Colleges from across the UK are now being invited to take part in the first wave of the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence programme.
Twenty slots are up for grabs for general further education colleges that have over 1,000 learners aged 16 to 18 and a “broad” curriculum offering which want to take part in the three-year pilot programme.
WorldSkills UK’s head of education and skills competitions Parisa Shirazi, who is leading the programme, called this a “milestone moment” with a “unique chance for colleges to join us on the dawn of a skills revolution”.
The centre, which is being sponsored with £1.5 million from awarding organisation NCFE, was first announced last month and will involve five training managers, who train the UK’s competitors for the WorldSkills and EuroSkills events, employed as “high performance coaches” to work with lecturers in a professional development capacity.
In addition to face-to-face learning, digital masterclasses will be on offer, featuring sessions with training managers from other countries. Shirazi said WorldSkills UK will look at “matching colleges with coaches based on both skills specialism and geographical location”, and what they will be passing onto tutors is transferable between subjects. Performance coaches will also work with NCFE to help shape and inform its assessment, qualifications and awards as part of the centre.
Meanwhile, conversations are ongoing with the Department for Education and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, which are said to be “very supportive” of the centre, about how this work can influence training standards across FE.
With the programme due to be rolled out from September, and ten more providers to be picked for next year and the year after, WorldSkills UK and NCFE hope the centre will impact more than 120 educational institutions and around 1,000 educators.
While the first wave of applications will only be open to colleges, WorldSkills UK has said it will look to include private training providers in year two of the programme.
However, the launch takes place in the shadow of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has already forced colleges to close campuses to most students and move to online learning until further notice.
Shirazi said they “fully appreciate and understand the challenges colleges are facing” with the outbreak, but decided to continue with the launch of the application process with NCFE due to the “high level” of interest received about the centre.
She said they would work with the appointed colleges to agree an appropriate time for when they can begin working with staff.
“We want to support and celebrate the sector during this difficult time,” she added, and said if current circumstances prevent some colleges from engaging in the process, they can take part through the online masterclasses.
NCFE chief executive David Gallagher said he was “actively encouraging” colleges to take part in this “pioneering” project, as “the role educators play to teach, encourage and inspire their learners to be the very best they can be” is central to skills development.
Applications will close on 2 June. Anyone interested in applying should visit https://www.worldskillsuk.org/centreofexcellence.
Being alone successfully is a strategy that can be learned. Just a few behavioural techniques will make working home alone bearable – and even productive, writes Jo Maher
As working at home becomes the new norm, I’ve seen countless social media comments and blogs on how people in various professions such as the armed forces have coped with extended periods alone or away from civilisation. Strange as it may seem, my education career has also been marked by periods of isolation.
It turns out good isolation practice is also learned. From being quarantined with colleagues in Zambia during the swine flu outbreak, to having to work at home as a result of various joint surgeries, I’ve learned a few coping strategies worth sharing, in the hope of saving readers the steep learning curve involved.
First and foremost, structure is essential. For me, it’s not about writing a timetable (though it may be for you, especially if you have children). I am not naturally someone who likes rigid structure if I can avoid it. I find physical cues are most helpful to help my mind switch between tasks. I wear smart/casual clothes as a cue that it is “work time”, and, as funny as it sounds, it helps my dog as well. She genuinely knows the difference between outfits. A pair of jeans means “walk time”. I suspect the same is true for any company you might keep while working from home.
One golden rule I have set up with my friends and family – another cue – is that a phone call is to discuss serious topics and concerns, while a social media call is exactly that, a social catch-up to focus on positives. If you haven’t yet downloaded the Houseparty app, or another like it, on your phone, do. It’s a great way to bring people together. (Wine is preferable throughout.)
Next, managing the small things gives you a sense of psychological control and promotes mental wellbeing. I set my workstation up in the same place each day and I mirror my work times, even down to sticking to the diet that I would have at work, in order to avoid unnecessary snacking.
I’ve also found it helpful to add in things I would not have time to do at work, such as five-minute rehabilitation breaks every hour, to breathe, relax, stand up, move around. I avoid the living room until at least 8pm every day, because in my mind this is an evening relaxation space. Walking the dog also helps to change the scenery.
My experience of surgical recovery has been one where my wife and family have supported me for the first week or so, but as you become more able to do things for yourself, people migrate back to their other commitments, and rightly so. The same is likely to be true in our current circumstances even if other commitments get thin on the ground. Contacting friends is hugely beneficial for you and them alike. Don’t wait for others to contact you. You get out what you put in! Adapt to others’ patterns, and let them know how to adapt to yours. It made a huge difference to me.
“Contacting friends is hugely beneficial – don’t wait for others to contact you”
In the coming weeks and possibly months, many will be isolating with families and children in the house. In this case, it is vital to find ways to adapt for them as well as to them. Checking in with people in a similar position to yourself to share tips can really help too. Colleagues both close and distant can provide great support, and it’s worth remembering that talking to someone who isn’t as emotionally involved in your situation can provide much-needed objectivity when the going is tough.
Looking out for other people can be challenging if you are not looking after yourself. Keeping yourself physically and mentally well is essential. Access your support networks through your colleagues, family and friends and do not be afraid to ask for help, even on the small things. I have lost count of how many staff put my suit jacket on for me when I had my arm in brace!
It’s together that we’ll get through this. Stay safe.
Government must find sustainable solutions for learners and staff alike – and follow its own rules, writes Mark Dawe
Last weekend I took part in an unprecedented FE Week webinar with AELP and AoC on a Saturday, to discuss the response to the coronavirus pandemic. With Lsect managing director Shane Mann ably marshalling proceedings as the webcam calls came in from a back corridor in Heathrow’s T4 and a House of Colour studio, we were also joined by Dr Sue Pember of Holex, FE Commissioner Richard Atkins and Paul Joyce from Ofsted, fresh from helping farming neighbours with the lambing season.
Let’s start with the positives, and it is always refreshing to hear from Paul on how flexible Ofsted are being. We now know that no inspections will take place unless a serious case of alleged failure in safeguarding is flagged and confirmation came in the webinar that no new reports will be published until the crisis is over. Richard was equally supportive in confirming that his team of commissioners will make themselves available to colleges to offer informal advice without prejudice on how they might be judged in the future.
The day before, colleges had received the welcome news from the DfE that payments for the grant-funded element of their income will be guaranteed for the remainder of 2019-20. This was encouraging when senior leadership teams are having to grapple with the challenges of the partial closing of the college estate and the cancellation of the summer exam season.
During the webinar, Sue made the point as a former senior DfE civil servant that it would have perhaps been better if the department had sent out three letters at the same time in respect of mainstream FE provision, work-based learning and adult and community learning. But then when we saw the DfE letter on apprenticeships on Monday evening, the temptation to compare and contrast was irresistibly strong.
It’s important to recognise that the absence of guaranteed funding for contracted apprenticeship providers and assessment organisations impacts on all types of provider as well as independent training providers. As mentioned in the webinar, the AoC has a member college with 37 per cent of its income being ‘commercial’ and other colleges are major suppliers in the apprenticeship market too. Yet the stark fact remains that with many employers stopping all new starts and programme completions being delayed, income is drying up fast for ITPs as businesses and so hundreds of good-quality providers face the real prospect of collapse unless ministers rethink the stance they adopted at the beginning of the week. The Chancellor’s package of general support measures for businesses was helpful but it is not enough to save companies with little or no cash coming in.
Providers are now furloughing staff and having to put many on notice. Sadly, the initial indications from an AELP survey launched this week are that the numbers are going to be very high. ITPs feel understandably angry that clear Cabinet Office Covid-19 guidelines for contract payments by all government departments and public authorities are seemingly being ignored by the DfE. The short-term solution which we are both pressing for is to guarantee contracted apprenticeship provision for March and April to all colleges and providers while we sort out a longer-term solution.
I want to emphasise that sustainable solutions also need to be found for programmes such as study programmes and traineeships while the interests of vulnerable learners are protected as well. Both AoC and AELP have their Covid-19 response checklists, including some common asks, which seek clarifications from the DfE and the various agencies on issues – interpretation of the furlough rules features strongly – and hard-working officials are doing their best to answer them as quickly as possible.
But in the midst of this crisis, AELP’s topline message to leaders of colleges, training providers, EPAOs and other sector organisations is to trust your judgement in doing what’s best for your learners. As Paul and Richard said in the webinar, no one is going to act as judge and jury for now. Our thoughts are also with those doing the best for their staff.
The FE Commissioner has offered “confidential” support to any colleges struggling financially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Richard Atkins reassured the sector in a webinar hosted by FE Week last Saturday that formal intervention would not be triggered if colleges seek assistance during the current crisis, and urged principals not to make any “rash decisions” such as redundancies.
FE Commissioner intervention visits and “non-critical” Education & Skills Funding Agency intervention have been suspended until further notice, as confirmed by the Department for Education in guidance released this week.
Atkins said that he was “very keen to extend” consultations to any college that wants to “sound out” members of his team.
He added there had “never been a more important time for the sector to come together”.
When asked how the intervention system will adapt to recognise financial challenges colleges may face over the next six to 12 months, the commissioner said his team had been working with the DfE and ESFA to undertake “a range of modelling work”.
Atkins admitted that “at the end of this difficult time, a raft of colleges will face specific difficulties”, including commercial and international income, residential accommodation, real estate, mental health and wellbeing.
He urged college principals to “hold together that senior team, to communicate frequently and regularly with their staff… and not to make any rash decisions or rash judgments”.
Atkins noted that a range of colleges may have been considering restructuring but warned they needed to take advice, stating that his team could help with an “early conversation” about the implications.
He said National Leaders of Governance have already been working with college chairs across the country in mentoring and support roles.
Atkins stated: “We’re all going to be facing problems over the next few weeks that we’ve never faced in colleges, both in terms of welfare and health but also in terms of financial stability. I’m very keen to provide whatever support we can and to make it absolutely clear that we are not carrying out any form of assessment.”
He confirmed that a daily phone call has been taking place between the ESFA’s local teams and colleges “as a way of checking on the stability and the issues that are facing them”.
Atkins also extended support to local authority adult education services, which the team has previously worked with on quality issues, but said he was unable to do the same for independent training providers due to a lack of expertise.
The FE Commissioner called on colleges to keep subcontractors “very much in the loop, and communicate with them as frequently as they can”.
The FE Commissioner’s team and National Leaders of Governance can be contacted via email on FEC.OPERATIONS@education.gov.uk.
Colleges and training providers have adapted in positive and innovative ways to continue learning and support the local community during the Covid-19 crisis.
Here, FE Week shares some examples, including hospital donations, virtual horticulture, cooking and mental health classes, as well as zumba!
Care apprentices praised as they step up to new responsibilities
Care apprentices in the Midlands have been deployed to care homes to alleviate pressure on nurses during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Two hundred and fifty health and social care apprentices from private provider GB Training, some of whom are fresh out of school, have been armed with face masks, more facilities for handwashing and sterilising, and updated infection control training, to take on even greater responsibilities.
At The Chimes Residential care home in Stoke-on-Trent, elderly people have been isolated to their rooms and professional visitors are not being allowed past reception, so level 3 lead adult care worker apprentices have had to carry out tasks usually fulfilled by district nurses, including taking diabetics’ blood sugar levels.
Taherabanu Rajabali, Level 2 Health and Social Care Apprentice, IHI Care Services, Birmingham
The home’s care manager, Julie Davey, said how “very proud” she was of her team, especially the apprentices as they are “stepping up to the bar and learning the necessary skills to keep giving the vital care that older people need”.
The district nurses, she said, have given the apprentices an “A* for all they have learned in these uncertain times”.
Tracey Bradley, an apprentice working at a care home in Birmingham, said it had been “very stressful”, but they have “no choice” as the learners both know the people and care for them “deeply”.
“That we’d do all we can to help protect them goes without question,” she said, adding it was “rewarding” to be using skills and training she had learned to protect people, particularly when they are some of those most at risk from this “horrible disease”.
At Awarding Care, 92-year-old resident Stella Powell has given her thanks to level 2 apprentices “for your kindness and dedication. Not only now, but always”.
“You’ve become more than carers – you’re friends to us too. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem enough.”
But it’s not just the apprentices who are helping health services during this pandemic: a tutor at GB Training, Gemma Smith, has been contacted by a hospital she worked at for several years to request she join an emergency list in case of a lockdown in the UK.
The provider said despite the challenges and the anxieties, many of the apprentices are working overtime to cover fluctuating staff shortages, and morale remains high.
Managing director Lawrence Barton expressed his and his whole organisation’s pride in seeing the apprentices “rise to the additional challenges placed upon them”.
“Our apprentices are serving on the front line in the struggle against this pandemic and helping to save lives. In a number of cases, they find themselves caring for and protecting some of the most vulnerable in our society, many of whom are the same age as their grandparents.”
PICTURED ABOVE: GB Training Health and Social Care apprentices receive 90 bunches of flowers donated by Marks & Spencers for both residents and carers as a gesture of gratitude for their hard work
Training provider gives entire charity fund to community groups
An independent training provider has donated more than £20,000 to an emergency coronavirus fund.
Learning Curve Group handed over the entirety of its charity foundation’s balance to help front-line community groups and local charities working to ease the pressure on those worst affected by the pandemic in County Durham.
Chief executive Brenda McLeish said: “People are at the centre of everything we do, so we’ve made an important decision to change the pillars upon which our fund was established with the aim of supporting those who are in need of funds more than ever.
“As changes are announced daily, we are committed to supporting the local community in whatever way we can.”
The County Durham Community Foundation has set up the County Durham Covid-19 Response Fund to help community groups survive during this period, and the Learning Curve Group Charity Foundation was one of the fund’s founding supporters.
Learning Curve Group HQ
The money will be spent on a range of activities. For example, £5 will go towards a hot dinner for an older person self-isolating.
In addition, £10 may be spent on purchasing items for a food bank and £20 could buy fuel to help a volunteer deliver meals on wheels. Larger sums of £50 will support volunteers from groups based in village halls calling elderly people in self-isolation, while £100 could keep the lights on for a community group.
Chief executive of County Durham Community Foundation, Michelle Cooper, said: “The situation is becoming more serious as each hour passes, and we cannot afford to wait around. We are devoting all of our time and energy into supporting our local grassroots groups, which in turn will bolster our communities.
“Illness, isolation, loneliness and poverty are very real in County Durham and Darlington right now, and exasperated by the spread of Covid-19: but if we work together we can provide support to the life-changing local community services that will lessen the blow.”
Wellbeing coach called in to keep apprentices motivated
An independent training provider has drafted in a mental health and wellbeing coach to keep apprentices motivated in their studies during the crisis.
Amazing Apprenticeships have launched a series of webinars for employers and providers who are trying to support their apprentices while facing their own challenges.
Director Anna Morrison said: “We have received an overwhelming response from the sector.
“We’re building a real sense of community and everyone is so positive about helping and supporting each other.”
The provider has partnered with Gen Healthy Minds and one of its coaches, George Anderson, to provide content for the sessions. Anderson has 20 years’ experience in the fitness and wellbeing industry and his Facebook group ‘On the wagon’ has more than 5,000 members.
He said: “Never before has there been a more important time to teach resilience, wellbeing and mental health management techniques.
“I’m delighted to be delivering this series of online masterclasses to a group of individuals who have the potential to influence large numbers of apprentices.”
Around 300 participants from across the country took part in the first webinar on Wednesday and 500 have registered for the next masterclass on Monday.
Mike Thompson, a managing partner at Gen Healthy Minds, said: “Mental health and wellbeing of apprentices must be our number one priority right now and the team at Gen Healthy Minds will help employers and providers in whatever way we can.”
Many of the providers participating in the webinars have been supporting apprentices in the NHS as well as those working in food production and distribution.
The programme is free to join and is being funded by Amazing Apprenticeships.
The provider has also set up a LinkedIn group to encourage sharing of best practice, ideas and support.
York College gives protective gear to local hospital staff
York College has donated almost 800 pieces of personal protective equipment to its local hospital to help battle against shortages brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
A range of masks, gloves, overalls and safety glasses, which are usually in stock for use by construction, engineering and stonemasonry students, have been handed to the York Teaching Hospital Trust.
York College principal Lee Probert said: “Since we’ve moved to online delivery only, we decided that these should be given to front-line staff in the NHS who are saving lives.”
His college’s childcare students and staff have also been called upon to volunteer in some of the city’s childcare centres that are stretched for staff, while other employees are being encouraged to join voluntary groups in the community if they wish to do so.
Probert added: “I’ve acknowledged that whilst we’re working in this brave new way not all staff will be able to work as productively at home as they could do if the college was open, and empowered people to sign up for the city’s volunteering effort, if they feel able to do so.”
York College’s PPE donation
He also said that the college is going through its food stocks to donate goods due to expire in the coming weeks and months to food banks in the area.
“These are items which we might have to write off if we’re not open in the traditional sense for a significant length of time.
“We know that food bank stocks are becoming depleted and we’d rather they had it to put to good use than it be wasted.”
For its own students, York College is live-streaming interactive lessons in all curriculum areas every day.
Probert praised his staff for creating “hundreds” of online lessons and resources and “working really hard to ensure students’ successes”.
They have also been asked to stay in touch with learners to ensure they are not isolated and are in the “best possible position to engage with whatever system for awarding qualifications emerges”.
Daily remote enrichment programmes and quizzes are also being organised for the staff.
Online cooking could prove the recipe for happy students
A college in Merseyside has been using technology to stream live cooking demos, host competitions and offer pastoral support as they adapt to teaching in isolation.
Level 1 hospitality students at Hugh Baird College’s L20 Hotel School have been recreating dishes made by chef lecturers at home.
On Monday, level 1 students learned how to poach eggs as part of a remote breakfast lesson.
Remote learning in full flow today. Level 1 @L20HotelSchool students had an online breakfast lesson – learning how to poach eggs and then sharing their results on Microsoft Teams 🍳👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/ATYQ3GrcXe
Steve Otty, curriculum co-ordinator, told FE Week the outbreak of Covid-19 has resulted in a “rethink” of delivering methods, with the hospitality team embracing online teaching.
He said: “This has been a little challenging due to the very nature of vocational training. At college we have industry standard kitchens, a range of different ingredients and obviously we’re able to work more closely with learners.
“But it has been great fun and the learners have enjoyed the experience.”
L20 Hotel School’s learners have also taken part in an online student competition where they were challenged to upload a picture of the “most unusual” food item in their cupboards at home.
Nikolas Arnaudov, a 16-year-old who is studying for a level 1 VRQ Diploma in professional cooking, was victorious with Bulgarian pastries his mother had made while on lockdown.
Otty said the use of live group chats had resulted in “positive” student contributions and “improved” collaboration within groups.
He added: “It has been key that we have continued to engage and communicate with learners.
“I think that continuing with their course online has helped to lift their spirits and has kept their minds focused.”
Andy Howard, one of the college’s directors, also devised a way for Microsoft Teams software to offer emotional support to students during this period.
A tiered framework has been introduced to enable check-ins on learners and prompt further engagement if there are any concerns.
He said: “Planning the pastoral support is just as vital for our students as the academic delivery, if not more so.”
Principal Rachael Hennigan added: “I could not be prouder of all our staff at the college.
“Their response to an unprecedented situation has been sensational.”
‘Virtual College’ ethos accelerated to minimise social isolation
A college with over 30,000 learners has not missed a step in moving services like horticulture lessons and mental health support online during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Weston College principal Paul Phillips commended his “tremendous staff” for their work in mobilising their digital strategy during the crisis, saying tutors have actually increased their interaction with students since the campus closed on Friday.
The college has developed a portfolio of courses, such as digital skills and mental health wellbeing, to upskill employees and members of the local community at home, and said it is continuing to get requests from employers who are looking to use the lockdown to help boost their workers’ skills while they are homeworking.
Emma Wilkinson, a digital marketing apprentice at Weston College
The team of digital educators and developers at the college have helped build a digital learning culture at the college over the past two years, with the help of £565,000 from the Department for Education’s Flexible Learning Fund, which was used to train staff in techniques like video presentations.
Phillips says it was “clear” the digital strategy was not just about creating online learning, but also creating a strategy that would ensure the virtual classroom was “outstanding” and that “social isolation is minimised, that motivation is maximised, and that mental health support is embedded holistically”.
To that end, the college has also rolled out “body and mind” physical and wellbeing activities for groups of learners, as well as sessions like watching Netflix together and sharing a break for tea.
But it is not just students getting a digital helping hand during these times: Phillips is also running regular briefings over the internet with colleagues “to keep morale high”.
He has urged other principals to do the same, saying: “Encourage staff to digitally innovate to keep students engaged in education and use their virtual community as a mechanism to reduce self-isolation and to improve mental health, and success will come from a ground-up approach.”
The #myvirtualcollege hashtag has also been launched by Weston to capture best practice, ideas and suggestions for the future.
East Durham staff step in to keep farm ticking over
The coronavirus has not prevented East Durham College from caring for the livestock on its farm, with staff stepping in where students left off.
The college has a 24-horse yard, 200 sheep and an animal care unit which houses ‘Wrinkles’ the giant tortoise as well as wallabies.
Its Houghall Campus is set in around 500 acres of arable, grazing and woodland. Lindsay Haggis, director of landbased studies, told FE Week: “The farm is ticking away absolutely brilliantly.
“I guess the disappointing thing is the learners would have been here to see it all and that is the opportunities that they are missing at the moment.”
She said the equine lecturing team had “pulled out all the stops” the week before the college closed to ensure that learners had completed the practical assessments required to achieve their qualifications.
Staff have been using Facebook and Microsoft Teams to keep learners updated with what their favourite horses are up to as well as providing information on how Covid-19 is impacting the industry.
Yard manger Kate Lee and her team of four have been following a rota to take care of the horses and ensure they will be ready for when the students return.
Wrinkles, the giant sulcata tortoise
Most agriculture, animal management and foundation learners had the opportunity to get involved with the lambing season before closure but the college’s suckler herd of native cattle have just started calving, with three born so far and another 27 on the way.
Haggis said: “Luckily the farm staff always take the time to take a snap or two so we can share these events with the learners.”
Similarly, level 3 agriculture students had managed to complete their ploughing assessments before classes ended.
Haggis added: “While it’s a shame the learners didn’t get to follow this up with drilling, they will see the fruits of their labours when they return for year two and get on with harvest.”
The director also stressed it is “very much business as usual” in the animal care unit, with senior animal care technician Imogen Wright training giant sulcata tortoise Wrinkles as well as looking after the rest of the animals, which include wallabies and raccoons.
College leader zooms in on fitness for colleagues
A college senior leader by day and dance instructor by night is running free online classes to keep her colleagues active during Covid-19.
Tracy Round-Turner, assistant principal for young people at West London College, has been a dance instructor for eight years, having previously danced professionally with the likes of Mr Motivator and on Blue Peter, and now teaches disciplines like Zumba and her own dance fitness hybrid.
Once her regular community class in Wimbledon had to stop due to the government restrictions, she moved the classes online through the video conferencing platform Zoom.
Zumba with Tracy
On top of her regular attendees, many of whom are NHS workers, she decided to advertise it to staff from her college to “help keep them active and build a sense of online community”.
Round-Turner said: “I think isolation can be scary, and it is important to reach out to each other and feel connected.
“I’m hoping the staff of the college will get involved and join me to shake their cares away and take some time to feel good about themselves.”
She taught her first online class on Monday – ‘Monday Motivation’, featuring Zumba and another discipline called ViBeatz, from 8pm to 9pm.
And last night, she ran a class called ‘Burn It Up’, which involved high-intensity interval training, and helped core strength and balance.
On top of that, Round-Turner is also offering a 20 to 30 minute yoga stretch session each day around lunchtime to “help those that have been sat in front of their screens all morning to remember the importance of resting their eyes and re-aligning their bodies and minds and re-energise them for the afternoon ahead”.
She sees this as an opportunity for people to get even fitter than they were before the lockdown, saying: “I think we should learn from this and think more about employee wellbeing – which we’ve been quite slow to do in this country.”
Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, reflects on new guidance provided by her organisation on end-point assessment delivery
There is no getting away from the fact that these are challenging times for everyone. Government guidance on minimising how we interact, to help curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, is impacting on every aspect of life in this country.
Our priority is protecting the health and wellbeing of everyone involved in apprenticeships and technical education.
At the Institute, we are taking action to support the sector.
Over the past week we have taken soundings from Route Panel employers, trailblazers and other stakeholders about our business plans for the coming months. In response to that feedback we have decided to extend our consultations on funding and on the external quality assurance of apprenticeship assessments by six weeks.
We have also postponed our ongoing route reviews. One of the key aims of these processes is to engage with employers in a meaningful way, and it’s been clear that that’s not going to be possible across the board right now.
The outcomes of our digital route review are now complete, so we will continue to work with Trailblazer Groups here, where we are able.
We published new guidance on end-point assessment on Monday (23 March), alongside the wider government guidance.
We have tried to strike the right balance between recognising that in some organisations apprentices can continue to be trained and assessed remotely, whilst in others there’s little option but to pause training or assessment with a view to re-starting later.
The guidance allows apprentices to take a break in learning or a pause in EPA to cover sickness or caring responsibilities related to Covid-19 of up to 12 weeks.
“The 12-week time limit will be kept under review”
I appreciate that things are moving fast and the sector’s ability to deliver EPA could be further hit. I therefore want to assure you that the 12-week time limit will be kept under review and could be updated if it becomes clear that more time is needed.
Moving onto the assessment itself, where face-to-face engagement is required, we have confirmed that this can be conducted remotely, subject to conditions on invigilation, and that arrangements must be cleared in advance by the EQA provider and the apprentice’s identity verified.
A number of colleagues have asked why we did not adopt the same approach as that taken to GCSE and A levels and award grades on evidence of the apprentice’s achievements to date. Some have even suggested that there is a detrimental lack of parity in treatment of apprentices, so I want to take a moment to address that head on.
The secretary of state, Gavin Williamson, has had to take one of the toughest decisions any education secretary will ever face. The decision to halt this year’s exam series is affecting millions of pupils who’ve been preparing for years for their GCSEs and A levels. He has made the right call, but he’s also been clear that awarding grades on the basis of mocks and teacher assessment is sub-optimal. Around 4m students were due to take GCSEs and more than half a million A levels, all within a fixed window of a few weeks in May and June. He’s had no choice to do otherwise.
Around 185,000 apprentices completed their apprenticeships last year and assessment is on-demand. Apprenticeships are not the same and therefore the options are different. So it’s right to try to preserve apprentices’ right to their EPA wherever we can. They’ve been training hard towards it, after all.
I would like to close by giving my personal assurance that I and the Institute will do everything in our power to support employers, awarding organisations, training providers and apprentices through this extremely testing time.
If you have questions for the Institute – please send to Enquiries.IFA@education. gov.uk.
The beleaguered National College for HS2 blew £73,000 on a failed legal attempt at stopping Ofsted publishing a grade four report, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) provided the figure to FE Week after the college went to the High Court in the hope of suppressing the watchdog’s findings.
In February, Ofsted struck a deal to pay their own legal fees in return for the college dropping their judicial review.
The education watchdog has now told FE Week it spent just £12,500 on the case.
NCATI said its decision to go to court was taken following “full and careful consideration” and after they received advice from “leading legal counsel of a strong likelihood of success”, which was assessed “rigorously” against the costs and benefits of proceeding.
When Ofsted’s report was published last month, it revealed employers had to fill in gaps in their apprentices’ skills left by NCATI.
It also found that management and staff did not act quickly enough to protect apprentices from harassment.
“Staff did not prioritise the welfare and safeguarding needs of the apprentice over the needs of others in the class,” the report said, while also stating the college’s safeguarding arrangements are “not effective”.
The college was allowed to fund the legal challenge despite currently surviving on government bailouts and being in formal intervention, as the Department for Education has said it is an “independent organisation”.
Universities minister Michelle Donelan wrote to NCATI, in a letter published in February, confirming the college would be placed in supervised college status “in light of the severity of the college’s financial situation”.
This came after FE Commissioner Richard Atkins found that “without a commitment of 12 months of continued emergency funding, NCATI’s board will not be able to sign off on their 2018-19 financial statements as a going concern”.
The costs from the legal challengehad also been “significant”, the commissioner’s report said, and given the college is receiving emergency funding, it was “clearly a very difficult and sensitive issue”.
A £4.55 million bailout was previously agreed to sign off the college’s 2017-18 accounts. NCATI, formerly known as the National College for High Speed Rail, ran into problems with learner recruitment as delays in announcing HS2 contractors meant employers were unable to commit to the apprentice volumes they had originally anticipated.
Despite saying it would be recruiting 2,100 learners by 2022, the college only had 187 students on roll at the time of Ofsted’s inspection in November 2019. Of those, 167 were apprentices.
A successful alternative to the business admin level 2 apprenticeship, for NHS Trusts at least, has been found, according to the government.
A blog post published by the Education & Skills Funding Agency last week lauded the level 2 customer service programme as a viable replacement.
It has been used in Leeds Teaching Hospitals, which said the standard has proven to be “versatile, and we have used it in a range of roles within corporate services and clinical settings”, such as patient-booking services, reception areas, HR and radiology.
They have 50 apprentices currently on the programme, being delivered through Leeds City College.
Jordan Faithwaite, the education, learning and organisational development manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said in each setting the apprentices meet a “range of internal and external staff, patients and families, which provides experiences that enable the apprentices to achieve their required competencies”.
“Previously, the level 2 business administration apprenticeship would have been used in these areas, but the customer service apprenticeship has supported apprentices to undertake their administrative duties while also focusing on the level and delivery of service and customer experience,” she added.
But Rob Brookes, an NHS apprenticeship lead, hit out at the ESFA’s blog and said: “What a disgrace… Are they advocating the use of a standard that’s not relevant to a job role? That really fits with apprenticeship policy doesn’t it?”
He added: “I know it can work and is working for some, but it’s paperingover the cracks a bit and it only really works for patient-facing admin staff.
“I have heard that apprentices can use colleagues as ‘internal customers’, but that’s manipulating the situation to fit the apprenticeship. Not ideal, in my opinion.”
An alternative to the popular level 2 business admin framework is needed as it will be officially switched off from July 31, and the government last month outright refused to replace the programme as a new apprenticeship standard, despite lobbying by more than over 100 employers, including the NHS.
The Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education said the proposal did not meet the required length or quality of an apprenticeship standard.
Health Education England told FE Week it is aware of a “handful of NHS trusts nationally” that are now using the level 2 customer service apprenticeship standard where they would have previously used the level 2 business admin framework.
However, they warned this “only works for a limited number of jobroles” and therefore might not be suitable for all types of employers.
The ESFA’s blog admitted that there “may be other standards that will work better for your business if you are currently using the business administration framework at level 2”, including, for example, the level 3 business admin standard.
