Colleges must meet Gatsby career benchmarks or lose money

Colleges have been warned that they could be stripped of funding if they do not comply with the government’s new careers guidelines.

Updated guidance was published this afternoon by the Department for Education following the unveiling of the long-overdue careers strategy in December, which said colleges need to meet eight “Gatsby Benchmarks”.

It states that colleges are expected to begin to work towards these standards, which have been designed over the past three years to ensure they succeed in a post-16 setting, now and meet them by the end of 2020.

The guidance then warns that colleges risk losing their grant funding if the demands are not met in that timescale.

“Colleges are expected to comply with this guidance and this forms part of the conditions of grant funding,” it said.

“In the event of non-compliance it is open to the ESFA to take action in accordance with the provisions of its grant agreement.”

The careers strategy includes £4 million to support every school and college to have a careers leader, and a further £5 million funding to develop 20 careers hubs.

One of the benchmarks is called “encounters with employers and employees”. The DfE said it expects every college to begin to offer every learner at least two “meaningful encounters” with an employer each year and should meet this in full by the end of 2020.

This could, for example, involve students attending careers events, participating in CV workshops and mock interviews, mentoring, employer-delivered employability workshops, or business games and enterprise competitions.

At least one of these “encounters” should be related to learners’ fields of study.

From September 2018, every college should appoint a named person to the role of “careers leader” to lead the programme. Every college should also publish the careers programme on its website.

The DfE said it “recognises” that the work needed to meet all eight Benchmarks will vary for each college, but in any case they should be met by the end of 2020.

An online self-evaluation tool, Compass, will be available in September 2018 for colleges to “assess” how their careers support compares against the Gatsby Benchmarks and the national average.

The Careers and Enterprise Company has also said it will provide external support to colleges.

The eight benchmarks are:

  1. A stable careers programme
  2. Learning from career and labour market information
  3. Addressing the needs of each student
  4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
  5. Encounters with employers and employees
  6. Experiences of workplaces
  7. Encounters with further and higher education
  8. Personal guidance

Invest in Ofsted to guarantee apprenticeship quality

This week the number of providers and employers able to directly tap into an annual £2.5 billion apprenticeship pot exceeded 2,000.

Everyone and anyone is being given a piece of the funding action, from Cambridge University, to Greggs, to one-man-band sole traders.

Regulating the quality of training in this proliferation of actors will be mission impossible for Ofsted.

But however hard monitoring and reporting on the apprenticeship delivery taking place across England is going to be, there needs to be a solid plan with substantial and additional resource.

Against a backdrop of public funding cuts, it is still vital that the Department for Education invests substantially in the inspectorate.

Failure to do so will be to fail to protect the apprenticeship brand along with any of the apprentices participating.

T-level occupational maps must be flexible

Unless there’s the space for young people to transfer the skills they learn onto another route, we risk locking them into careers they no longer want to follow, writes Julie Hyde

With just under a week to go until the Institute for Apprenticeships closes its consultation on the occupational maps for the new T-levels, there are many problems that need to be addressed.

Some are basic errors and easy to fix, but others are larger structural problems requiring thought, which I hope organisations across the sector will highlight in their responses, and decision-makers will recognise.

The maps set out the skilled occupations in the 15 new vocational education routes. Each map has pathways for possible career progression, and clusters that group together occupations with similar training requirements: shared skills, knowledge or behaviours. The core content of T-levels will be based on the chosen route and pathway, with more specialised content based on the specific occupation.

These maps will form the basis for a “coherent curriculum” and are designed to offer clear and credible routes into employment. However, as they stand, they demonstrate a lack of understanding of the occupations they cover, and the realities for young people making decisions about future careers.

How many of us are in exactly the job that we thought we would end up in at 16?

It is vital that the new qualifications have flexibility built in, and are portable. This is particularly evident in our specialist areas: education and childcare, and health and social care. In the current system, many learners start down one of these routes and end up choosing a career in another. Crucially, they can do so without having to start from scratch.

The routes do not divide as neatly in practice as they will in the new system. Occupations in these sectors require many of the same skills and attract similar personalities and learners, who know they want to work in a caring profession, but may not know exactly where their strengths and interests lie.

If the qualifications are not portable from day one, we risk closing options off – and choices made at 16 could limit career options long term. We are in danger of oversimplifying the system and forcing learners to specialise too early on.

This is unlikely to be a recipe for success. How many of us are in exactly the job that we thought we would end up in at 16? Can we really expect a 16-year-old who has an interest in working in the care sector to know confidently that they want to work with adults in a social care setting until they have experienced the work first-hand?

We know that many of our learners currently move freely between childcare, education, health, and adult social care, as their interests and priorities change.

This is important to ensure that they find a career that suits them and gives them job satisfaction – which in turn is vital to delivering the skilled, motivated workforce that these sectors require.

Under the current proposals, the social care route would be apprenticeship only, arguably a mistake.

Many of the qualifications that learners currently take to pursue occupations within the route are delivered successfully in classroom settings and there is no reason that a credible T-level route cannot be created – either as a distinct path or within the health and science route. After all, integrating health and social care is also a government priority, and the workforce is crucial to delivering this shift and will need transferable skills to make it work.

This would also allow learners to choose the mode of learning that suits them best, ensuring that they have a better chance of completing the qualification and succeeding.

If the new system does not work for learners in practice, it will ultimately fail to deliver for employers. It is vital that decision-makers ensure that learners’ needs and experiences are taken into account. We need the system to be flexible enough to allow young people to find the right path, otherwise some will fall through the cracks, and the government’s ambition to create world-class vocational education will flounder.

Julie Hyde is associate director of CACHE

Aspiring makeup artists get experience on new TV comedy series

Two aspiring makeup artists have had work experience on a new comedy series starring Jonny Vegas, Mackenzie Crook and Emma Thompson.

Middlebrough College makeup artistry students Aimie Carr, 19, and Emma Dodds (pictured), 17, spent several days working on the set of the new production, which has not yet been revealed to the public, honing the skills acquired on their level three advanced technical diploma.

The pair also experienced the challenges of makeup continuity and a demanding filming schedule.

Following their placement, Benidorm star Johnny Vegas has requested their skills for another shoot taking place in the north-east.

“It’s very easy for students to get star struck in situations like this, particularly as the crew work, eat lunch and relax with the cast,” said Heather Ferguson, the college’s hair and media makeup course leader who organised the placement. “This didn’t phase Aimie and Emma, and they showed total professionalism at all times.”

Emma added: “It was a fantastic experience to be able to work on a real production, and it’s confirmed to me that a career in media makeup is exciting and rewarding.”

Ghanaian ministers visit UK college to learn about vocational education

Delegates from the Ghanaian Ministry of Education and National Teaching Council visited New City College’s Hackney campus to learn more about vocational education.

The visit was organised by the British Council to aid the Ghanaian government in their drive to develop technical and vocational education in the country.

As part of the trip, the guests toured the campus, observed carpentry and hospitality training sessions, and took part in a round table with college managers, where they discussed how staff were recruited and trained, and the benefit of vocational training to students.

“We were delighted to welcome our visitors to the campus, and to share our experiences with the key people who will be able to impact the development of skills training and education in Ghana,” said Richard Surtees, New City College’s director of international.

“We were impressed with what we have seen and hope that through this visit we can improve technical and vocational educational training in Ghana,” added
Enoch Cobbinah, the director of Ghana’s Ministry of Education.

Former battery hens wear jumpers knitted by learners

Bald hens at Reaseheath College are keeping warm with jumpers knitted for them by learners.

The 12 former battery hens had never been outside before and had poor feathering as a result, so animal behaviour students pulled together to knit the woolly outfits to keep them warm in the cold weather.

Free-range fashion

Since joining the college, the hens have already started to grow new feathers, and students are closely monitoring their progress and behaviour as they transition to free-range hens at the college’s onsite zoo.

The hens are just over a year old, and were adopted by the college from the British Hen Welfare Trust, a rehoming charity for commercial laying hens destined for slaughter.

“The hens responded very quickly by showing natural behaviour such as perching and scratching the ground, and will hopefully go on to enjoy long and happy lives with us,” said Lauren Lane, head keeper at the college.

“It looks like they’re being thoroughly spoilt which is the kind of life we want for all our ex-battery hens,” added Francesca Taffs, communications officer for the British Hen Welfare Trust. “While the jumpers are not something we would generally recommend for rehomer use, it’s clear these little ladies are being monitored and cared for closely.”

WATCH: The Reaseheath College hens get their jumpers fitted

National College for Motorsport receives national recognition

The National College for Motorsport (NC4M) has been recognised for its services to the motorsport industry, reports Samantha King.

The college, which was established in 2003, was presented the MIA Service to Industry Award at the Motorsport Industry Association’s Business Excellence Awards in January, attended by representatives from across the motor industry, including people from Bentley, British Aerospace and Porsche.

Students get to work on Lewis Hamilton’s car

Categories at the awards included the ‘teamwork award’, ‘technology and innovation award’ and ‘business of the year with annual sales over £5 million award’. Winners in each category were voted for by industry professionals and MIA members.

The NC4M was up against Ginetta, a specialist builder of racing and sports cars, the service charity Mission Motorsport and the Warwick Manufacturing Group in the ‘service to the industry’ category, and was the only educational establishment to receive an award at the event.

The college won for its performance in training, guiding young people into apprenticeships as race mechanics, and its “dedication to the future of motorsport”, a spokesperson for MIA said.

“The MIA represents all aspects of the industry at the highest level so it is especially nice for them to recognise our work,” said Chris Weller, a motorsport apprenticeship assessor at NC4M, who accepted the award on behalf of the college. “The majority of our students go onto to work within the industry, some working in Formula One and in teams based all over the world.

“We provide specialist training and the feedback we receive from the industry is that we get it right – they want to employ our students.”

Based at the Silverstone Circuit, the college is part of Tresham College and the Bedford College Group, and was the first college in the UK to achieve the Motorsport Academy employer recognition scheme charter mark for training race mechanics.

Jungle-themed murals displayed in hospital’s radiography department

New animal murals now festoon the walls of a hospital’s radiography department to help cheer up children who have to go in for X-rays.

Painted by Barnet and Southgate College’s level three art and design students, the two large murals depicting colourful jungle scenes are on display at Barnet Hospital, and formed part of a work experience module to come up with a creative distraction for patients.

Aoife Drummond (and panda)

The paintings took two weeks to complete, and pupils from nearby Brunswick Park Primary School raised £250 through cake sales and a school tuck shop to pay for paints and other materials.

“It has been a great experience working on the mural,” said 18-year-old student Aoife Drummond, who painted the panda in the mural. “It’s lovely to hear the positive comments from staff and the school children.”

“We are very grateful for their huge commitment,” added Dr Steve Shaw, chief executive of Barnet Hospital. “It will make the experience at hospital a hundred times better for the children who will need to come here for their X-rays.”

Movers and Shakers: Edition 233

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

Louise Harris, Managing director, Alder Training

Start date: December 2017
Previous job: Operations director, Your Housing Group
Interesting fact: Louise is an identical twin, which she says can come in handy at times. She won’t reveal why.

____________________________________________

Alison Munro, Chair, the National College for High Speed Rail

Start date: November 2017
Previous job: Advisor to HS2 and non-executive director, Ofwat (ongoing)
Interesting fact: Alison previously led the strategy and implementation plans for a £6 billion programme for advanced management of motorways, working for the Department for Transport.

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Altaf Hussain, Principal, Luton Sixth Form College

Start date: September 2018
Previous job: Vice-principal for students and quality, Luton Sixth Form College
Interesting fact: One of Altaf’s earliest childhood memories is washing his Action Man and hanging him out to dry on the washing line. He can still vividly see him clinging on for dear life as the wind blew.

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Fay Gibbin, CEO, BB Training Academy

Start date: January 2018
Previous job: Training manager, BB Training Academy
Interesting fact: As a new year’s resolution, Fay began learning to ski, and hopes by next year she’ll be able to keep up with her children on the slopes.

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Seb Schmoller, Chair of governors, the Sheffield College

Start date: January 2018
Previous job: Chief executive, Association for Learning Technology
Interesting fact: Seb is an avid Nordic ski-tourer and cyclist, previously winning a Brompton world championship team event in 2010.

 

If you want to let us know of any new faces at the top of your college, training provider or awarding organisation please let us know by emailing news@feweek.co.uk