Crisis-hit 3aaa up for quick sale – with government support

Beleaguered apprenticeship giant Aspire Achieve Advance has put itself up for sale with the government’s backing.

The decision has been made following a suspension on its recruitment while an Education and Skills Funding Agency investigation is carried out into the company’s achievement rates.

It is the second government investigation into the provider in the last two years.

The company, commonly known as 3aaa, has hired accountancy firm BDO to seek potential bidders.


READ MORE: DfE’s damning ‘Project Vanilla’ investigation into 3aaa

An “investment opportunity” document, code named ‘Project Alphabet’, has been obtained by FE Week and notes the deadline for indicative offers is tomorrow at 5pm.

3aaa finalised a significant cash loan of around £5 million in April from Beechbrook Capital.

FE Week understands that one reason for the sale is because the terms of that loan have been broken and the lender wants to claim their money.

It is also understood that the ESFA is supportive of the sale on the basis that its co-founders, Peter Marples and Di McEvoy-Robinson (pictured), will not benefit from it financially.

FE Week approached Beechbrook and a spokesperson said the firm is not prepared to comment other than to say: “As a lender, we remain fully supportive of 3aaa and we wish to see the business continuing to deliver the excellent services it has done in the past.”

BDO’s investment opportunity document states: “Reason For Sale: The ESFA has placed a temporary block on new learners whilst an investigation is undertaken in to achievement rates, prompting the shareholders to seek an exit.

“The investigation relates to a period under the stewardship of the previous management team, which has now been removed from the business.

“A new management team is in-situ and the business is well positioned to deliver an improvement in business performance.

“Alphabet is in pro-active dialogue with the ESFA with a view to lifting the learner block in the shortest period possible.

“The ESFA’s priority is continuity of learning for learners.”

Alphabet is in pro-active dialogue with the ESFA with a view to lifting the learner block in the shortest period possible

The document says 3aaa is a “highly accredited and underlying robust business with new management in place focussed on driving material forecast growth driven by established, high margin, level 3 and 4 course delivery”.

It has an “experienced management team” and circa 500 “highly skilled employees” operating from its national network of training academies.

The document added: “Learners on programme are split across circa 1,700 active customers with circa 1,500 non levy clients and circa 165 levy customers.”

For the year ending 2019 its turnover is £26.6 million.

The ESFA’s current investigation into 3aaa was sparked earlier this year when a whistleblower approached the agency with new claims about its business.

Owing to this, Ofsted declared its latest inspection of the provider, which was expected to result in another ‘outstanding’ rating, as incomplete in June.

Mr Marples and Ms McEvoy-Robinson, who set up 3aaa in 2008, resigned from their roles as the company’s chief executive and main director respectively in September.

The provider was then suspended from recruiting apprentices, but FE Week later revealed that senior employees had been “instructed” to tell its staff to not date any paperwork for “planned enrolments”.

Last week FE Week revealed that 3aaa was subject to a separate government investigation in 2016 which found dozens of funding and success rate “overclaims”. Despite this, it was given a £7 million apprenticeships contract increase in that year.

3aaa had the largest allocation for non-levy apprenticeships last year at nearly £22 million. Its overall ESFA allocations totalled more than £31 million.

 

Decision on management apprenticeship funding bands delayed following employers’ appeal

Three controversial management standards are not among those to have their final funding bands confirmed by the Institute for Apprenticeships today, after the employer group behind them lodged an appeal.

Details of the funding bands for 12 of the 31 standards involved in the IfA’s review, which began in May, were published today following sign-off by the education secretary Damian Hinds.

These did not include the level six chartered manager degree apprenticeship, the level five operations departmental manager nor the level three team leader/ supervisor standard.

All three, which between them accounted for almost 20,000 starts in the first nine months of 2017/18, were set to have their funding rates slashed by between £500 and £5,000 following the review, as reported by FE Week in August.

However, the employer group behind them launched an appeal against the recommendations.

More than 150 employers, including retail giant Tesco, joined forces in late August to protest against the “extensive and highly-damaging cuts”.

The all signed an online appeal, led by the Chartered Management Institute, urging the IfA and the Department for Education to “undertake a full and transparent economic and social impact assessment” before making any final decision.

It’s unclear whether the appeal has been successful.

A spokesperson for the CMI told FE Week in late September that the employer group had formally appealed to the IfA against its recommendations, but was unable to say when a decision was expected.

FE Week has approached the CMI for an update.

According to documents seen by FE Week in August, the IfA’s recommendation for the chartered manager standard was to cut its funding from £27,000 to £22,000.

The level five operational/departmental manager standard is facing a cut from £9,000 to £7,000, while the level three team leader/ supervisor standard is set to be capped at £4,500 – down from £5,000.

The team leader/ supervisor standard is the most popular to date, with 12,080 starts in the first nine months of 2017/18, while the operational/ departmental manager is the fourth most popular with 5,530 starts over the same time period.

And there have been 1,750 starts on the level six standard, making it the most popular degree apprenticeship.

The funding band review was launched in May by the IfA at the request of the DfE.

Its aim is to “help make sure that employers can access high quality apprenticeships and that funding bands represent good value for money for employers and government”.

Any recommendations from the review are subject to possible appeal by the employer group followed by final sign-off by Mr Hinds.

Once confirmed any increases will take effect from October 6, while any decreases will come into effect from January 1.

IfA funding band review: 12 of 31 standards signed off by education secretary

Final funding bands for 12 of the standards that were part of the Institute for Apprenticeships’ review have been published, following sign off by the education secretary Damian Hinds.

Of the 12, seven have had their funding cut and three have remained the same, while a further two have had their funding rate increased.

Funding band reductions will take effect on January 1, while increases take effect from October 6, the IfA said today.

Reviewed funding bands for the remaining 19 standards have not yet been sent to Mr Hinds, including the controversial management apprenticeship standards.

The IfA has said it expects the process will be finalised in late 2018. 

Explaining the review, the IfA today said: “We used our new funding process, adapted to reflect that these standards are already being delivered. Throughout the process, we worked collaboratively with trailblazers to ensure the review was carried out in an open way.

“As part of this process we considered a range of factors, including the costs submitted by providers, advice from trailblazers, data we hold, consistency across similar apprenticeship standards and the expertise of our route panels and a provider panel.”

The institute claims to have only recommended changes to current funding bands where “there is evidence that justifies a change”.

It added: “The Institute is working closely with DfE to monitor the impact of these funding band changes over the coming months. We will continue our work to bring more standards into the new 30-band structure.”

This is the first time the IfA has publicly revealed the funding band changes, having previously refused to share them while they were still at the recommendation stage.

However, a number of employer groups shared the outcomes with FE Week, including those behind the healthcare, customer service and aviation ground specialist standards, which have all had their final rates confirmed today.

In addition to the three management standards, the retailer standard is also missing from today’s list.

FE Week reported in August that it was set to have its funding cap reduced from £5,000 to £4,000.

The IfA’s funding band review, launched in May, was intended to “help make sure that employers can access high quality apprenticeships and that funding bands represent good value for money for employers and government”.

It covers 31 standards – including some of the most popular.

Analysis at the time the review was launched found that the 31 represented 64 per cent of all starts on standards for the first half of 2017/18 (45,900 out of 71,720).

Why getting QTLS is on teachers’ to-do lists

When it comes to developing their careers, more teachers and trainers in further education are opting to gain QTLS status. Here three of them explain how it’s enhanced their practice, as well as their prospects.

Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status is the badge of professionalism for practitioners in the Further Education and Training sector, conferred by the Society for Education and Training. It offers participants an opportunity to develop their teaching practice, gain recognition for their skills, and widen their career prospects, and its parity with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) also allows those who achieve it the flexibility to teach in schools. But what do teachers who’ve gained the status believe it’s done for them personally?

Opening up career progression

Tom Hardy completed his PGCE in 2017. When he took a new role in a Pupil Referral Unit at  Grimsby’s Phoenix Park Academy, both he and the school had one eye on his professional development.

“Senior management said they saw additional opportunities for me, and that getting another qualification would help me progress,” he says. “Some roles require you to have QTS or QTLS, so it was a necessity.”

He chose to undertake QTLS – a six-month ‘professional formation’ that required him to build an online portfolio to benchmark his practice, create a professional development plan, record his CPD, and reflect critically on the development of his teaching.

It was QTLS’ practical focus that appealed to Hardy: “I could have taken the QTS route, but QTLS suited me better. In my environment, I knew it would be beneficial to build a profile of the students, reflect on my own practice and think about how I could improve.

“And now I’ve achieved it, the school is exploring additional opportunities and responsibilities for me.”

Gaining professional recognition

For Jeminiyi Ogunkoya, Qualifications and Development lead for disability and mental health organisation Certitude, QTLS offered a way to gain recognition of her professional status and commitment to developing her own and others’ practice.

“I need to set an example in terms of how I measure the practice of the teachers, trainers, and assessors I work with,” she explains. “My organisation needs someone who knows how to carry out teaching and learning training, and develop the staff.

“Through QTLS I was able to reflect on and align my own practices with the needs of my learners. Now I know that whatever I am doing is in line with the [professional] standards.

“I recently had an inspection rated Outstanding. When my tutors and trainers come and shadow me, they can pick up on good practice. Through standardisation, I can tell them, ‘this is how we’re going to share it.’

Building confidence, benefiting learners

Liam James, Sports Lecturer and Course Co-ordinator at Weston College in Weston Super Mare, says that QTLS not only boosted his confidence and skills, but also had a positive impact on his learners.

“It made me reflect on how I teach,” he says. “There were things I was doing just because I’d learned them in teacher training, but having that chance to step back and think helped me to adapt each session, because not everyone learns in the same way.”

“Now I’m always discussing ideas, trying to be a bit more innovative and make things better suited to the learner.”

James has also applied that approach to the coordination of the course as a whole. “I’ve raised my standards and the culture to a more professional level,” he says. “Now more employers want to work with us, and the feedback we receive when our learners go into the industry is that they are ready for work.”

All three professionals say that getting QTLS has improved their practice, benefitted their learners and had a positive impact on wider organisational culture.

“I’m giving a better service to the students now,” says Hardy. “They’re more comfortable in the learning environment, and making more progression.”

Ogunkoya encourages anyone considering QTLS to take the plunge. “You’ll develop your knowledge, and help the people you work with to develop theirs. You will not regret it.”

 

For more information about undertaking QTLS, visit set.et-foundation.co.uk/qtls. Registration is open now.

 

Revealed: The 21 colleges that will share £40m Maths Centres of Excellence cash

The names of the 21 colleges selected to receive funding as Maths Centres of Excellence have been revealed.

The centres are designed to test and share new ways to teach students who are re-sitting their maths GCSEs, and will share £40 million over the next five years.

The programme will be expected to design new and improved teaching approaches, develop teaching resources, build up teachers’ skill and spread best practice through maths networks.

Plans for the centres were first announced in last year’s Autumn Budget to improve the quality of basic maths provision for low attaining post-16 learners.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, welcomed the announcement “not just of additional funding, but of the recognition that colleges are best placed to support people to achieve the skills they need to be successful in work and in life.”

He added: “However, we are in the middle of a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. If we want to keep great teachers teaching, government needs to not just focus on teacher development, but teacher pay – and that requires proper investment in colleges.”

Colleges were eligible to apply to become a Maths Centre of Excellence in May if they had at least 250 students with prior attainment in GCSE maths that is below grades 9-4.

At the time, the Department for Education said the programme would work “through trialling pedagogical approaches and sharing this expertise across the post-16 sector.

“At this stage, we expect that the centres could be grant funded with a minimum of £140,000 per annum and up to a maximum of £300,000 per annum, depending on the total number of centres that the panel wishes to fund and the quality of the agreed plans.”

If the £40 million funding is divided equally, each of the 21 institutions will receive over £38,000 a year for each of the five years.

The 21 colleges selected are:

New College Stamford, Lincolnshire

Leicester College

Cambridge Regional College

Harlow College, Essex

Leyton Sixth Form College, London

Newham College of Further Education, London

Christ the King Sixth Form College, London

Gateshead College

Lakes College West Cumbria

Tameside College

Nelson and Colne College, Lancashire

Fareham College, Hampshire

East Kent College

Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

Weston College of Further and Higher Education, Somerset

City College Plymouth

Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group

Warwickshire College Group

Leeds City College

Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education, Lincolnshire

Wilberforce College, Hull

Hinds reveals £38m T-levels capital funding boost

The education secretary will announce a £38 million capital funding boost for schools and colleges in the first wave of T-levels.

Damian Hinds (pictured) is expected to tell the Conservative party conference in Birmingham today the government will be investing the money in “cutting edge equipment and facilities”, including computers and equipment for those studying digital pathways and heavy plant and machinery for those taking construction.

The funding is expected to be available from spring next year, before the first T-levels begin in September 2020.

There are three different pathways in the first wave of the new post-16 technical qualifications: digital (production, design and development), childcare and education and construction (planning and design).

Although 54 providers have been selected so far to deliver the digital and childcare and education pathways, those chosen for construction are still unknown. A spokesperson for the Department for Education said more information on the remaining providers should be available this month.

This means the £38 million will be shared between an unknown total number of providers, with each likely to receive less than £700,000.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, called the announcement “a sure sign that the government is pushing ahead with its plans” but warned that T-levels will not be “a silver bullet solution”. 

“We must, though, be realistic as well,”  he added. “T-levels, particularly in the early years, will involve relatively small numbers of young people. There will remain hundreds of thousands of 16-18-year-olds and more than a million adults in colleges across England on different routes that also need capital and better revenue funding if we are to deliver a successful economy and strong communities post-Brexit. 

“The government can’t continue to overlook these in the hope that T-levels will be a silver bullet solution. In isolation, they will not be. 

“There is a genuine commitment across government to deliver a world class technical education system. To do that, we need to invest in every college, across the breadth of their students.”

T-levels have been designed to increase the prestige of technical qualifications, as match for A-levels.

They were originally supposed to be introduced from 2019, but in July last year the skills minister Anne Milton announced they had been put back to 2020.

A subsequent announcement in October 2017 revealed that pathways in just three subject areas would go live in the first year. The remaining subject routes will be fully rolled out by 2023.

In May this year, it emerged that Mr Hinds had refused a request from the DfE’s permanent secretary Jonathan Slater to delay T-levels until 2021.

In a letter to Mr Slater, he said he was “convinced of the case to press ahead”.

 “The delivery of T-levels in 2020 is focused in a measured way on a small number of T-levels in a small number of providers,” he added. “I want us now to put all of our collective weight behind delivering these T-levels to begin in 2020.”

The names of 21 colleges chosen to be Maths Centres of Excellence were also announced today. The colleges will share £66 million over the next years with 32 schools selected to be regional English hubs.

Damian Hinds: Full text of Conservative Conference 2018 speech

Damian Hinds addressed the Conservative party conference in Birmingham yesterday in a speech which included extra funding for T-levels, announcements about the maths centres of excellence and the need for a greater focus on further education. 

Here is the full text of what he said:

“You know whenever I ask anyone to think back to their education, what really made a difference for them when they were at school, you know I have yet to come back – to get the answer back – “it was a smart board” or “a text book” or “an exam” or “a scheme of work”. The answer that comes back is always about a person.

“People talk about Miss Smith, Mr Jones, Mrs O’Neil. Because education is all about that person standing at the front of the class. Those inspiring individuals, those 450,000 teachers that we have out there, they deserve and they have our admiration, our respect and our thanks.

“And you know since 2010, those teachers have made some amazing things happen. Assisted by the reforms initiated by my predecessors, by Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening and of course Michael Gove.  We are back in the international top ten for primary reading. We have a reformed curriculum and examinations. We have thousands of schools that have been set free as academies. We’ve got 1.9 million more young people studying in good or outstanding schools. And the gap has been narrowed. The gap between the rich and the poor in attainment has narrowed at every stage and every phase from nursery school to university entry.

“Now, that is a record of which you can be proud. You should be proud. But you shouldn’t be satisfied. We should not be satisfied until we can say that we truly have a world class education for everyone. Wherever they come from, wherever they’re going and whatever route they’re taking through our education system. Until we have made sure that in every region and in every group of our society, opportunity is truly equal.

“And of course a world class education depends on our investment in the future. I say investment, because education spending isn’t just public spending. It is an investment. An investment in the future of those children going through our schools. Also an investment in the future of our country. And as you can see, we are strong investors in education when you look at us compared to other key comparator nations like the G7.

“We have also been investing heavily in the capacity of our system to ensure we have a good supply of good and outstanding places in our schools. In contrast to Labour, who cut 100,000 places in our school system in the years running up to 2010, by the end of this decade, we will have added a million school places to our system. And we think that when a school is a good school, when it’s giving a good education, and when it’s popular with parents, that school should be able to expand so that more young people can benefit from what’s on offer.

“That includes if it is a grammar school. And we also believe that there is and always has been a very important role in our system for faith schools and we will continue to invest in free schools that have brought such diversity and innovation to our system and I was proud to see another 53 free schools opening this term for the new academic year as well as the hundreds already open.

“I can see in the front row and – just give me a moment to introduce and to thank them – the brilliant DfE ministerial team, starting with Nick Gibb who has been there from the very start and has done so much to drive academic standards in our schools, and particularly the focus on early reading and phonics. Anne Milton with her infectious dedication to building up the skills base in our country, to apprenticeships and to colleges.

“Sam Gyimah, working alongside our excellent higher education sector and being such an effective voice for the student. Nadhim Zahawi, looking after early years and special needs and how we look after those children who are the most vulnerable in our society, those who are in care. And Lord Agnew, our minister in the Lords, who has brought his own expertise from a leading multi- academy trust to his role as Minister for the school system.

“We are also very lucky to be supported in Parliament by our team of David Morris, Jack Brereton, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, our Commons Whip Amanda Milling and James Younger in the Lords.

“Now, we are all spurred on by three key imperatives. The first is progress. Because we think and I know you think that it is self-evident that every generation should have better opportunities than the last. And you think that every year we need to raise our sights higher and we need to reach wider to make sure we unlock the talent and potential in every child in our country.

“Secondly, we know that on the education of this generation of children lies the future prospects and prosperity of our country. Because it’s productivity growth that allows people to be paid a little bit more each year and allows us to afford more for the excellent public services which we all value so much.

“Third, preparedness: being ready for whatever comes in an uncertain world. Part of this is about being ready to seize the opportunities that will come in global trade after we leave the European Union. But it is also about preparedness for the change that’s happening in the world as we speak. If you think about the technological advances that are happening at the moment. If you think about artificial intelligence, voice computing, the internet, advanced robotics. Any of these on their own could constitute a revolution. But right now they are happening all at the same time. And so we’ve got a pace of change that is truly unprecedented.

“Now, people sometimes talk about all this technological change in the world as a threat and something to be overcome and there are issues to deal with. But it is an opportunity for those who are ready, those who are equipped to take advantage of this change and we need to make sure that this country is one of the countries that seizes technology and makes it work for us, not one of the countries that technological change gets done to.

“So to deal with these challenges, to take the maximum advantage of these opportunities, now more than ever before, we need a focused and sustained plan for education and skills.

“That starts with academic standards. And the way that the knowledge economy has developed and with the emerging superpowers of the economies of the east, we can’t afford any let up on academic standards and we need to go further and we need to make sure we are putting enough emphasis on the subjects of future, for the global Britain of the future in this changed world. So we need to think about the languages of mankind and the languages of machines.

“We also need to make sure that all our young people leave our education system with the basic essential skills that they’re going to need with them in life whatever path they end up taking, whatever job they ends up doing. Central to that is English and Maths. We have made a lot of progress on English and Maths. But we need to go further. Today, I’m announcing 32 primary schools and 21 colleges which will act as centres of excellence to spread best practice respectively for early literacy teaching and the teaching of Maths aged 16 and above.

“We also know and any teacher will tell you that good teaching and learning relies on a calm classroom. Pupil behaviour is absolutely essential. And so I’m also announcing today a further £10 million to support the spreading of best practice and knowledge on behaviour management and classroom management so that can be very widely deployed.

“Now, I think we can say that there are genuinely large parts of our academic system which are truly word class. Many of our state schools, large parts of our university sector, are world class but there is another area which in years gone by has not had enough focus. I’m talking about technical and vocational education, which for decades has not had as much attention as it should. We have already made great strides forwards increasing the quality level of apprenticeships and with more people starting on higher level apprenticeships and even degree level apprenticeships.

“You will have heard the announcement yesterday that we’re going to accelerate the process of moving on to these higher standards, employer-set apprenticeships that young people benefit from so much.

“You have all heard of A-Levels right? Tell me yes. You’ve all heard of A-Levels but you may not yet have heard of T-Levels? Who has heard of T-Levels? Good, well those of you who haven’t yet, you will do soon, because within a couple of years we are bringing in this new qualification for 16-to-18 year-olds called the T-Level. It will be a direct alternative to A-Levels, but focused on those key vocational subjects.

“Today I’m announcing a £38 million capital pot to make sure that the colleges teaching those first T-Levels from 2020 can do so with really world class equipment and facilities.

“And you also know how important careers advice is and guidance for young people and the key role that is played by careers advisers in schools, and so we are also going to be doubling the number of trained careers leaders in schools so young people are aware about all those different routes. So they don’t think there is only one route they can take to success and they are aware of all the different career options available to them.

“We are also going to be reviewing the higher level qualifications, those at so-called level four and level five, that are the direct alternative to going to university for young people at 18, and we carry on our design work on the national retraining scheme, so that all throughout their lives people have the opportunity to upgrade and change their skills, so that lifelong learning stops being a phrase and starts being a reality.

“Now, qualifications are clearly an absolutely essential part of education. They are, if you like, the paper passports that you leave school or college or university with, and take with you into your career and into your life. But they are not the whole of the story, and I invite you now to think back to the kids you were at school, and see if you can remember one that left school with nothing or next to nothing, by way of GCSEs or possibly, in some cases, O levels, depending on our age. Someone who came away with almost nothing in qualifications, but they still went on and did something really quite amazing in life. Can anyone think of that person?

“I am going to suggest to you that quite often what makes the difference is something that we might call character. Something that you will never see on a certificate of education, but you know it when you see it. I mean things like determination and drive. I mean the tenacity to stick with the task at hand, and the ability to bounce back from the knocks that life inevitably brings.

“Now these character traits are closely connected with something I hear all the time about from employers. So-called workplace skills. Things like teamwork. Commitment. The ability to look at the customer in the eye, and want to make the sale. Character is also connected to general health and well-being, and we are much more aware of this area, and rightly so, in the education sector now than in decades gone by. That’s why I am pleased that we are going to be introducing mental health education into schools within the next couple of years.

“Now actually, I don’t think you can just walk into a class of 28 kids one day and say today, we are going to learn about character. Today we are going to do drive and determination. Of course you can’t, but these are things you pick up a lot from what happens at school, and in particular, I think, extracurricular activities play an important part.

“So I’m going to be working closely with Jeremy Wright [culture secretary] on the new youth performance partnerships, and working with Gavin Williamson [defence secretary] to make sure that more young people can get involved with the cadets. And for many young people, it is sport that really unlocks their talents and potential. In the last few years, we have been able to commit, to vote over £900 million to the primary sports premium. And now, working together with Tracy Crouch, the sports minister, we are going to be bringing in a new cross government initiative for a school sports action plan, to make sure that sporting opportunities, and we will do this together with bodies like the RFU [Rugby Football Union], with the Premier League, and with England netball, making sure that those opportunities are spread as widely as possible and that every child is able to benefit from what sports can bring.

“Ladies and gentlemen, like many of you, I have been coming to this conference for many years, and in all those years that I have been coming, as a YC, an activist, a Parliamentary candidate and more recently as an MP, I think around the corridors and conference centres like this, and around the fringe events, and the cafes and the bars, I think I have heard more conversations about education than I have about anything else, because we Conservatives know that education is the key to the future.

“It was the first One Nation Conservative, the original, Benjamin Disraeli who said, “Upon the education of the people of this country, the fate of this country depends.” Since then, it has been Conservatives who have most resolutely acted upon that. From Balfour to Butler, from Baker to Gove.

“But you know as we stand here today in 2018, we can’t take for granted what has been achieved since 2010. Because we learnt from Liverpool last week, that the Labour Party wants to put it all at risk. They want to undo our reforms and turn back the clock. I was thinking about what a parent would think as they heard the speech of the shadow education secretary [Angela Rayner], when she said she wanted to take all publicly funded schools back into council control, back into what she called the ‘mainstream public sector’ with what she called a ‘common rule book’.

“Well you know, for a parent whose child has been thriving at a free school or an academy, how they must have shuddered when they heard those words. But ladies and gentleman, we will stand up for those families, we will defend the right for those children to have an outstanding education, because while Labour go off on their ideological journeys, that child only has one chance at their education and they deserve the very best.

“So far from going backwards, ladies and gentleman, we need to move forwards with our reforms. We need to ensure that the vocational and the technical, are absolutely on a par with the academic. We need to make sure that we extend our reforms in all regions, in all parts of the country. That all parts of our society have equal opportunity, that everywhere we see raised expectations and raised aspirations, and when that happens, then we will be able to say, this is a world class education for everyone.

“Thank you.”

Milton bashes unions for lack of FE focus in fight for funding

The skills minister has had a “big go” at the country’s largest education union for focusing on schools at the expense of FE.

Anne Milton made the comments about the National Education Union during a fringe event at the Conservative party conference this morning.

“I had a big go at the teachers’ union and said, if you always go on about schools, then you crowd out the argument about post-16,” she said.

With so much of the “conversation in the media” dominated by universities and schools “then I am crowded out in the area I look after”, Ms Milton said.

She urged “everybody to talk about the importance of FE” as “that then gives me the tools to go into battle with the Treasury”.

“I can only do so much as one person, as the minister of state who is passing through government, for however long it is,” she continued.

“It actually needs to have a tidal wave of opinion and voices talking about the importance of apprenticeships, talking about the importance of FE,” Ms Milton said.

“It’s not just about universities, it’s about FE colleges. It’s about independent training providers who do invaluable work in this area.” 

The NEU was formed in September 2017 through the merger of the former National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

It’s led by Kevin Courtney, former general secretary of the NUT, and Mary Bousted, formerly general secretary of the ATL.

Mr Courtney refuted Ms Milton’s remarks, saying it was “completely inaccurate” that the NEU does not do any work on FE.

He cited the example of the union’s Effective Education campaign, through which FE members met with their local MPs, resulting in “several MPs” writing to Ms Milton to “raise concerns about funding, excessive workload, the increase of mental health problems, damaging compulsory maths and English GCSE resits and the rushed implementation of T-level qualifications”.

The NEU is also working alongside other FE bodies on the week-long ‘Love our Colleges’ campaign, calling for more funding for FE.

“We will make sure Anne Milton is aware of this event taking part on her patch,” he said.

The NUT represents school teachers, while the ATL is more FE-focused. Its members include support staff, lecturers and leaders as well as teachers, representing all sections of education including schools, sixth forms and FE colleges.

Of the almost 500,000 members of the NEU, around 170,000 are part of the ATL section.

Minister open to raising apprenticeship transfer funding but concerned about fraud

The skills minister has said she is “open to” raising the apprenticeship levy transfer facility above 25 per cent but admitted that “fraud has been an issue” within the current system.

Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham earlier today, Anne Milton said she had “no particular need” to keep the levy transfer facility at 25 per cent.

“I’m open to it. All that matters to me is that the levy is spent on the purpose for which it was intended,” she said.

“We have to have rules, and they’re irritating and bureaucratic, but fraud has been an issue. Fraud is always an issue in any system you set up.

“So as I say, my only line is that the money is used for the purpose for which it was intended and not spent on other things.”

She also said there had been a “big shift” in the way the apprenticeship levy is seen over the last year and businesses were no longer “complaining” about the system itself.

“They just want the levy to work well for them,” she said. “It’s important, as I always say, that we prevent fraud.”

FE Week understands that there is a concern there may be a rise in fraudulent inducement associated with transfer funding.

Yesterday, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the transfer facility would rise from 10 per cent to 25 per cent by April 2019, allowing large levy-paying employers to share more of their annual funds with smaller organisations.

Although some large employers have expressed concern that the new “flexibility” with the levy hailed by Mr Hammond will have little actual impact, Ms Milton said the “hope” was that raising the level allowed to be transferred to 25 per cent would encourage more businesses use the system.

“Few businesses, levy payers, have taken it up,” she admitted. “We hope that increasing it to 25 per cent will increase that, because then it’s a substantial proportion. I think for some employers, they just felt it wasn’t enough to make it worth their while.”

Also on the panel was Robert Halfon, former skills minister and chair of the education select committee, who expressed his own concerns about malpractice within apprenticeship subcontracting: an issue which Ms Milton said was “on my radar”.

“I worry hugely about apprenticeship subcontracting,” he said. “It’s entirely wrong that companies get whacking great management fees.”

The committee’s report on the apprenticeship system is due to be published next week.  Mr Halfon said it will include “recommendations” on subcontracting.