No sign of hoped-for levied apprenticeships surge in latest statistics

There is no sign of the major upturn in levied apprenticeships that the government has been praying for, according to the latest statistics.

There were 13,910 commitments made through the apprenticeship service in October, down from 27,130 the previous month, the Department for Education has said.

A fall-back is normal after the September surge – but at 49 per cent it is a much bigger drop by proportion than in any of the past three years, which have seen an average die-back of around 39 per cent.

These figures suggest the government will have to wait even longer for an upturn in apprenticeship numbers, which have been in freefall since the introduction of the levy in May.

Figures for the final quarter of 2016/17, from May to July, were down 59 per cent relative to the same time the previous year, according to the November statistical first release.

But Justine Greening told an education select committee hearing in October that the government had been “expecting” this fall in numbers, on the basis that employers would “take some time to look at how they wanted to invest” their levy money.

Others in the sector have attributed this fall-off to different causes, however. 

These include changes to apprenticeship rules which mean apprentices must do a minimum of 20 per cent off-the-job training – a rule that the AELP insists is a barrier for many employers who can’t afford a “non-productive” apprentice for the equivalent of one day a week.

Companies not subject to the levy also now have to pay 10 per cent of the cost of apprenticeship training for the first time, another circumstance widely held to have contributed to the collapse in starts.

The government’s first attempt at a non-levy procurement exercise had to be scrapped in June, after it was “markedly oversubscribed”.

Providers are still waiting to hear the results of a second tender, launched in July, which are now two weeks overdue.

That exercise descended into farce just days before the September deadline, as the Education and Skills Funding Agency issued multiple confusing clarifications to its complex tender rules and requirements.

Figures for apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers aren’t included in the latest experimental figures, which are just for commitments made by levy-paying employers through the government’s apprenticeship service.

This means it’s not possible to directly compare these figures to previous years, which include starts for all employers.

However, by looking at the percentage drop from September to October – which has remained relatively static until now – we can get more accurate picture of the current position relative to previous years.

There has been no indication of an upsurge in the number of employers signed up to use the apprenticeship service.

Just 600 employers registered an account in October, the same number as the previous month – which was already at its lowest since February.

There are now 11,800 employers with levy accounts, which represents around 61 per cent of all the companies the DfE estimates are eligible to pay the levy.

Apprenticeships and skills minister Anne Milton said in October she was “flabbergasted” to find that many large employers were unaware of the levy, even though they were paying it.

A DfE spokesperson told FE Week in November that feedback the department had received from employers has shown they were “taking their time to plan ahead and maximise the opportunities the apprenticeship levy can bring” and “they plan to increase their demand for apprenticeships”.

 

As we beef up the IfA, don’t knock down AOs

The government should be wary of diminishing the role of awarding organisations in its T-level proposals, argues Julie Hyde, as many already work closely with employers

With Christmas fast approaching, the government has been making announcements left, right and centre – revealing more about plans for post-16 education and skills. It has been an exciting time for organisations across the FE sector, which have been eagerly awaiting these announcements.

It began with the autumn budget, swiftly followed by the industrial strategy white paper, Justine Greening’s speech to the Skills Summit, the T-Level consultation, and now the careers strategy.

Each of these built on the next, fleshing out the plans further.

Licensing one AO will essentially create a monopoly in a sector area

With so many announcements in rapid succession you would be forgiven for failing to keep up, and in many ways this onslaught of information has raised more questions than it has answered.

One aspect that remains constant is that the government’s focus is still clearly on putting employers at the heart of the technical education system, and ensuring that the UK has the skilled workers it needs to create an economy fit for the future. This is an important and welcome ambition, and the Skills Summit and skills partner statement of action that followed it was a clear sign of the importance that the government is placing on this.

The T-level consultation also suggests that the Institute for Apprenticeships’ role is more significant than perhaps expected. It will not only administer T-levels, license awarding organisations (AOs) to deliver and sell them to providers, but the eventual qualification may also be generically branded and will not name the AO.

While we understand the impulse here, and recognise the need to ensure that all qualifications are rigorous and of a high standard, we feel that the government may be diminishing the role of AOs, many of which already work closely with employers to develop courses that will help students succeed in the workplace.

AOs generally know better than most what employers are looking for, and what makes a skilled professional with the occupational competencies to succeed in the workplace.

We feel that the government may be diminishing the role of AOs

Particular qualifications and AOs are also often synonymous with certain sectors, and employers actively seek people with these qualifications. This expertise is important in any technical education system that delivers the skilled workers employers need.

The 15 routes are extremely broad, and there will be a number of different pathways and therefore T-levels within them. Licensing one AO for a procured pathway or bundle of pathways will also potentially lead to a significant loss of sector expertise. The government may already recognise the issue; the consultation already states that AOs can bid as part of a consortium for T-level contracts, but again it remains to be seen how this could work in practice.

Licensing one AO will essentially create a monopoly in a sector area, and without ongoing competition between organisations, standards could fall, ending up with little incentive to innovate. As the recent report by Frontier Economics suggested, having a single AO could ultimately risk system failure.

We look forward to working with the government over the coming months to answer these questions and create a system that achieves its ambition of parity of esteem between academic and vocational education routes.

It is crucial that we get this system right and that it is workable. It is important that the government engages with a range of organisations from across the sector throughout the consultation process. This will ensure that T-levels not only deliver the skilled workforce we need, but that learners can navigate the new system successfully, that awarding organisations can deliver rigorous, effective qualifications, and that providers can deliver them. Ultimately, we must all work together to make a success of them.

The T-levels consultation is open until February 8, and can be found here.

Julie Hyde is associate director of CACHE

Citrus fruit suppliers and Europe’s largest equine hospital exhibit at careers fair

Seed merchants, citrus fruit suppliers and Europe’s largest equine hospital were among the businesses exhibiting at Writtle University College’s careers fair.

Over 60 organisations were in attendance at the fair in Essex, including Colchester Zoo, the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery and representatives from the Sanger Institute’s genomic research centre, who showed students a few of the options available to them post-study.

Alongside exhibitors, there were workshops on how to use social media to find work, how to cope with assessment centres and even a crash course in running your own business for students on courses ranging from global ecosystem management to garden design.

“The nature of our specialist courses means that there are some very interesting career options for our students, such as nutritionist, equine behaviour consultant or government research scientist,” said Mark Yates, Writtle’s careers coordinator. “It’s a great chance for students to think through how their studies will improve their future career and studies.”

College senior management team take part in cooking challenge

Members of Barnsley College’s senior management team have taken part in a Masterchef-style cooking challenge at their on-site student restaurant, the Open Kitchen.

Under the watchful eyes of the college’s catering students, staff had to prepare, cook and serve four different dishes to diners, including beer-battered plaice, trio of sausages, burgers and chick peas, and spinach and butternut squash bhuna.

The winner of the event, as voted for by chefs and students, was the vice-principal for corporate services, Tony Johnson, who impressed the judges with his energy and cooking ability.

“It was exciting and a lot of fun to make the dishes. The event was fantastic and I now have a better understanding of the pressure our catering students feel on a regular basis,” said Phil Briscoe, vice-principal for quality and student experience at the college. “I will take home a lot of skills that I can use in the future.”

The college’s Open Kitchen restaurant currently has a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor, and is ranked the 96th best place to eat in Barnsley out of 360 eateries on the website.

Performing arts students invited to perform refugee play at Parliament

Performing arts students from Leyton Sixth Form College have been invited to perform their self-written play about refugees at Parliament.

They were the only college chosen to perform in the under-18s category at The Sunday Times National Student Drama Festival in Hull, for their play No Human is Illegal, and went on to stage it at a venue in Newport, where it was spotted by the local MP, Paul Flynn.

Now the 40-minute play, which explores UK foreign policy and the Syrian refugee crisis, will be performed in front of an audience at parliament in February after an invitation from Mr Flynn.

The majority of the cast members come from BAME backgrounds, and are nearly all first-, second- or third-generation immigrants.

“The students that I teach come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, many of them are migrants themselves, yet they were oblivious the harsh reality of the current global crisis that I presented to them,” explained Katy Arnell, a performing arts tutor. “I found this fascinating and this directly fed into the devising process.”

Students paired with the elderly as part of T-level work placement pilot

Over 30 students at Sunderland College have been paired with elderly people in a T-level pilot project that flips the traditional model of students shadowing carers on its head, reports Samantha King.

The college’s new intergenerational advocate scheme, designed in partnership with Sunderland City Council, has level three health and social care students working closely with residents of care homes and extra-care housing schemes to provide companionship and increase social engagement in older people, especially those with cognitive impairments such as dementia.

It’s not traditional placement work where students shadow a carer in practice

Students are running group activities such as biscuit decorating, and organising parties and musicals, as well as one-on-one projects with residents, including making memory boxes.

The project is being funded by the Department for Education ahead of the new T-levels, as part of a pilot looking at which work placement models work best.

Sunderland College is one of six colleges in England to be supported by the government to pilot the proposed reforms, which include longer work placements to replace the current one-to-two-week programmes.

“There are a few colleges involved in the pilot, but I only know of ours that is an intergenerational project,” explained project lead Carla Raine, a health and social care lecturer at the college. “This initiative gives our students a meaningful opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of members of our older community.”

With council social workers

The first 15 students taking part have already started their placements at two extra-care housing schemes, Bramble Hollow and Willow Brook, and at Belle Vue House, a care home in Hedon. They are expected to last until February when the next wave of students will take over.

“One student is paired with a resident who moved over from South Africa and doesn’t have family over here, but is really interested in shipyard building and industrial history,” said Ms Raine. “She researched ship-building in Sunderland and now they’ve gone on trips to museums and are going to create a model boat together.”

Social workers from the council’s adult social care team provided students with training before they embarked on their placements in November, covering everything from safeguarding and confidentiality to what to expect working in a care setting.

“It’s not traditional placement work where students shadow a carer in practice. This one is very much about students taking ownership and working with the resident,” Ms Raine added.

Brian Cox delivers talk on the origins of life at Stafford College

The TV presenter, author and lecturer Brian Cox has given students a talk on astronomy, cosmology, astrobiology and the origins of life during a visit to Stafford College.

Space Q&A

The acclaimed physicist delivered the wide-ranging 50-minute talk to more than 130 learners on physics, chemistry, biology and maths courses across Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group.

After the talk, Mr Cox took part in a Q&A session with staff and students, with questions including ‘What would you say to Einstein if you could meet him today?’ and ‘What is the fabric of the universe?’

“The quality of the questions that the students asked were fantastic, you can definitely tell that they had a real enthusiasm for the subject,” Mr Cox said.

He was also presented with three portraits of himself which he autographed, which were painted by students Sophie Whittington, Lydia Cheung and Lewis Walker, which were commissioned by the NSCG ahead of his visit.

“We were delighted to welcome Professor Brian Cox. He met many students who have been inspired by his work and hope to follow in his footsteps,” said Karen Dobson, the principal and chief executive of NSCG.

The student portraits

Movers and Shakers: Edition 228

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

Adrian Cottrell, Deputy principal, Waltham Forest College

Start date: January 2018
Previous job: Interim vice principal for finance and resources, Amersham & Wycombe College
Interesting fact: Adrian wants to take up shepherding with his own flock of sheep. He hasn’t told his family yet.

____________________________________________

Dominique Unsworth, SME ambassador for Apprenticeships, Apprenticeship Ambassador Network

Start date: October 2017
Previous job: Managing director, Resource Productions (ongoing)
Interesting fact: Dominique used to work at Slough Museum and co-wrote a book on the modern history of Slough, called The Changing Face of Slough.

____________________________________________

James Bagley, Principal, Gateway College

Start date: November 2017
Previous job: Vice-principal for curriculum and quality, Gateway College
Interesting fact: James loves spicy food and grows a range of chillies to dry, cook with, and make into sauces.

____________________________________________

Joe Crossley, CEO, Qube Learning

Start date: December 2017
Previous job: Business development director, Qube Learning
Interesting fact: Joe is a car enthusiast and his favourite car is the classic Porsche.

____________________________________________

Angela Walsh, Group apprenticeship coordinator, NEC Group

Start date: September 2017
Previous job: Tutor and assessor, Solihull College and University Centre
Interesting fact: Angela’s perfect Friday night involves Italian food and a large glass of red wine.

 

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

Consultation launched on closure of 18th studio school

A studio school in Manchester plagued with financial and performance problems since it opened three years ago faces closure, after its schools commissioner admitted turning it around would be a “challenging task” for any new sponsor.

The regional schools commissioner, Vicky Beer, has written to everyone involved with the Manchester Creative Studio to inform them of a consultation on whether it should be closed or passed to another sponsor, according to the Manchester Evening News.

If closed, it will be the eighteenth studio school to shut, leaving just 34 nationwide.

The institutions are an alternative to mainstream education for 14- to 19-year-olds, taking on cohorts of up to 300 pupils.

They provide a work-related curriculum with pupils receiving vocational and academic qualifications, as well as work experience, and like the similarly-troubled university technical colleges, are viewed by many in FE as unwelcome competition.

In many cases they have struggled to recruit the necessary number of pupils to be financially viable.

Ms Beer said in her letter that making the Manchester studio school viable would be “challenging” for any academy chain that took it on, and the school now says the option of closure is being “strongly considered”.

An original plan was made to rebroker the school and its sister institution, the Collective Spirit free school in Oldham, in January, after Manchester Creative Studio was handed a financial notice to improve and Collective Spirit was placed in special measures.

The option that is being strongly considered is that the school will close at the end of this academic year

But Collective Spirit closed in the summer and the Manchester Creative Studio, which is also in special measures, deliberately avoided taking on new pupils in September, in preparation for a potential closure at the end of the academic year.

Both free schools were founded by Raja Miah, the former charity head who won an MBE for his social integration work in 2004.

The school has received support from another academy chain, the Laurus Trust, for the past six months, and claims to have made some progress in strengthening its position.

However, Martin Shevill, who took over as chair of the school’s board in July, said it had become “increasingly clear” that the school “does not have the capacity and resources to continue this trajectory over a sustained period of time”.

“The school has significant financial challenges and the reality is that, without considerable support from outside bodies, it is unable to deliver on its educational aspirations,” he said.

“The option that is being strongly considered is that the school will close at the end of this academic year.”

In a letter from Beer, the commissioner said the school would need a new sponsor “that could reverse its falling pupil numbers to make it financially viable”.

“The difficulties in securing the necessary viability would be a challenging task for any trust in the school’s current circumstances,” the RSC wrote.

“We have therefore decided to consider the possibility of closure of the school, subject to conducting a ‘listening period’ to gather views on the proposed closure.”

Since their inception, 17 studio schools have closed, leaving just 35 open nationwide.

The rate of closure has apparently caused unease at the Department for Education, and FE Week’ reported earlier this year that the former academies minister Lord Nash met with officials from the programme to discuss a review of the model’s concept.

Meeting records show that Nash met the Studio Schools Trust in March, with the purpose of the meeting listed as being “to review the concept of studio schools”.

The main issue for the 14-19 institutions is their battle to recruit enough pupils, just like UTCs.

Since the UTC movement began in 2010, a total of eight of the technical institutions have now closed.

The government is however seemingly holding faith in their success, as five more opened this September, bringing the UTC total to 49 across the country.