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Sign Language qualifications accepted as English functional skills alternative for apprenticeships

British Sign Language qualifications will be accepted instead of English functional skills for apprenticeships, in a move to encourage more starts among deaf people.

The Department for Education announced the change, set to come into effect from April, this morning.

A spokesperson explained BSL will become a formal alternative qualification to English functional skills, for people who use BSL as their primary language.

She told FE Week: “This means that if an apprentice has already achieved the prescribed level of BSL prior to starting their apprenticeship, they no longer have to undertake GCSE or functional skills training in English.

“If they haven’t already achieved the minimum requirements, they can elect to undertake BSL level one and/or two.”

Max Buxton (pictured), an 18-year-old engineering apprentice with an electrical company from Nottinghamshire, uses BSL.

His family had campaigned with the National Deaf Children’s Society for BSL to be formally recognised with apprenticeships.

He said: “Being deaf and dyslexic, I find English tests really hard. It’s very difficult to translate BSL into English and for it all to make sense.

“My employer has said how well I’m doing and doesn’t think my language skills are an issue, but I still can’t complete the apprenticeship without passing that test.

“It’s an unfair, unnecessary rule that has created a lot of stress, so I’m very pleased things are changing now.”

Brian Gale OBE, policy and campaigns director at the National Deaf Children’s Society, also welcomed the move.

He said: “We’re delighted that the government has committed to these changes, because it was making it very challenging for some deaf young people to complete their courses.

“BSL is a totally different language, so for users to meet this kind of academic standard is a much bigger challenge than it would be for a native English speaker.

“We heard from parents whose deaf children who were doing brilliant work in their apprenticeships but being held back by that, which they understandably felt was unfair.”

He added most deaf young people move to vocational education at 16, and apprenticeships are a much-needed route to employment.

For those whose first language is BSL, this “simple change will mean they truly have equal opportunities to achieve their potential”.

There are around nine million people in the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing. And in 2015/16, 50,640 of those starting an apprenticeship declared a disability or learning disability (LDD), which the DfE said represented an increase of 14.8 per cent on 2014/15.

Skills and apprenticeships Minister Robert Halfon said: “I am committed to breaking down barriers to ensure people of all ages and all backgrounds get on the ladder of opportunity through an apprenticeship.

“For those whose first language is BSL, this simple change will allow them to achieve their full potential.

“I look forward to implementing more changes like this to make sure apprenticeships can work for as many people as possible, whatever their background.”

16-18 apprenticeships are set to plummet

Unbelievably, the government may be about to chop away the first rung on the ladder with its new funding system for apprenticeships, says Jon Graham

On the face of it, the combination of the apprenticeship levy’s start, the well-publicised industrial strategy and the government’s social justice agenda promise great things for a provider like JTL in 2017.

After all, we tick all the right boxes in that we offer virtually all of our apprenticeships to young people, we are a good STEM provider, and we’re meeting employer demand in traditional sectors where the unlimited but vital supply of migrant labour may be subject to future control.

So why are my trustees, colleagues and I looking forward to the new year with such real trepidation?

JTL is a national, not-for-profit training provider specialising in the building services engineering sector, with over 6,300 apprentices training each year in electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilating, and engineering maintenance services.

Seventy-five per cent of these apprentices are aged between 16 and 18, and borrowing the theme from this year’s 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week, we offer them the first step onto the ‘ladder of opportunity’.

Unbelievably, the government may be about to chop away that first rung with its new funding system for apprenticeships.

Unbelievably, the government may be about to chop away that first rung with its new funding system for apprenticeships.

Our employers say that under the new system when the traditional age differentials in funding rates are removed, they would sooner employ young people aged 19 and over.

Some 16- and 17-year-olds aren’t allowed on site due to health and safety rules, and many of them have yet to pass their driving test, but the present funding makes it still worthwhile to take them on.

Remove the incentive and employers will switch back to recruiting older apprentices.

The so-called £1,000 incentive for employers to recruit 16- to 18-year-olds simply doesn’t work for STEM sectors. Our level three apprenticeships typically last four years, meaning the incentive equates to a mere £5 per week, which is of no interest to employers given the additional challenges of younger employees.

If the government increased the incentive to, say, £1,000 per annum, then the switch might be avoided but right now, JTL is expecting a complete change-around in its provision; at present 75 per cent of our apprentices are aged 16-to-18, but this might fall to-25 per cent, leaving far fewer opportunities for that age group than we can offer now.

Whether the number of apprentices tin that group will remain over 6,000 is another major concern. JTL has 3,500 employers on its books and the proportion which are levy-payers is tiny, perhaps one per cent.

We serve a few large companies such as Balfour Beatty, Kier and Carillion, but 85 per cent of our employers have seven operatives or fewer; they’re your typical ‘men-and- van’, but ones with excellent skills, high in demand.

There is a growing and strong body of evidence that by the end of the second year, levy-payers may be consuming nearly all of the levy pot themselves, leaving little funding for the thousands of SMEs who offer apprenticeships in our sector.

There is a growing and strong body of evidence that by the end of the second year, levy-payers may be consuming nearly all of the levy pot themselves

Unless the government puts an indicative annual budget in place for non-levy payers, the cry of “you can’t find a good plumber anywhere these days” will become even louder, especially in post-Brexit Britain.

The Skills Funding Agency is telling providers like us to change our business model and focus our efforts on the levy-payers. But this is ludicrous because such a strategy in no way responds to employment patterns in STEM industries. JTL receives over 20,000 applications a year from young people seeking an apprenticeship. What are these young people going to do if we have nowhere to place them?

I read over the holiday that the permanent secretary at the Department for Education has committed the department to formulate policy only after listening. If he wants to make an effective contribution to the industrial strategy, he needs to start listening fast.

Funding reform will see 16-18 apprenticeships ‘drop by two thirds’

The government must make a “clear and unambiguous” commitment to 16-to-18 apprenticeships, after a major provider warned that funding changes will cause its starts for that age group to plummet by two thirds.

The claim was made by Jon Graham, chief executive of JTL, which specialises in training for the building services engineering sector, in an exclusive article for FE Week.

“Unbelievably,” he wrote, “the government may be about to chop away that first rung with its new funding system for apprenticeships,” referencing the skills minister Robert Halfon’s new ‘ladder of opportunity’ slogan.

Mark Dawe, the boss of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, backed the claim, and told FE Week that JTL was “one of many providers” which had made it clear that 16-to-18 engagement would tumble once the apprenticeship levy launches.

Under the pre-levy standards funding regime, which will be in place until the end of April, financial incentives offered by the government for taking on a 16- to 18-year-old apprentices can be worth up to £5,400.

But the incentive will fall to just £1,000 per apprentice from May, which Mr Graham warned would cause a “complete change-around in its provision” away from 16to-18s at JTL.

The provider was allocated £15,149,256 for younger apprenticeships by the Skills Funding Agency for 2016/17, and currently has over 6,300 electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilating, and engineering maintenance services apprentices.

Three quarters of these are aged 16 to 18 – but Mr Graham expects that number to drop to around 25 per cent once the levy comes in.

He wrote: “Our employers say when the traditional age differentials in funding rates are removed, they would sooner employ people aged 19 and over.”

Mr Graham explained that while present funding incentives made it worthwhile taking on younger apprentices, who have less established work habits and lack skills like driving licenses, £1,000 wouldn’t be enough to entice employers to take them on.

“Our level three apprenticeships typically last four years. That equates to £5 a week,” he wrote.

Mr Dawe said: “We really need now a clear and unambiguous statement from the government that it’s fully committed to supporting apprenticeship opportunities for 16- to 18-year-olds, with appropriate levels of incentives kept in place.”

Teresa Frith, senior skills policy manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “We share the concern that the funding changes might reduce demand from employers for younger apprentices.”

A DfE spokesperson said it wants “to encourage employers to take on young people”.

She continued: “Our research indicates that the proposed £1,000 incentive to employers and providers is likely to cover additional costs faced by both [employers and providers], irrespective of subject or length of apprenticeship.

“We have also increased funding for STEM apprenticeship routes by 40 per cent at level two to encourage more young people to undertake training in these vital subjects and increase quality.”

Analysis by FE Week carried out last summer showed that the new £1,000 incentive, combined with wider ‘upper limit’ apprenticeship funding levels – overall funding stood to drop by up to half in many deprived areas.

Our findings sparked mass outrage, which was channelled through our #SaveOurApprenticeships campaign, and helped convince the skills minister Robert Halfon to announce plans to pay an extra 20 per cent on funding band limits for the age group.

FE Week subsequently proved that this inadequate measure would still result in smaller – but still huge – funding cuts.

Labour’s former skills minister David Lammy, an outspoken #SaveOurApprenticeships backer, called this week on the government to “come clean” about how badly the cuts will still affect younger apprentices.

Mr Halfon has previously told FE Week that he “absolutely” doesn’t accept that starts will fall, “because we’re giving the incentives to the employers and providers. We’re doing everything we can to encourage them to employ young apprentices”.

Calls for extra funding for this age group gained prominence in 2011, through the influential ‘Review of Vocational Education’ published by Professor Alison Wolf, who was unavailable for comment this week.

It recommended employers who take on 16- to 18-year-old apprentices “should be eligible for payments (direct or indirect)… when they bear some of the cost of education for an age-group with a right to free full- time participation”.

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DfE really listening?

Employers are telling a large and successful provider of 16-18 engineering apprentices they will switch to adults once the funding reforms kick in.

Most 16-18 frameworks see a significant rate cut from May, and for the first time employers with 50 or more staff will have to pay for them.

Then there are the new replacement apprenticeship standards, which offers no age specific incentive to the provider.

Plus, according to Jon Graham at JTL, the £1,000 16-18 employer incentive is proving nowhere near enough to persuade them to take a young person over an adult.

As I suggested to Robert Halfon last year, the loss of a ring-fenced 16-18 budget means there is little the government can do to stop the funding switch to adults.

The minister, who has so far proved to be a good listener to sector concerns, needs to take action quickly.

He should remember too that the Conservative Party stressed in its 2015 manifesto it was committing to the creation of 3 million starts by 2020, so “young people acquire the skills to succeed”.

We can’t wait for a Technical Education reform magic pill from 2019.

The DfE must step in and take back some control now, else there will be tens of thousands of disappointed young people in just a few months from now.

To put it bluntly, employer ownership alone simply isn’t compatible with social justice.

Nick Linford, editor

Thousands competing in AoC Sport National Championships 2017

Up to 2,000 elite college sporting stars will travel to Nottingham in April to compete in the AoC Sport National Championships 2017.

Throughout the autumn term students across the country have been battling away in regional heats to qualify for the 39th annual championships – the pinnacle event in the sporting calendar for AoC Sport member colleges.

Being held across five venues at the University of Nottingham from 21 to 23 April, students will compete in 13 different sports, including badminton, 7-a-side football, squash and volleyball.

FE Week headed to Tyne and Wear for the 2016 National Championships last April and will once again be there for the full weekend, as media partner, reporting on all of the developments with up to 2,000 competitors expected.

The number of students taking part in regional tournaments – the qualifiers for the National Championships – grew from 11,000 to 11,200 this year.

AoC Sport has also experienced its best ever league and cup entries – up by 8 and 4 per cent respectively.

Marcus Kingwell, director of AoC Sport, said: “Students will be attending from across the country and, as ever, they are the cream of the crop that colleges have to offer.

“Colleges across the country have embraced our message that sport and physical activity are essential components of college life, and we’re delighted that so many students will be taking part.”

Last year saw nearly 1,800 athletes from 137 different colleges compete in 15 different sports.

As well as competing in their chosen sport, students battled for points for their region.

The region whose teams and individuals accumulated the most points won the prestigious Wilkinson Sword trophy.

In third place was the West Midlands, in second was the South East, and for the third year in a row the South West were crowned champions.

The event can also provide a springboard for competitors, with Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty having competed in the 2013 championships.

Last year’s championships also gave FE Week the opportunity to hear from college leaders on the wider benefits to students’ health and aspirations as a result of investing in sport.

John Evans, principal of Yeovil College, said he believed the wellbeing of learners improved as they engaged in more sport and healthy activities, which also help break down social barriers that can sometimes separate students.

Lynne Gardner, head of college sport and enrichment at Peter Symonds College, Winchester, said investing in sport, and being a member of AoC Sport, had enabled her college to “raise our participation levels brilliantly”.

Shane Mann, managing director of Lsect, publishers of FE Week said: “Last year, I was fortunate to attend my first National Championships and was overwhelmed by the dedication and achievements of all those involved. These championships deserve national coverage.”

AoC Sport is a membership organisation launched in August 2014 which campaigns for every college student to participate regularly in sport or physical activity.

Main image: Team south west, the winners of the Wilkinson Sword at AoC Sport National Championships 2016

My plans, priorities and resolutions for 2017

Writing exclusively in FE Week, Robert Halfon, the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, sets out his plans, priorities and resolutions for the year ahead.

2017 is set to be a hugely significant year for apprenticeships, skills, further education and careers – building on the successes of 2016. With apprentice participation at nearly 900,000 – the highest figure on record and 625,000 apprenticeship starts since May 2015, we have made huge progress towards Britain becoming an apprentice nation.

This year I became Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills and it is not a stretch to say that it is my dream job. Being able to spearhead the benefits of skills and apprenticeships to people across Britain is a great honour.

I look forward to being challenged by FE Week and others as we implement our programme

I see apprenticeships as a ladder of opportunity. This is because, like a ladder, people climb to new heights, acquiring the skills and qualifications they need for current and future jobs.

Apprenticeships really do work. They give people the chance to earn while they learn, gain vital work experience and set themselves on a fast-track to a successful career for life. Importantly, over 90 per cent of apprentices who complete their programmes remain employed.

In terms of skills, our ambition is to create a professional and technical education system that puts skills at the forefront of learning, and also ensures that we have the skills that employers need to move forward. While ‘skills’ is a broad term, what we need to ensure is that all education routes represent quality and opportunity for all. This means ensuring technical courses are on a par with traditional academic options and that every apprenticeship offers the skills employers are looking for.

So, what is 2017 going to bring? Here are some of my New Year’s resolutions:

Apprenticeship funding reforms coming into force

2017 is the year that the apprenticeship levy is coming into force.

For too long there has been an under-investment in Britain’s skills and that is why the levy is so essential – it will help to ensure a highly skilled workforce for the future.

Through the levy, £2.5 billion will be invested in apprenticeships by 2019-20, that 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.

We are also continuing to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Through the levy, we are investing £60 million in supporting the training of apprentices from the poorest areas in the country as well as providing an additional £150 a month for training providers to give extra learning support to an apprentice with learning or other disabilities to ensure social mobility for all.

I see apprenticeships as a ladder of opportunity

In addition, we are investing in STEM qualifications for apprentices, and giving significant financial incentives to both employers and providers to employ 16-18 year old apprentices and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Over the last Parliament, we had 2.4 million apprenticeship starts and apprenticeship participation is at its highest figure on record. I want to continue to build on this enthusiasm and momentum this year and reach three million apprenticeship starts by 2020.

The Institute for Apprenticeships

Quality must sit at the core of all of our changes. We have been working hard to make sure the Institute for Apprenticeships is up and running by April 2017 to ensure just that. Its ultimate goal will be to give employers a stronger role in the apprenticeship system, ensuring they and employees get the skills they need to succeed.

National Apprenticeship Week 2017

Of course, one of the highlights of the year will be National Apprenticeship Week in March. I hope to be traveling around the country alongside the National Apprenticeship Service, seeing some brilliant apprentices across many diverse fields of employment. The week is designed to celebrate the positive impact apprenticeships and traineeships have on individuals, businesses and the economy. With the theme being ‘ladder of opportunity’, this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the amazing work of employers and their apprentices. There really has never been a better time to be an apprentice – and throughout the week we will be highlighting how apprentices give people a chance to climb up the career ladder and get on in the world of work.

Technical and Further Education Bill

2017 will see the Technical and Further Education Bill continue its passage through parliament. The Bill brings to life the fundamental reforms needed to build a high quality skills system to rival the best in the world.

This Bill will extend the role of the Institute for Apprenticeships to cover technical education, expanding the Institute for Apprenticeships into the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Subject to passing in parliament, it also protects students in the event that colleges face extreme financial difficulties due to insolvency. Above all, the Institute will ensure that all technical training is of the highest quality and based on the needs of employers.

Further education

I want 2017 to also be the year we celebrate the brilliant work that further education colleges do.

It is right that excellence in further education is now being recognised through the Chartered Institute of Further Education, with Furness College being the latest institution to be accepted for membership. We need to learn from the leadership of the best colleges both in terms of their teaching and their financial acumen.

Through the area review process, we have been reforming further education so that local communities, learners and employers get the skills and training they need to help their area thrive. Finishing this year, this process has been vital in supporting colleges to put themselves in the best position possible to deliver high quality teaching which meets the needs of all young people and adults enabling them to succeed.

Careers, the first rung on the ladder

Careers is something I am extremely passionate about – it is the first rung on the ladder of opportunity. Good careers advice and guidance is essential to opening up opportunities and jobs for people of all backgrounds across the country. It is also critical for the success of our reforms to apprenticeships and to technical education which will transform the skills base of this country. That’s why 2017 is all about making sure that the careers advice and guidance on offer encourages people to pursue professional and technical education and apprenticeships as much as it does university.

Careers advice and guidance should be available everywhere from schools to colleges and universities

This year I’ll be pushing ahead with plans to ensure that everyone, no matter what age or what background, can rely on excellent and consistent careers advice. Careers advice and guidance should be available everywhere from schools to colleges and universities. The Careers and Enterprise Company will be continuing to support the mentoring and work experience that is essential for careers guidance to succeed, including through their growing network of Enterprise Advisors. Last year their funding supported over 250,000 students, focused in the areas of the country with the least provision.

Conclusion

Careers, apprenticeships, skills, social justice, quality and jobs are my priorities for the coming year. The direction of travel is clear; the levy will change behaviour, and the new Institute will ensure quality. The Sainsbury reforms will also guarantee excellent professional and technical education, and the area reviews will help provide strong leadership in further education and strong further education colleges.

I look forward to being challenged by FE Week and others as we implement our programme. Whatever our differences in opinion, we are united in the need to ensure we provide the apprentices and skills that our nation needs.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone at FE Week and in the Skills, further education and apprenticeships world a happy new year!

FE figures honoured by the Queen in her 2017 list

The work of the chief executive officer of adult learning provider City Lit has been recognised in this year’s Queen’s New Year’s Honours list, alongside 11 other figures from the FE sector.

Mark Malcomson (pictured above), who has led London-based college City Lit since May 2011 in the role of CEO and principal, gained a CBE in the 2016 honours list.

Before joining City Lit, he was a director at the London Business School for four years, and president of the NY Institute of Finance for six years.

City Lit offers evening, daytime and weekend courses for adults in a range of subjects, which are delivered both full and part time, and vary from one-off sessions to year-long programmes.

Based in Covent Garden, it was rated ‘outstanding’ in its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2011.

Mr Malcomson said he was “absolutely delighted” and “completely surprised” to receive the CBE.

He told FE Week: “Although there is the personal aspect to it, it is the recognition for adult education and City Lit that I’m really pleased about.

“It’s its the college as a whole and the colleagues I work with that I feel most honoured about.

There are over 1,000 staff and most of them are part time, they’re tutors in expert areas and we put on 5000 courses a year – it’s a massive logistical operation.”

He added: “Adult education is often overlooked and it’s great to see it properly recognised.

It’s going to be more important as time moves on and people are expected to work 50 or 60 years – the idea that you’re done in your 20s is just not tenable, you should never be done with education.”

Other FE winners who had their work celebrated this year included an OBE for Michael Robbins, principal of Bridgwater and Taunton College, which received an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ grade after its latest inspection in November 2006.

FE Week readers might be familiar with this inspection, as it hit our headlines in November when the college became one of two in England that has now gone ten years without a visit from Ofsted, alongside Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridgeshire.

Although Mr Robbins only took over the headship of Bridgwater and Taunton in 2012, he had previously served as the college’s vice principal for over 15 years.

Another principal who achieved an award was Steve Frampton, who heads Portsmouth Sixth Form College, which was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in 2013. Mr Frampton was recognised with an MBE for services to education.

Three more OBEs went to Professor Mary Dunning, former governor of Tyne Metropolitan College, for services to further and higher education and the community in the North-East of England; Reverend Jennifer Mullis, assistant director of the Further Education Commercial and Legal Unit at the Department for Education, for services to further education and to the community in Yorkshire; and Avtar Singh Purewal, regional head of learning and skills at the HM Prison Service Yorkshire, for services to prisoners.

FE also scooped a total of seven MBEs. Other winners included: Kenneth Andrew John Barrass, lately chair at Rotherham and North Nottinghamshire College; Jennifer Foote, company secretary and general counsel at The Manchester College (UK LTE Group) and chair of the National Clerks Network; Sara Kibel, governor at the Westminster Adult Education Service; and Mary Quinn, education consultant and lately executive principal at Stourport High School and Sixth Form College.

Dr Sue Pember, former top skills civil servant who is now director of policy at membership organisation for adult education providers Holex, which City Lit is a member of, gave her congratulations to those receiving awards.

She said: We at HOLEX are delighted to hear that Mark Malcomson has been awarded a CBE in recognition for his leadership of City Lit and also Regina Kibel a MBE for her role in the governance of Westminster Adult Education Service.

“These are well-deserved honours and it is marvellous that adult education is being acknowledged in this way.”

Here is the full list:

Institute for Apprenticeships consultation launched

This morning the government launched their long awaited Institute for Apprenticeships consultation.

With a January 31 deadline, you have less than four weeks to give your view on the Draft Strategic Guidance to the Institute for Apprenticeships.

Key functions for the Institute for Apprenticeship, which will be launched in April:

Standards development and approval
Currently the government manage the standards development and approval process. This will be taken on by the Institute.
> Ensure as swift a process for approving standards as possible
> Take on Government’s current role of quality assurance of standards
> Ensure that standards and assessment plans have been examined by ‘an independent third party’ before they can be approved
> Proactive support to employers who are developing standards and assessment plans to be a priority
> Take into account the Department for Education’s development of technical education routes to ensure there is no duplication

Quality assurance of apprenticeship assessments
The Institute will play a role in checking quality and consistency of assessments offered by different assessment organisations against the same standard
> The Institute will be the external quality assurance (EQA) organisation in instances where alternatives (processes developed by employer groups, a Professional Body or Ofqual.
> The strategy states: “The Institute should consider how best to ensure that effective and high-quality EQA processes are available and are applied to all end-point assessments. It will need to satisfy itself that all options will ensure consistent assessment and require a high standard from all apprentices.”

Apprenticeship certification
This month the Skills Funding Agency took on responsibility for the certification of standards.
> The Strategy says the Institute will need to “assist in this oversight role, setting the parameters for the SFA to operate within, designing the certificate and ensuring the overall integrity and quality of the system. We will write to the Institute separately on the specific tasks we would like it to carry out in relation to certification.”

Funding advice
The Institute will provide the government with advice and assistance on apprenticeship funding, including:
> allocating individual apprenticeship standards to funding bands, both for new standards and in the context of Technical Education route reviews
> the current allocation of existing frameworks to funding bands and the effectiveness of additional support payments, such as those for younger apprentices
> how the allocation of apprenticeship standards to funding bands might be undertaken in the future

Policing the system
> “We would expect the Institute – through the way in which it fulfils its statutory duties – to discourage behaviour seeking to make a profit by delivering services that are not necessary and do not add value, and work to ensure the system as a whole is fair and consistent with the principles of the reforms.”

Other functions
> Annual reporting and success criteria. “The Institute may find it helpful to set out a number of success criteria to help them measure their progress, and the progress of the system overall, which can be supported by data and evidence”
> Review of Apprenticeship standards. “While there is flexibility and it is up to Institute to decide how it carries out these reviews, we would expect them to be comprehensive, including details of completions, destinations and progression, wage uplift, and feedback from providers, apprentices, assessment organisations and employers in particular. We would also expect that they check how the standard fits with the latest version of the relevant occupational map. The Institute should also consider how well the system as a whole is delivering successful apprenticeships which respond to the skills needs outlined in the industrial strategy and wider Government priorities like social mobility.”
> “Assisting with certain elements of the registers of training providers and assessment organisations” – although “the SFA will maintain responsibility for administration” of the register
> Working with partners, including Ofsted, Ofqual, SFA, HEFCE and QAA and, in future, the Office for Students in a “leadership role in the context of apprenticeships”. Also working “with the devolved administrations to ensure the needs of employers who work across boarders are considered when standards are developed”.
> “Perhaps” setting up an ‘Apprenticeship Panel’ which reports directly to the Institute Board, “to ensure that Apprentices have an opportunity to have their say about the education and training they receive during their apprenticeships, and the chance to improve the experience of those who come after them.”

FE principals neglected again as New Year’s honours list praises only a handful

FE college principals have again fared poorly in the Queen’s honours list, with only three being recognised for their contributions in a “disappointing” outcome for the sector.

Dr Sue Pember, former top skills civil servant who is now director of policy at membership organisation for adult education providers Holex (pictured above), said that although it was “fantastic news” for those who received an honour, it remained “disappointing that there were so few FE staff recognised this time”.

She told FE Week: “Going forward we should try to ensure that more are nominated. We have many fantastic and worthy staff whose work should be acknowledged and it is on us to encourage senior staff and governors to put forward names of those who go way past the call of duty.

She added: “We need to collectively pro-active and, when we see good work, think about the nomination systems and follow the process.”

Mike Robbins, principal of Bridgwater and Taunton College, will receive an OBE and two sixth form college principals will receive an MBE, Steve Frampton at Portsmouth Sixth Form College and Mary Quinn at Stourport High School and Sixth Form College.

Mark Malcomson, who leads the adult education provider City Lit since May 2011, came out on top with a CBE for his work – but the sector saw no knighthoods or damehoods at all.

The meager collection of FE leaders echoed the outcome of the Queen’s birthday honours in June, which saw no general FE college principals in England named in the list and no top awards for the sector.

The lack of recognition stood out against 2015’s birthday honours, which saw the principal of City and Islington College, Frank McLoughlin, receive a knighthood.

And last year’s New Year’s honours were also more successful for FE, bringing a knighthood for former FE commissioner Dr David Collins and a CBE for former Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel.

This time last year more than 20 sector-related figures received awards and the same number were recognised in June’s birthday honours list – compared to just 12 for the New Year’s list for 2017, despite the number of people being honoured overall (nearly 1,200) remaining unchanged.

The latest honours list follows considerable changes to the machinery of government in the summer, when the Department for Education took over responsibility for FE, skills and higher education.

Hence, these are the first FE honours in nearly 10 years that DfE has compiled on its own for the Cabinet Office.

Another disappointing result for FE was that no junior college staff, such as lecturers, or staff at independent training providers were honoured at all this year.

The New Year’s honours list for 2016 brought prizes for less well known figures across the sector, such as York College’s head of maths Margherita “Miggy” Biller, and Donald Graham, the vocational programme manager at Foxes Academy, a specialist college for 16 to 25-year-olds with learning disabilities in Minehead, who both gained MBEs.

However, governors appear to be skirting this decline, with Professor Mary Dunning, former governor of Tyne Metropolitan College, receiving an OBE for services to further and higher education and the community in the North-East of England this year; and Kenneth Andrew John Barrass, lately chair at Rotherham and North Nottinghamshire College; Jennifer Foote, company secretary and general counsel at The Manchester College (UK LTE Group) and chair of the National Clerks Network; and Sara Kibel, governor at the Westminster Adult Education Service all being awarded MBEs.

A similar situation occurred in the Queen’s birthday honours this year, when Margaret Serna, chair of Lincoln College, received a CBE, while Josie Teasdale, lately chair at Barnsley College, was given an OBE as was Mark White, chair designate of Stockton Riverside College. Keith Brown, College of North East London chair, also got an MBE in June.

There were 69 honours relating specifically to schools in England in the New Year’s honours list for 2017, exactly the same number as there were last year.

Analysis of the 12 honours for FE in England, and full list below

FE Week supplement review 2016

Over the course of this year FE Week produced a whopping 172 pages of content across 10 supplements covering all of the key sector talking points of 2016.

Ranging from the AAC, AoC and AELP conferences, to The Skills Show and EuroSkills, below we have brought all of our supplements into one place for our readers to recap on as we move into 2017.

March 11 – National Apprenticeship Week 2016

National Apprenticeship Week, which this year ran from 14 – 18 March, seemed more pivotal than ever as we embarked on the final year of government-led funding before the levy is launch in April.

This 16-page supplement, sponsored by NCFE, gave us the opportunity to look at what lessons can be learned from the past to inform future decisions.

We therefore concentrated on providing historical context throughout this supplement dedicated to NAW 2016 — which covered the history of apprenticeships, key issues currently facing the sector, and beyond that to the “postmodern”.

March 30 – AAC 2016: Souvenir Supplement

The FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference and Exhibition was once again an outstanding event for our sector.

The second ever AAC this year took place during the last three days of National Apprenticeship Week and offered an array of prominent key note speakers from top politicians, civil servants, providers, employers and most importantly apprentices. There were also over 45 in-depth practical workshops for delegates to attend.

This special 28-page souvenir supplement, sponsored by OCR, provides an overview of some of the highlights from AAC 2016 with content on hot topics such as the levy, apprenticeship funding reform, and the controversial as ever Sir Michael Wilshaw.

June 23 – Traineeships – Tracking progress

FE Week first produced supplement on traineeships in July 2013 as the programme got underway and thought three years on was the perfect time to revisit traineeships to take stock.

In this 16-page supplement, sponsored by OCR, we found that while some progress has been made, it is clear there are still questions and challenges around the policy.

June 29 – #AELP2016 Conference

Our fifth ever AELP conference supplement was produced onsite at the end of day one of this year’s conference in June.

With Brexit creating turbulence across Whitehall this was a key date in the FE calendar with scepticism around whether former skills minister Nick Boles would address the conference and if levy plans had been derailed.

Mr Boles thankfully did arrive on time and delivered some welcomed reassurance of the government’s commitments to apprenticeships.

This 16-page supplement, sponsored by OCR, delves deeper into the chatter among delegates and speakers following the monumental moment in British history.

July 14 – FE Week Festival of Skills 2016 Souvenir supplement

This year also marked the inaugural Festival of Skills at Capel Manor College, which FE Week was delighted to host.

This new event is a sister to The Telegraph Festival of Education which in its seventh year attracted over 5,000 festival-goers to Wellington College in June.

The Festival of Skills was an inspiring CPD extravaganza bringing together the best of the sector’s most forward thinking advocates, practitioners of change, policy makers and educators.

This 16-page souvenir supplement, sponsored by City & Guilds, shows the fantastic launch.

September 19 – Tech in FE

In early September the Association for Learning Technology held its annual conference, giving us the perfect time to take a look at all things technology-related for the FE and skills sector.

On the 16 pages we look at some of the many ways that colleges and other providers are working together to create innovative tech solutions to the challenges facing the sector. This supplement was sponsored by Tribal.

November 3 – Area reviews: rebuild for resilience

It had been just over a year since the area reviews of post-16 launched, aiming to move towards “fewer, often larger, more resilient and efficient providers”.

Our reporter Jude Burke has followed the process all the way with great interest – from the first reports of lengthy delays during wave one, to the FE commissioner Sir David Collins’ promise to MPs this month that all reviews were on track to finish on time by next March.

In November many of the earlier reviews had reached the implementation phase – and the government had at last published its long-awaited implementation guidance – providing a good moment to focus on the work ahead for colleges.

Sponsored by the Learning Curve Group, this 16-page supplement reflects on the sweeping changes.

November 25 – AoC Annual Conference 2016

The annual AoC conference was as anticipated as ever, this year bringing a feeling of renewed energy in the FE sector.

The AoC’s new chief executive David Hughes undoubtedly added to this feeling of revitalisation. He kicked off the conference on a positive note, and despite acknowledging the challenges brought by the recent “blizzard of changes”, reassured delegates in his speech that he has “a lot of hope”.

This 16-page supplement, sponsored by NOCN, includes everything on offer at the conference, including education secretary Justine Greening, skills minister Robert Halfon, new FE commissioner Richard Atkins, TV star Ruby Wax, among much more.

November 25 – The Skills Show 2016

While the policy focused AoC conference wrapped up in November, just down the road at Birmingham’s NEC The Skills Show kicked off its fifth annual event.

This was the chance for everyone to see policy put into action as the country’s best apprentices and learners battled in the national WorldSkills UK skills competitions.

There was also an abundance of careers advice from leading employers such as Dyson and Jaguar Land Rover on offer, as well as the chance to have a go at more than 50 different skills, and the opportunity to speak to past WorldSkills UK competitors.

This 16-page supplement, sponsored by Learning Curve Group, gives an insight into the country’s biggest careers event.

December 5 – EuroSkills 2016 | celebrating Team UK’s success

We signed off our supplement haul for 2016 with a week in Gothenburg for EuroSkills 2016.

FE Week reporter Billy Camden has followed Team UK since they were announced in May, with the journey culminating in the European skills finals in Sweden.

Around 500 young people aged 18 to 25, from 28 different countries competed in 44 different skill areas from stonemasonry to hairdressing.

Team UK did themselves more than proud by taking home an impressive medal haul of two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

This 16-page supplement completed onsite in Sweden and sponsored by Smart Assessor, takes you from the start to finish of Team UK’s successful journey.