How the IfA assigns apprenticeship funding bands

There’s plenty going on at the Institute for Apprenticeships at the moment, and its boss Sir Gerry Berragan is using the first instalment of his exclusive new column for FE Week to tell you all about it over the coming months

The Institute is a “crown non-departmental public body”, putting employers at the heart of decision-making processes, to improve the quality of apprenticeship standards in England.

We do that through our work to approve new apprenticeship standards and assessment plans, and by making recommendations to the Department for Education on the appropriate level of funding high-quality delivery and value for money.

We’re just over a year old and have achieved a lot; there are now 276 standards approved for delivery across 15 occupational routes. A further 268 standards are currently in development. We’ve worked with over 2,500 businesses of all sizes to develop apprenticeship standards that are rigorous, future-proofed and meet the needs of employers and apprentices alike.

We’ve built up a network of over 100 industry leaders across 15 sectors to make up our route panels – ensuring each approved standard meets robust industry requirements.

On the funding side, there is a lot of change at present. In February, we made improvements to our funding band recommendation process to make it swifter as a result of employer feedback.

Alongside this, the DfE reviewed the existing 15 funding bands between £1,500 and £27,000, and will be replaced them with a 30-band structure within the same range from August. We will also review the funding bands of 31 standards that are already approved for delivery using our new funding approach.

With all of these changes going on, it’s really important that we communicate effectively. To that end, we held three webinars in May for trailblazer groups to explain the new funding process.

We received a lot of interest and more than 100 people joined the sessions, representing sectors including finance, healthcare, travel, emergency services, catering, energy and technology.

Initial feedback has been positive and we hope viewers gained a better insight into the new funding process, and the role of the Institute and DfE in making funding decisions. During the sessions we gave trailblazers the opportunity to ask us questions, and there are some common themes around the initial funding band and final banding.

What are the main changes?

Funding will still be a two-step process: an initial funding band will be generated alongside the approval of the proposal, and then we’ll make a final funding band recommendation alongside the approval of the assessment plan

How is the initial band assigned?
We make an initial funding band allocation when we agree an occupation proposal for development.

We do this using a calculation based on:
An estimate of the amount of training needed to complete the apprenticeship standard (based on the length of the standard and the requirement that 20 per cent of an apprentice’s time is spent on off-the-job training). The sector subject area of the training . An allowance for end-point assessment

What should I do if I think my initial band is wrong?
If you think your initial funding band allocation is wrong, you can submit funding evidence alongside your end-point assessment plan to inform our final funding band recommendation.

How are final funding bands assigned?
In making our final funding band recommendation we consider a range of factors in addition to the initial funding band. We will consider: The evidence submitted on your funding form, taking into account only those costs which are eligible for public funding according to the existing funding rules.

The cost and funding bands of any equivalent apprenticeship frameworks.The level and nature of the training or end-point assessment, and consistency across similar types of apprenticeship standards. Affordability within the wider apprenticeship programme, and other factors in the Institute’s strategic guidance.

The initial funding band allocated to the apprenticeship standard at the occupation proposal stage. The expertise of our route panels. For more information about the Institute, please visit our website.

Sir Gerry Berragan, Chief executive, the Institute of Apprenticeships

Monthly update: apprenticeship starts down 52 per cent in March

Apprenticeship starts for March are down 52 per cent compared with the same period in 2017.

There have been 23,900 starts recorded so far in March 2018, compared with 50,000 in March 2017 according to the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s monthly apprenticeship statistics update, published this morning.

Overall starts for the year to date stand at 261,200, compared with 362,400 for the same period in 2016/17 – a fall of 28 per cent. 

That means the government is now 230,300 or 17 per cent off the 3m trajectory.

Today’s figures come the day after the government went on the defensive over the apprenticeship levy.

An open letter signed by skills minister Anne Milton, Institute for Apprenticeships boss Sir Gerry Berragan and dozens of senior figures from business schools, businesses and other organisations urged the sector to “support employers in making use of the levy”.

“We believe that the apprenticeship levy gives employers a real opportunity to invest in training, bringing the well-recognised enthusiasm and new ideas of apprentices to their business,” the letter said.

Other signatories to the letter include Euan Blair, the son of former prime minister Tony Blair and co-founder of apprenticeship agency WhiteHat, and leaders from businesses including Airbus, Barclays, Siemens and Aston Martin.

Mark Dawe, boss of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said he understood why the skills minister had gone on the defensive – and that the AELP also “strongly supports” the levy.

“But we hope that when she addresses the AELP conference in a few days’ time, she will signal a suspension of charging SMEs for apprenticeships for 16-24 year olds at levels two and three,” he said. 

“With the government showing no intention of abandoning its 3 million target, start numbers are now so far behind the curve, action has to be take now to reverse the falls. 

“They are damaging to productivity, social mobility and the labour market response to Brexit.”

Gordon Marsden, shadow skills minister, said the figures were “further damning evidence of the deep concerns” from many across the sector.

“Government must get a grip on the starts fiasco and the concerns about the levy rapidly. Otherwise they will jeopardise the huge life chances apprenticeships offer young people and also the long term prosperity of our economy,” he said.

“The government will claim quality is rising, but we think it’s far too early to say that. Critics will say the levy isn’t working, but we’re clear it was the right move,” said Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute.

“Changes are needed to make apprenticeships work better. But this should be about reforming the current system, not ripping it up,” he said. 

According to the commentary that went alongside today’s figures, “care should be taken when comparing individual months with previous years as they are unlikely to provide a meaningful year on year trend” as the “profile of apprenticeship starts changed significantly in the run up to the introduction of the levy and beyond”.

“This is especially the case when trying to compare starts in March 2018 to starts in March 2017, as there was an unusually large increase in starts in March (and April) 2017 ahead of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, and then an unusually large decrease in starts in May 2017 when compared to previous years,” it said.

 

 

Provider bites back at ‘factually inaccurate’ Ofsted monitoring report

An apprenticeship provider has hit out at how Ofsted conducted an early monitoring visit, and said the ensuing report is based on “factual inaccuracies” and “questionable judgements”.

Watertrain Limited, a private provider in Warrington which has delivered apprenticeships as a subcontractor for 10 years, has been making “insufficient progress” in two of the three headline fields the inspectorate is investigating at “new” apprenticeship providers.

But the company claims inspectors had made up their mind within the first morning and then looked for issues to support that position.

Watertrain’s owner, Neil Davies, told FE Week that he had appealed the grade and wording of the first draft. There have since been two more versions, and “factual inaccuracies” have been introduced each time.

He is now filing a formal complaint. While Ofsted did not deny his claims, a spokesperson said the inspectorate had “not received a complaint”.

She insisted that all inspection reports go through “robust quality-assurance checks before they are published”. These are “carried out by inspectors who were not involved with the inspection itself”.

The ramifications of a bad report can be severe. If inspectors turn in an ‘insufficient progress’ verdict, a provider could be taken off the ESFA’s register of apprenticeship training providers.

Watertrain teaches nearly 200 learners for a large water company funded through the apprenticeship levy. More than three quarters are on water process technician standards and the rest are enrolled on apprenticeship frameworks for the water industry.

Mr Davies said Ofsted’s lead inspector had “no understanding” of the new standard, and the team “arrived to undertake the inspection with predetermined views as to the appropriate use of apprenticeships and an employer’s use of the levy”.

As a result, they “failed to recognise the key importance of the new standard in the highly regulated water sector that is employer led as part of the government’s strategy and agenda”.

He is particularly aggrieved at Ofsted’s “refusal” to revisit its judgment despite “having evidenced that they were based on numerous factual inaccuracies”.

The final report states that “for too many employees, the employer is using the apprenticeship programme to enable employees to gain qualifications in existing skills and knowledge”, for example. Mr Davies said there are no such qualifications in the standard.

He was “appalled” to be told that Watertrain’s historical pedigree was “irrelevant” to the visit. This includes average sector completion rates of over 82 per cent in each of the last ten years.

In one employer visited, 86 per cent of learners rated their training as “good or excellent” in feedback forms that were available but ignored by Ofsted, according to the owner.

He believes that Ofsted has no “scoring criteria” behind its three themes, “so it is entirely down to the lead inspectors’ own interpretation”.

There was also “no effort to understand our delivery model” with judgments made “after a very short observation on the first morning from a two day scheduled delivery session”.

Mr Davies is complaining further as the report could cause “huge damage to reputation and potentially to the very business itself”.

Watertrain was found to be making “reasonable progress” in its safeguarding procedures.

The Ofsted spokesperson said all inspectors have “relevant expertise in the sector they inspect and they receive regular training to make sure they are up to date with any new schemes that have been introduced”.

Merger partner found for FE college incorporated just four years ago

An FE college incorporated in 2014 has found a merger partner, after the FE commissioner decreed it would no longer be sustainable as a standalone institution.

Prospects College of Advanced Technology plans to join forces with South Essex College of Further and Higher Education.

It only converted from an independent training provider to college status four years ago, becoming the first college to be instituted in 20 years.

Its brand will be “retained” with further investment going towards developing its headquarters in Basildon, Essex, as the “combined group seeks to establish itself as a leading specialist technical, engineering and construction training provider”.

In an FE commissioner report published last month, Richard Atkins revealed the extent of PROCAT’s troubled finances.

Matters were so bad that he warned it was “extremely unlikely to be able to deal with its financial challenges alone” and recommended the college merge by the end of 2018.

PROCAT’s chair, David Sherlock, described the new partnership as an “exciting merger” to mark its “next step in our progress since changing from a private training provider”.

“Our dream has been to create a technical university for Basildon,” he said. “To do that we need larger scale as well as excellence. We are confident that this merger will provide that, establishing a powerhouse of technical creativity for the thriving Thames Gateway.”

The merger process in itself still has a number of stages to complete, before seeking the approval of the education secretary later this year. The merger will formally start in the new year.

“Our decision to merge with PROCAT has been underpinned by our shared commitment in providing technical training opportunities up to degree level in Basildon to meet the skills needs in the Thames Estuary and beyond,” said SEC principal Angela O’Donoghue.

“These are truly exciting times for all within this region and beyond and we look forward to working with PROCAT, to achieve our joint vision.”

The commissioner’s report noted a “very small” turnover of £9 million, around three times less than the average for FE colleges in England, and said it was “difficult to envisage the college, at this size, being able to invest in sufficient high-quality people”.

It was issued a financial notice to improve in February after being assessed to have “inadequate financial health by ESFA following a review of the college’s latest outturn figures for 2016/17 and the revised budget for 2017/18 and associated information”.

PROCAT, which is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, has around 2,000 learners and South Essex, also rated ‘good’, has over 11,500.

Open letter sees government on defensive before apprenticeship figures announced

The government is on the defensive one day before the latest apprenticeship figures appear, expected to show a continued year-on-year drop.

An open letter signed by skills minister Anne Milton, Institute for Apprenticeships boss Sir Gerry Berragan (pictured above) and dozens of senior figures from business schools, businesses and other organisations wants the sector to “support employers in making use of the levy”.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said the letter had been intended as a defence of the apprenticeship levy following recent criticism, including from the Confederation of British Industry and the manufacturers’ organisation EEF.

“We believe that the apprenticeship levy gives employers a real opportunity to invest in training, bringing the well-recognised enthusiasm and new ideas of apprentices to their business,” the letter said.

University should not be “viewed as the only route to a successful career”.

“That’s why we should support employers in making use of the levy, and in providing opportunities for people to learn, earn, and get on in life,” it concluded.

Other signatories to the letter include Euan Blair, the son of former prime minister Tony Blair and co-founder of apprenticeship agency WhiteHat, and leaders from businesses including Airbus, Barclays, Siemens and Aston Martin.

Two college leaders have also added their names: Dawn Ward, the principal of Burton and South Derbyshire College, and Garry Phillips, boss of West London College.

The levy was introduced in May 2017, set at 0.5 per cent of an employer’s payroll, and payable only by those with an annual payroll of more than £3 million.

Since its introduction starts have plummeted.

Final statistics for 2016/17 showed that starts in May were down a massive 65 per cent on the same period the year before.

This downward trend has continued into 2017/18, with provisional figures for the first seven months of the year showing a 25-per-cent drop on the period in 2016/17.

February saw the biggest year-on-year drop in six months, with starts down 40 per cent from February 2017.

The CBI said that this fall in starts is evidence that “the levy in its current form isn’t fit for purpose”.

Speaking at FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference in March, its deputy director-general Josh Hardie demanded urgent reform to the levy to make it work for businesses – including greater flexibility over how they can spend their cash.

“The levy’s design faults are serious, but not insurmountable,” he said.

And a report by the manufacturers’ organisation EEF, published in April, revealed that just five per cent of employers in the sector wanted to keep the levy as it is.

The report, called ‘A levy price to pay? The apprenticeship levy one year on’, found there were “instances where manufacturers were prepared to increase the number of apprenticeships they offered, but instead have either not done so, or had to delay or cancel those apprenticeships specifically because of the apprenticeship levy”.

It urged the government to make a number of changes, including extending the time limit for employers to use their funds from two years to four years.

 

Leading charity sector figure to lead London’s largest college group

A leading figure from the charity sector will take the reins at London’s largest college group.

Roy O’Shaughnessy, who is currently chief executive officer of the Shaw Trust, will start his new role at the Capital City College Group next term. 

Outgoing boss Andy Wilson is retiring, but will stay on for the time being “to facilitate a smooth handover”.

The Shaw Trust is a national charity that helps transform the lives of young people and adults.

Shaw Trust provides specialist services to help young people and adults gain an education, enter work, develop their career, improve their wellbeing or rebuild their lives. He has been The Shaw Trust’s CEO for the past six years, helping the charity to grow and diversify into a £250 million organisation with over 3,500 staff.

I am excited to be joining one of the UK’s largest college groups and look forward to meeting staff

“I am excited to be joining one of the UK’s largest college groups and look forward to meeting staff across the Group and its colleges,” Mr O’Shaughnessy, who is aged 62, said.

“I am sad to be leaving  Shaw Trust after a decade, but pleased that I leave it in great shape and on track to achieve its ambition of helping transform the lives of one million young people and adults each year by 2022.”

Alastair Da Costa, Chair of the Capital City College Group spoke of his delight at the announcement.

“Roy was the outstanding candidate during our extensive selection process,” he said.

“He has great leadership presence, is values-driven and has an ambitious and visionary sense” of how CCCG should develop its ambition.”

“It is an exciting time for CCCG, its staff, students and many stakeholders.

“I would like to thank our current CEO, Andy Wilson, for his role in leading the Group through its first two years.”

The Capital City College Group formed in August 2016 when City and Islington College merged with Westminster Kingsway College, rated grade one and two respectively. It also includes Capital City College Training, which was launched by CCCG earlier this year and provides around 100 apprenticeship programmes to organisations located in London.

The group has expanded again today, merging with the grade two-rated College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.

Mr Wilson said he was “tremendously proud” of all the CCCG senior team, staff and governors and looks “forward to passing it in to such capable hands when Roy takes over the CEO role in September”.

Festival of Learning winners 2018 winners announced

The Learning and Work Institute has announced the 35 award winners and highly commended nominees for the 2018 Festival of Learning.

The winners and nominees have been selected in a wide variety of categories recognising, among other things, social impact, learning for health, tutors, employers and innovative projects.

The awards were handed out at a special ceremony in central London today.

They include the ‘employer award’, which went to McVitie’s, which in partnership with the College of North West London was praised for “using its apprenticeship levy to deliver advanced team member training at its Harlesden factory – the largest biscuit factory in Europe”.

The programme is open to employees who work on the biscuit production lines, who can “access higher-level engineering than would be the case in their everyday jobs”. Many from the first cohort “have gone on to take promoted posts or additional responsibilities”.

The prestigious ‘learning and work award’ went to Tracey Everitt.

The judges recognised how she had left school “without any qualifications and her confidence was low”, but she didn’t lose sight of her goal was to become a registered childminder, and signed up for courses including basic food hygiene and introduction to working in care at Islington council’s adult and community learning service.

Tracey is now running her own Ofsted-approved childminding business and has “inspired her sister and daughter to start their own learning journeys”.

“I’ve got more confidence, I’m active and focused, and I’m offering a professional service to local families. I love my job of providing good-quality care,” she said.

Derwentside College learner Casey Bougourd took home the ‘young adult learner award’ after breaking down gender barriers in her drive to embark on a career in construction.

“I’ve achieved my goal of gaining an apprenticeship, as well as making a little history and creating a path for other women to follow,” she said.

Other award-winners included University of Suffolk student Terrie Cornwell-Dunnett [pictured above left], who received this year’s ‘patron’s award’.

The award is given each year to someone who has made a particularly special commitment to learning, chosen by LWI patron Princess Anne from a shortlist of award nominees.

Ms Cornwell-Dunnett is currently studying a degree in special educational needs and disability studies, but began her learning journey with a BTEC diploma in social care at college.

“She is a remarkable young woman who has used learning to not only successfully change her and her family’s lives, but also to improve the lives of people like her with physical disabilities,” the Princess said.

Coventry Adult Education Service learner Frank McCann [pictured above right] was presented with the ‘learning for health award’ for his drive to relearn skills he’d lost in the wake of a severe brain injury and heart attack.

“My learning has made a huge difference to my life skills and continues to do so,” he said.

In addition to the 13 award-winners, a further 22 individuals, tutors, employers and projects were highly commended.

These included Chesterfield College learner Joyce Abumujor [pictured above middle], who was highly commended for the ‘outstanding individual award’.

“The Festival of Learning is all about inspirational people who show that anyone can benefit from learning. Lifelong learning is vital for all of us as jobs and society change around us,” said Stephen Evans, LWI’s chief executive.

“We encourage everyone to give learning a try, and there’s hundreds of free activities to pick from during June on our ‘have-a-go month’ calendar. Learning can help us at work and at home, and to build a fair and inclusive society.”

See below for a full list of the winners:

Photo caption: [l-r] Terrie Cornwell-Dunnett, Joyce Abumujor and Frank McCann

Rye Studio School to close over low pupil numbers

The Rye Studio School in East Sussex will close this summer after it failed to recruit even half of the pupils it needed.

It is the 24th studio school – 14-to-19 institutions with a vocational curriculum – to close or announce plans to close since the inception of the project.

According to trustees, the school has never managed to recruit more than 50 per cent of the pupils it needed, which affected its finances.

It opened in 2013 and had hoped to take on 300 pupils, but faced the kind of recruitment problems common among studio schools, many of which have struggled to persuade pupils to move at the age of 14. In light of its problems, it did not recruit any new pupils last September or for September 2018.

Trustees initially drew up plans to convert to a sixth form, but decided the move was “not financially viable”.

“It is with great regret that the school finds itself in this position,” said headteacher Barry Blakelock. “Despite all the efforts of trustees and dedicated staff, who have all done an excellent job, the school has never been fully utilised.”

“We have agreed, in principle, to the closure of Rye Studio School following a request from Rye Academy Trust,” said a Department for Education spokesperson. “A number of options have been explored but ministers have decided that the school, which has not admitted any new pupils for September 2017 or 2018, should close by the end of August 2018.”

The school, which as a result of its recruitment freeze last year now has only year 11 and year 13 pupils on roll, has arranged for careers support for current year 11 pupils looking for a new school.

Staff will be consulted on “redeployment or redundancy”, and a “listening period” for parents, staff and “interested persons” will run until July 5.

The announcement regarding Rye Studio School will come as the latest disappointment to those who have been trying to push post-14 as an alternative recruitment age from traditional 11 or 16, led by Lord Baker who is also a firm advocate of stuggling  UTCs.

‘Outstanding’ Ofsted result for Redbridge Institute of Adult Education

A local authority provider has been rated outstanding by Ofsted for the first time since 2015.

Redbridge Institute of Adult Education has received top marks in all headline fields.

The report was full of praise for the organisation, which teaches at a main adult education campus in Gants Hill and 47 other community settings in the east London borough of Redbridge.

“Teachers have extremely high expectations of their learners, their enthusiasm to pass on their knowledge to learners is infectious and lessons are fun,” inspectors said.

Leaders and managers have a “clear and accurate understanding of the quality of provision”. They have “successfully raised standards and addressed the significant majority of weaknesses identified at the previous inspection”.

Teachers promote English and maths skills “particularly well”, learners acquire “high-level” of self-evaluation and critical thinking, and “learn how to take responsibility for their own development”.

According to Ofsted statistics, there are 136 local authority providers and just three have grade one ratings: Oldham metropolitan borough council, Wolverhampton adult education service and Kirklees council adult and community learning.

Oldham was most recently inspected, retaining its grade one at an inspection in November 2015.

The quality of learning support for learners at Redbridge Institute who need extra help and support is “excellent”.

“Teachers accurately identify the starting points of learners, both on accredited and community learning courses,” inspectors added. “They provide frequent and valuable verbal and written feedback to learners.”

The vast majority of learners’ work was also “of a high standard” and “learners take pride in maintaining well organised folders”.

Inspectors were impressed with how learners on craft-related community courses “develop good higher-level technical skills”. For example, “learners on a jewellery course became adept at using riveting and chainmail techniques”.

The proportion of learners who complete and achieve their qualifications has been high for several years.

The institute provides community learning from entry level to level four for learners drawn predominantly from Redbridge. It taught over 2,400 learners last year, and most study at up to level two.

“This result really puts Redbridge on the map and recognises the commitment, support and expertise of all our staff who provide the innovative and inclusive provision which enables our very diverse range of learners to thrive and succeed,” said Joni Cunningham, the principal.

“I am very proud of both the learners’ achievement and what they will go on to contribute to their communities, as well as the commitment and professionalism which our staff have always shown in supporting them.”

“The governing body has always been dedicated to the success of our learners who benefit from the outstanding learning opportunities and support we provide. This is an exciting outcome with new opportunities for the future,” added Margaret Partridge, the chair of governors.

Dr Sue Pember, who leads adult and community learning providers and their representative body, HOLEX, was also delighted.

“Our members are very pleased and excited that an adult community learning provider has been recognised by Ofsted as outstanding overall, and in all areas and with no areas needing to be developed,” she said.

“The work Redbridge Institute does is inspirational, and this can be seen throughout the report and we are pleased that it was recognised that teachers support learners to develop their confidence, pride in their work and motivation to learn, as well as a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing.”