Why educational excellence should be an end in itself.

Grappling with new political strategies takes precious time and resources, so we should stay focused on the quest for the best education

Part of the lifecycle of any organisation is to revisit the strategic plan, reconsider the vision, rethink the mission and ponder the values and culture required to keep moving forward. If the current political climate can teach us anything, it is surely how important it is to take this work seriously.

Yet the current zeitgeist is that vision and mission are old hat, and organisational purpose is where it’s at. But if we allow excellence to become a means rather than an end, do we stand to lose more than we realise?

Institutional leaders grapple with the development of new strategies and plans, and that is hard enough in itself. But the continual work of seeking to tie these in with the latest direction in government policy or industry trend – be it employability, wealth creation, social cohesion or economic rejuvenation – is as thankless as it is intensive, and it is not clear that it leads to real, sustained progress.

The problem with this approach is that policy in the world of further education and skills moves as quickly as social change, and not always in the same direction.

Trying to align one’s organisational strategy and vision to reflect the hot political issue of the day runs the risk of losing sight of what really matters.

Current thinking would suggest that educational excellence is a means to an end, namely the creation of a highly-skilled workforce that will aid the productivity of UK Plc. But what about seeing the provision of educational excellence as an end in itself for every person in our organisation, from learners’ experiences to staff CPD?

The mission of achieving excellence seems an impossible and nebulous one, but it outlives the vast majority of the policy fancies that come and go.

It can aid organisational stability, keep staff focused and enable leadership teams to develop clear and identifiable purpose that can be effectively communicated to others. For that to happen, we must define our own excellence as a sector, and as organisations.

Placing our primary focus on high-quality education as an end in itself means our provision becomes wholly inclusive by default – as relevant to Learners with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities (LLDD) as to higher education students.

Putting educational excellence front and centre also avoids questionable debates as to why certain provision is offered, because the question is no longer one of short-term decision-making but of breadth and depth of curriculum.

We must define our own excellence as a sector.

It secures the confidence of staff in what they are delivering, and provides a very clear set of principles that everyone can get behind.

Striving to provide our learners with the best possible educational opportunities has obvious benefits. An educational climate focused on building and enhancing learner confidence can only result in a strong local and national reputation for the college. Teaching and mentoring that support employability skills in young people and adults ensures that employers’ needs are met.

And if reputation and impact aren’t enough, high-calibre educational providers in the FE sector can also reap benefits through strengthening learner numbers, new and profitable relationships with employers and attracting the highest-performing staff.

Educational excellence as a means to other ends – that are never truly under our control – is a recipe for instability. It leaves us at the mercy of others’ priorities, policies and pet projects, chasing often-unattainable goals.

With a general election looming, we face the prospect of new ministerial faces and new policy ideals. By keeping our eyes on the prize of educational excellence, by embracing it as the reward in itself, our college-level strategies can remain constant amidst the policy turbulence and prove a true enabler of organisational resilience, success and prosperity.

“What if FE had a transfer window?” asks Dr Sam Parrett.

Could the football transfer process work in the regulated world of FE? It’s worth a try, says Sam Parrett

Watching my husband glued to the TV for 24 hours during the last few days of the football transfer window made me think about how different further education might be if our employment law framework was similar to that of a football club.

The football transfer process, with its last-minute medical checks and signings, are usually a twice-yearly marital endurance test in the Parrett household. But last month we were on a cruise around the Baltics and Scandinavia, and an interesting debate took place about the wage bills, transfer costs, strengths and weaknesses of players, teams and the future prospects as the new season began.

As an FE principal who came up through the human resources route, I began to wonder what lessons we could learn for my sector.

In football, high-performing players are transferred to different clubs to strengthen their forward or defensive teams. How could that translate in FE? Could we have a more open culture where staff were able to change jobs more easily during “transfer windows”? If we had flexibility over salaries and the ability to pay our highest-performing staff more, recognising and rewarding them for exceptional performance as they do in football, a market-led model might improve retention and outcomes.

Similarly, just as football players are loaned to other clubs, could we send staff out on loan, or perhaps a secondment, to another college to broaden their skills and experience and add strength and experience to weaker organisations? Or maybe allow free transfers – in the same way that football clubs transfer a player out or recruit a free transfer on a swap basis.

Imagine if we principals could talk to each other in the same way; for example, if our demand for English and maths teachers is reducing at a time when we need business lecturers. Could we approach a neighbouring college with a reverse problem and, through consultation and negotiation with the individuals concerned, transfer staff so that each college has the staff with the right expertise?

Senior management could swap roles to support career development.

The benefits are not just the obvious reductions in employment agency and placement fees, but also to staff and organisational development.

The similarities between the world of football and FE include league tables, constant press speculation and regulatory interference.

The possibility of a more dynamic and voluntary arrangement with genuine brokering and movement of staff, cooperation between colleges, college groups and even schools could be hugely beneficial to individuals and local communities.

We could see less restructuring and redundancy through better brokerage of employment at a local level and more stability in our backyard. This sort of collaboration and brokerage system within and across the sector could even work at principal level, giving senior management the opportunity for role swaps to support career development, such as deputies trying out the principal role.

As I pondered this approach while watching a sunset, I also considered the potential drawbacks: the manager and player commodity market is much more transient and less stable than the employment protection and security of our current employment terms and conditions. For example there would also be a risk of pay costs escalating, although this is something we could control in a more dynamic market environment.

It’s an idea worth trying. So I’m throwing down the gauntlet to see if anyone else would like to join my college in seeing if we can create a more dynamic systems-led approach to staff recruitment that helps our staff development too.

Practical collaboration must be the way forward for apprenticeships

Apprenticeship schemes should be at the heart of social, educational and economic policy

The apprenticeship system in its current state isn’t working. This isn’t simply a gnarly policy issue, or a practical concern for businesses and learning providers. It is a profound economic and social justice issue, which disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged and perpetuates inequalities.

There are many reasons why apprenticeships and skills are important, but the moral imperative to ensure that we support people into work and enable those in low-paid and insecure work to progress is paramount. Through a collaborative approach, we can make an impact.

There is no shortage of proposals as to how apprenticeships and skills policy should change. However, there is a need for more immediate, collaborative action. Last year, a study published by the Institute for Public Policy Research found that businesses need support to make the system work better for them, and to better support the progression of low-paid, low-skilled workers.

While the 60 London employers in the study indicated enthusiasm for making the apprenticeship levy work better, no business can act effectively alone. Similarly, neither local government nor sector experts can make an impact in isolation. We face a collective action problem. Collaboration is key.

Why? The UK suffers a longstanding ‘progression gap’, with just one in four adults moving out of low pay over the decade to 2012. We also face low and declining investment in continuing vocational training compared with the EU average, while the adult skills budget is undergoing cuts amounting to 45 per cent in real terms in the decade to 2020/21. It is adults with the lowest levels of qualifications, in lower-paying occupations and in lower socioeconomic groups – those least likely to participate in learning – who bear the brunt.

Meanwhile, employers cite significant skills gaps in many sectors. For example, 53 per cent of construction employers responding to a recent Build UK survey reported having found it difficult to source skilled workers in the last quarter, while 50 per cent of employers surveyed by the Open University in 2018 reported digital skills shortages.

There’s a real opportunity for government, civil society and businesses to come together.

Apprenticeships can help to address these challenges as part of a broader approach to skills development, but we’re a long way from success. Employers spent just 14 per cent of their pot in the first 18 months of the apprenticeship levy policy. This week, the Department for Education announced that the amount of funds expiring in employers’ apprenticeship accounts was £44 million in July. In August, it was £52 million. By August this year the DfE reported just 610 apprenticeship starts resulting from levy transfers between large employers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their supply chain or local area.

In the capital, mayor Sadiq Khan quoted a survey of employers which suggested that 47 per cent didn’t intend to use their levy funds in the next year. IPPR analysis found that London has a significantly lower rate of apprenticeship starts than the national average, and a lower rate of progress from low- to mid-skilled work. The need for further support at all stages of the employers’ apprenticeship journey is clear.

This week’s spending review was silent on both apprenticeships and adult education funding, but that’s no reason to despair. There’s a real opportunity for government, civil society and businesses to come together with innovative solutions that benefit individuals and employers without requiring large-scale policy change.

The launch of the London Progression Collaboration (LPC) – an initiative being delivered by the IPPR and the Greater London Authority, with the support of over 40 employers and the financial support of J.P. Morgan – exemplifies this. The LPC will offer free business support to help London employers navigate the apprenticeship landscape and offer high-quality, sustainable opportunities for progression. It will broker and facilitate the levy transfer process and ensure SMEs can access hands-on support at every step.

It’s the kind of practical solution employers told us they need – one which works with their businesses and has the interests of low-paid Londoners at its heart.

Investing sustainably is everyone’s responsibility

The government’s announcement of extra funding for FE is welcome, but the sector must ensure it is invested sustainably, says Richard Atkins as he sets out his office’s three key priorities for the new academic year

With everyone else in the sector, I was very pleased to read about the significant increase in FE funding in last week’s spending review. While using resources well is critical, ultimately the level of funding underpins our ability to employ excellent teachers and deliver for our students.

Within the Department for Education, there is real optimism about the future opportunities for colleges. Our new secretary of state is clear that improving technical education is an overriding priority for him. As a huge believer in the transformative effect of FE on the lives of learners, I welcome this renewed focus.

I and my FEC team are expecting another busy year supporting individual colleges to develop a sustainable and successful sector. My team now has three roles – to support colleges in improving to good and outstanding; to engage where there is a risk of failure either on quality or financial health; and to support ministers in feeding practitioner insight into policy-making.

We have recently taken big steps in the first area. The 80 colleges that participated in the recent Strategic College Improvement Fund (SCIF) programme have reported that it helped them to boost the quality of teaching and learning and encouraged meaningful collaboration that would not have happened otherwise. They have also raised aspirations and supported college-wide improvements in culture and leadership.

We have been supported in this work by outstanding sector leaders. National leaders of FE colleges (NLFEs) and national leaders of governance (NLGs) are in place to offer mentoring, encouragement and share best practice. We have received very positive feedback about their work. We will be recruiting further leaders this term and I want to encourage experienced chief executives/principals and chairs of good or outstanding colleges to apply. As a sector, it is essential that we learn from
each other.

The second area of work for my team is to visit colleges where risks have been identified, often following an Ofsted assessment or an analysis by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). I have also been pleased to see increasing numbers of colleges approaching us proactively, as leaders recognise that they need support.

Most frequently I and my team undertake a diagnostic assessment of the college’s strategy for improvement. We visited 33 colleges last year in this role. These visits usually produce supportive recommendations and enable colleges to access a wider range of advice – including NLFEs and NLGs. We conduct fewer of the more serious full intervention assessments than we do diagnostics; critical failures occur where leadership teams have allowed problems to fester and become crises.

Common factors lead to intervention, such as the lack of a sustainable, costed curriculum plan. There is a belief that problems can be put off by selling an asset, expecting that the college will secure an increased share of the learner market next year, or that funding rates will significantly increase. In some cases, there are hopes that entering a new or novel type of provision will bring in income.

The announcement around funding is welcome, and it will achieve most impact if it is invested as part of a costed curriculum plan within a sustainable long-term structure, not as a way of putting off necessary decisions. Colleges must be honest about problems and open about risks. Your local ESFA team, the FE commissioner team, NLFEs and NLGs are all there to help and work with you.

Colleges must be honest about problems and open about risks.

The new FE insolvency regime has been introduced and used for the first time this year. The objective is to protect learners and enable smooth transitions. My team has been heavily involved in the first case, working closely with the ESFA and the administrator, and our experience is that it will achieve these.

Nonetheless, it is an intensive, costly process, and the objective must be for colleges not to need it. In 2018-19 my team was involved in 20 solvent structural changes. An encouraging and increasing number of colleges have recognised that the best way to secure high-quality provision for learners is to have a facilitated structure and prospects appraisal (SPA), where my team can work with existing leadership to identify the best solution.

The third aspect of my role is to feed practitioner insight into policy. I chair the Principals Reference Group – seven of the most experienced and successful principals in the sector, selected through an open process – and the College Improvement Board, made up of a mix of senior civil servants and college principals/chief executives. Both of these boards have a role in feeding user insight into policy development. I am encouraged that the department shares thinking early and is keen to get expert input to ensure effective implementation.

Our own FEC team has just recruited three recent and experienced FE leaders to join us. Martin Sim has joined as a deputy FE commissioner, whilst Laraine Smith and Nigel Duncan will take up FE adviser roles. They replace John Hogg, Lynne Craig and Phil Frier who all stood down in July after five years’ excellent work.

I hope that your college has a stable, enjoyable and successful year. Colleges remain brilliant places to work because you are transforming the life chances of your learners every day. Creating a good or outstanding college while managing tight budgets requires governance and leadership of the highest quality, sometimes helped by a little luck! If your college is facing challenges, help is available and it is better to approach other colleges, the regulator or ourselves rather than hope that heroic leadership will carry you through.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 289

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving.

Joanne McManus, Associate principal, Northumberland College 

Start date: September 2019

Previous job: Faculty director, engineering, construction and commercial, Sunderland College

Interesting fact: She loves ironing.

Ed Sallis, Governor, MidKent College

Start Date: August 2019

Previous job: Chair, DfE’s Technical education panel for education and childcare

Interesting fact: He was the principal of Highlands College on Jersey for 15 years.

Iain Nixon, Vice principal, partnerships and commercial, Education Partnership North East

Start date: May 2019

Previous job title: Executive director, commercial activity, Sunderland College

Interesting fact: He volunteers as team leader of the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team.

Vikkie Morton, Vice principal, student services and registry, Education Partnership North East

Start date: May 2019

Previous job title: Assistant principal, student and customer experience, Sunderland College

Interesting fact: She celebrated her 40th birthday by dancing at dawn as part of May Day celebrations to mark the beginning of summer.

 

Brooklands future in the balance in £20m apprenticeship subcontracting scandal

A college’s future is in doubt after officials demanded it pays up to £20 million back to the government following investigations into a major subcontracting scandal, FE Week can reveal.

Brooklands College has been told to pay the funding clawback owing to its dealings with mysterious training firm SCL Security Ltd, owned by Andrew Merritt.

The pair have been involved in multi-million pound subcontracting deals for years whereby SCL Security supposedly trained hundreds of apprentices, mostly aged 16 to 18.

“The college is unable to comment on any confidential details about ongoing ESFA investigations”

Questions began to mount over the arrangement when, in November 2018, FE Week discovered the subcontractor employed fewer than 10 staff and no evidence could be found that the courses were advertised, who the apprentices at SCL Security were, or where it trained them.

Merritt and the college repeatedly refused to share this information despite numerous requests from this newspaper.

Once the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s boss Eileen Milner became aware she launched one of the agency’s biggest ever investigations, hiring three different audit firms to conduct simultaneous inquiries of different organisations involved in the subcontracting arrangement.

Apprenticeship starts were suspended at SCL Security while inquiries were made.

FE Week can now reveal that amongst many findings, the ESFA investigation discovered that the apprenticeship funding was being used to pay the wages for the 16 to 18-year-olds, which is very clearly not permitted in the agency’s funding rules.

It is understood that a recruitment agency called Workforce Staffing Ltd, part of Workforce Solutions Group Limited which is headed up by two brothers – Paul and Joe Alekna – who were at the centre of an FE Week exposé in 2016, were involved in this.

As a result, the auditors view up to £20 million of ESFA funding to be at risk.

Brooklands College said it was unable to comment on “confidential details” about the ongoing ESFA investigations.

“We continue to work closely with the ESFA Territorial team and have an excellent working relationship,” a spokesperson added.

The ESFA declined to comment. Merritt and the Aleknas failed to respond to numerous requests for comment.

Gail Walker, who worked her way up to principal of Brooklands after joining in 2011, resigned from the college in March 2019 following the launch of the ESFA’s investigation.

The college claimed at the time that this was “part of her long term personal plan”.

The chair of Brooklands used to be Jerry Tapp, who stood down as planned in September 2018, two months before FE Week first reported on the subcontracting arrangement with SCL Security.

The new chair is Terry Lazenby, who had been vice chair since 2014 and was a member of three committees including audit.

Brooklands is a relatively small college, with total income during 2017/18 of £18.6 million and a £558,000 deficit.

The college had £3.4 million in cash (down from £4.6 million the year before), a £3.4 million long-term bank loan and £25 million in fixed assets in the buildings and land.

A clawback of £20 million could therefore put the college at risk of insolvency, something the college has declined to comment on.

SCL Security secured its first direct ESFA contract this year, which totalled £1 million and included apprenticeships and adult education budget cash, bringing it in scope for Ofsted inspection.

The education watchdog exposed ‘insufficient’ apprenticeship delivery at the provider in February which excluded employers and lacked scrutiny.

SCL Security has worked with other prime providers in the past.

Catch 22 were one such prime provider. A spokesperson told FE Week they were audited earlier this year following the ESFA’s investigation into SCL Security, but “we’ve have had no further information requests since”.

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College also subcontracted to SCL Security, with deal worth £1.7 million in 2018/19, which covered basic English, maths and IT skills for learners whose first language is usually not English.

The college terminated this relationship earlier this year following FE Week’s revelations.

At the time, EHWLC’s principal, Karen Redhead, said: “I understand from speaking with the ESFA that the issue was with regard to apprenticeships and contracts of employment. We do not subcontract to SCL Security Ltd on apprenticeships.”

She declined to comment this week on whether her college has since been audited by the ESFA.

Whilst the ESFA has investigated and taken action against Brooklands, it is unclear, at this time, if any action has been taken against SCL Security.

Williamson’s bold claims of putting FE centre stage will be held to account – and what about adult learning?

Sector leaders will be holding Gavin Williamson’s feet to the fire after he wrote in FE Week he is “determined to put FE centre stage”.

The new education secretary’s words come after a flurry of sector activity by the government, including a £400 million funding boost and the awarding of FE portfolios to Michelle Donelan and Lord Agnew.

Sixth Form Colleges Association chief executive Bill Watkin said: “We are delighted to have a secretary of state in Gavin Williamson who is so committed to raising the profile of 16 to 19 education.

“His plan to Raise the Rate next year is an important statement of intent and shows that his support for the sector goes beyond warm words.”

Raise the Rate is a campaign spearheaded by the association to increase the funding baseline for learners aged 16 to 18 from £4,000 per year, to £4,760.

However, the £400 million will only raise the baseline to £4,188, from August next year.

Watkin continued: “Both Gavin and Michelle Donelan are former sixth form college students who have firsthand experience of how the sector can transform lives.

“For too long, 16-19 education in all its forms – academic, applied general and technical – has been overshadowed by pre-16 and higher education.”

Watkin has not taken his eyes off securing more funding though, saying: “We now have a secretary of state who is ideally placed to give the pivotal stage of further education the investment, profile and attention that it deserves.”

Since being appointed, Williamson has been conducting multiple visits to colleges, including to Westminster Kingsway to meet Team UK before WorldSkills 2019; and to Leeds City College to open a new £60 million building.

And it has made an impression on the Association of Colleges chief executive David Hughes, who said: “I am delighted the secretary of state is taking personal responsibility for further education and colleges – already we have seen the fruits of that, with the £400 million pledge last week from the chancellor.”

Upon reading Williamson’s promise to give FE “all the support and credit it has so long deserved”, Hughes added: “It is widely accepted colleges have been neglected in funding and policy terms for the last decade or more and our #LoveOurColleges campaign has been an important part in changing that.”

#LoveOurColleges, much like Raise the Rate, is looking to increase the baseline – but up to £5,000.

“Gavin Williamson has shown how much he values colleges and the role they play in the wider education system,” Hughes said.

“We will work closely with him to ensure that next year’s spending review builds on that with a long term and proper funding settlement.”

However, one area of the sector snubbed by the chancellor in the Spending Review and missing from the education secretary’s trip schedule is adult education.

Sue Pember, former director of FE at the Department for Education and now director of policy at adult education network HOLEX, said: “We welcome Gavin Williamson’s enthusiasm for FE as long as he realises that FE is not all about 16 to 19, but also covers adult learning and all levels of educational ability.

“One of his first priorities must be to build a progression ladder from pre-entry through to level 2.

The lack of interest and investment in these fundamental building blocks is inadequate and must be urgently addressed.”

But on the other hand, Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Mark Dawe said it was “wonderful” to see Williamson describe apprenticeships as a “win-win” for the employer and the young person in his op-ed for FE Week.

“In a nutshell, he has identified why the programme is so popular and AELP wants to work with him and his team to ensure that all employers have the opportunity to take advantage of our fantastic flagship skills programme.”

Dawe also praised Williamson’s meeting with Team UK, saying: “The ambition should be to embed the teaching of world-beating standards into all technical and vocational education which takes place in this country.”

Ofsted watch: Fire and rescue provider brings the heat

A fire and rescue provider received a glowing report from Ofsted this week after receiving ‘significant progress’ ratings across the board, in what was otherwise a mixed week for FE.

Staffordshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority, which has 20 apprentices, was praised in its early monitoring visit for “setting high expectations for their apprenticeship programme”, and for offering training which is “meticulous and exacting”.

For instance, apprentices are taught how to use ‘Jaws of Life’ safely to pry open and free people trapped in their vehicles, and how to search for and rescue a casualty from a building filled with smoke and fire using breathing apparatus.

A good week has also been had by The Education and Skills Partnership, an independent provider to 94 apprentices and 39 adult learners.

It received a grade two this week from the watchdog, after being found to have made ‘insufficient progress’ in two areas during its previous early monitoring visit.

This time around, inspectors found: “Directors and managers have acted swiftly and decisively to deal with the weaknesses identified at the monitoring visit.”

This involved improving the English and maths elements of the apprenticeship programme by developing and implemented a new strategy, and ensuring learning and skills coaches have updated their skills in these areas where necessary.

The Education and Skills Partnership has been suspended from recruiting since its poor early monitoring report, but should have this ban lifted following its successful full inspection.

Fellow independent provider Learning Concepts scored ‘significant progress’ findings in two areas, thanks in part to a highly effective partnership with Jobcentre Plus to provide programmes to ten adult learners.

These learners benefit from access to other courses such as security licence, fork-lift truck licence and licence to work on a construction site, which enables them to gain employment.

Elsewhere, Oxford Energy Academy was found to have made ‘significant progress’ for the progress leaders and managers have made in ensuring apprentices benefit from high-quality training that leads to positive outcomes.

Teachers use a high-level of industry expertise to enthuse the just under 40 enrolled apprentices, who have a detailed knowledge of what skills they need to develop and how to achieve them.

However, several providers have landed themselves in hot water by making ‘insufficient progress’ in areas of their early monitoring visits.

Gower College Swansea, which provides to 57 apprentices in England, made such progress in all three areas.

This was for not ensuring all 57 apprentices receive training in safeguarding and Prevent and for leaders’ self-assessment of the quality of provision being “insufficiently evaluative,” inspectors wrote.

The college told FE Week: “We accept Ofsted’s findings and are confident that we can make the necessary improvements to enhance the service we offer to our apprentices and employers in England.”

Any Driver made ‘insufficient progress’ in two areas of its provision to 67 adult learners, after being handed a grade three at a previous inspection.

Their latest report reads: “Senior leaders have failed to implement external scrutiny of the provision.

“Leaders did not understand fully the value of this recommendation from the previous inspection and have not made any progress to implement relevant actions.”

However, the independent provider made ‘reasonable progress’ in safeguarding and for assessors supporting and challenging each learner to achieve the best of their ability.

Independent provider Azesta made ‘reasonable progress’ in safeguarding, but ‘insufficient progress’ in two other areas.

It provides to 62 apprentices, but inspectors discovered the provider does not monitor the time apprentices are given for off-the-job training closely enough.

The company that employs around half of Azesta’s apprentices does not allow sufficient study time during working hours, so the provider’s director has decided to cease recruitment with them.

CARE-EX Services received the same results this week as Azesta for its provision to 74 apprentices.

Ofsted found leaders check prior qualifications, but not prior skills, so “too many” apprentices are not learning new skills, or gaining accreditation for existing skills.

Nor do leaders not make adequate plans for apprentices to take end-point assessment.

Numerous other providers received ‘reasonable progress’ ratings across the board in early monitoring visits. These were: Activ First Limited, Advance Care Training Limited, Alan Hester Associates Limited, Engage Training and Development Ltd, Further Training Limited, MYF Training Limited, Netcom Training, Sigma UK Group Limited, Stepping Stones Education and Training Limited, WMC Training, The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Metro Bank Plc, Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire), South London And Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Independent Learning Providers Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Activ First Limited 15/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Advance Care Training Limited 21/08/2019 13/09/2019 M N/A
Alan Hester Associates Limited 08/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Any Driver Limited 21/08/2019 13/09/2019 M 3
Azesta Limited 15/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
CARE-EX Services 01/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Engage Training and Development Ltd 22/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Further Training Limited 29/08/2019 13/09/2019 M N/A
Gower College Swansea 08/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Learning Concepts Ltd 08/08/2019 13/09/2019 M N/A
MYF Training Limited 07/08/2019 13/09/2019 M N/A
Netcom Training 22/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Oxford Energy Academy Limited 13/09/2019 09/09/2013 M N/A
Sigma UK Group Limited 15/08/2019 13/09/2019 M N/A
Stepping Stones Education and Training Limited 15/09/2019 10/09/2019 M N/A
The Education and Skills Partnership Ltd 13/08/2019 13/09/2019 2 M
WMC Training 14/08/2019 12/09/2019 M N/A

 

Employer providers Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 15/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Metro Bank Plc 13/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) 14/08/2019 09/09/2019 M N/A
South London And Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 08/08/2019 11/09/2019 M N/A
Staffordshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority 30/09/2019 13/09/2019 M N/A

Jobs lost as training provider closes amid fraud allegations

An England-based training provider owned by a college in Wales has closed down amid multiple investigations into allegations that learner certificates were falsely claimed for.

A cache of internal emails passed to FE Week by a whistleblower appears to reveal staff at Element Skills Training had been claiming certificates for learners when they had not completed their programmes.

Owned by Cardiff and Vale College, Element Skills Training was incorporated in 2016 and provided apprenticeships, functional skills, diplomas and NVQs, operating out of Somerset.

It was closed down by the college over the summer, leading to 20 job losses.

Concerns were raised regarding the provider’s assessment processes

The emails reveal an Element employee was sanctioned by City and Guilds, with a quality assurance report sent to Cardiff and Vale College’s principal Kay Martin stating: “One member of staff has been informed by City and Guilds that he will receive a sanction which needs to be addressed as he will no longer be able to assess.”

City and Guilds has confirmed they launched an investigation earlier this year after “concerns were raised regarding the provider’s assessment processes”.

“As we treat any incident that could have an impact on learners very seriously, City and Guilds is undertaking an investigation,” a spokesperson said.

“This remains ongoing and as a result we will not be making any further comment at this time.”

According to the email cache, the awarding organisation told CAVC and Element to review 1,661 qualifications that were certificated through the two bodies.

The college said City and Guilds has not reclaimed any certificates so far.

In addition to the City and Guilds’ investigation, Cardiff and Vale College embarked on its own inquiry into Element on 28 November.

A letter to the ESFA informing them of the investigation, attached to an email from Martin but which had not been signed, said: “We have identified some discrepancies within Element Skills Training that we need to address through a formal investigation.

“We are not sure of the scale of this, but would seek your support and guidance through this investigation.

“What we can confirm is none of these discrepancies relate to direct ESFA contracts.”

The letter also said the college had suspended all new starts and would provide weekly reports of all findings and planned actions.

The ESFA would only say that it does not “routinely comment on investigations ongoing or otherwise”.

The emails also appear to show that earlier this year, Cardiff and Vale College used training provider Safe and Secure to quality assure portfolios from one of Element’s courses.

Safe and Secure, the emails show, found work that was in the portfolio file was not signed or dated by the learner or assessor and the work was not of the standard required for the qualification.

“There is a huge amount of work still to do to meet the standards required,” an email about Safe and Secure’s audit said.

Cardiff and Vale College would not say why it used Safe and Secure to quality assure Element’s work.

The managing director of Element Skills Training until near the end of 2018 was Hannah Lloyd, who since working at Element has been a director of several companies: Red Bear Network; The Leadership Team and Seren Skills Network.

We are disappointed to hear of these allegations and we will be raising this issue with the college directly.

Red Bear Network was dissolved last month, while The Leadership Team’s managing director, David Kitchen, said Lloyd had worked there as a self-employed consultant since early 2019.

Owing to “family reasons”, Lloyd’s agreement with The Leadership Team was terminated by mutual consent in July 2019.

Lloyd has not responded to multiple requests for comment from FE Week.

The allegations against Element have come as a “disappointment” to a company which worked with the provider, Wales and West Utilities.

Wales and West Utilities worked with Cardiff and Vale College on delivering its apprenticeship programme.

As part of this, Element helped the company access apprenticeship levy funding for apprentices based in England and delivered a small amount of functional skills training for apprentices.

Wales and West Utilities’ learning and development manager Theresa Williams insisted that “at no time” were Element Skills Training involved in the certification of apprenticeships or any other gas engineering qualification or accreditation.

“While we have no concerns over the support provided by Cardiff and Vale College, we are disappointed to hear of these allegations and we will be raising this issue with the college directly.”

A spokesperson for the college said: “The college made the strategic decision to close Element Skills Training to focus on other provision.

“This is an ongoing process involving working with staff who may be affected. Our main focus is to ensure the small number of learners who have not yet completed their qualification are able to do so.

“As part of normal internal practices regular audits of all activity are undertaken, including investigating any discrepancies in line with awarding and funding body requirements.”

It is understood that Element’s closure leaves around 20 staff redundant, but Cardiff and Vale College refused to disclose how many learners have been affected.