York College
‘apprenticeships’
It’s been a largely disappointing week, as all three published full FE and skills inspection reports resulted in a drop from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’. “Significant weaknesses” in its 16 to 19 study programmes and apprenticeships, were among the factors contributing to Northampton College’s slide to grade three, in a report published May 23 but based […]
News
Expansion is on the cards this summer for awarding organisation NOCN, with a new acquisition from the Construction Industry Training Board, which it claims will transform it into one of the biggest AOs in the UK. Cskills Awards, currently a division of the CITB, will officially move to NOCN on August 1 and will bring […]
The levy system is a long way from perfect – but the principles that lie behind it, in terms of building a functioning skills market, are valuable and worth fighting for, says Neil Carberry The manifestos are out, and we are less than a month from ministers returning to work. The good news is that […]
Opinion
A provider on the new apprenticeships register has been hit with an inadequate overall grade, in the only full inspection report to have been published this week. But Norfolk Training Services Limited, which we reported had been added to the register in April, was given a grade three for its apprenticeships provision – meaning its […]
The ESFA’s approach to the allocation of apprenticeship funding for non-levy employers undermines the apprenticeship reforms and specifically, degree apprenticeships, says Adrian Anderson The apprenticeship reforms put the employer in the driving seat. Employers develop apprenticeship standards that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for an occupation, and they decide which to use to […]
Apprentices need to understand why completion is so important, and this needs to be led from the top, says Alan Woods The phrase ‘I’ve started so I’ll finish’ might be commonly associated with University Challenge presenters, but it also articulates a mental resolve that should be adopted by young apprentices. When it comes to the […]
Hundreds of training providers don’t know when they can start apprenticeship programmes, because the government has failed to inform them of the mandatory training they need to complete first. The Education and Skills Funding Agency has added over 500 companies to the register of apprenticeship training providers, but FE Week has found that none were […]
The Conservative manifesto has repeated the pledge from 2015 to “deliver our commitment to create 3 million apprenticeships for young people by 2020.” This target description remains at best grossly misleading, and now they’re repeating it two years later, I think it’s fair to call this a lie. Why? Because in reality they are aren’t […]
Labour has demanded an investigation into the way providers are selected for the register of apprenticeship training providers – after a new company with one employee run from home made it onto the list. The updated register was published this week by the Education and Skills Funding Agency – and Learn for Free Ltd, which […]
