A hairdressing student left paralysed by a motorcycle accident is fundraising for a standing wheelchair to help him train.
Mitchell Chalmers, a first-year student at Bath College, needs to raise £4,900 for the chair, which would give him the extra height and support to lift and cut hair more easily.
Chalmers was 22 when he came off his bike at a motorcross racing event three years ago, suffering severe spinal injuries that left him paralysed from the stomach down.
The accident inspired him to pursue his dream job as a hairdresser, enrolling on the college’s hairdressing course this year.
“One of the biggest struggles is funding equipment to help me do the things I was able to do before. I don’t think there’s enough help out there,” he said.
“It’s been hard to find a job since my accident, but I think I’m young enough to try something new and being in a wheelchair won’t stop me.”
Mr Chalmers has already raised half of his target, and his fellow students are planning a rowing machine fundraising challenge at the college to help him achieve his goal.
Blackburn College has become the first FE institution in the country to offer a forest school enrichment programme endorsed by the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education, reports Samantha King.
Introduced three years ago, the college’s forest school programme gets level three childhood studies students to take schoolchildren on weekly trips to woodlands and forests, and run enrichment activities like building mud pies, bushcraft and making hot chocolate.
The programme has now been endorsed by CACHE, an awarding body for the care and education sector which is part of the NCFE, after childhood studies lecturer Sue Croasdale submitted evidence of the programme’s positive impact on her students’ learning and wellbeing.
“We have a lot of students that come to us with mental health issues such as anxiety, and the difference in their mental health and wellbeing has been fantastic,” she said.
“We do about three hours in total in a forest school session to give the pupils time to run around and let off steam, and then we have quiet time and a story. We cover all aspects of pupils’ development. It’s very holistic and very sensory.”
The idea of forest schools originated in Denmark in the 1950s, and is studied by the college students as part of a module on international perspectives on education. The programme offers them first-hand experience of implementing the approach in a real-life setting, with real pupils.
“We’ve assigned two children to each student, and they then carry out observations on them. We use a psychological wellbeing scale and the students tick boxes to identify if the children are participating, how they’re communicating and what their social skills are like. It gives us a measure of whether forest school is making a difference to those children’s lives,” Ms Croasdale explained.
“I do have students that don’t like getting muddy or wet, but even they can see the value it has for the children.”
The programme will count towards the students’ work experience quota – which is a total of 750 hours – as well as getting them out of the classroom and learning key skills in a different, more natural environment.
There are plans to roll out the forest school approach with the college’s health and social care students, who will take care home residents and dementia sufferers into the outdoors to take part in gardening and even open-fire cooking.
Start date: December 2017 Previous job: Chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency Interesting fact: He has just started a BTEC course in photography.
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Debra Stuart, Chair, the Training Room
Start date: September 2017 Previous job: CEO of Premier Global Group Interesting fact: She worked as a fitness instructor for over 25 years.
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Jason Howe, General manager, South West Durham Training
Start date: August 2017 Previous job: Curriculum manager at Bishop Auckland College Interesting fact: When working on an exhibition in Spain in 2005, he met the previous king of Spain, Juan Carlos, and sat inside a McLaren F1 car.
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Hannah Avoth, Vice-principal, Totton College
Start date: October 2017 Previous job: Assistant principal at Totton College Interesting fact: Hannah took part in extreme camping as a teenager – no tents, no maps and the need to gut your own chickens if you wanted to eat.
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Mark Titterington, Chief executive, EngineeringUK
Start date: October 2017 Previous job: Global head of corporate affairs at Syngenta Interesting fact: Mark spent several summers coaching football to children with attention deficit disorder.
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
Private training providers have once again proved themselves to be more popular with employers than colleges, according to government research – though the gap is narrowing.
A huge 88.1 per cent of the more than 60,000 employers surveyed said they were satisfied with ITPs, according to the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s latest employer satisfaction survey, based on training in 2016/17, while 84.6 per cent said the same of colleges.
Those scores – based on the median rating for the 202 colleges and 288 private providers with sufficient employer satisfaction feedback to be counted in the FE Choices data – are both higher than last year’s, indicating that overall satisfaction is on the up.
But while private providers’ score has increased by 4.2 percentage points, colleges’ score has gone up by 9.7 percentage points.
The proportion of employers either “likely” or “extremely likely” to recommend their training provider to others is also up – to 86 per cent, an increase of six percentage points on last year’s results.
In fact, scores across all providers and all measures are up compared with last year – by two or three percentage points.
However, the survey highlighted a number of differences across company size and type of training.
Medium and large organisations, those with at least 50 staff members, were “generally more satisfied” than organisations with fewer than 10 employees, who were “generally less positive than average”.
The survey also found that employers using providers to deliver non-apprenticeship training were “consistently more positive” than those delivering apprenticeships.
But it did also note that just three per cent of employers were delivering non-apprenticeship training – whereas 99 per cent of employers were using providers to deliver apprenticeship training.
“Employers delivering apprenticeships to 16- to 18-year-olds only were least positive about the training,” the survey found, although those with “both young and adult apprentices” were “significantly more positive”.
The majority – 67 per cent – of employers said they did not pay towards the cost of their training, while 24 per cent said they did.
Perhaps worryingly, eight per cent said they did not know if they were paying or not.
The survey, carried out between April and July 2017, represented the views of more than 60,000 employers and was based on training in 2016/17.
The FE sector is worried by the negative impact FE loans have had on learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A government report published today has investigated the impact of the impact of the government’s FE reform agenda.
Its findings were largely based on analysis of responses to a telephone survey of 325 providers, as well as 50 more in-depth interviews, and individual learner records data.
It focused in-part on the introduction in 2013/14 of FE loans, at first just for learners studying courses at levels three or four and aged 24 and older.
Low interest and poor take-up of the loans by particular groups of learners, including those from disadvantaged communities was “a real concern for some providers” and “there is some evidence that the introduction of loans is leading to a decline in participation and provision at level three and above”.
Several providers indicated that they felt that “adults from disadvantaged areas were particularly reluctant to take out a loan”, though “for some providers, the policy has resulted in an increase in learner participation”.
It continued: “However, for most providers this has not been the case, with many reporting a decline in adult participation. Changes in learner numbers were considerable for some providers.”
FE Week revealed hugely disappointing uptake levels last month, and 58 per cent of FE loans funding – amounting to almost £1 billion – was found to have not been spent since 2013.
This figure, revealed by a Freedom of Information request, was branded a “systemic failure” that could unravel the government’s plans to upskill the nation in a post-Brexit world.
The Student Loans Company revealed that just £652 million in loan-funded provision had actually been delivered since 2013, against a massive £1.56 billion in allocations.
In terms of the overall impact of FE loans, which were expanded in 2016/17 to include 19- to 23-year-olds, and courses at levels five and six, it was found that 55 per cent of FE colleges were more likely to feel it had impacted a great deal on their organisation.
“Private providers (42 per cent) and ‘other’ providers (36 per cent) were more likely to say it had not impacted on their organisation at all,” it said.
Several providers further highlighted a particularly good take-up of 24+ loans for access to higher education provision.
“It was felt that there were stronger incentives for learners to take out a loan to fund this type of provision, including the loan being written off should they progress to university and complete their course.”
Providers also suggested that further work will be needed to develop learners’ understanding of the loans system and support increased engagement.
It also reported on the impact of the government’s much-maligned GCSE maths and English resits policy.
Since 2013, all 16- to 19-year-olds without at least a grade C in GCSE maths or English have had to enrol in courses in these subjects alongside their main programme of study.
This requirement was tightened in 2015 to require all of those with a grade D – now a 3 – in those subjects to sit a GCSE course, rather than an equivalent stepping-stone course such as functional skills.
Today’s report highlighted concern on the impact of this policy on apprenticeships.
“The insertion of a GCSE maths and English requirement into apprenticeship is reported as having weakened demand for apprenticeship from some employers who do not see time spent on an ‘academic’ element as a necessary component in development of the skills they need,” it said.
It also reported support for the view that “developing English and maths to an adequate level by a functional skills approach was preferable to driving all learners towards formal GCSE examinations”.
Anxious, tired and excited – that’s how 34 of the UK’s most talented young people in the skills industry will be feeling tonight after day three of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi, according to past champions.
With just one day to go until competitions are over, the pressure is heating up at this year’s global skills event.
FE Week caught up with two former gold medallists to get a sense of what Team UK will be feeling right now.
“By day three competitors have had roughly 18 hours in action. A slight bit of tiredness will be setting in so they’ve got to keep the energy levels up by drinking lots of water and eat plenty of food,” said Ashley Terron (pictured above), who won gold for Team UK in bricklaying in Leipzig 2013.
“Sometimes the mind can be wandering as they start to have a look at the other competitors’ work so they can be swayed by that but they’ve got to stay mentally strong, stick to their game plan, stay within their own team, and listen to their own training manager.
“They’ve got to trust their plans so that they know at the last second they will be finished and they’ve given their best shot and left everything on the stand and have no regrets.”
Rianne Chester
FE Week also caught up with Rianne Chester, who won gold in beauty therapy in Sao Paulo (2015) and won the illustrious Albert Vidal award for scoring the greatest number of points among all competitors from every nation taking part.
“They’d be feeling anxious, tired, but excited at this point,” she said when asked how our competitors would be feeling on day three.
“Each competitor will be feeling different right now. Some will be coming off happy but some will be crying their eyes out because they might have messed up on a section and that could be them basically blowing their chances of getting a medal.”
But when that buzzer goes on day four Rianne says they’ll be met with various sensations.
“When they’re finished what they’ll experience is either that feeling that comes all over your body like you’re all white and going to be sick, and you either cry or you get tired or get buzzing. It is different for everyone but it’ll be one of those.
“They’ll also feel really relieved.”
Every competitor in Team UK would have put at least two years of dogged training in to get to this point.
Ashley says they should stay confident in themselves to get over that final hurdle of the last day.
“This is everything they’ve trained for,” he told FE Week.
“Some people train for this for four or five years so they’ve got to remember they’ve made it to the top of the pyramid. So stick to your plans, you know you can do it, that’s why you’re on the stand and everyone else believes in your so believe in yourself and you’ll get through it.”
It is not just medal glory that Ashley and Rianne have experienced. After leaving Team UK Ashley was made a site manager at the age of 22 at a big construction firm called Redrow, and will be promoted to project manager soon aged just 25.
Meanwhile Rianne set up her own mobile beauty business called Beauty by Rianne.
“Personally, WorldSkills has benefitted me massively in my personal life in my confidence, the way I hold myself as a person and my confidence in my own ability,” said Ashley.
“It has been a huge opportunity for me and to be at this level in my professional career at such as young age and that has been made possible from me doing WorldSkills.”
Send your message of good luck to the team on their final day tomorrow by using the #TeamUK and our ‘Go Team UK’ social media image (click here to download). Also include the official event hashtag #WS_AbuDhabi.
Emotions were high as the first round of Team UK competitors completed their work for WorldSkills UK today.
Jordan Charters, from Edinburgh College and employer George Charters, was captured by FE Week completing his work for what was the first competition to finish today.
He spoke to FE Week afterwards, saying that to succeed at the highest level of international competition “perfection is really the only option”.
“The relief is incomparable, “he added afterwards. “I’m feeling a bit emotional as well which is all good. It’s quite special. I’ll probably never feel like this again.”
Emotional scenes as Jordan Charters finished the painting and decorating competition. With experts and his dad/boss. #TeamUK WS_abudhabi pic.twitter.com/7l35XgSGGM
“I don’t think I’ve done as well as I could have done, things have gone wrong, but overall I’ve got the piece finished [a cabinet] and it’s all done in time.”
He was thrilled with all the support he had received, including from family who travelled out there.
“My mum, dad and sister have been out all week, supporting me through this hole journey,” he said.
Betsy Crosbie, competitor in mechanical engineering CAD, from New College Lanarkshire, said it had been a “really good competition” as the four gruelling days came to an end.
“I’m really happy with all the work I’ve produced,” she told FE Week.
A large community learning provider in Somerset that was hit hard by the adult education budget fiasco is likely to close six centres and make over 50 redundancies in the coming months.
Somerset Skills & Learning, which currently teaches around 10,000 students and employs around 200 staff, was left £1 million short of the funding it needs to stay afloat last month after the ESFA made massive cuts.
The provider, which is ranked ‘good’ by Ofsted, was at first faced with a 97-per-cent cut in September – a figure which would have meant imminent closure.
But Susie Simon-Norris, SS&L’s chief executive, told FE Week that a “radical” restructure was still in the pipeline.
“We have had to make some very tough decisions over the last few weeks in an effort to keep SS&L a going concern,” she said.
“A radical restructure has been proposed and this would sadly mean losing almost a third of our staff and closing six centres to reduce our overheads. We have no choice – the funding cuts have left us in a very difficult position.”
SS&L was forced to put its courses on hold in August after it first received a measly £111,000 allocation despite a “successful” AEB tender – 97 per cent less than the £3.4 million it received in 2016/17.
But on October 2 the provider was told its allocation for 2017/18 had been raised to just over £2.4 million.
“We also need to drastically reduce our delivery of community learning courses, a terrible blow for Somerset,” said Ms Simon-Norris. “We still don’t think the government realises that by reducing our funding as they have done, Somerset’s community misses out on vital and unique community education, so we are determined to keep lobbying to have this reinstated. We are the only county in the south-west to have had our community learning budget stripped; this is unfair to Somerset and something we intend to fight for.”
The organisation will continue to deliver apprenticeships, traineeships, maths, English, digital skills and business-related courses across Somerset, but will partner with community-based organisations to deliver learning in the community.
“Although we are proposing to reduce the numbers of centres to reduce overhead costs, we will continue to deliver locally across Somerset by utilising other venues,” she added.
“The saddest and most difficult part however, is having to let loyal, long-standing and hard-working staff members go. Through no fault of the organisation’s, many people will be losing their jobs just before Christmas and I put this firmly at the door of the funding body which has failed to understand the impact of the cuts to our community and the service our staff provide. It is devastating.”
Staff are currently in redundancy consultations and centres are likely to close in the coming months.
The 16-to-19 education budget was underspent by £106 million last year, and campaigners now want the DfE to direct the money back to colleges.
The skills minister revealed the dramatic underspend yesterday after a question in Parliament from Green MP Caroline Lucas, but insisted it was due to low student numbers.
Representatives from school and college associations have warned it would be “indefensible” if the overspend were not now returned to the system ahead of the upcoming autumn budget.
“Budgets for 16- to 19-year-old education are set on the basis of the established funding formula which uses student number estimates,” said Anne Milton in her reply.
“As in 2014-15 and 2015-16, student numbers and associated costs were lower than these estimates in 2016-17, which resulted in a lower spend of £106 million.
“This represents 1.8 per cent of the budget that was available for reallocation. Because this was a result of lower student numbers, it did not affect funding per student.”
A similar question from Nic Dakin MP in July revealed there had also been underspends in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years, of £135 million and £132 million respectively.
The coalition of school and college associations behind the Support Our Sixth-Formers campaign are now urging the government to redirect the underspend back to schools and colleges ahead of the forthcoming budget.
“We know now that £373 million of funding intended for sixth-form students has not been made available to educate these young people over the last three years,” said James Kewin, the deputy boss of the Sixth Form Colleges Association.
“Our students are already chronically unfunded compared with other countries and other phases of education, so for schools and colleges not to receive all the money that has been set aside for sixth form education is indefensible.”
The general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders general secretary, Geoff Barton, echoed the call.
“This is the third year in a row that the government has underspent the money allocated for sixth form funding, at the same time as our schools and colleges are experiencing the greatest ever cuts to their sixth form budgets,” he said.
“In order to prevent an even further widening of the gap between state and independent 16-19 outcomes, this money should be returned to our sixth forms.
“The upcoming budget presents a perfect opportunity to remedy this inequality before it does irreparable damage to the life chances of our young people.”
The DfE has been asked for comment.
Last week it emerged that the chairs and principals of 140 colleges had written an open letter to Theresa May to beg for more funding for 16- to 19-year-olds.
They wrote: “Our students are now in danger of studying an impoverished curriculum, which has already reduced in breadth and choice, and cannot prepare our young people to take their place in employment and compete in a global economy.”
