The Education and Skills Funding Agency has officially begun inviting non-levy employers and providers to test its digital apprenticeship system.

An expressions of interest went live yesterday and closes on 5 July, with the trial planned to get underway the following month.

To apply to test the system’s functionality, small and medium sized employers must have an apprenticeship vacancy that will result in an apprentice starting, in September, August or October 2019.

The ESFA said as this is a test phase, the training provider should already have a contract with agency for supporting employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy, and have money left in their non-levy funding allocation.

Currently, only big employers with an annual total pay bill of over £3 million who pay the levy can use the online apprenticeship service to access training funds generated through the policy.

Small employers were originally expected to be added to the service in April 2019, but was delayed for another year to “ensure a more gradual transition”.

After the delay was announced in August 2018 the ESFA extended contracts for providers delivering training for small employers until March 2020, which is how non-levy-payers train up their apprentices.

But as FE Week revealed in February, training providers’ non-levy funding is running dry and some have even had to turn apprentices away. Many fear the same will happen in 2019/20 as their allocations will not be big enough to meet demand.

From August to December, a small number of employers who do not pay the levy and their associated providers will be able to set up accounts on the apprenticeship service through the first test phase.

The ESFA said providers not involved in the initial test phase will “not be disadvantaged when we further roll out the service and no new funding is available through this functional test”.   

The trial will test a “modest volume” of apprenticeship starts.

The applicants who take part in the development will be allocated on a “first come, first served basis; the ESFA will not be able to guarantee an apprenticeship start until the selection has been made and applicants have been notified”.

Applications should be submitted as a joint bid between employers and providers, the latter of which must be on the ESFA’s register of apprenticeship training providers.

A second window for employers and providers to submit an expression of interest to take part in the trial, who have starts in November and December 2019, will open “later in the summer”.

Through the apprenticeship service employers can: manage their apprenticeship funding, select a suitable apprenticeship standard and an end-point assessment organisation, as well as advertise an apprenticeship and select a suitable provider to deliver their apprenticeship training.

They can also give real-time feedback on the quality of training provision they receive, have control over the amount of apprenticeship funding paid to their training provider on their behalf, and provide government with apprenticeship “demand data to ensure an valuable apprenticeship market place”.

The Institute for Apprenticeships has called for the assistance of the government’s exams and HE watchdogs in devising an “optimised” external quality assurance system for
apprenticeships.

Sir Gerry Berragan, the institute’s chief executive, wrote letters in April to the chief regulator at Ofqual, Sally Collier, and the chief executive of the Office for Students, Nicola Dandridge.

Berragan explained that since January of this year, the IfA has been delivering a “programme of work that will improve the delivery of EQA”, which includes a “strengthened operational framework and a digital service, both of which will allow us to better exercise our statutory duty and bring greater consistency”.

The letters, obtained by FE Week, reveal that the IfA has been asked to provide the Department for Education with an “appraisal of the best method of delivering EQA through a simpler system”.

“One important part of this is retaining the role of professional bodies (employer groups and professional entities) in the system,” Berragan said, adding that he would “value” the
views of Collier and Dandridge on how their organisations “might work with professional bodies – either directly or indirectly – under an optimised system”.

Despite the institute previously pledging to become more transparent, a sizeable portion of Berragan’s letters to Collier and Dandridge were redacted.

Currently, there are 18 EQA bodies which monitor the end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) that run examinations for apprentices.

The job is done by a mix of professional bodies, employers and quangos such as the IfA and Ofqual – which between them run EQA for over 200 standards.

Ofqual is the second biggest provider in this space, but the OfS isn’t on the EQA register, which raises questions as to why Berragan asked the higher education regulator for its views.

The OfS was approached for comment but did not respond at the time of going to press.

Many in the FE sector have been critical of the current EQA system, complaining that it is too complex.

The IfA’s letters hint that Ofqual will, in future, be the lead body for it, something that would be welcomed by the chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers Mark Dawe, who said: “Finally, common sense is biting. The sooner this process of transfer is complete, the better.

“It is great to have professional bodies involved across all sectors, but Ofqual should have overarching responsibility.”

Collier told the House of Commons education select committee in March that her organisation would like to expand its role in monitoring apprenticeship EPAOs.

She argued her organisation has done a “good job in proving that, as the regulator, we can do this job and can do it well” and they are “ready to take on a larger role”, following an October 2018 report by the committee on apprenticeships, which recommended Ofqual should be given total responsibility for EQA.

Collier agreed with committee chair Robert Halfon that it is “unnecessary” to have so many different bodies doing apprenticeship regulation.

The lack of a single EQA body for apprenticeships has contributed to a “ridiculous variability” in the amount that is charged EQA, according to Tom Bewick, the chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, which represents EPAOs.

FE Week revealed in February that EPAOs can be charged between nothing and £179 per apprentice for EQA.

When shown this analysis, Graham Hasting-Evans, group managing director of NOCN, an EPAO, told FE Week he was “very concerned” about the high level of EQA charges, which are “up to 10 per cent of the EPA cost in some cases”.

The IfA’s new EQA framework is due to go live from July 1.

Universities have stumbled this week, with one being rated ‘requires improvement’ and another losing its grade one, while colleges have excelled.

Specialist college Groundwork South and North Tyneside scored a grade two, improving on the grade three from its last inspection.

Inspectors were impressed with how leaders had “accelerated the pace of quality improvement” by restructuring the management team.

“Learners are well prepared for independent adult life. They learn how to work out the cost of recipes, shop for ingredients and prepare their own meals. Those learners who need to learn to travel independently do so,” the report reads.

Carmel College principal Mike Hill told FE Week he was “extremely happy” and “proud” after retaining its grade one, following a 12-year gap between inspections.

Less happy news for the University of West London though, which dropped from a grade one to a grade two.

Regardless of the drop, leaders were found to have a “clear and ambitious vision” for providing high-quality courses, directly aligned with the needs of employers in London.

The university’s leaders worked with strategic partners such as Health Education England and city restaurants to ensure they have a sound understanding of the vocational areas from which it recruits apprentices, 400 of whom were on programme.

Staffordshire University fared worse, scoring a grade three in its first inspection report.

The leaders’ ambition to grow higher apprenticeships provision in the region has not resulted in consistently good performance and learning experiences for all of its 400 apprentices, inspectors wrote.

Employer providers have enjoyed a good week, with My Home Move being found to have made ‘significant progress’ in one area of a monitoring visit, and ‘reasonable progress’ in the other two.

Its 23 apprentices enjoy a “well-organised” programme and develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours rapidly, with the majority gaining promotion.

Inspectors found that Kids Allowed, which has 47 apprentices on frameworks, had made ‘reasonable progress’ in two areas, and ‘significant progress’ in another.

Yet, of the 23 level 2 apprentices who started in 2017, eleven left early without achieving; and of the 24 apprentices who started in 2018, seven left.

Independent learning providers have had a mixed week overall.

Abacus Training Group was graded as ‘requires improvement’ in its first inspection, after inspectors found leaders had been too slow in bringing about the improvements needed within teaching and assessment. The quality of the former varied too much, and is not of high enough quality.

Premier Training International was found to have ‘insufficient progress’ in two areas, and ‘reasonable progress’ in the other, of their first monitoring visit since becoming a prime provider of adult education provision.

A key element of their provision – webinars – was often poorly attended; and leaders had failed to establish an adequate process for monitoring and recording the progress of learners.

Staff were found to have not ensured learners are effectively prepared for external exams and practical assessments, while too many learners did not get sufficient support for their practical assessments.

On the other side of the coin, Mode Training retained its grade two rating from 2009.

Its leaders work well with employers, and it clearly outlines what it expects of them.

Inspectors found that “leaders do not hesitate to stop working with employers who are not committed to, for example, enabling enough off-the-job training for apprenticeships”.

People and Business Development Limited had its first monitoring visit since a grade three inspection last June.

It made ‘reasonable progress’ in all four areas, and leaders’ actions to improve provision was having a “demonstrable impact” on learners, the proportion of whom achieving had improved quickly.

Livability Nash College, a specialist provider, was given priorities for improvement following a grade four inspection last November.

Since that inspection, a new senior management team has improved oversight of the quality of education and leaders have established enhanced governance arrangements, but those leaders and governors do not yet have sufficient oversight of the quality of teaching over time.

And Derby Manufacturing UTC has had its second monitoring visit since a grade four inspection in May 2018.

The inspectors found that leaders and managers have not been taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.

Their action plan is not fit for purpose, as some sections of the post-Ofsted action plan have not been updated with the school’s current priorities.

Independent Learning Providers	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Abacus Training Group	30/04/2019	11/06/2019	3	N/A
Premier Training International Limited	07/05/2019	13/06/2019	M	N/A
Mode Training Ltd	26/02/2019	14/06/2019	2	2
People and Business Development Ltd	01/05/2019	13/06/2019	M	3

 

Sixth Form Colleges (inc 16-19 academies)	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Carmel College	30/04/2019	10/06/2019	1	1

 

Employer providers	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
My Home Move Ltd	16/05/2019	11/06/2019	M	N/A
Kids Allowed Ltd	08/05/2019	11/06/2019	M	N/A

 

Other (including UTCs)	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Staffordshire University	17/05/2019	14/06/2019	3	N/A
University of West London	30/04/2019	11/06/2019	2	1
Derby Manufacturing UTC	08/05/2019	14/09/2019	M	4

 

Specialist colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Groundwork South and North Tyneside	22/05/2019	11/06/2019	2	3
Livability Nash College	15/05/2019	12/06/2019	M	4

Cash-strapped Cornwall College Group has secured a £30 million government bailout to drive forward its “fresh start” business plan, but questions continue to loom about whether campuses will be sold off.

The group, which has eight sites across the South West, was told it was not financially “viable or resilient” and had “weak solvency” in its post-16 area review report from 2017, but that it should remain a standalone college.

A follow-up review of further education in Cornwall was launched last year at the request of Cornwall Council, which put pressure on the group to work more closely with its rival, Truro & Penwith College, and that a merger may be in learners’ best interests.

The prospect of this mega-merger now appears dead in the water after Cornwall College Group secured a significant handout from the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Truro & Penwith also told FE Week that it has “no plans for merger”.

Cornwall College Group had its initial request for the £30 million bailout rejected by the ESFA in May 2018, after receiving £4.5 million emergency funding in 2016-17 and £3.5 million in 2017-18.

One of the “main concerns” for the agency was around the “viability of maintaining eight sites”, according to the FE Commissioner report published three months ago.

The college was “invited to prepare a ‘deep dive’ contribution model, which would include the ability to look at individual courses delivered at each site”, and had a reworked bid accepted at the end of March 2019.

Details of the new financial plan are not known, but Cornwall College Group’s interim chief executive, Dr Elaine McMahon, has said the “elements of the group’s estate would be restructured”.

A spokesperson for the group said it was unable to comment on its future plans any further when asked if it was preparing to sell off any campuses.

Other big college groups in financial difficulty have downsized in recent times.

In April it was announced that Harrogate College was being offloaded by the Hull College Group as part of its recovery plan.

A month later Birmingham Metropolitan College announced it was to sell off its Stourbridge College site, with learners moving to two other nearby colleges in September.

The last member of the Cornwall College Group to join was Bicton College in March 2015. It is nearly 70 miles away from the main cluster of the group’s other campuses. Its Bristol site is the furthest away – sitting nearly 100 miles away from Bicton.

In return for receiving the £30 million emergency funding, the college group has committed to significantly changing its operating model – a process known as “fresh start”.

Former principal Raoul Humphreys resigned back in November.

An FE commissioner assessment summary of the group, published in July 2017, said the new leadership team was “not responsible for the loss of financial control” experienced by the college under the previous principal Amarjit Basi, who resigned in July 2016 with a £200,000 payout.

McMahon said the group has now “reviewed the entire college curriculum in line with Local Enterprise Partnership priorities, market need, employer requirements and skills needs, and have rigorously tested the quality of each course”.

A “modern and secure IT systems infrastructure” will also be implemented and there will be “investment in exceptional training and learning experiences for students and businesses”.

A spokesperson for Truro & Penwith College said: “The aim of Truro & Penwith College is to support and complement those external interventions which enable the creation of a financially viable, standalone Cornwall College.

“It is offering support through sharing best practice in the areas of quality, planning, and leadership and governance.”

St Helens College has been served a financial health notice to improve by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The notice was handed after the college was assessed as having ‘inadequate’ financial health in 2017/18.

St Helens College’s accounts for 2017/18 show it generated a surplus of £8.8 million, with a total income of £43 million, a total expenditure of £34 million, and long-term debts of £10 million.

In December 2017, St Helens College merged with Knowsley College, to form SK College Group and had to shoulder a number of costs, including £3.8 million in loans that needed to be repaid and £1.5 million of staff restructuring costs, according to the accounts.

Before the merger in June 2017, St Helens was rated as ‘requires improvement’ overall by Ofsted, but ‘inadequate’ for apprenticeships.

It was found making ‘reasonable progress’ in a monitoring report published in November 2018.

As a result of the ESFA notice, the college had to prepare a draft financial recovery by 31 May, for review by the agency, and has to submit a final plan to secure the college’s financial position by 30 June.

College leaders will have to attend regular meetings with the ESFA, submit monthly management accounts to the agency, and allow its representatives to sit in on governor meetings.

The notice also means St Helens will come into scope for intervention by the FE Commissioner, and it has already been subject to a diagnostic assessment in January and March.

The terms of the notice to improve could be varied, depending on what the commissioner’s report says.

The ESFA will lift the notice when the college’s financial health grade has improved from ‘inadequate’ in 2017/18 to a sustained position assessed as being ‘requires improvement’.

A spokesperson for SK College Group said: “SK College Group, like many other further education colleges across the country, is facing continued financial challenges.

“This has never been more so than following our recent merger.”

They explained the merger process was “complex and lengthy”, which impacted upon its completion timescale.

This delay had made planned adjustments “more difficult to achieve”, the spokesperson said.

The government will spend up to £20 million supplying free sanitary products to schools and colleges across England, it has emerged.

The chancellor Philip Hammond announced in his spring statement that all secondary pupils and college students would get access to free sanitary products from September this year in a bid to fight period poverty. Details of the funding available were not revealed at the time.

Ministers have since admitted the full implementation will be delayed to early next year.

Tender documents published by the Department for Education show the government is prepared to spend between £10 million and £20 million on the scheme between September this year and the end of 2020. The DfE will then decide whether to extend the contract by 12 or 18 months.

If the full £20 million is allocated, it will work out at a spend of £11.76 for each of the 1.7 million pupils and students eligible.

According to the documents, the DfE is looking for a “single national supplier” to source an “appropriate range of period products”, to design and implement “user interfaces and support services” and to plan and executive a national delivery service.

“We have estimated the value of this opportunity to be in the region of £10 million to £20 million based on an anticipated level of take-up across the 1.7 million eligible learners,” the tender states.

“The funding for this opportunity is contingent on user need, alongside the delivery and distribution methods used by any successful bidder.”

It is not yet known how the government arrived at the 1.7 million figure. There were 3.26 million pupils in state-funded secondary schools as of January this year, and 2.2 million students at the country’s further education colleges.

Despite the anticipated delay to the start of the scheme, the contract is due to begin this September and end in December 2020.

The DfE also confirmed today that the successful bidder “will be required to offer environmentally-friendly sanitary pads as a minimum, and are encouraged to provide further environmentally-friendly options (such as menstrual cups or eco-friendly tampons)”.

It follows concerns raised by the environmental charity City to Sea that the government won’t specifically require all the products offered to be plastic-free.

Nadhim Zahawi, the children’s minister, said the government was “determined that no one should be held back from reaching their potential, which is why we are making free period products available to all schools and colleges from early next year.

“In designing this scheme we have carefully considered our impact on the environment – encouraging eco-friendly products to be offered where possible – while making sure the programme remains cost-effective and sustainable.

“I encourage all bidders to think carefully about how they could reduce their environmental impact, while at the same time ensuring their products meet the needs of all who use the scheme, so that no young person misses out on education.”