Strictly stars give new dance studio full marks

Strictly Come Dancing stars AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt attended the launch of Birmingham Metropolitan college’s new performing arts facility, Stage Studios.

The dancing duo – who are national and European Latin dance champions and regularly appear on the BBC show – took part in a question and answer session with performing arts students during the launch event.

The new studio is located at the college’s Sutton Coldfield campus, where Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell officially opened the venue by unveiling a commemorative plaque. 

Speaking of the college’s new facilities, dancer AJ said “The studios are fantastic.  Everyone has to start somewhere, so the more knowledge these students gain the more power they have to achieve their goals.

“I love how these students are involved in other things on top of their college courses.  Belonging to dance groups, taking part in events and appearing in productions at different theatres will help them go as far as possible in their careers.”

BMet Principal, Andrew Cleaves said “Stage Studios give our students the creative freedom and motivation to develop their skills and perform at their very best.”

College staff help cerebral palsy student complete marathon

Two members of National Star college staff helped a student realise her dream of completing a marathon by pushing her 26 miles in an all-terrain wheelchair.

Bethan Griffiths, a 22-year-old student at the college who has cerebral palsy, wanted to complete the Brighton marathon in memory of her mum Amanda, who died last year of motor neurone disease.

Her cause resonated with college staff, Becky Amor and Andy Woolway, who have both had close family members affected by the disease.

The team of two took turns pushing a £5,000 wheelchair loaned to them especially for the marathon – with Bethan crossing the finish line on foot.

Becky, who is a physiotherapy assistant at National Star, has run 19 marathons since 2012 but admitted running with a wheelchair made this her most challenging.

Bethan has now raised more than £900 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association through the marathon. Speaking of her experience, she said: “Being a part of a marathon is always something that I’ve dreamt of doing but never thought I’d get to do.

“I mentioned it to Becky during a physiotherapy session at National Star. Becky didn’t say I couldn’t do it. Instead she said she would figure out a way we could.”

Dear Robert, the apprenticeship allocation will cut our funding by over 80%

Colleges and training providers were sent a funding allocation on April 25, for apprenticeship starts from May to 31 December 2017 for non-levy employers. In response, the finance director of Ofsted outstanding apprenticeship provider Crackerjack has written to minister Robert Halfon to question their contract allocation, which he says equates to a funding cut between 80 and 90%.

Attention Robert Halfon

Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills

Dear Robert

I wrote to you on 21/04/2017 outlining my concerns with respect of the lack of progress on apprenticeship standards for the childcare sector. I look forward to receiving your reply to the questions I have asked.

Unfortunately I have the urgent need to contact you again regarding a far more serious issue, the announcement from Keith Smith (ESFA) on 25 April regarding contract extensions for ROATP providers due to the government pause in the ITT for non-levy paying organisations (98% of employers in the UK).

We received our allocation statement from Keith Smith, ESFA, via the Hub.

I wish to advise you that the allocation given to our organisation is derisory and in no way reflects our delivery record to date for 2016/17.

All our employers are small- to medium-size childcare nurseries and are all non-levy payers normally less than 20 employees. We therefore have no access whatsoever in our sector to large levy-paying employers and therefore no access to funding for apprenticeship starts from 1 May 2017.

 

Our apprenticeship contract 16/17 allocation (12 months) is:

16-18     £630,937              (for comparison, over 8 months this equates to £420,624)

19-23     £312,501              (for comparison, over 8 months this equates to £208,334)

 

However: Our apprenticeship contract 17/18 allocation issued by Keith Smith (8 months) is only:

16-18     £79,466                 (only 18.89% of our 16/17 eight month pro-rata allocation above)

This is an 81% cut in funding

19-23     £22,770                 (only 10.93% of our 16/17 eight month pro-rata allocation above)

This is an 89% cut in funding

 

We are an outstanding apprenticeship provider with success rates of 93% for 16-18 apprenticeships and 96.6% for 19-23 apprenticeships (30% above the national average), just the kind of provider the IFA need to deliver the high quality apprenticeships that the government is calling for.

Could you please investigate this allocation matter urgently as there is obviously something wrong with the way our allocation has been calculated.

I have also raised this matter with our constituency MP in Birmingham, Shabana Mahmood, Mark Dawe AELP and Nick Linford FE Week.

Our managing director will also be contacting Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector, Ofsted to raise this issue. I will also be contacting Peter Lauener and Anthony Jenkins of the IFA.

I would appreciate your help and support in resolving this issue as soon as possible

Regards,

Chris Baker

Finance Director, Crackerjack Training

Exclusive: North London colleges’ merger called off

A London merger that had previously gone from a three-way to a two-way is now not happening at all.

Barnet and Southgate College and Waltham Forest College announced plans to join forces in October, after talks with College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London about three-way link up were shelved.

But staff at the two colleges were told earlier this week that the merger had been scrapped.

The news was confirmed in a statement published to Barnet and Southgate College’s website after it was exclusively revealed by FE Week.

It said: “Following lengthy and detailed discussions Barnet and Southgate College and Waltham Forest College have decided to continue their collaboration as partners and not to continue to a full merger at this stage.”

It comes as Bury College was dropped from its planned merger with the University of Bolton and Bolton College.

Consultation on the link-up between Barnet and Southgate and Waltham Forest closed on March 1, with a planned merger date of August 1. 

According to the consultation document, Waltham Forest would have become a campus of Barnet and Southgate College.

The partnership was recommended by both the East London area review, which Waltham Forest was part of, and the West London area review, which Barnet and Southgate was involved in.

According to the report from the east London review, the “merged college will deliver high quality skills training in most of the wider GLA key growth sectors identified as critical for London’s economy” and “would release significant cost savings in curriculum, management and support functions”.

Barnet held onto its grade two rating following a short inspection in November 2015, while Waltham Forest retained its ‘requires improvement’ grade in a report published in January.

As previously reported by FE Week, the planned three-way merger involving CONEL was “shelved by agreement” in October.

The sticking point in those merger proposals had been differing approaches to governance and management, CONEL said in a statement released at the time.

Meanwhile, “a number of issues and complexities” have led to Bury College being dropped from its planned link-up with the University of Bolton and Bolton College.

The proposal was one of just two mergers to have come out of the troubled Greater Manchester area review, which concluded in June – although Bury College’s consultation on the plans took place a year ago.

The university said “after extended consideration of the issues of Bury College” at a board meeting held April 24 it had “decided not to proceed, at this time, with the merger”.

Charlie Dean, Bury College principal, said this decision prompted college governors to reach the same conclusion at a meeting the following night.

He explained that the issue for the college related to a change in the plans from the original proposal, which would have seen the two colleges merging into a subsidiary company wholly owned by the university rather than directly with the university itself.

“The governors did not believe this arrangement would deliver the perceived benefits of the original merger intentions,” he said.

As previously reported by FE Week, Bury College saw its Ofsted rating plummet from ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’ in February, following its first inspection in a decade.

The merger between Bolton College and the university is still set to go ahead, and spokespeople for both institutions said the plans were “on track and making good progress”.

“We are however disappointed to hear that the opportunity of the wider merger with Bury College will now not be taking place,” a Bolton College spokesperson said.

Former principals named on mayor’s Skills for Londoners taskforce

Skills training took centre stage in the capital city this morning when a new strategic taskforce, containing two former college principals, was launched by mayor Sadiq Khan.

Ian Ashman, previously boss of Hackney Community College, and Marilyn Hawkins, former Barnet and Southgate College leader, will join others from across the business and skills on Skills for Londoners.

The taskforce will be challenged to develop a “strategic city-wide approach” to ensuring that “Londoners and businesses can access the skills they need for future success”, the mayor’s office said.

Other key figures named to the group, which will be chaired by deputy mayor for skills Jules Pipe, include Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, and Anthony Impey, chair of the Federation of Small Businesses skills and apprenticeships’ policy group.

But no current college principals are in the group – and just one independent training provider, Catch 22, which delivers apprenticeships, is represented.

Issues the taskforce will address include all-age careers information, advice and guidance, technical and vocational education, adult learning, links with higher education, and making the most of the apprenticeship levy.

The group will also work closely with the London Economic Action Partnership, the capital’s local enterprise partnership, to invest £114 million in capital funding for London’s skills providers.

The new initiative is being launched this morning at South Thames College by Mr Khan, who is also proposing to establish a Construction Skills Academy later in the year, in partnership with the housebuilding industry.

He said: “While London is a great place to learn, there is no doubt that not enough Londoners are getting the skills they need to live up to their potential. This also impacts businesses, hampering their growth and forcing them to look further afield for talent.

“Now that we are leaving the European Union, it is more important than ever that we make sure more Londoners gain access to the skills they and our economy truly need.”

He added the FE and skills sector has a vital role to play in making sure all Londoners can truly be part of London’s prosperity.

“Through Skills for Londoners, we will address these problems head-on, giving Londoners the chance to train in the skills that will boost our economy and creating a pipeline of local talent and expertise for our businesses to tap into,” he added.

Mr Ashman [pictured right], who is currently president of the Association of Colleges, spoke of his delight at being involved. 

“I believe that the Skills for Londoners taskforce will have a really positive impact on the capital, helping Londoners to develop the skills to improve their lives and helping our employers get the skilled people they need to succeed,” he said.

“I am therefore delighted to have been invited by the Mayor to join the taskforce, and look forward to bringing the perspective of 25 years of experience in London’s colleges to its work.”

Skills for Londoners taskforce members – the list in full

  • Anthony Impey – Anthony is the CEO of Optimity. He has run programmes to help local young people start careers at thriving tech businesses in East London, and chairs the Government’s Apprenticeship Stakeholder Board, FSB Skills Policy Board, and 50,000 Homes Advisory Board at London First. 
  • Asi Panditarathna – Asi is Director of Apprenticeships and Employability at Catch22. He has over 15 years’ experience of managing social regeneration, employability, skills and apprenticeships programmes in local government, the private and social enterprise sector.
  • Hang Ho – Hang is the Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, overseeing work across 17 countries to deliver economic inclusion and social mobility outcomes through skills, employment and financial health activities.
  • Ian Ashman – Ian is the President of the Association of Colleges (AoC). He was previously Chair of AoC’s London Regional Committee and Principal of Hackney Community College, as well as Principal of Lambeth College before that.
  • Lubna Hussein – Lubna is currently an advisor on the Prevent programme for the Department for Education. She was previously a consultant working with a range of FE, HE and work-based learning providers, and was a vice principal at Newham Sixth Form College.
  • Marilyn Hawkins – Marilyn is an Associate FE Commissioner and led the London Area Review. She has many years’ experience in the FE sector including as Principal of Barnet and Southgate College for almost ten years, and Executive Director of the Learning and Skills Council for Lincolnshire and Rutland.
  • Seetha Kumar – Seetha is CEO of Creative Skillset, which works with the UK’s screen-based creative industries to develop professional skills and grow new talent.  She was previously Vice President at Pearson Qualifications International and had a long and successful career at the BBC.
  • Stephen Evans – Stephen is Chief Executive of the Learning and Work Institute, which he joined from Working Links. Prior to that, he was Director of Employment and Skills at the London Development, Chief Economist at the Social Market Foundation and worked at the Treasury.

Non-levy funding allocations sent to providers following tender pause

Colleges and training providers were last night sent a funding allocation for apprenticeship starts from next month to 31 December 2017 for non-levy employers.

Following a pause to the £440 million tender process announced on 12 April, the Education and Skills Funding Agency met their commitment to provide allocations to existing prime providers that successfully made it onto the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers.

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers said: “We are actively talking to members about their allocations and it is too early to get an overall picture. 

“I would encourage the ESFA to publish a list of all non-levy allocations. Greater transparency is needed, particularly around how much total funding has been allocated for apprentices at non-levy employers.”

Although only sent to providers, you can read the full ESFA allocation letter below, including how the allocation was calculated. FE Week has asked the ESFA what cash figures have been used for the ‘baseline’, and await an answer.

 

Highly unusual decision taken to extend principal’s notice period to full year

A large city college in “financial crisis” has taken the highly unusual step of extending the contract of employment notice period of its principal to 12 months, FE Week can reveal.

It is understood the extension was granted last year to City of Liverpool College principal Elaine Bowker – despite her overseeing a catastrophic slump in the college’s Ofsted rating and financial standing, since her appointment to the top job in 2011.

FE Week understands the decision was signed off by the former chair of governors, who left shortly after.

We have spoken to several experts, who said a notice period extension for a sitting principal is highly unusual, as is anything over six months.

The college has repeatedly refused to confirm, or explain reasons for, the alleged notice extension, since FE Week first enquired about this seven weeks ago.

Its initial response, having been questioned on March 6, was that: “The college can’t and would not comment on any employee’s contract.”

It has since refused to respond to half a dozen further email and telephone requests for more information.

FE Week also lodged a freedom of information request, asking if it is true or false that the notice period was extended to a full year.

We were told in response, by the college, that “we decline disclosure of any personal information sought”.

Ms Bowker caused controversy in 2012/13 when she was given a £40,000 pay rise, up from £139,000, in the same year that the college’s Ofsted rating tumbled from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’.

It was given the grade four rating in February 2013, after Ms Bowker took over as principal in 2011.

The situation subsequently improved slightly, with the college rated grade three in November 2015. That’s the same rating it achieved following an inspection in April 2014.

The college also came in for fierce ministerial criticism for poor oversight of doomed apprenticeship provider First4Skills in March, as reported in FE Week.

The Liverpool-based company went bust earlier that month, affecting around 200 staff and around 6,500 learners, after the former Skills Funding Agency pulled its contract.

That was prompted by a grade four rating from Ofsted on First4Skills, which was 60 per cent owned by City of Liverpool College.

The college was also recently revisited by the FE Commissioner’s team, and the findings’ warning of “financial crisis” and the £15.349 million deficit, was also published last month – along with a letter reflecting on them from apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon.

In this, he said: “Of particular concern is the college’s oversight of its majority owned independent training provider – First4Skills, where achievement rates have been below national minimum standards, and Ofsted have judged the provision ‘Inadequate’.”

The college, which has five main campuses – all located in the Liverpool City Council Local Authority area – had an initial FE Commissioner intervention in December 2013 following an inadequate Ofsted inspection and an SFA assessment of 2012/13 financial health as ‘inadequate’.

It exited this in November 2014, following an improved Ofsted judgement, and more encouraging financial performance in 2013/14.

But it was referred back for another FE Commissioner intervention, after the college informed the SFA last January that it needed £2 million exceptional financial support to cover working capital requirements, prompting a further notice of concern in February.

Stocktake assessments were carried out by the FE Commissioner and two advisers in November 2016 and February 2017.

The latest FE Commissioner report summary said: “The group’s annual audited accounts for 2015/16 show a total deficit for the year of £15,349 million. The college budgeted for a group breakeven position before taxation.”

The Department for Education declined to comment on the notice extension.

Emily Chapman elected as new NUS VP for FE

The FE sector has a new student champion, with Emily Chapman winning today’s election to become the National Union of Students’ new vice-president for FE.

The Leeds City College student union president beat challenger Myriam Kane, who had served as union president at Lewisham Southwark College, at this year’s annual conference in Brighton.

It comes after the outgoing VP for FE, Shakira Martin, clinched a stunning victory to become the new NUS president.

Ms Chapman said: “I am thrilled that students have put their faith in me and elected me to be the next VP for FE.

“Over my term I am looking forward to representing students across the UK, starting to heal some of the damage done to the sector over the last few years.”

Ms Chapman’s manifesto called on students to “work in partnership” with the aim of “sharing best practice and building power for students’ unions” to “make education better”.

She said she wanted “to ensure NUS is somewhere for all FE learners, a place where they can feel both comfortable and supported”.

She promised to “lobby the UK government to ring fence ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages] funding”, “support the development and profile of the National Society of Apprentices across the UK”, and “create a students’ union visit plan” targeting “colleges that need the most development”.

Ms Chapman will also turn her attention to “fighting for consistency in learners, from all backgrounds and modes of study, being central to the decisions made about their education” and work to “ensure that learners are able to access the support they need” in “mental health, finance, careers and life skills”.
 
Her manifesto highlighted that “there are over 300 FE students’ unions in NUS” but “not even half attend our national conference”.
“NUS democracy isn’t accessible for FE students, and NUS events are too expensive”, she said. 
In light of this she planned to: “Work with the vice president for union development and lobby the UK government to fund FE students’ unions in England, by learning from the frameworks and development plans in the nations.”
 
 Ms Chapman was supported with lots of positive feedback on Twitter:

FE Week wishes her good luck in her new role. 

FE champion Shakira Martin elected NUS president

FE champion Shakira Martin [pictured above] has emerged victorious in the race to become the next president of the National Union of Students – and only the second to have attended an FE college.

The outgoing VP for FE beat incumbent Malia Bouattia and another challenger, Tom Harwood, in a stunning victory announced today at this year’s annual conference in Brighton.

Ms Martin won with 402 votes, and Ms Bouattia came second with 272 votes. Mr Harwood received 35 votes, while 8 people voted to reopen the nominations.

She said: “I am honoured and humbled to have been elected as NUS’ National President. I take this as a vote of trust that our members believe I can lead our national movement to be the fighting and campaigning organisation we need it to be, representing the breadth of our diverse membership.

She referred directly to the sector in her acceptance speech, saying: “FE made me who I am today and look forward to sharing stories of just how powerful all forms of education can be when we’re all given access to it. During my term in office, I want to spend my time listening, learning and leading.”

Ms Martin has been a strong advocate for the learner and apprentice voice since being elected VP for FE in April 2015, when she was president of the student union at Lewisham Southwark College. 

She beat her closest rival – Amy Smith from Sheffield College – by 141 votes to 55 votes at the national conference in Liverpool on April 22, 2015.

After taking over from former VP for FE Joe Vinson, Ms Martin was then re-elected for another term in April 2016.

She was uncontested for the post and won at stage one, with 152 votes compared to only 11 votes to re-open the nominations.

Speaking to the conference floor last year, Ms Martin said: “FE stands for free education, further education, for everyone.”

Results of the election to find Ms Martin’s successor will be announced later today.