Record number of apprenticeships to be probed in engineering route review

Fifty nine apprenticeship standards in engineering and manufacturing will be reviewed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in its largest ever route review.

Recommendations from this, the fifth such review, will be published in the winter of 2020/21; and there will be a public consultation running for 12 weeks from today until 8 January for employers, apprentices, providers and anyone with an interest in these apprenticeships to have their say.

Standards under review include aerospace engineer, furniture manufacturer and rail engineering operative.

The institute’s chief executive Gerry Berragan said: “These sectors have a huge pool of apprentices and rely on them to develop the quality skills needed.

“This review will help provide employers with the right apprenticeships needed with the right quality.”

Dr Graham Honeyman CBE, route panel chair for the engineering and manufacturing sector, said: “It is vital we make sure apprenticeships are fit for businesses looking to develop young talent, which is why I would like to urge as many people as possible to take part in this consultation and support the vital review.”

The very first standards route review was a year ago, and led to 12 standards in the digital sector being cut down to nine.

Two more reviews into creative and design and hair and beauty standards were launched during summer and are ongoing.

A fourth review, into agriculture, environment and animal care, was launched a week ago.

The full list of standards covered by this latest review is below, grouped by pathway:

Engineering Design and Development Pathway

  • ST0010 – Aerospace Engineer
  • ST0151 – Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineer
  • ST0164 – Engineering Design and Draughtsperson
  • ST0456 – Postgraduate Engineer
  • ST0153 – Power Engineer
  • ST0027 – Product Design and Development Engineer

Engineering, Manufacturing and Process Control Pathway

  • ST0393 – Advanced Dairy Technologist
  • ST0059 – Boat Builder
  • ST0094 – Composites Technician
  • ST0023 – Control/ Technical Support Engineer
  • ST0024 – Electrical/ Electronic Technical Support Engineer
  • ST0475 – Electrical Power Networks Engineer
  • ST0457 – Engineering Technician
  • ST0199 – Food and Drink Process Operator
  • ST0196 – Food and Drink Advanced Process Operator
  • ST0203 – Furniture Manufacturer
  • ST0349 – General Welder (Arc Process)
  • ST0420 – Lean Manufacturing Operative
  • ST0025 – Manufacturing Engineer
  • ST0144 – Mineral Processing Mobile and Static Plant Operator
  • ST0369 – Non-Destructive Testing Engineer
  • ST0288 – Non-Destructive Testing Engineering Technician
  • ST0358 – Non-Destructive Testing Operator
  • ST0290 – Nuclear Health Physics Monitor
  • ST0289 – Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer
  • ST0291 – Nuclear Operative
  • ST0380 – Nuclear Technician
  • ST0292 – Nuclear Welding Inspection Technician
  • ST0296 – Papermaker
  • ST0309 – Print Technician
  • ST0407 – Process Automation Engineer
  • ST0163 – Project Controls Technician
  • ST0250 – Science Manufacturing Technician
  • ST0422 – Science Manufacturing Process Operative
  • ST0604 – Textile Care Operative
  • ST0458 – Textile Manufacturing Operative

Maintenance, Installation and Repair Pathway

  • ST0352 – Accident Repair Technician
  • ST0019 – Aircraft Maintenance Certifying Technician/ Engineer
  • ST0014 – Aviation Maintenance Mechanic (Military)
  • ST0067 – Bus and Coach Engineering Technician
  • ST0157 – Electrical Power Protection and Plant Commissioning Eng
  • ST0195 – Food and Drink Maintenance Engineer
  • ST0068 – Heavy Vehicle Service and Maintenance Technician
  • ST0528 – High Speed Rail and Infrastructure Technician
  • ST0154 – Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician
  • ST0156 – Power Network Craftsperson
  • ST0495 – Rail and Rail Systems Engineer
  • ST0497 – Rail and Rail Systems Principal Engineer
  • ST0496 – Rail and Rail Systems Senior Engineer
  • ST0316 – Rail Engineering Advanced Technician
  • ST0318 – Rail Engineering Technician
  • ST0317 – Rail Engineering Operative
  • ST0322 – Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Tech
  • ST0066 – Road Transport Engineering Manager
  • ST0249 – Science Industry Maintenance Technician
  • ST0498 – Specialist Tyre Operative
  • ST0015 – Survival Equipment Fitter (Military)
  • ST0159 – Utilities Engineering Technician
  • ST0160 – Water Process Technician

 

Union to present £700m sixth form college invoice to DfE

Sixth form college staff will march on the Department for Education tomorrow and hand officials an invoice for £700 million – the amount they believe is still needed for the post-16 sector.

Up to 200 National Education Union members from 25 sixth form colleges will head to the department’s London offices.

The NEU says the £700 million is needed on top of the £400 million in additional funding the government promised for 16 to 19 education in August, which the NEU regards as an “empty promise”.

Union members are taking strike action to “secure the funding needed to sustain fair pay, conditions and employment including reversing job losses, class size increases and cuts to teaching time and curriculum provision”.

While sixth form college staff will be striking, none of their principals will be there in support.

The Sixth Form Colleges Association, which runs the Raise the Rate campaign calling for more 16 to 19 funding, said the leaders are not backing the action as it will disrupt teaching.

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the SFCA, said: “It is important to note that this strike action is not targeted at the colleges.

“The NEU is a key partner in the Raise the Rate campaign and although sixth form college principals are equally committed to securing an increase in funding, they do not support this industrial action.”

Commenting on the action, the NEUs joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Our sixth form colleges and the staff who work in them have been hung out to dry by this government. 

“Sixth form colleges have always been a beacon of quality, but funding cuts have had a savage impact on pay, conditions and jobs and have driven far too many colleges towards merger or closure.

“Strike action is always a last option but our members believe that it is necessary in order to solve our dispute and help save the sector.”

Courtney will be speaking at the event, alongside his fellow general secretary Dr Mary Bousted and shadow further education minister Gordon Marsden.

A total of 84 per cent of NEU sixth form college members voted for the action in a ballot which closed in September; and colleges which reached the 50 per cent turnout threshold will be involved.

This event marks the beginning of strike days which will continue into November, with action possibly taking place on 5 November and 20 November.

Education Minister Michelle Donelan said: “It is very disappointing the National Education Union (NEU) has decided to take strike action in sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies.

“With the NEU only gaining threshold support in 25 out of 87 colleges where they balloted for strikes, it is clear that this strike does not have the wholehearted support of union members.

“The decision to strike is especially discouraging given we have committed to increasing 16-19 funding in the 2020/21 academic year by £400 million – the biggest injection of new money in a single year since 2010. This is in addition to funding the additional costs of pension schemes in 2020/21.

“We are committed to an ongoing dialogue with the NEU and I have already met with the joint general secretaries to discuss how we can avoid disruptive strike action in the future.”

The 25 colleges taking part are:

  • Bilborough College, Nottingham
  • Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College
  • Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College
  • City & Islington Sixth Form College
  • Esher College
  • Gateway Sixth Form College, Leicester
  • Hereford Sixth Form College
  • Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
  • King Edward VI College Stourbridge
  • Long Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
  • Longley Park Sixth Form College, Sheffield
  • Newham Sixth Form College
  • Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, Leeds
  • Priestley College, Warrington
  • Reigate College
  • Richard Huish College, Taunton
  • Shrewsbury Colleges Group
  • Sir George Monoux College, Walthamstow, London
  • St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, Bristol
  • St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College, Clapham
  • St John Rigby RC Sixth Form College, Wigan
  • The Brooke House Sixth Form College, Hackney
  • The Sixth Form College Solihull
  • Varndean College, Brighton
  • WQE and Regent College Group, Leicester

Love our colleges campaign makes its mark in the East Midlands

A group of ten East Midlands college leaders met up at Chesterfield College today to celebrate this year’s national Colleges Week campaign.

The group, who were hosted by Chesterfield College’s principal Julie Richards, posed in front of a Love Our Colleges graffiti mural which was created by level 3 graphic design student Mikey O’Connell last year. He is now studying illustration at the University of Bristol.

The college released a video to celebrate the Love Our Colleges campaign in May and is planning to share a new video at the end of this week.

Those in attendance at Chesterfield today included Mark Dale, principal of Portland College, Jo Maher, principal of Boston College, John van de Laarschot, chief executive of Nottingham College, Everton Burke, chair of Burton and South Derbyshire College, Dr Nigel Leigh, principal of Stevenson College, Jonathan Kerry, chair of Leicester College, Mark Locking, managing director of Lincoln College, Jon Fearon, director of finance at West Nottinghamshire College and Richard Eaton, chief finance officer at Derby College.

Representatives from the Association of Colleges, who run the Love Our Colleges campaign, also headed to Chesterfield to participate in the meeting, which discussed their approach to lobbying for greater recognition and investment in colleges.

Shane Chowen, the AoC’s area director for the east and west midlands, said the campaign this year is “coming at a very important time because we have a budget coming up at the end of November”.

Colleges Week runs from 14-18 October and will see colleges across the country hosting local events and speaking to their local MPs.

Bedford College principal Ian Pryce has marked it by adapting Queen’s Somebody to Love and performing College to Love.

Elsewhere, minister Lord Theodore Agnew visited Sunderland College’s £30 million City Campus earlier today ahead of the college launching the second wave of T-levels. It will offer three pathways in digital, construction and health from September 2021.

Welcomed by Sunderland College’s chief executive, Ellen Thinnesen, Agnew was taken on a tour of the campus’ facilities and discussed “how the college is improving student experience through greater industry engagement”.

“From what I’ve seen today, Sunderland College is brilliant at fostering that talent in young people, making sure they gain high quality skills they need to succeed and it was great to meet some of the apprentices who will no doubt be the next generation of engineers and mechanics,” Agnew said.

People across the country are celebrating Colleges Week in various ways. Here’s a selection of tweets so far:

 

Chair and principal not ‘fully aware’ of college’s ‘imminent’ risk of insolvency

Moulton College is in a “perilous position” and its chair and new principal do not appear to “fully recognise” the impact of possible “imminent” insolvency.

That is according to one of three FE Commissioner intervention reports released today.

Moulton’s review found that “too many students have been failed” by the Northamptonshire college and it must swiftly demonstrate progress in student attendance, progress, retention and achievement.

It stated a “culture of accountability and responsibility and holding managers to account for the performance of their areas needs to be developed rapidly” and was critical of the governors for not holding previous managers to account.

The FEC team found that “under the previous management regime, reports to governors were overly optimistic and not fully transparent with problems hidden by the previous management team”.

There is a “general feeling of a lack of urgency in addressing both quality and financial matters and lack of recognition that the college could become insolvent in the next financial year, 2019/20”, the report warned.

It added: “It did not appear that the impact of possible insolvency which would include the college being placed in education administration and the perilous position the college finds itself in was fully recognised by the board or the incoming new principal.”

Moulton College has been in FEC intervention since February 2017 after being referred by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) due to a financial health score of inadequate for 2015/16.

The report described the college as being in “a very difficult and challenging position,” highlighting its second consecutive grade four Ofsted inspection report, huge debts and declining learner numbers.

The college’s financial recovery plan was declared “not fit for purpose.”

Moulton has been put into “supervised college status” with immediate effect and the ESFA will attend all future board meetings and finance and resources committee meetings.

Lord Agnew, the minister for financial oversight of colleges in the Department for Education, said: “As this is the college’s second consecutive inadequate assessment, I am particularly concerned about the quality of provision at the college. Urgent action is required to address these problems.

“It is clear from the Commissioner’s report that the college has entirely underestimated the seriousness of its financial weakness and the issues with quality of provision.”

The FEC concludes that if the planned cash receipts have not been received by December 2019, then “the college’s auditors will need to consider if the college is a going concern and it will need to be considered for education administration”.

While the May 2019 unconsolidated management accounts show a significant improvement to the budget to date and some savings, a significant deficit is expected next year and short-term liquidity could become a heightened risk. Consequently, the FEC team states “the underlying decline of financial performance needs to be resolved urgently.”

The reduction in enrolments in further education and adult education, making the 495 hectare estate with high quality teaching and practical areas expensive to run due to over-capacity, were also noted. 

Despite some progress in quality improvement, it was deemed insufficient and inconsistent, with some staff uncertain as to the agreed process, a lack of development of overall standards of delivery and low usage of tracking and monitoring systems to review student progress.

Additionally, it was reported that “learner achievement rates at Moulton College are unsatisfactory and require urgent improvement.”

Staff turnover was stabilised and students expressed an overall general satisfaction with their programmes despite highlighting “significant variations in approach and levels of support across curriculum areas.”

The FEC expressed concern over the capacity of the college’s senior leadership to deliver quality improvements and subsequently recommended that “the board of governors consider providing additional experienced leadership resources to ensure that the college can manage the challenges it faces”.

Corrie Harris, who was appointed as Moulton College’s chief executive in July, said: “We have moved quickly to address the balance of the recommendations the Commissioner included in his report as well as making changes we believe are necessary to vastly improve the offering here at Moulton College.

“We have made substantial progress to that end in the last three months with the objective of delivering the best possible learning experience for all our students and making a significant contribution to businesses and the community in Northamptonshire.”

‘Significant concerns’ over Hartlepool College’s financial sustainability

There are “significant concerns” about Hartlepool College of Further Education’s financial sustainability, according to one of three FE Commissioner reports published today.

Richard Atkins’ team’s intervention into the college reveals “financial uncertainties put the student experience and opportunities for learners at risk”.

Hartlepool has generated an operating deficit for the past two financial years and its total borrowing costs as a percentage of income is 57 per cent.

It has also broken a loan covenant with a bank, that has not been resolved; the report says the college must push for the process to be finished so it can find out the future terms of the loan.

Hartlepool entered formal intervention in April, after it told the ESFA last October it would have inadequate financial health for the 2018 financial year; it was issued with a financial health notice to improve at that time.

As such, the commissioner will be consulting with local authorities about a Local Provision Review for the Tees Valley and Durham area.

A letter from minister for the FE market Lord Agnew to chair Aidan Mullan, which accompanied the report, said there was an “urgent need to take swift actions in order to address the significant financial challenges facing the college”.

“It is imperative,” Agnew wrote, that a future strategy is quickly developed to get the grade two college a grade one from Ofsted and “achieve financial recovery at pace”.

When the team intervened in June, they found that aside from the financial issues, there was “an urgent need” for the board to replace both its chair and multiple governors.

This is because most independent members have served longer than the five to 10 years that is considered good practice, and the chair has already served the 12 years which is considered proper.

The governor recruitment practice, the report reads, needs to address a lack of experience in the FE sector.

Problems were also found in how the college composes board minutes, which are long with up to 15 to 20 agenda items and extensive subheadings, so “it is not clear how so many items could be discussed with any value within the meeting duration,” said the commissioner’s team.

It is also “unclear” how much challenge there is between the chair and principal Darren Hankey, who have a “close working relationship”.

However, the report also records that staff speak very highly of Hankey and his team, and there have been positive changes: such as a new assistant principal who has worked “relentlessly” to understand the curriculum; and a reduction in the number of schools to enable more cross-curriculum activity.

The college is also on track to deliver a surplus this year based on management accounts, and the college’s financial health is predicted to be ‘good’ into next year.

The report continues: “Although cash has reduced in the last two years, there is no immediate risk as the college still have good cash balances.

“This has enabled them to withstand the impact of the operating deficits and the high levels of debt servicing.”

But it warns: “This is not sustainable in the longer term.”

Among the report’s recommendations, including the prospect of a local provision review, was advice to commission an independent review of governance practices and processes, supported by a National Leader of Governance; and the college and bank should work to resolve the covenant issue.

The commissioner will also be carrying out a stocktake visit of the college this month.

Hankey said: “Governors and leaders at all levels of the college remain focused on improving the college’s finances whilst maintaining high standards for all learners.

“Pleasingly, the financial performance of the college for 2018/19 is much improved and, subject to final ratification, will see the college achieve a ‘good’ ESFA rating.

“In addition, the college has increased its overall achievement rate by just over 4 percentage points.  Progress is also being made against all of the FE Commissioner team’s recommendations.”

AQA to pay out £1.1m for ‘serious breaches’ on exam re-marks

AQA has been fined £350,000 – the largest ever handed out by Ofqual – and will compensate schools and colleges by £740,000 after “serious breaches” of rules over re-marks.

The exam board failed to ensure re-marks and moderation were not carried out by the original marker, or by someone with no personal interest in the outcome.

Ofqual said around 50,000 re-marks or moderations were affected, equating to around 7 per cent of all re-marks carried out by the exam board each year.

AQA said around 3,000 centres were affected and will receive between £110 and £440 in compensation. AQA could not provide a numbers breakdown by schools, sixth form colleges and general FE colleges.

Ofqual said the issue with the re-marks were a result of “failings in AQA’s online marking system, the limited availability of reviewers in low entry qualifications and the relatively small size of some marking and review panels”. It said AQA had not ensured its workforce was of “appropriate size and competence” to manage risks.

It added there was “no evidence” to show any learners or centres had received the wrong outcome, but said the issues were “serious breaches” of conditions that are “integral to the effectiveness and purpose of the system of reviewing marking and moderation”.

“The failures therefore have the potential to seriously undermine public confidence in the review of marking, moderation and appeals system, and the qualifications system more generally”.

Ofqual said the remark issues spanned across 2016, 2017 and 2018. Although the majority of the re-marks affected (93 per cent) involved individual, anonymised answers, seven per cent involved reviews of whole exam scripts.

Mark Bedlow, AQA’s interim chief executive, said the problem was a “past technical issue” that has now been resolved, and insisted in the “vast majority of cases” in involved “one isolated, anonymised answer from a paper being reviewed by the senior examiner who originally marked it”.

“But reviews should always be carried out by a fresh pair of eyes and we’re sorry that, for a small proportion in the past, this wasn’t the case.”

The £350,000 fine is the largest ever handed out by Ofqual. The second largest fine handed out is believed to be the £175,000 exam board OCR was ordered to pay last year for its Romeo and Juliet question gaffe.

Separately, AQA has also today been handed a £50,000 penalty because its marking scheme for A-level French exam in 2018 was “not fit for purpose”.

Ofqual said the French mark scheme did not take into account all evidence or allow for the level of attainment demonstrated by some students to be reflected in their marks.

This affected “a small number” of students’ university choices, but AQA did liaise with UCAS and universities to ensure no one missed out on a place as a result.                                                                        

It also said AQA missed opportunities to identify the problem and did not manage the incident appropriately at first.

Bedlow accepted the mark scheme was “too prescriptive”, and said affected learners received the “extra marks they deserved”.

At the start of September, AQA’s chief executive Toby Salt stepped down after two years in the role, citing health and family reasons.

AQA failed to spot re-mark issue

AQA’s response to the re-mark issue has also been criticised, after it emerged the exam board had been alerted to two incidents of this nature through appeals in 2016 and 2017.

Ofqual said the exam board had failed to notify them of the incidents despite having reason to believe they could result in an adverse effect.

Ofqual only discovered the problem in September 2018, when it undertook a review of AQA’s appeals process and discovered some re-marks and moderation had been carried out by the same person who conducted the initial marking or moderation, and asked AQA to investigate further. AQA formally notified it of a potential breach in November.

Rebuke for ‘nearly identical’ English question

The beleaguered exam board has also been rebuked today by Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sally Collier, for including a question in its 2018 English Literature GCSE exam that was “nearly identical” to a question it had used in practice papers.

Ofqual has not imposed a fine. The regulator said although the inclusion of the question “raised serious concerns around AQA’s systems of planning and internal controls”, the exam board had since made “significant improvements” and provided “comprehensive statistical analysis” showing there was no significant advantage or disadvantage to pupils.

Bedlow said AQA had told Ofqual they would be including the question the day before the exam, and said the question was used “because it’s important that no -one thinks a topic won’t come up if it’s already featured in a past paper.”

HMRC criticised by Ofsted for uniform apprenticeship programme

The HMRC has been criticised by Ofsted for keeping hundreds of apprentices on programme for the same duration.

The tax office began delivering its own apprenticeships in October 2017 and currently trains 434 apprentices on level 4 standards in professional accounting/taxation technician.

Ofsted conducted an early monitoring visit of this provision last month and found HMRC to have made ‘reasonable progress’ areas across the three themes judged.

However, it was reported that “managers and assessors do not use the outcomes of the assessment of apprentices’ starting points well enough to address gaps in knowledge, skills and behaviours”.

Inspectors found that all apprentices have the same length of stay on the programme. As a result, “a few apprentices are not challenged to achieve their potential”.

An HMRC spokesperson said it “always takes on board comments made by Ofsted with respect to our educational programmes so that we can continue to offer teaching of the highest quality”.

“We are very pleased that Ofsted has found that we have made progress in all areas of our professional Tax Apprenticeship course,” they added.

In the report the employer provider was praised for responding “to the demand for taxation professionals within HMRC by providing apprenticeships that develop the relevant skills and knowledge of staff who are recruited to programmes both internally and externally”.

It was also noted that managers check apprentices’ prior knowledge effectively “to ensure that apprentices are able to complete and benefit from a level 4 apprenticeship”.

The monitoring visit found leaders made sufficient progress in ensuring that the provider is meeting all the requirements of successful apprenticeship provision.

The report said apprentices “benefit from carefully planned off-the-job training that enables them to apply and practise their newly acquired skills in the workplace” and “they accurately identify weaknesses and take prompt actions to make improvements that benefit apprentices.”

Ofsted also found that English and math skills were developed by apprentices who consequently “produce accurate reports and carry out complex tax calculations confidently”.

Inspectors concluded they also know how to check tax returns, how to undertake investigations and how to ask the most effective questions when interviewing a client.

The report said a wide range of teaching strategies are used and the curriculum enables apprentices to build on their previous experience.

Additionally, apprentices have frequent meetings with their assessors to review their progress and help them to catch up if they fall behind. “As a result, most apprentices are on target to complete their programmes within the planned timescale.”

Safeguarding mechanisms are in place and the inspectors found that when issues arise “managers take quick and clear actions to keep apprentices safe”.

But the report also stated designated safeguarding officers are not consistently communicating local risks in different parts of the country to apprentices.

Despite this, “apprentices feel safe and know how to report issues should they arise.”

FE Commissioner passes judgement on £20m college subcontracting scandal

A college faces “multiple, difficult and high-risk” challenges after being rocked by a £20 million subcontracting scandal which has put its future in doubt, a minister and the FE Commissioner have said.

Richard Atkins’ team was sent into Brooklands College after FE Week revealed it had passed millions of pounds over to a mysterious private provider called SCL Security Ltd, which triggered an Education and Skills Funding Agency investigation.

The FE Commissioner’s review involved intervention visits in January and May, and the college has now been placed in to “Supervised College Status” – which means the ESFA will attend all future board and finance and resources committee meetings.

The college’s response to concerns around SCL Security Ltd have not been adequate

It found that the “most critical area of work – the detailed external audit of SCL Security Ltd sub-contracting”, has “not been progressed in a timely manner”.

Governors had placed “too much trust” on assurances provided by the former principal and chief executive, Gail Walker.

“The board believed that systems and audits of the college’s sub-contracting work were robust enough to identify issues relating to sub-contracting compliance,” the report said.

Worryingly, “no thought had been given by governors to the development of a mitigation plan should the SCL Security Ltd investigation place a financial liability on the college”.

The “possible contingent liability” of a £20 million clawback was named as the most “substantial” risk facing the college.

The ESFA investigation was “ongoing” at the time of this report.

Lord Agnew, the minister for financial oversight of colleges in the Department for Education, said: “It is clear from the commissioner’s report that despite the board putting in place measures to drive forward the recommendations from the January visit, the college’s response to concerns around SCL Security Ltd have not been adequate.”

Brooklands’ wider financial position also poses a threat to its future. The FE Commissioner found that the college’s Weybridge campus requires “major investment and re-sizing to meet future needs”.

“The cost of low space utilisation, high running costs and backlog of planned maintenance adds further financial pressure and risk,” his report said.

FE Week revealed last week that Brooklands was considering selling a historic mansion that sits on its Weybridge site. Today’s report confirmed that the college’s new estate strategy involves “potential land sales”.

Since the launch of the ESFA’s investigation, Brooklands’ principal and chair have resigned.

Walker stood down in March, and was replaced by an interim principal and interim chief executive.

However, the FE Commissioner reports that “unusually”, Walker “worked through her six months’ notice period on a part time basis”.

“At the May visit, the FEC team were not aware of this unusual arrangement until arriving at the college and did not meet with Gail Walker. These unusual senior post arrangements were agreed by the board.”

The report said the interim chief executive and interim principal “work well together and are knowledgeable and competent in their roles”.

However, “due to the number of complex issues and risks, the FEC team recommendation is that the college would benefit from an experienced principal appointed on an interim basis as soon as possible”.

The college has also seen a “rapid decrease” in its turnover during recent years, mainly due to a 25 per cent drop in 16 to 19 year-old enrolments coupled with the “recent impact of the introduction of the employer levy on apprenticeship enrolments”.

Leaders still face significant challenges that put the future of the college at risk

Whilst governors and leaders have been effective in driving through change since the January 2019 diagnostic assessment, the college “still faces many significant risks”.

Staff who were interviewed by the FE Commissioner felt that the college “needed to merge to survive” and to be able to reinvest in the campus at Brooklands.

The report noted that the SCL Security Ltd scandal “could be a potential block to a merger at least until the ESFA investigation is concluded”.

Lord Agnew said: “I welcome the efforts the college has made to reduce costs. The FEC team see evidence of the progress the college has made in managing the rapid decrease in the college turnover in recent years.

“In spite of this, the board and leaders still face significant challenges that put the future of the college at risk.”

Andrew Baird, who was appointed interim chair of Brooklands College earlier this month when Terry Lazenby resigned, said: “The report makes a number of important recommendations and the college is addressing these as a matter of urgency.

“The report rightly recognises the hard work of staff and their pride in its successes, including the results of the latest Ofsted inspection.

“The inspection team also highlighted how the students it interviewed were very positive about the supportive and helpful staff who are ‘always willing to help them’, the skills they are gaining at college and the friendly atmosphere here.”

 

 

How FE Week revealed the scandal:

9 November 2018: College refuses to explain spending millions on mysterious subcontractor

16 November 2018: Shadowy training provider given £16.5m remains tight-lipped as questions mount

1 February 2019: Starts suspended at mysterious apprenticeship provider after ESFA launches investigation

13 February 2019: Mysterious apprenticeship provider judged ‘insufficient’ by Ofsted following FE Week exposé

21 March 2019: Brooklands principal resigns amid investigation into mysterious £16m subcontractor

13 September 2019: Brooklands future in the balance in £20m apprenticeship subcontracting scandal

20 September 2019: ESFA ignored whistleblower nearly two years before FE Week exposé

3 October 2019: Subcontracting warning from government after £20m Brooklands College scandal

3 October 2019: Chair quits at college stung by £20m scandal and replaced by DfE consultant

11 October 2019: Brooklands College may be forced to sell historic building