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‘apprenticeships’

‘Soviet-style’ apprenticeship quality question

The government’s record on improving the quality of the apprenticeships programme has come in for questioning. Falling success rates, exemptions from minimum standards and publicly-aired doubts from the education watchdog’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw (pictured below right) have cast a shadow over the government’s 3m apprenticeship starts target for this Parliament. It’s a situation […]

News

The Indy Scene: Edition 150

Chancellor George Osborne’s decision to impose a levy on employers to fund apprenticeships is a positive move if carefully and fairly implemented and if the unintended consequences and opportunities for fraud are thought through in advance. Training prescribed by industrial training boards was funded by a statutory levy until abandoned by Margaret Thatcher in the […]

Opinion

‘Consider all facts’ on new performance data measure before launching intervention action, urges AELP boss

Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) chief executive Stewart Segal urged the government to ensure that “all the facts are considered” before destination performance data is used to trigger “transformational improvements”. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched a consultation on Wednesday (September 30), which will close on December 2, on its […]

News

Sector gives BIS committee its views on the Productivity Plan

The task of the first official inquiry of the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee is to look at the government’s Productivity Plan. Committee chair Iain Wright (pictured above), announcing the inquiry in July, said he wanted to explore whether the plan addressed the main causes of low productivity in the UK […]

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Government apprenticeship reform adviser Doug Richard in court over child sex charges

Former government adviser on apprenticeships Doug Richard appeared in court today to face child sex charges. Richard wore a plain white shirt and black trousers and remained impassive throughout his appearance in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He faced three counts of sexual activity with a child and one of causing or inciting a child […]

News

Labour BIS and DfE shadows signal joined-up opposition with funding cuts pledge

A more joined-up approach to opposition FE policy was signalled at the Labour Party conference as Angela Eagle and Lucy Powell both pledged to fight cuts to the sector. The Shadow Business Secretary and Shadow Education Secretary both named FE as a key battleground in their speeches in Brighton as they criticised cuts to post-16 […]

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Construction skills sector prepared for two levies for the price of … two

Building sector firms have been paying into the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levy for half a century, so might have a rough idea what to expect from the government’s large employer apprenticeship levy. However, it hasn’t been clear jst how they feel about the possibility of having to fork out for two training levies — until now, […]

Opinion

Taking Treasury’s lead

On September 29, Jeremy Corbyn delivered his first speech as the Leader of the Labour Party in Brighton. Although he’d never admit it himself, many have argued that the speech was the most important of his political life, and the media has treated it as such with forensic examination of everything from the way it […]

Opinion

Uncertainty over deadline for switch from old apprenticeship frameworks to Trailblazer standards

Uncertainty around the deadline of the apprenticeship frameworks is growing after the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) refused to confirm they would cease come 2017/18. Adam Harper, BIS head of apprenticeship legislation, was non-committal when questioned about the deadline for the end of apprenticeship frameworks and move to Trailblazer standards, at London’s Capita […]

News