Government slashes £11m from £20m adult traineeship budget

The Department for Education is to cut the budget for adult traineeships by more than half from August 2020.

In a letter seen by FE Week, dated 5 February and marked “sensitive”, it states that the 19 to 24 traineeship remains a national programme and the budget has been revised from £20 million to £8.55 million to “reflect current delivery levels”.

At the same time the DfE is planning to pump an extra £9 million of adult education budget funding into courses associated with National Retraining Scheme (NRS), for one year only.

Whilst traineeship funding is administered by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and does not form part of the mayoral combined authority budgets, the extra £9 million will be distributed across both devolved and non-devolved AEB budgets.

Chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, Mark Dawe, is concerned about the slash to the traineeships budget: “After four years of starts falling, we’ve only just removed the problems that were responsible for it, so we’ve got to give traineeships a chance to grow again rather than going for a knee-jerk reaction. NEET numbers still remain stubbornly high.

“Longer term though, perhaps the country’s record employment figures mean that the focus should become more on investment in work based skills programmes rather than on pre-employment support.”

Traineeships are designed to get people aged 16 to 24 ready for an apprenticeship or job. The courses include a work placement and can last between six weeks and six months.

Funding for 16 to 18 year-old traineeships comes from a separate budget at the ESFA.

The funding cut for the adults comes less than a year after former skills minister Anne Milton hailed the success of traineeships in light of research that revealed 75 per cent of learners move on to work or further study within a year of completing their programme.

Her comments were seen as a boon for the pre-employment course, which has been plagued by falling learner numbers and a lack of investment that has frustrated sector bodies.

Starts numbers have fallen from 24,100 to 17,700 (26 per cent) between 2015/16, before reforms to the apprenticeship system came into force, and 2017/18.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We want the traineeship programme to support more young people into apprenticeships and sustainable employment and that is why we are working with providers, employers and other stakeholders to develop detailed options for the future programme.

“The £8.55 million allocated to traineeships for young people aged 19 to 24 in 2020/21 includes capacity for growth over and above 2019/20 forecasted delivery levels.”

The DfE’s letter, which was sent by the department’s deputy director for FE funding Dominic Hastings, said the demand for adult training is “expected to increase following the national roll-out of the NRS Get Help to Retrain service”, which began to rollout in July 2019.

So as to ensure that this “potential increase in demand” can be met, “additional funding (£9 million) has been made available and added to the AEB for one year only (academic year 2020/21)”.

The letter adds that the NRS service will “continue to develop during 2020/21 based on engagement with service users” and “NRS colleagues want to collaborate further with you to understand how this additional funding can be used to develop a more localised training offer, to take account of local labour market and skills needs”.

Ofsted updates report after grades omission fiasco

Ofsted has been forced to revise a published inspection report after being made aware it was missing both apprenticeship and adult course grades and commentary.

Peter Symonds College teaches around 4,200 young people aged 16 to 19 and was rated ‘outstanding’ across the board in a report published by the education watchdog last week.

But the report failed to grade provision for 55 apprentices aged 19 or older and 61 adult learners on access to higher education courses.

After FE Week raised this with Ofsted, a spokesperson claimed that inspectors did assess this provision during the visit in January, and the omission of grades in the original report “was an oversight on our part.

“A revised report has been published that includes grades for adult learning programmes and apprenticeships. Peter Symonds College remains an outstanding provider and should be congratulated for this significant achievement.”

The updated report shows the college scored ‘outstanding’ for its adult learning programmes, but ‘good’ for apprenticeships.

Peter Symonds College confirmed that both adult education and apprenticeships were “inspected and were in receipt of focused ‘deep dives’ as part of the whole college inspection”.

“Peter Symonds College is extremely proud to have retained its outstanding grade in our recent inspection,” a spokesperson added.

“This reflects the hard work and commitment of all our staff and students as well as our unremitting focus on providing high quality education: something for which we have been renowned for several decades.”

The Hampshire-based college retained its top grade after more than a decade without inspection.

In its new Ofsted report, inspectors said they found that teachers plan flexible timetables which enable adult learners to combine their studies with busy lifestyles.

The students were said to “produce work of a very high standard” and consequently “nearly all move on to university to study their chosen subject”.

It was also reported that apprentices gain the knowledge and skills they need to work successfully in supporting teaching and learning in schools.

According to inspectors, since apprenticeship provision began in 2017, leaders and managers have ensured that apprentices receive good-quality off-the-job training that supports them well in their job roles.

In addition, most of its 4,200 young students achieve high grades in their A-levels and were “well-prepared for their aspirational next steps to prestigious universities”.

The inspectorate claimed that they also benefit from “excellent facilities and resources” and their participation in enrichment activities “develops their sense of social justice and their roles as active citizens”.

Furthermore, Ofsted found that college leaders and managers place a “very strong” emphasis on maintaining the wellbeing of their staff by allowing them to take part in activities like yoga and Pilates which balance out their working lives.

As a result, staff felt “very well supported and repay managers by promoting the college’s ambitious culture for all its students”.

London’s mega-college to be hit with a grade three

A large London college group wrestling with an unexpected £10 million deficit is set to receive a grade three after its first-ever inspection took place last month.

FE Week understands Capital City College Group’s (CCCG) Ofsted report will be published imminently.

Chief executive Roy O’Shaughnessy previously told this newspaper in December that he was trying to “dim the expectations” by self-grading at ‘requires improvement’ and was expecting a visit from the education watchdog between January and July 2020.

The group is scheduled to deliver three T-level routes (in digital, education and childcare and health and science) from the 2021-22 academic year.

But this could now be at risk as Department for Education rules state that only providers rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ can deliver the new qualifications.

Kurt Hintz, principal of the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, part of CCCG, said he was unable to comment on Ofsted’s verdict until the group received and reviewed the report in full.

However, “the feedback that we received following the inspection from Ofsted’s team on our strengths and areas needing improvement was very similar to the conclusions we had reached during our own rigorous self-assessment,” he told FE Week.

Hintz added that CCCG will continue with its “robust” quality-improvement plan that had been in place “long before” Ofsted arrived and which is now showing signs of “significant improvement”.

He also confirmed the group’s approach to T-levels will continue as planned and they will “comply with any additional scrutiny that the ESFA require of us and feel confident we will be well prepared”.

CCCG was formed after a merger between WKCIC Group and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.

City and Islington College and Westminster Kingsway College first merged in August 2016. Both were considered ‘good’ by the inspectorate at the time – as was the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, which joined them in November 2017.

The group currently has a deficit of £9.7 million. It had originally budgeted for a £750,000 surplus for 2018-19.

This was revised downwards by July to a deficit of £5.1 million but it suddenly grew again by September.

O’Shaughnessy then launched an independent investigation and previously told FE Week that “genuine ineptness” had partly led to the surprise deficit.

It followed unplanned multi-million pound deficits of £5 million in 2016-17 and £6 million in 2017-18, which led to job cuts.

CCCG’s new finance director, Rachael White, previously said that internal controls were missing – which she put down to the three individual colleges coming together.

She said: “I think a lot of it has been where colleges have merged and there’s probably been no re-alignment or reassessment of what is an efficient or controlled environment to work within.”

CCCG isn’t the only T-levels college to be hit with a grade three.

Earlier this week, FE Week reported that Nottingham College, which is due to deliver the digital, education and health routes from next year, had raised the issue with the Education and Skills Funding Agency after their own ‘requires improvement’ rating.

A spokesperson confirmed it will “submit an application to continue to be a provider of T-levels”.

In addition, the DfE confirmed last month that it will also “make a decision in due course” on whether United Colleges Group, which was lined up to offer the digital and construction courses, should be kicked off the programme after receiving a grade three from Ofsted.

The department has promised to consider each case individually and reach a mutual decision with the providers before a decision is made; and the time invested by institutions and the work done to prepare students may impact on the decision.

Provider advertises £30k reward in return for their ‘achieved learners’

A training provider is offering a reward of just under £30,000 for simply adding their data on achieved learners to a government funding claim.

Taking up the emailed offer of a “cohort of achieved learners” from City Gateway, a charity that has trained disadvantaged young people in the London for eight years, would be a clear breach of the funding rules according to an auditor.

The email, sent to providers with direct access to funding, asks if they are “interested in the potential to increase your adult education budget (AEB) achievement rates by funding a cohort of achieved learners – available immediately for an AEB or traineeships subcontract?”

It states that the group has a “current 88 per cent achievement rate (due to exceed 92 per cent when outstanding results arrive)” in English as a second or foreign language (ESOL) and functional skills courses.

They are primarily made up of black, Asian and minority ethnic adult women based in east London “with the data ready to upload”. There are also traineeship cohorts aged 16 to 18 and 19 to 23.

The total value of the learners is £143,000 – but Education and Skills Funding data shows City Gateway only has £46,000 in allocations to use for 2019/20.

It also does not have any direct contracts to deliver courses with the Greater London Authority, which had the capital’s AEB devolved to it in September 2019.

The provider dropped from a grade two to a grade three in October 2017, with Ofsted claiming: “Trustees, leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to remedy weaknesses identified at the previous inspection.”

City Gateway wants a different provider to take on the learners who have already completed their courses, act as the prime, and subcontract the provision to the charity in order to claim funding.

“We have exceeded our MCV (maximum contract value) and so are seeking to subcontract for further learners already on our system,” the email states.

It adds that the prime would receive a 20 per cent management fee, totalling £10,600 for the AEB provision, £13,000 for the 16 to 18 traineeships, and £5,000 for 19 to 23 traineeships.

ESFA funding rules state that it is “vital” that all directly funded organisations must “properly monitor and control all subcontracted delivery”.

And the GLA’s funding rules state: “You must manage and monitor all of your delivery subcontractors to ensure that high-quality delivery is taking place that meets our funding rules.”

An experienced individual learner record auditor, who did not wish to be named, told FE Week that they have “stripped all the money out for this sort of thing in the past at audit”.

The GLA said any subcontracting arrangement would have to meet their guidelines and be approved by the authority.

City Gateway did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The revelation comes amid a fresh crackdown on subcontracting by the government.

A consultation on radical rule changes was launched last week. It states that “entering into subcontracting arrangements for financial gain” are not acceptable.

ESFA chief executive Eileen Milner sent a sector-wide letter on October 3 which said: “I am asking that you review your current subcontracting activity and satisfy yourself that it is purposeful, appropriate, and provides added value to learners. We must be confident that you are managing and overseeing it in line with our requirements.”

It went on to warn: “I want to make it clear that where poor subcontracting practice is evident to us we will act decisively.”

Inspectorate apologises to college principal after reversing grade four

Ofsted has apologised and overturned a provisional ‘inadequate’ judgement after a college complained when inspectors alleged that student safety was at risk.

Scarborough Sixth Form College was left concerned after a two-day visit in October.

Its provisional rating was a grade four, which FE Week understands related specifically to safeguarding.

Principal Phil Rumsey lodged a complaint before the report was due to be published, claiming that the lead inspector had not gathered “sufficient evidence” to make fair judgements.

Ofsted dispatched inspectors to visit the sixth form college – where education secretary Gavin Williamson studied for his A-levels – on December 6.

The resulting report showed ‘good’ ratings across the board, with the education watchdog apologising “for the inconvenience”.

Rumsey would not divulge what safeguarding allegations inspectors made, but told FE Week: “As our inspection was approaching the middle of the final day, it became clear that the lead HMI had not gathered sufficient evidence to make fair judgements in his specific areas.

“I requested an extension to the inspection and Ofsted agreed that the initial inspection was incomplete and sent two more inspectors to carry out the necessary further inspection.”

He added: “We are delighted that the inspection recognised that our ‘teachers are highly skilled’ and that ‘a high proportion of learners achieve high grades’.”

Scarborough’s published report also states that governors and leaders “successfully promote a culture of safeguarding”.

A spokesperson for Ofsted said: “This college was inspected in October 2019. The college submitted a complaint, which we investigated in line with our published procedures. We found the inspection was incomplete.

“A further visit took place in December 2019, when we gathered additional evidence to complete the inspection.

“The evidence supported a grade of ‘good’ for overall effectiveness. This is in line with our complaint handling policy. We have apologised to the principal for the inconvenience of the additional visit.”

It is the latest concern over Ofsted judgements for colleges.

Shrewsbury Colleges Group was given a provisional ‘inadequate’ rating following an inspection in November in which inspectors claimed to have found serious safeguarding concerns.

But Ofsted has now declared the inspection “incomplete” after the principal launched a formal complaint. Inspectors were due back into the college this week.

Scarborough Sixth Form College’s Ofsted visit came just days after it pulled out of offering two T-level pathways – in construction and digital – ahead of their launch set for September 2020.

Rumsey said in October that the decision was made because of a lack of work placement opportunities in the area and a shortage of good-quality teachers.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson came out shortly after and said he backed the college’s decision.

“They have to look as to how they deliver the very best quality and the very best choice, and they’ve had to make that decision and it is the right decision because it is about preserving that quality,” he said during an interview with FE Week.

“This doesn’t close the opportunity to offer it in a year after that, but it’s getting the whole package right, because every youngster that takes a T-level, we want to get it right first time.”

The college still plans to offer the education and child care pathway from September.

Donelan promoted to universities minister and says FE to be decided tomorrow

Michelle Donelan has been appointed as the new universities minister – and has not ruled out also taking on the FE and skills brief.

The MP for Chippenham has been covering for Kemi Badenoch as children and families parliamentary under secretary of state, with some responsibilities for FE, while she has been on maternity leave.

Downing Street announced today that Donelan has been promoted to a minister of state role in the Department for Education. Badenoch has been moved to the Treasury as a minister.

Speaking to FE Week after her appointment, Donelan said: “I’m going to be the minister for universities.”

Asked if she would also be taking on the FE and skills brief, which has been missing a dedicated minister since Anne Milton resigned in July 2019, she said: “Let’s figure that out tomorrow.”

Gavin Williamson, who was reappointed as education secretary in today’s reshuffle, took on the FE and skills brief personally last July.

Donelan became an MP in May 2015 and has previously sat on the education select committee.

Since joining the DfE, Donelan has been the ministerial representative in numerous Westminster hall debates related to FE.

Just this week, she represented the DfE in two debates on apprenticeships.

Gavin Williamson keeps education secretary role

Gavin Williamson is to stay on as education secretary following a post-Brexit ministerial reshuffle.

However, it’s not known whether the MP for South Staffordshire will keep the FE and skills brief he has held since his appointment last July.

Many calls, including from Conservative MPs, have been made for prime minister Boris Johnson to appoint a dedicated minister for the sector – a role that has been vacant since Anne Milton resigned.

Downing Street confirmed Williamson, who studied A-levels at Scarborough Sixth Form College, would keep his role at the Department for Education on Twitter this afternoon.

He later tweeted: “From early years to further education, I will ensure we deliver the skills the country needs .”

Michelle Donelan, who was covering for Kemi Badenoch as children and families minister with some responsibilities for FE while she was on maternity leave, has been appointed to the DfE permanently. Badenoch has moved to the Treasury as a minister.

On Williamson’s reappointment, James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “We are pleased that Gavin Williamson will remain in post. During his short time in the role, he has already managed to secure more investment for sixth-form education than all of his predecessors combined since 2010.

“He has also engaged very constructively with us and our members, and as a former sixth form college student, has first-hand experience of the sector.

“We look forward to continuing this positive relationship, particularly with a Budget, the conclusion of the level 3 qualification review, and a spending review all due to take place in the year ahead.”

Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Mark Dawe said the decision to keep Williamson on at the DfE was “sensible”.

“We hope that the secretary of state will impress upon the new chancellor the need for greater investment in apprenticeships, particularly a separate fund for non-levy payers of £1.5 billion,” he added.

The Association of Colleges tweeted to say Williamson has been “clear that FE is a priority, and we look forward to continuing to work with him to make sure colleges, communities and businesses can thrive”.

Northern Powerhouse Partnership director tells education ministers they’ve ‘run out of time’

The director of George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse Partnership has called for skills policy to be fully devolved from Whitehall, claiming the government has “failed” to deliver the system the north needs.

Henri Murison, speaking at the launch of the Northern Skills Network in Leeds today, pinned the failure on the Department for Education’s officials and said whoever the education secretary is after this week’s cabinet reshuffle “needs to listen to us, not their officials”.

In the meantime, he said, the department has “run out of time” so “universal control of our skills system” must be given to the north.

“That’s why we’re going to have mayors in every region of the north, in the Humber, in West Yorkshire, in Chester, Warrington, then Lancaster – and we’re not going to stop.”

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership is chaired by former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne and represents businesses and politicians from across the north.

The adult education budget has already been devolved to certain mayoral combined authorities in the north, including Greater Manchester and Tees Valley. The government is also working with Sheffield City Region and North of Tyne combined authorities with the aim of devolving the AEB to those two in September.

Murison (pictured) said his call for greater devolution has been provoked because the department took “years” to deliver money which had been promised to the north, and they are “not welcome in the north of England with that promise anymore”.

The vote to “take back control” in the Brexit referendum and the collapse of the so-called “Red Wall”, where Labour MPs across the north were replaced by Conservatives in the December election, added fuel to this fire, he explained.

“I don’t think they were just voting about Brexit. I think they were voting about their towns their places, and skills is vital to that.”

“Where is the ambition,” he asked the audience, “to mirror those like BAE and what they invest in skills in Barrow,” which puts 1,000 apprentices through their factory every year, according to Murison.

Having previously worked for the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Newcastle City Council, he also targeted ire at the government’s announcement this week of HS2, a high-speed rail line connecting London with the north and midlands.

Without greater skills devolution, “all the train lines in the world will make no difference on their own,” he said.

His call for greater control over skills policy in the north comes as the Northern Skills Network, which is aiming to provide a “single voice for skills” for over 300 providers, announced it had entered into a strategic partnership with awarding organisation NCFE.

This partnership will involve NCFE representatives sitting on the network’s board and means they will become “the ‘go to’ organisation for insights and advice on the skills and education issues affecting the north,” according to the awarding body’s executive director for customer and commercial strategy Sian Wilson.

The partnership, according to network chair Mike Smith, will help them promote the value of technical and vocational skills to employers and stakeholders, as well as support leaders of all ages to achieve the qualifications they need to advance their chosen careers and increase their social mobility”.