Union threatens strike action after college sacked lecturer for writing ‘racist’ on Prevent poster

The University and College Union has warned its members will strike at Sandwell College if a lecturer, who was sacked for writing “racist” on a poster promoting the Prevent strategy, is not reinstated.

Dave Muritu was dismissed last week despite admitting to drawing on the poster and apologising for his actions, according to the UCU.

The college claimed his actions constituted gross misconduct on the grounds of “serious damage to college property”, “bringing the college into disrepute” and “use of inappropriate language” with the consequence of summary dismissal.

The college has lost all sense of proportion

The UCU has since launched a petition calling on the college to reinstate Muritu. At the time of going to press, the petition had 643 signatories.

It also warned it would take industrial action if Muritu is not reinstated.

Last year, the college and its staff agreed on a new “sector-leading” pay deal – amounting to more than six per cent over three years, avoiding a three-day strike.

UCU pointed out that Muritu is the union’s local branch secretary, and played a key role in negotiating the landmark pay deal for staff last May.

The maths teacher is also the former chair of the UCU black members standing committee.

Paul Cottrell, UCU acting general secretary, said: “The college has lost all sense of proportion in dealing with Muritu’s case. The incident was clearly a moment of frustration for which he has apologised, but the college has refused to budge from its hardline position.

“The college has acknowledged that his actions didn’t bring the college into disrepute, so it seems this incident is being used as an excuse to attack Muritu for his trade union activities.

“We will not simply stand by and allow this to happen, and the college should be prepared to face industrial action if the decision is not swiftly reversed.”

A spokesperson for Sandwell College said: “Safeguarding is of paramount importance to everybody at Sandwell College and we expect everybody to act professionally, ensuring that we adhere to our statutory duties whilst creating the best possible environment for all of our students and staff to thrive.

“Although we do not share details of internal HR matters, it is important to note that we recently conducted a thorough investigation into a serious disciplinary matter which resulted in the decision being made to terminate the employment of a member of staff.”

She added: “They, of course, have the right to appeal and therefore it would not be right for us to say any more at this time. The college has been notified that UCU wish to enter into a dispute with the college following the dismissal of the staff member. The college does not accept and refutes UCU comments.

“The college has taken necessary steps to minimise the impact of any action and will continue to operate as normal.”

The Prevent duty, which promotes “British values”, requires FE providers to put policies in place to stop potential radicalisation of learners and exposure to extremism.

But the programme has also received criticism, with Rania Hafez, Programme leader for MA education at the University of Greenwich writing for FE Week in 2017, that the “crude imposition of Prevent in colleges has created a with-us-or-against-us mentality, running roughshod over the British value of tolerance”.

In January this year, security minister Ben Wallace, announced an independent review into the strategy.

Ofqual: Removing access to BTECs risks creating ‘barrier’ to student progress

The body that regulates qualifications in England has added its voice to fears about the government’s plans for scrapping applied general qualifications including BTECs.

Ofqual believes there is a “risk” that a barrier to student progress may be created if alternative choices to T-levels and A-levels are “unduly restricted”.

It is particularly concerned about this impact on disadvantaged learners, who may not be “suited” to studying the new technical qualifications or academic option.

This may particularly (but not only) affect disadvantaged learner groups

The warning comes after sector leaders expressed concern that the review of over 12,000 vocational qualifications at level 3 and below, launched by the Department for Education in February, is manipulation of the market – something the skills minister Anne Milton has strongly denied.

Officials want to make T-levels and A-levels the options of choice for students when they leave school at 16, and any other qualifications that overlap with them are expected to have their funding withdrawn.

In its response to the DfE’s first consultation for the review, Ofqual made the case for keeping applied generals, the most popular of which are BTECs offered by Pearson.

“The need for some flexibility in the size of qualifications on offer is important,” the exams regulator said.

“In particular, learners with SEND, or those with caring responsibilities for example, may need to study part-time or more flexibly and so may face difficulty accessing a T-level.

“We know that many learners study applied generals – sometimes in combination with A-levels – in order to progress to university. If T-level study is not suited to a learner, if they are not ready to specialise in an occupation, or they are unable to access the qualification for any other reason, then there is a risk that a barrier to progress may be created if their alternative choices are unduly restricted.

“This may particularly (but not only) affect disadvantaged learner groups. The continuing opportunity to progress for these students will be a crucial factor in considering which qualification routes should receive funding alongside T-levels.”

Ofqual said from its own experience of reviewing content overlap in GCSE and A-level reform, it found that a “limited amount of content overlap could at times be justified if a qualification served a distinct progression purpose that could not be satisfied by another existing qualification”.

The regulator added that it does “recognise” the more qualifications there are that cover the same or similar content, the “harder it is to secure comparability across those qualifications”.

However, there is a “balance to be achieved, recognising equally that there will be valid reasons why similar qualifications can and should exist”.

When the government opened its level 3 and below consultation it said many of the qualifications are of “poor quality” and their existence leaves young people and employers “confused”.

READ MORE: Milton denies qualifications shake-up ahead of T-level roll-out is market manipulation

Milton previously told FE Week that if the qualifications being delivered are of “high quality, have a clear purpose, have good progression and are necessary, and they feel they need to sit alongside T-levels, A-levels and apprenticeships” then providers offering them should “have nothing to fear”.

But the Department for Education made it clear in their 2017 T-Level action plan they would need to “address the incentives and support currently available for other competing qualifications.”

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers has also submitted its response to the consultation.

It warned there is a “danger of qualifications with low enrolments being removed with little consideration to specialist niche provision” and echoed what Ofqual said: “T-levels will not be suitable for all young people.”

“Nor will they cover every occupational area where other qualifications such as BTECs already sit,” it added.

“It is important that a variety of level three options are available to learners so they can select a qualification that best suits their learning needs and aspirations.”

The DfE’s consultation closes on June 10.

West Notts College university centre less than half-full three years after opening

A university centre at the troubled West Nottinghamshire College has had to revise down its learner growth numbers by a massive 76 per cent.

A report by local enterprise partnership D2N2 reveals Vision University Centre, based on the college’s main campus in Mansfield, is aiming to increase its number of students by just 140 in 2019/20 instead of its original estimate of 589.

D2N2 awarded West Nottinghamshire College a £2.6 million grant in September 2015 for the Vision University Centre Project.

The centre opened in Autumn 2016, costing a reported £6.5m to build and offers qualifications such as Higher National Certificates, Higher National Diplomas, foundation degrees, and top-up awards.

However, it suffered when the cap on higher education student numbers was removed, making the market more competitive and leading to colleges seeing a downturn in their HE student numbers: West Nottinghamshire College experienced a drop of 125 higher education students between 2016/17 and 2017/18.

In both of those years the college also offered a series of two hour and full-day “master class sessions”, but the decision was taken this year to drop the programme, due to “dwindling numbers and a lack of interest on behalf of local employers”.

The college has been impacted by other unexpected actions, according to the D2N2 report, which was first reported on by the Local Democracy Reporting Service for the Nottinghamshire Post.

“The withdrawal of the nursing bursary by the government has had an impact on the college’s access to nursing programme, by far the largest course in the portfolio,” it said.

By the time the report was published in May, the college had met only 48 per cent of its 2018/19 target of 1,308 students for the centre.

West Nottinghamshire College is in dire financial constraints. As FE Week revealed in March, its government bailouts rocketed to more than £10 million in just six months.

It has had to slash jobs to make millions of pounds in savings, largely due to changes in subcontracting rules in 2017 which meant the college had to drastically scale back its apprenticeship provision and sacrifice a fortune in management fees.

Its leader, Dame Asha Khemka, resigned last October and the role of principal is being taken over by Andrew Cropley in July, while Sean Lyons took over as the new chair in February.

The college is now looking at re-basing its HE offer; by offering apprenticeships at level 4 and above, reviewing its short course offering, and running a wider range of HNDs and top-up courses.

The D2N2 report says: “The college believes there remains potential to increase higher level provision within the local area.”

Business management courses which are currently run by the college could also be re-worked with the development of degree-level apprenticeships.

However, the report warns there is a risk that funding for higher level and degree apprenticeships, particularly in leadership and management, will be removed.

This comes after the Association of Employment and Learning Providers called for level 6 and 7 apprenticeships to be frozen out of levy funding, as the Institute for Apprenticeships and the National Audit Office had warned the levy budget could soon be overspent.

A college spokesperson admitted its “ambitious” targets for the university centre have proven “extremely difficult” to achieve.

“Market conditions have significantly changed and the competition has grown, with many universities now making unconditional offers to prospective students,” they continued.

However, the spokesperson insisted there remains a “clear need to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible higher education” to the centre’s local communities.

“We believe our new plan is achievable and sustainable going forwards.”

West Thames College strike days this year hit double figures

Staff at two colleges will go on strike again this week as part of an ongoing row over pay – with one recording its tenth day this year.

Members of the University and College Union at West Thames College and New City College will be on the picket line from 7am tomorrow, with the Tower Hamlets branch of the latter also taking a further day of action on Thursday.

The latest walkouts by West Thames College staff means its strike days have now hit double figures for 2019. The dispute, according to the UCU, centres on the “failure of the college to make a decent pay offer to staff who have seen the value of their pay decline by 25 per cent in the past decade”.

Staff at the college walked out for four days last month, following action in January and March.

Members of the UCU at New City College also went on strike for three days in May.

The union said further strikes were planned if the colleges refused to make a decent offer, and that they could “not hide behind government cuts if it wanted to avoid further disruption”.

It comes after the UCU formally submitted its annual pay claim to the Association of Colleges last month, which calls for: £1 extra per hour for all staff, the living wage to be the minimum wage in further education, and an additional five days’ annual leave per year.

UCU regional official Una O’Brien said: “UCU members at West Thames College and New City College are not prepared to stand by and allow their colleges to hold down their pay.

“It is simply not acceptable for the college to say that nothing can be done because finances are tight. Other colleges have shown what can be achieved when they engage seriously with us to address members’ concerns over pay and conditions.”

Dozens made redundant as ‘good’ apprenticeship provider goes bust

A training provider has gone bust after being “hit hard” by the government’s apprenticeship reforms, putting nearly 40 staff out of work.

FNTC Training and Consulting Limited, a provider rated ‘good’ by Ofsted and based in Southampton, was forced to close after suffering from losses of over £200,000 last year and ongoing losses this year.

Its biggest challenge has been offering apprenticeship standards in the care sector, which have been allocated a funding stream which “barely covers delivery”, according to an email sent to learners and staff by the provider’s owner and chief executive Elizabeth Young, seen by FE Week.

It said that 37 staff have been made redundant.

The email added the strategic leadership team was “devastated” to announce the closure after nearly 20 years providing apprenticeships across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.

“The changes made to the apprenticeship market in May 2017 were monumental, including the introduction of employer levy accounts, mandatory employer contributions and the apprenticeship standards,” Young explained.

Elizabeth Young

“These changes, amongst many others, have had a dramatic impact on established providers and resulted in a national decline in the uptake of apprenticeships.”

The number of apprenticeship starts at FNTC sharply declined from 550 in 2016/17 to 190 in 2017/18, according to data from the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

It mainly delivered training to the health and social care sector, but also offered courses in business administration and management.

“As an entrepreneur, acknowledging defeat goes against everything I believe in, however, the recent financial losses are unsustainable,” Young continued.

“The strategic leadership team is working with the Education and Skills Funding Agency to ensure delivery to employers and learners is not compromised.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the employer partners that have contributed to FNTC’s continued success since May 2000 and all my staff team for their professionalism, determination and efforts to overcome the challenges we have faced.”

Last month, the Institute for Apprenticeships decided to keep the funding rates for multiple care apprenticeship standards unchanged despite a robust plea from the trailblazer group which developed the standards.

Officials have since been accused of undervaluing the care sector, with one provider now planning to stop offering the apprenticeships and another branding the decision a “disgrace”.

FNTC’s offices are now closed affected employers and learners are being encouraged to contact the ESFA as they will be managing the transfer of training.

In its last visit to FNTC Training and Consulting in May 2016, Ofsted said FNTC was a good provider that made a “significant contribution to improving the skills and experience of trainees and apprentices”.

Ofsted watch: Poor week for multiple new apprenticeship providers

New apprenticeship providers came in for some stinging criticism this week, with three found to be making ‘insufficient progress’ in early monitoring visits.

The only wholly positive report was for adult and community learning provider Sunderland City Metropolitan Borough Council, which climbed its way up to ‘good’ after being rated ‘inadequate’ in January 2018.

Since then, the council has wound down its apprenticeship provision and “elected members, leaders and managers have addressed rapidly the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection,” the education watchdog said.

Student achievement is now “very high”, and around two-thirds of learners move on to employment, work-related activities or study at a higher level after their programme has finished.

Leaders, staff, subcontractors, tutors and learners “promote a culture of pride, respect and tolerance which embraces the diversity and values of the service,” inspectors added.

One of the poor performing new apprenticeship providers was Took A Long Time Limited, an employer provider for the owners of the Wildwood and dim t restaurants. It was found to have made ‘insufficient progress’ in two areas of a monitoring visit.

Inspectors found its 58 apprentices self-assessed their skills and knowledge at the beginning of the course, and managers are not involved in this process to check its accuracy.

As apprentices are recruited from the company’s existing staff for chef and hospitality standards and already have experience of preparing and serving food within a commercial environment, they do not develop substantial new knowledge and skills.

Ironically, the 58 apprentices at Took A Long Time had not made sufficient progress in developing their English and maths skills.

Serial entrepreneur Angela Middleton’s new private provider, The Teaching and Learning Group, was also found to have made ‘insufficient progress’ in two areas of a monitoring visit.

Middleton said the provider, which has 24 apprentices, “has made substantial progress since the review”.

Adult and community learning provider Gloucestershire Enterprise Limited also did not perform well, being found to have made ‘insufficient progress’ in two areas of an early monitoring visit of its apprenticeship provision.

Leaders were “unaware” too many apprentices are not on track to complete their programme within the expected time, because systems to track apprentices’ progress have been implemented too slowly.

Although apprentices receive regular progress reviews, the large majority of these do not focus enough on how learners can improve their skills, knowledge and behaviour and apply them in the workplace.

All three ‘insufficient’ new apprenticeship providers are likely to soon be suspended from recruiting new apprentices, in line with ESFA rules, until they improve to at least a grade three.

Elsewhere, GTG Training bounced back from an ‘insufficient’ monitoring report it received in September 2018, and has now been rated ‘requires improvement’ across the board.

It should now have its apprentice recruitment suspension lifted by the government.

Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked “hard to improve the provision” for its 251 apprentices and have made “significant investments in staffing and resources that are beginning to address the weaknesses” previously identified.

The quality of training in the workplace is “good”, inspectors added.

However, managers were criticised for not coordinating apprentices’ on- and off-the-job training “effectively; as a result, too many apprentices make slow progress and do not achieve their potential”.

The provider also does not give English and maths a “high enough priority” and targets for learning and assessment are “not sufficiently specific and measurable”.

The final FE report published this week was for Tagadvance Limited, which has 75 apprentices and was found to have made ‘reasonable progress’ across the board in its first monitoring visit.

Its leaders and managers have developed an effective programme of on- and off-the-job training and apprentices receive “challenging” workplace projects and assignments to complete, through which they develop new skills on top of those needed for their jobs.

Independent Learning Providers Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
The Teaching and Learning Group 18/04/2019 28/05/2019 M N/A
GTG Training Limited 10/05/2019 31/05/2019 3 M
Tagadvance Limited 29/04/2019 31/05/2019 M N/A

 

Adult and Community Learning Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Sunderland City Metropolitan Borough Council 09/04/2019 28/05/2019 2 M
Gloucestershire Enterprise Limited 25/04/2019 31/05/2019 M N/A

 

Employer providers Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Took Us A Long Time Limited 16/04/2019 28/05/2019 M N/A

Theresa May: FE has been ‘overlooked, undervalued and underfunded’

The Prime Minister delivered a speech this morning in response to the much anticipated Augar review on post-18 education. Theresa May spoke passionately about the strong case for much more investment in FE, which in her own words has been “left overlooked, undervalued and underfunded”. FE Week was in attendance and has transcribed her speech in full:

 

“Your report is a ground-breaking piece of work. Because it is one that in compelling detail the challenges confronting all of us who care about post-18 education in all its forms.

It’s a sector that since 2010, the government has consistently supported. We’ve increased the funding flowing to universities, delivered more high-quality apprenticeships, developed brand-new technical qualifications on a par with A-levels.

Yet as we have just heard, there remains much to be done.

The UK boasts some of the finest universities in the world. Universities that we can be proud of and all governments should pledge to support and protect.

But in technical education, we have fallen behind other leading nations. Our further education colleges have the potential to transform lives and grow the economy, but the FE landscape can be confusing to navigate.

Too many students, parents and employers see FE as a second-best option

Too many students, parents and employers see FE as a second-best option and successive governments have failed to give it the support it needs. For nearly 20 years, there has been a relentless focus on getting 50 per cent of young people into HE.

Yet most have lost sight that the original target referred not just to university degrees; it quite rightly covered the whole higher education spectrum, including vocational and technical qualifications.

And that’s why in February last year, I set Philip a clear yet ambitious challenge: to break down the false boundaries between further and higher education.

To look at all the options open to young people and to say how they could be improved and how the state should support students so every school leaver, and indeed every adult learner, can follow the path that is right for them.

With today’s report, Philip and his expert panel have provided a blueprint for how those improvements and changes could be carried out.

As we’ve heard, it makes many recommendations across FE and HE, the proposals on adult and lifelong learning are also important.

Decisions about whether and how to implement these recommendations will not fall to me, but to the next government.

But regardless of the debate to come, there can be no doubt this report represents a major landmark. And that the data, analysis and insights it contains will help us to deliver a post-18 education system that truly works for everyone.

That needs to begin with further education.

Our FE and technical colleges are not just places of learning, they are vital engines of both social mobility and of economic prosperity; training the next generation and helping deliver our modern industrial strategy.

But for too long, FE has been allowed to stagnate with student numbers falling. With MPs, civil servants, and yes, even journalists overwhelmingly coming from university backgrounds, it’s no surprise, perhaps, that attention has drifted away from other post-18 options.

I found it rather telling that despite the wide-ranging remit of the panel, in the years since the review was launched, the debate around it has concentrated almost exclusively on what it will mean for universities.

As the panel argues, this focus on academic routes, at the expense of all others, has left FE overlooked, undervalued and underfunded.

Routes into and through our colleges are confusing and opaque.

There is no equivalent of the clear, straightforward and comprehensive UCAS system.

And this system isn’t just bad for students, it’s bad for our economy. By failing to equip more of our young people with the technical skills they will need to compete in the jobs of the future, we have hampered our ability to compete on the world stage.

Businesses here in the UK regularly tell me they struggle to find workers with the technical qualifications they need, but their rivals overseas have no such problems. As the report says, in Germany, 20 per cent of the workforce holds a higher technical qualification. Here in the UK, just four per cent of 25-year-olds could say the same.

Behind that statistic lies an immeasurable number of opportunities missed and potential wasted both for individuals and employers.

We will have to invest much more in FE, the buildings, the equipment and of course staff

So reinvigorating FE is vital if we are to help all develop the skills they need to get on, and if we are truly to make a success of our modern industrial strategy.

Now as Prime Minister, it is something I have worked hard to do. Let us make sure there is an education and training place for every 16-19-year-old who wants one. We’re rolling out T-levels, new high-quality technical qualifications on par with A-levels. We’ve committed to Institutes of Technology in every major English city and this year announced the first 12. And we are creating more high-quality apprenticeships that deliver for students and employers alike.

But while these reforms have made a real difference, it is clear that if the half of young people who do not go to university are to have the skills they need for the future, then we must go further. It’s not enough to simply say that FE and HE should be seen as equals. As the report argues compellingly, to make that happen we will have to invest much more in FE, the buildings, the equipment and of course staff who are expert in their field.

And making a success of FE is not just about an increased funding, it’s about giving these young people a genuine choice about their education. So more also needs to be done to ensure that further and technical options are every bit as attractive a path for students as more academic options, including by reforming the sector so colleges can thrive.

That will mean more specialisation and collaboration, while also continuing to make sure all young people have access to a college in their area. And reforms to ensure the courses offered by colleges deliver the skills that are needed by local businesses.

And of course, we also need to make sure that only high-quality qualifications are on offer.

That FE students are appropriately supported by government and that the route to FE is as streamlined and clear as possible, just as it is for universities.”

 

FE Week editor Nick Linford got the chance to question the Prime Minister after her speech. Telling her she sounds like she’s in opposition when she describes investment in FE, he asked: “Why hasn’t more happened before now? And why are we waiting for a spending review?”

Here’s how May responded:

 

FE Week also caught up with chair of the post-18 education review Philip Augar. Here’s what he had to say:

Post-18 education review: Introduce a ‘lifelong learning loan allowance’

The government should introduce a “lifelong learning loan allowance” at levels 4, 5 and 6 for adults without a degree, a major review of post-18 education has said.

An independent panel, led by Philip Augar (pictured), will today publish its long-awaited findings and recommendations which aim to create a more “joined-up system” and fix the funding imbalances between HE and FE.

It includes a host of views that’ll be welcomed by the FE sector, including proposals of an increased base rate of funding and an additional £1 billion capital investment over the coming spending review period.

The report seeks to rebuild further education

The report also calls on the government to scrap advanced learning loans for those aged 24 and over studying their first full level 2 and 3 qualifications.

One of the report’s main recommendations is for an individual “lifelong” entitlement to student finance. This is proposed to be set as a financial amount equivalent to four years’ full-time undergraduate degree funding: £30,000, under the panel’s recommended fee cap of £7,500 per year.

It could be used for vocational or academic courses from levels 4 to 6 at any stage of an adult’s career for full and part-time students.

To “encourage” retraining, flexible and “second chance” learning, it was recommended that this should be available “in modules where required”.

Under these arrangements, Augar’s report said individuals would be able to “work, move on or move up, and still have the opportunity to return to study later, using any outstanding loan allowance, and in the subjects, and at the levels, that suit their careers”.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, told FE Week the recommendation to make first full level 2 and 3 qualifications fully funded regardless of age is “fantastic news because for many it will do away with advanced learning loans that have not been successful”.

“It puts everyone on the same footing to wanting to learn about level 3, whether they go to college or university, the funding the maintenance the support is there,” he added.

Explaining why an individual “lifelong” entitlement is needed, Augar’s report said: “Overall, we believe that introducing a flexible lifetime loan allowance would make a fundamental and positive difference to the relative attractions of part-time, adult, and level 4/5 study, and would strongly encourage young people to think about their higher education in terms of a lifetime of employment.

“A lifetime loan allowance would also ensure that there are new incentives for borrowers both to be price-sensitive, and to take a loan for only part of their current fees, thus retaining some entitlement for future years, should they need it.”

The Augar review, which had a panel of five members including Blackpool and the Fylde College boss Bev Robinson, was first announced by the Prime Minister Theresa May in February 2018. Its report was supposed to be released in early 2019 but it got delayed because of Brexit.

It was first thought that the findings would act as final decisions and be implemented in the government’s upcoming spending review, but they’ll now only be treated as recommendations.

Theresa May

May will deliver a speech this morning in response to the post-18 education review, in which she is expected to say that the country must “significantly increase support for further education”.

A Number 10 spokesperson said despite the government “boosting education or training places for every 16 to 19-year old, rolling out T-levels, and creating high-quality apprenticeships”, the outgoing Prime Minister will say “more must be done for the 50 per cent of young people who do not go to university”.

Augar said the report’s proposals seek to “rebuild further education, for too long the Cinderella sector, and see technical and vocational education as a means of addressing the country’s skills gap”.

“We are firmly of the view that post-18 education should be a lifelong experience available to all, irrespective of age, situation or income,” he added. “Our proposals are intended to create such a system.”

Education secretary Damian Hinds said the report “acknowledges fully the key truth that our further education colleges also play a vital role in performing these functions” and “too often we have had in our country a bias towards higher education”.

Hughes said the “narrative” of the Augar review was just as “significant” as the recommendations.

“What it is saying is for too long the system have been focused on people going to do master degrees and neglected the interested and needs of more than half of the population,” he told FE Week.

But shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said: “The report alone does nothing to address the burning injustices facing our education system.

“With no formal government response, no extra funding and no guarantee that the recommendations will be implemented by her successor the Augar review epitomises May’s legacy as Prime Minister and this shambolic Tory government; all talk, empty promises and very little action.”

AELP chief executive Mark Dawe said the “bias towards the ‘public sector’ college infrastructure” was to be expected in the Augar report, but “there needs to be careful consideration as to where the real returns come from at all levels – classroom and workshop based learning  or work based education and training, where the report recognises independent training providers have real strength”.

You can read the full report here.

Revealed: 54 colleges and providers chosen for second wave of Taking Teaching Further funding

The colleges and training providers chosen to recruit new FE teachers and improve links with industry for the second round of the £5 million Taking Teaching Further programme have been announced.

Forty five providers are being tasked with recruiting 160 experienced industry professionals to work as post-16 teachers in four key sectors: childcare and education, digital, engineering and construction – areas that will be covered by T-levels from September 2020.

Additionally, the government is splitting £900,000 between 22 projects, including nine by providers not included in the recruitment drive, which will be looking at ways to improve links between FE providers and industry.

Skills minister Anne Milton said she was “thrilled” to announce the winners from the second round, following “fantastic stories of success” from the first round.

Following the programme’s unveiling last June, the first wave of winners was announced the following October and led to 47 new teachers being recruited, including five at East Kent College.

The college’s head of teaching academy Simon Bigrigg said the programme had provided EKC Group, to which East Kent College belongs, with a range of opportunities to develop its recruitment and training of teachers in “hard to fill” areas.

Robin Smith, curriculum manager at another winning provider from the first round, Calderdale College, said the TTF programme had enabled them to deliver “cutting-edge” digital skills to current and future students, and provide a “talent pipeline” for employers in the Leeds City Region.

The second round of the TTF programme was launched in December 2018, with nearly £20,000 up for grabs for each provider to train up to five “experienced industry professionals” in a level 5 diploma in education and training.

Several providers have been successful in both rounds of the programme, including Bridgwater and Taunton College, Calderdale College, Lakes College, Oldham College and St Helens Chamber.

TTF was designed in partnership with the Association of Colleges and the Education and Training Foundation.

The foundation’s chief executive David Russell said there was a “vital need” to bring industry talent into the sector to pass expertise and experience on to learners, teachers and trainers.

In his review of post-18 education, Dr Philip Augar wrote the most important barrier to improving the college workforce is “simply a lack of money”, as FE is directly competing with schools, universities and businesses which can offer more “attractive” rates of pay to experienced industry professionals.

According to the Augar Review, full-time FE teaching professionals in the UK earn, on average, around £2,500 less than secondary school teachers, and approximately £13,000 less than higher education lecturers.

The report, which was launched by Prime Minister Theresa May and Education Secretary Damian Hinds yesterday, recommended prioritising investment in the FE workforce so it can draw in more expertise from industry.

The recommendation came after the government scrapped FE teacher bursaries for subject knowledge enhancement funding and initial teacher education in February of this year, as it moved over to investing in programmes such as TTF.

A DfE spokesperson said they are evaluating the programme before any third round.

FE providers to host TTF teachers:

Activate Learning

Ada, the National College for Digital Skills

Boston College

Bridgwater & Taunton College

Bromley College of Further and Higher Education (trading name London South East Colleges)

Bury College

Calderdale College of Further Education

Cambridge Regional College

Chelmsford College

Chichester College Group

City of Wolverhampton College

Derby College

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College

East Sussex College

Furness College

Grantham College

Harlow College

Havant and South Downs College

Huddersfield Textile Training Ltd

Lakes College

Leeds City College

Lincoln College

Myerscough College

New City College

Newham College London

North Hertfordshire College

Oldham College

PTP Training Ltd (Performance Through People)

RNN Group

South Devon College

South Essex College

Sparsholt College Hampshire

St Helens Chamber

Stockton Riverside College Group

Sunderland College

The College of West Anglia

The Cornwall College Group

The Isle of Wight College

The National College for High Speed Rail

The Trafford College Group

Wakefield College

Waltham Forest College

Weston College of Further and Higher Education

Wigan and Leigh College

Windsor Forest Colleges Group

 

FE providers to run innovative projects:

Activate Learning

Chesterfield College

Chichester College

City College Norwich

Derby College

East Kent College

Evolve your Future

Farnborough College

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network

Havant and South Downs College

Lakes College

Leeds City College

Lincoln College

Myerscough College

North Hertfordshire College

South Devon College

The Cornwall College Group

The Isle of Wight College

The Lancashire College Group

The Sussex Council of Training Providers

Windsor Forest Colleges Group