York College
‘apprenticeships’
The role of FE colleges is changing, explains Sharron Robbie. Viewing businesses as customers, stakeholders and strategic partners is key, she says. Recently, we’ve seen a real change in the way FE colleges connect and engage with employers. There has been a major shift from the traditional, transactional attitude to a more strategic, partnership-focused approach. […]
Opinion
While PAYE has figured heavily in coverage of the government’s apprenticeship funding proposals, the other option of an apprenticeship credit account has enjoyed less focus. Mark Corney looks at the latter option. An interesting juncture has been reached on apprenticeship funding reform now the technical consultation has closed. Employers are urging the Coalition to ‘get […]
Independent learning provider MiddletonMurray has won a hat-trick of awards in 2014. The Kent and London-based firm was recognised as the pre-employment training and job brokerage provider of the year at the Mayor’s Fund for London Awards at City Hall, which recognised outstanding training for 16 to 24-year-olds. MiddletonMurray also won the best training provider/ […]
Bulletin
More than 30 employer bodies joined forces to call for greater control over apprenticeships just days after a technical consultation on proposed reforms that drew more than 1,200 responses, closed. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), Nestle and Crossrail were among those behind a letter published in […]
News
A college principal has hit out at proposed changes to the way the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) reports and calculates provider success rates. Harlow College principal Karen Spencer said the changes, designed to make comparisons between providers easier to understand, would make the system “overly complex”. Success rates, which measure how many students starting a […]
Our directors and senior managers have been in discussions with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, sector skills councils, employers and trade associations about implementing the Richard review. What is emerging are the unforeseen consequences of handing employers direct financial and operational control of apprenticeships. Is the government only going to fund employers solely […]
Official figures showing fewer than two applications for each traineeship vacancy have sparked concern about a “general lack of awareness” of the government’s new flagship youth unemployment scheme. A freedom of information (FOI) request from FE Week showed just 4,160 online applications were made for 3,480 traineeship vacancies in the eight months since the programme’s […]
The Association of Colleges has called for government proposals for apprenticeship funding reform to be “carefully modelled and trialled” over fears changes could create barriers and reduce quality. In its response to a technical consultation on the proposals to use PAYE or a credits system to fund apprenticeship, it warned that not enough was known […]
BBC apprentices showed they are on the right frequency by creating podcasts looking into how more young people could be encouraged to listen to talk-orientated radio stations. The BBC launched its level three radio journalism apprenticeship scheme last September. It involves them splitting their time between studying at Lambeth College, and working with production teams […]
