other criteria that providers will need to meet to be eligible in full:

• 2018 to 2019 qualification achievement rates which are above 40 per cent. However, providers with rates below that can submit an exceptional case that they are a critical supplier delivering niche provision
• submitted their latest financial accounts to ESFA on time
• not been judged by Ofsted as making insufficient progress as a result of a new provider monitoring visit
• delivered under the contract prior to April 2020
• plan to deliver learning under the contract in May and June 2020
• not furloughed the staff required to deliver the contract (or they intend to bring furloughed staff back into work and can evidence this)
• not received a notice of termination from the ESFA

There are 66 providers with a national achievement rate for apprenticeships of below 40 per cent for 2018/19, according to DfE data.

A further 27 have untrustworthy achievement rates, according to the department’s transparency data. The DfE told FE Week that these providers can still apply for supplier relief.

Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Mark Dawe said the announcement is an “important step in the right direction but we’re not even halfway there if this is about protecting the livelihoods of existing apprentices and disadvantaged young people on traineeships and study programmes”.

“Today’s announcement, while welcome, does not offer financial support for independent training providers and colleges training over half of the 628,000 apprentices who were on an apprenticeship programme when the pandemic started, he added.

“This is because the Department for Education is claiming that the Cabinet Office supplier relief guidance doesn’t apply in respect of apprentices who are employed by organisations paying the apprenticeship levy. 

“Our initial legal advice is that this claim is discriminatory against the apprentices outside the scope of today’s package and there are strong grounds for a challenge, but AELP shouldn’t have to be going down this route.”

Dawe concluded: “While we don’t have an issue with the specific quality thresholds included in today’s package, the approach so far has reinforced the suspicions of AELP members that the DfE was originally seeking to use the pandemic as an excuse to reduce through a lack of financial support the number of independent training providers operating in the apprenticeship market.”

Staff that have been furloughed by training providers must return to work if they want to receive supplier relief from the Department for Education.

Guidance released this afternoon confirmed that providers are not eligible for the support if they are using the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme, as this would be double funding.

The DfE has said that providers can however apply to their relief scheme if it is “your intention to  take staff off furlough to deliver the contract”.

The guidance says: “When a furloughed employee returns to work, they must be taken off furlough. For the purposes of the relief scheme this means that any employee who will be involved in the delivery of activity described in your application and which you include as an eligible cost must be withdrawn from any claim for furlough when they return to work.

“All employees engaged in the delivery of the activity covered by the relief scheme must be paid by you in accordance with their agreed contract of employment.”

The DfE added that it “reserves the right” to check a provider’s records submitted to HMRC and “recover any funds for staff costs where those employees have been reported as being furloughed”.

Cabinet Office rules for its job retention scheme makes clear that providers aren’t meant to put staff on furlough in areas getting supplier relief.

“Suppliers cannot be paid in full under the contract and claim for some or all of the same employees working on the contract under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS),” it states.

“This is not only a double funding issue, but staff being recompensed under the CJRS would not be able to work.

“Suppliers must ensure that all of the parts of the workforce identified to deliver the contract in full are not furloughed during this period (under CJRS) because the supplier is receiving the continuity and retention payment.”

The deadline for the DfE’s relief scheme is 30 April – which gives providers just six days to apply.

A list of 70 apprenticeship standards where permission has been granted to carry out end-point assessments remotely during the coronavirus pandemic has been released.

It includes the likes the level 3 bus and coach engineering technician, the level 3 gas network craftsperson and the level 5 marine pilot (in full below).

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, which published the list, said “temporary discretions or other flexibilities” have been agreed for the standards by its own officials or external quality assurance providers.

It does not detail what the flexibilities include, but writing in FE Week last week, the institute’s chief operating officer Rob Nitsch said: “Our guidance provides considerable flexibility that enables end-point assessment organisations to deliver end-point assessment more innovatively – for example, using technology to conduct observations or professional discussions remotely; and increasingly using remote proctoring technology to invigilate tests remotely.

“It is also possible to reorder assessment methods so that written tests or professional discussions can be taken now and the observation delivered later. This is, for example, the approach that has been agreed for the motor vehicle service and maintenance technician standard.”

The IfATE said it is continuing to work with EQA providers to confirm where other standards require such measures, and as these are confirmed “we will update this table to reflect the latest position”.

 

Full list of standards where EPA flexibilities have been agreed so far:

Accountancy/taxation professional

Actuarial technician

Associate project manager

Animal care and welfare assistant

Business administrator

Bus and coach engineering technician

Chartered manager (degree)

Commercial procurement and supply (formerly Public sector commercial professional)

Community sport and health officer

Custody and detention officer

Cyber intrusion analyst

Cyber security technologist

Data analyst

Digital marketer

Digital support technician

Electrical / electronic technical support engineer (degree)

Emergency services contact handler

Engineering construction pipefitter

Engineering design and draughtsperson

Equine groom

Express delivery operative

Financial adviser

Financial services customer adviser

Financial services professional

Furniture manufacturer

Gas network craftsperson

Healthcare science practitioner (degree)

Healthcare support worker

Heavy vehicle service and maintenance technician

Hospitality manager

Improvement practitioner

Infrastructure technician

Insurance practitioner

Insurance professional

IS Business Analyst

Junior estate agent

Land-based service engineer

Leisure duty manager

Maintenance and operations engineering technician

Marine pilot

Marketing executive

Marketing manager

Metal recycling operative

Motor vehicle service and maintenance technician (light vehicle)

Nursing associate

Operations departmental manager

Product design and development engineer (degree)

Professional accounting/taxation technician

Property maintenance operative

Public service operational delivery officer

Recruitment Consultant

Recruitment Resourcer

Registered nurse

Relationship Manager (Banking)

Retail manager

Retail team leader

Senior compliance / risk specialist

Senior equine groom

Senior healthcare support worker

Senior investment / commercial banking professional

Software developer

Stockperson (beef, pigs, sheep, dairy)

Supply chain practioner

Teacher

Team leader / supervisor

Travel consultant

Utilities Engineering Technicians

Unified communications technician

Water process technician

Workplace pensions