Formula 1 challenge pits apprentices against school pupils

A global competition that challenges young people to make their own Formula 1 cars has launched a category for engineering apprentices to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week. Samantha King reports

Regarded as one of the largest ever global STEM initiatives, Formula 1 in Schools operates in over 40 countries, challenging young people aged 11 to 19 to work in teams and engineer their own small-scale cars.

Now for the first time, the challenge will open up to apprentices, with a brand new professional apprentice class for competitors in the UK. 

Our last four world champion teams have been managed by girls

Andrew Denford, founder and chairman of F1 in Schools, said: “Through F1 in schools we try to attract more students into engineering careers. Apprenticeships are desperately needed by the supply chain, not only in Formula 1, but in automotive businesses throughout the UK.”

There are currently three classes in the competition: an entry class for beginners, a development class, and a professional class for more experienced students, alongside which the new apprenticeship category will sit.

The professional and apprentice class is likely to see 14- to 19-year-olds from schools and colleges pitted against each other, and Mr Denford suggested a strong female presence could work in favour of teams, despite the potential differences in experience.

“Our last four world champion teams have been managed by girls. If school and apprentice entrants can get some females on their teams it will really be a level playing field. I’m not sure who would win between them. 

“It’s a brand new thing we’re launching so we’re not quite sure what will happen.”

To enter, students must form teams of three to six, before developing business plans and using state-of-the-art technology to produce model cars powered by CO2 canisters, which form an integral part of the competition process.

Competitors are judged on the speed of their cars, scrutineering, marketing and how much sponsorship they secure, as well as teamwork ability – and are required to give presentations on the processes they go through.

With regional, national and global heats, rewards for successful teams include tickets to the British Grand Prix, tours of the McClaren factory and scholarships and bursaries to some of the UKs top engineering universities.

The scaled-down cars

Denford explained “If you win the UK national competition [held at the Silverstone circuit], the team gets tickets for the British Grand Prix, a visit to the formula one team, and two half bursaries for UCL engineering.

“They’ve also got a chance to enter the Randstad Williams engineering academy who come and hand pick the best 10 from the
world finals.”

David Hill, director of apprenticeships at the Department for Education, said “Formula 1 in Schools is a brilliant example of how apprenticeships can work across many sectors. 

“Apprenticeships are not just a unique way to progress in work and life but a fantastic way for employers to improve the skills base of their businesses, and I am delighted that F1 in Schools has embraced National Apprenticeship Week and apprenticeships in such an exciting way.”

The new apprentice category will receive its official, national launch at the 2017 UK finals of F1 in Schools, held at the Silverstone Circuit on 29 and 30 March, ready for the 2017/18 season.

 

Main photo: The fast lane: 2016 national finalists at Silverstone

Are governors responsible for sub-contractors?

Dr Sue, director of policy and external relations at Holex, answers your questions, backed by her experience as principal of Canterbury College and in senior civil service posts in education and skills.

Question One: Where have all the adults gone?

David Lammy’s passionate speech on the return of night schools prompted me to ask whether we open our buildings to the community. We were told there was no local call for evening classes and it was mainly self-financing gym use and some ESOL classes. I felt this was not enough but didn’t know whether to press further.

Answer: You should ask for this to be an item on your next governors’ strategy day. All the evidence suggests adult education will be a growth area in the future and you need to know your local demographics: for example, how many adults locally need ESOL or basic skills support – an area that government is fully funding.

There is a growing need for people to retrain and/or change career mid-life

Industry, business and the labour market are changing rapidly and there is a growing need for people to retrain and/or change career mid-life. The opportunity to learn in the evening and at weekends will be an important part of the future adult skills landscape. Government has confirmed they will they provide loans for level 4 and above, as well as maintenance loans. That’s a real sign that they see this to be an important issue.

If you just think about how driverless vehicles could affect the haulage industry, you soon understand the magnitude of the potential retraining scheme for lorry drivers.

Also, don’t underestimate the future market for full-cost education for those who want to learn new skills. Soon the largest slice of the population will be the over 60’s and research shows that people’s wellbeing and life expectancy are enhanced if they continue to learn, integrate and socialise.

 

Question Two: Governor visits to sub-contractors

When I walk around our college I see a lot of young people but very few adults or students with learning difficulties or disabilities. When I asked about it, the senior team explained they thought it was best to contract out adult work and LLDD to specialist partners. It started me thinking about governors’ responsibilities and whether I should do drop-in visits to sub-contractors and partners as I do in the college.

Answer: As the college owns the contract with SFA, the governor body is responsible for quality and the student experience, including safety and Prevent. Even though these areas might be covered in the contracts with sub-contractors/partners, the governors are ultimately responsible.

Out of courtesy you should discuss this with the principal

Therefore, you and your fellow governors need to be assured that all the normal policies, safeguards and quality assurance mechanisms are in place and working for any sub-contracted provision. You should also see performance reports for each subcontractor/partner and there should be regular appraisal of whether the partnership adds to the student experience.

If there is a visit or pop-in scheme in main college, there should be the same arrangement for sub-contractors. Out of courtesy you should discuss this with the principal, who may want to let the partner know. Once that is done you should go ahead and make the necessary visit arrangements, following the agreed practice, and if you are not comfortable with what you find, you must speak up and let the chair and principal know.

College named as top in UK for use of social media in education

A Hampshire college has been awarded the title of top college in the UK for its social media at the 2017 Edurank Awards.

Sparsholt College took the award for ‘social media performance of the year’ as well as ‘best Instagram performance’ at the ceremony, which recognises and celebrates the use of social media in education.

Students snap a selfie

The college currently operates across five social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, with more than 11,000 followers on their Facebook page alone. 

In order to maintain engagement, social media staff have implemented their own hashtags on Instagram, encouraging students to share pictures taken around the campus, as well as sharing interviews with students and videos.

Meg Bullock, the college’s digital marketing officer, said: “It’s the images captured by students that give a real insight into college life. I initiated the hashtag #studentview on Instagram and this has proved to be one of our most powerful tools. 

“We are disciplined about keeping our content levels up and sharing information that’s relevant and interesting for parents and businesses, as well as current, future and past students.”

Apprenticeship frameworks could be discontinued without SFA approval

The UK’s food and drink frameworks could be switched off against the government’s wishes, FE Week has learned.

The Skills Funding Agency is currently deciding on which frameworks it will discontinue from April 2018, but because the new food and drink standards are not yet ready, it hasn’t put them up for consideration.

However, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, which still has powers as an issuing authority left over from a previous incarnation, is running its own consultation on whether or not to cancel the frameworks it administers – raising the real possibility that learners might not have access to certain pathways for a year or more.

The NSAFD used to be a sector skills council, and is understood to have the power to switch frameworks off without input from the Department for Education, a reality the DfE has now confirmed.

The news has sparked major concern across the food and drink industry.

In a letter to apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon, seen by FE Week (below), Bill Jermey (pictured), chair of the Food and Drink Training and Education Council (FTC), wrote: “We naturally assumed the government’s own SFA/IfA had the final say on framework withdrawals, but we are astonished to discover the NSAFD still retains the ‘issuing authority’ powers of the defunct SSC to terminate frameworks at their will.”

 

He was particularly worried, he said, that “by closing the framework they stand to gain financially”.

Sector skills councils were granted powers both to issue and withdraw apprenticeship frameworks, as issuing authorities, under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.

An email from the SFA has now indicated the limits of the government’s power over such issuing authorities.

“The NSAFD (if they are the listed issuing authority) do have the power to withdraw the food and drink framework outside of the framework withdrawal process,” it said, adding that the NSAFD had “very recently engaged” with the SFA and had “agreed to share the results of the consultation”.

This, however, represents “only a small assurance” because the SFA is only empowered to “make recommendations on their proposals”.

NSAFD’s chief executive Justine Fosh refused to say whether or not her organisation intended to exercise its power as an issuing authority to switch off the frameworks.

The NSAFD’s own consultation document reveals that it is “seeking input to inform recommendations to the DfE”, saying that “in a changing landscape it is down to each issuing authority to inform the approach” for framework switch off.

We do not think this is ready to withdraw yet as this would leave gaps in the market

The document outlines the NSAFD’s decision-making criteria, which it said had been agreed by the Federation of Sector Skills and Standards, and then lists its recommendations for each of the existing food and drink frameworks.

However another email from the SFA has cast doubt on those recommendations.

“Our mapping of standards to the food and drink framework pathways show some low-volume pathways, gaps and some mapping where the standard does not quite cover the chosen pathway,” it said.

“As you can see we do not think this is ready to withdraw yet as this would leave gaps in the market.”

NSAFD owns the only awarding body – Occupational Awards Ltd – that offers mandatory qualifications in the level two and three food and drink process operator standards.

The awarding body is also registered as an end-point assessor for both of these standards.

So far 82 frameworks have been, or are due to be, switched off, and the government is currently consulting on the withdrawal of a further 62 full or part frameworks.

All frameworks are expected to be phased out by 2020.

England’s rugby league team announce new training base at Rochdale college

The England rugby league team has announced its move to a new training base at Hopwood Hall College, where students were invited to watch one of the team’s first training sessions.

Currently ranked third in the international stakes, players from the team will be using the facilities at the Manchester college as their new training ground.

They will use the same facilities as the students on the BTEC and diploma rugby courses, including access to the on-site gym, fitness suites and extra rugby pitches at the college’s Middleton campus. 

The move comes as the team gears up for the start of the rugby league World Cup in October, where they will take on reigning champions Australia in their first game.

Lee Registe, a student taking a BTEC level three in sport and rugby league at the college, said: “It was unbelievable being able to see the England Rugby players up close and personal like that. It was really inspiring seeing them, an unforgettable morning.”

Kyle Amor, who plays as St Helens’ prop forward, said: “Part of our role as players is to inspire the next generation of fans. We’re here first and foremost to train, but encouraging a new fan base or setting an example to the rugby students is really important to all the players.”

 

Main photo: Scrumming it: England players train at the college

Government considers legislation change to protect learners with loans when providers go bust

The government is considering a change in legislation to protect learners left in loans debt after their providers go bust, in a move that would mark an early victory for FE Week’s #SaveOurAdultEducation campaign.

We have been demanding justice for hundreds of learners who have recently been left with thousands of pounds of student loans but no qualification after several training organisations were suddenly wound up with no warning.

After the launch of our campaign at the end of February, the shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden, asked a parliamenatary question (PQ) to education secretary Justine Greening if she would meet with the Skills Funding Agency and the Student Loans Company to discuss the feasibility of writing off student loan debts in such situations.

FE Week now understands that the government is mulling over secondary legislation to protect learner loans when providers go out of business in the future.

We will consider what might be done to avoid these learners being unfairly disadvantaged

“We are committed to finding a solution for each learner and making the process as smooth as possible,” Mr Halfon said in response to the PQ.

“Where there may ultimately be no viable alternative providers available for some learners to complete their study, we will consider what might be done to avoid these learners being unfairly disadvantaged.”

FE Week asked the government to clarify his words, but while the Department for Education did not deny the issue was under consideration, its spokesperson would only refer us back to the minister’s comments.

Asim Shaheen, a former learner left with more than £8,000 in debt after his provider, John Frank Training, went bust in murky circumstances in November, said it was “shocking” that the government didn’t already have a backup plan in place.

He wants a contingency plan introduced “as quickly as possible”, rather than having the SFA “sitting back and waiting for this ricochet to continue”.

“The people who put the loans scheme in place should have thought of different eventualities happening in the first place,” he said.

“Normal people on the street have to think about every eventuality, so for people at such a high level in government, where we’re talking about millions and billions of pounds, surely they should have thought well hang on, these providers we are accrediting, what happens if one of them goes bust?

“They need to put something in place now because the longer they leave it the worse our cases are going to get. It can’t continue like this.”

FE Week first revealed the demise of John Frank Training in January, which left hundreds of learners, who had taken out FE loans to train with the London-based provider, with hefty debts but no course.

The longer they leave it the worse our cases are going to get. It can’t continue like this

It went into liquidation on November 30, leaving no assets, despite recording a profit of £1.3 million in the first half of 2016.

A month later FE Week revealed that another 100 learners were left in the same situation after Hampshire-based Edudo Ltd went bust.

The provider, allocated £500,500 in advanced learner loans by the SFA as of September, went into voluntary liquidation in January, after the company’s “assets and business” were sold to Learning Republic Group Ltd last November.

And this week Focus Training & Development Ltd was found to have left 39 learners on the hook for their loans cash, again with no qualifications to show for it, after it went bust following an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report in November.

FE Week’s #SaveOurAdultEducation campaign launched in the Houses of Parliament last month and is demanding three things from the government.

The first is to write off unwarranted loan debts, the second is for the government to consult on a proper adult education strategy, and the third is for the introduction of FE maintenance grant loans for adult learners.

Qualifications aren’t created in a day

The government should learn from past mistakes and revise its reform timelines so it doesn’t set the sector up to fail, says Kirstie Donnelly

Asking how long it takes to develop and launch a qualification is like asking the length of a piece of string. It depends, among other factors, on whether it is a new qualification or an adaptation, on required teaching and assessment models, and on its expected duration and level.

A better question might be: how long does it take to develop qualifications that are truly fit for purpose – the purpose being to help learners gain the skills needed for meaningful employment and progression? Or, as in the present landscape, how long will it take to develop a qualification that aims to fundamentally change the way we deliver professional and technical education?

The government’s latest skills timeline answers this question. It allows just under a year from selecting an awarding organisation to finalising the content, then implies teaching will begin four months later. 

We can’t afford another Diploma fiasco

In a Whitehall office these timings might seem ambitious yet achievable but here in the real world, they are nothing short of fantasy.

Creating qualification content is not a case of sitting in a room, writing. When you set out to develop qualifications that meet the needs of employers, employers need to be consulted! Professional and technical education must genuinely reflect the latest technologies and practices in industry, but this only happens through close collaboration with employers in the development phase, which takes time.

The behavioural changes required to introduce new ways of teaching and learning must also be considered. Moving from a model of teaching underpinning theory to one that prepares learners practically for the workplace involves a mindshift that doesn’t happen overnight. Practitioners must be convinced of the value of new approaches and additional training and support are needed to embed new content and changes to assessment models. 

And what about the learners? Young people, and their parents, need time to understand the benefits new types of education can bring. The confidence to step away from traditional routes into employment doesn’t happen overnight.

I can say all this with the experience of someone who has been there recently. Over three years ago, well before the current government existed, we began to develop our City & Guilds TechBac 14-19 programme – at the heart of which sit our technical qualifications, designed to give young people deep industry knowledge through meaningful work experience, alongside the skills and behaviours needed by employers. This decision was about making the right investment and being bold in innovation, without any government intervention. 

Current government thinking doesn’t show any appreciation of real timescales or impact

Three years later, after extensive consultation with employers, engagement with the FE sector and a year of piloting, we are half way through our first year of teaching. Even now we still have a long way to go in terms of educating the sector itself, as well as end users. We always accepted it would be a significant investment (over £3 million), and a long-term one (5+ years). 

Current government thinking doesn’t show any appreciation of real timescales or impact and it’s worrying that they seem not to be learning from past mistakes. The sector still recoils fromdiplomas, remembering the well thought-through reform on which government compromised due to pre-election nerves. Then, the risk was mitigated as we still had a fully functioning qualifications market. If current government plans are allowed through, any last-minute U-turns will leave us without a system to fall back on, which would be catastrophic for the sector and the country. 

Professional and technical education really matters. It has the power to transform lives, businesses and economies and if we are to create the skilled workforce the UK needs for the future, our sector has a huge role to play. 

That is why government has to get this right. My plea to them is to look 10 years ahead: be bold, go further than your predecessors, ask for help from organisations like ours who believe the right change is needed but want it to be done properly. 

We can’t afford another diploma or Train to Gain fiasco; we need a healthy skills system focused on developing high quality professional and technical qualifications that are given time to succeed. I urge the government to learn from past mistakes, genuinely work with the sector and revisit its timelines so it doesn’t yet again set the sector up to fail.

 

Kirstie Donnelly is Managing Director at City & Guilds

Hairdressing team scoop eight medals at regional awards

Students from East Durham College’s hair and beauty department have won eight medals at the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists regional finals.

Twelve colleges from across the north-east of England competed in a range of different disciplines at the event, including hairdressing, barbering, beauty and make-up.

East Durham’s student team picked up three first-place gold medals, three silvers and a bronze, with level two hairdressing student Abbey Johnson receiving the Bobby Mukabaa memorial award. 

The first place wins went to Abbey Johnson for ladies’ evening hair, Laura Burnham for gents’ long hair finish and Natalie Lofthouse in the nail art category.

Craig Harman, Joleen Hope and Tyler Thirwell Johnson took home silvers in the gents commercial, fantasy and face painting, with Charlotte Quinn and Laurie Borgesson taking bronze in the team bridal category.

Angela Johnston, the hairdressing lecturer at the college, said: “Competition is an integral part of the training our students receive, preparing them for the world of work by building their confidence, resilience and self-belief.”

The AHT national finals will be held on the 13th March at Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens.

 

Main photo: Cream of the crop: Angela, centre, with the team

National Apprenticeship Week is unlike any other week

This week, the skills and apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon travelled the country, meeting apprentices and employers all over the UK. Here, he argues that apprenticeships are going from strength to strength

Why are we celebrating the tenth National Apprenticeship Week? Because we want to showcase the brilliant work employers and their apprentices have been doing.

This week doesn’t just showcase the very best apprentices around our country, but is also incredibly important in raising the prestige of apprenticeships and skills – vital if we are to really build an apprenticeships and skills nation.

NAW 2017 is unlike any other week. We are highlighting the best of the best and shining a light on some of the hardworking, aspirational apprentices and employers around the country. It is good that FE Week does so much to highlight the importance of apprenticeships. Transforming the prestige of apprenticeships must be done by all of us, whether in politics, the media, business and our communities.

What makes this NAW even more special is the wonderful announcements in the budget on technical education. It has really raised the profile of non-academic routes and gives a real chance for millions of young people to climb the ladder of opportunity to get the skills and jobs they need for their future.

Skills truly are at the heart of this budget. The announcements made by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, are the most ambitious post-16 reforms since the introduction of A-levels 70 years ago.

For too long there has been an underinvestment in skills in this country. I really welcome the commitment the chancellor has made to a £500 million investment every year to increase training for 16- to 19-year-olds. This will ensure technical education is on par with our world-leading higher education system and create two genuinely equal options.

Alongside this, the chancellor has confirmed the that maintenance loans will be made available to students on higher technical education courses at levels four to six in national colleges and institutes of technology. This puts technical routes on a real level footing with university. £40 million extra will also be invested in lifelong learning so we can develop pilot schemes to see what works best for learners.

We are working hard to make apprenticeships higher quality by putting employers in the driving seat so people can get their foot on the ladder of opportunity and get the skills they need to fulfil their true potential. Groups of employers have been coming together to create new high-quality apprenticeships. This means there will be the right workforce out there for employer’s needs.

Three million more apprenticeships by 2020 means three million more life-changing opportunities for people of all backgrounds and all ages around the country.

When I attended the National Apprenticeship Awards earlier this year, I was able to meet some extraordinary apprentices from the Get In Go Far campaign, and apprenticeship ambassadors as well. It really was a celebration of the best of the best, and I hope more employers and learners will be inspired by their stories.

We want to showcase the brilliant work employers and their apprentices have been doing.

During this week, I have been travelling round the country alongside the National Apprenticeship Service and meeting some more brilliant apprentices across many diverse fields of employment. From EDF Energy to Crossrail, Sunseeker to Premier Inn, this really has been a fantastic opportunity to hear some inspirational stories.

Along the way I have met some extremely inspirational young women who are working hard to achieve their potential – Josanna at Bridgwater College, who is working hard to become a luthier (someone who crafts string instruments) and at Poole, Ellie, who has risen the ranks at Premier Inn, completing her level three and soon to move on to a level four. Already at the age of just 23, she has become an operations manager.

As part of NAW this year, I have also spoken at a Westminster Hall debate about the importance of trying to make sure everyone who wants to is able to get into an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships work and that is a fact. The numbers speak for themselves – it is remarkable that 90 per cent of people that do apprenticeships go on to further work or additional education. This really is something to shout about.

We have been making considerable progress towards Britain becoming an apprenticeships and skills nation. Apprenticeship participation in England stands at nearly 900,000 – the highest figure on record.

It is also an important achievement that there have been 780,000 apprenticeships started in England since May 2015.

Apprenticeships really are one of the greatest success stories of the decade.

Through the new apprenticeship levy, £2.5 billion will be invested in apprenticeships by 2019-20, which is double the amount spent in 2010-11. With more money than ever, we will be helping people get into more and better-quality training schemes. Monies raised means that we can help finance small businesses so that they can get the apprenticeships they need to succeed. We also are doing everything possible to invest millions of pounds in ensuring that apprentices from all walks of life, whatever their background or disadvantage, have every possible chance to climb the ladder of opportunity. 

The levy will ensure a step change in apprenticeships numbers and quality giving employers the highly skilled workforce they have been crying out for.

We have come an extremely long way and April is going to be really significant for apprenticeships and our reforms. We will be seeing the apprenticeship levy come into force as well as the launch of the new and independently led Institute for Apprenticeships. The new register of apprenticeship training providers will be in place and trailblazers will continue to work tirelessly to ensure there is a quality apprenticeship out there in every industry.

I hope that NAW 2017 inspires more employers and people to do an apprentice. I congratulate every apprentice, every employer and every provider, whether FE or private for the work they are doing to ensure that millions of people can climb the ladder of opportunity.