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Award-winning journalism from the only newspaper dedicated to further education and skills FEWEEK.CO.UK | MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 2015 | EDITION 149 Uncertainty over key SFA future in Collins ‘speeds up’ Trailblazer date question — again merger plans Page 2 Page 3 Page 11 PA/WIRE APPRENTICE WAGE ROCKETS The National Minimum Wage for apprentices has really taken off under Prime Minster David Cameron. An inflation-busting 20 per cent increase — from the £2.73 an- hour to £3.30, came into effect on October 1. It was first announced in March, a few days after Mr Cameron £3.30 spoke to apprentices at the BAE aerodrome, in Lancashire (pictured). It was welcomed by sector leaders including David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, who said: “The increase is good news. “We want apprenticeships to be a positive experience for everyone and pay is a really important part of that.” college area review ‘shambles’ @REBECCAJONES932 from Shadows Schools Minister, and former The Sheffield review involves 10 colleges such wide-ranging interests, some of which [email protected] Scunthorpe college principal, Nic Dakin. He and among them is Longley Park Sixth Form are conflicting with the exercise, to reach a said: “These hastily put together area reviews College, whose local MP, Harry Harpham, said sensible conclusion.” The government has been warned its “hastily have all the ingredients of being yet another the number of meeting attendees could affect He added: “I think it’s an ill-conceived put together area reviews have all the Conservative Government shambles. The the quality of decision-making. exercise in that it’s clear it’s doing something ingredients of being yet another Conservative steering groups look very unwieldy. And “I am concerned that having 25 members it’s very difficult to do — review post-16 Government shambles” with membership of the reviews don’t have to involve all post-16 is far too many to be perfectly honest and I education without taking into account schools their “unwieldy” steering groups potentially providers in an area with sixth forms, UTCs, believe it is unmanageable,” said the Labour sixth forms. It doesn’t make any sense to not swelling to around 45. free schools and others left out. Finally there is MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough. do this and the government is trying to make it Dozens of college governors’ board chairs, no clarity where additional money will come “If you have any group with over 12 to 13 look like it’s all-embracing.” joined by either their chief executives or from to implement outcomes. So at first glance members then you run into management The first meeting for the Birmingham and principals, and officials from local authorities it has all the ingredients of another fine mess.” ability issues. My experience is that you Solihull steering group was on September 18, take part in each steering group. Invite lists among the first meetings to have should get a group up to 13 as a limit to make Greater Manchester’s was three days later and Also attending will be members of local been held for the Birmingham and Solihull, proper decisions and have proper debates.” Sheffield’s was on September 28. Of the second enterprise partnerships (Leps), the FE Greater Manchester and Sheffield city regions The situation has also drawn criticism from lot form the first round, Tees Valley was on Commissioner, the Sixth Form College featured, according to FE Week sources, no former chief executive of the FE Funding October 1, Sussex Coast was due on October 22 Commissioner and Regional Schools fewer than 25 members. Council from 1997 to 2001 David Melville, chair and Solent was due on November 5. Commissioners, not to mention officials from And the second lot of area reviews, of Pearson Education Ltd and governor of A spokesperson for BIS and DfE said it was the Department for Education (DfE) and also announced on September 25, could see steering Manchester Metropolitan University, who also a “matter for steering groups to update their the Department for Business, Innovation and group memberships of more than 40 with, for said that school sixth forms should be included own meetings and progress, which they will do Skills (BIS). example, 13 colleges involved in the Solent in the area reviews. in due course.” It’s a situation that has led to criticism area review covering 11 local authority areas. He told FE Week: “It is very difficult with See editor’s comment and cartoon on page 8 HEADLINE SPONSOR ICC BIRMINGHAM | WEDNESDAY 16 - FRIDAY 18 MARCH FE WEEK ANNUAL APPRENTICESHIP CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION 2016 SEE PAGE 6 FURTHER INFORMATION 2 @FEWEEK FE WEEK MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015 Edition 149 NEWS News in brief FE WEEK team Frameworks deadline doubts FE WEEK Apprenticeships podcasts Editor: Chris Henwood @paulofford reforms during 2015/16 and 2016/17. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has launched four new podcasts Head designer: Nicky Phillips [email protected] “Our aim is that from 2017/18, all new on apprenticeship reforms. Sub editor: Paul Offord apprenticeship starts will be based on the They provide information on the development of Reporters: Billy Camden Uncertainty around the deadline of the new standards.” new Trailblazer standards and how they will affect apprenticeship frameworks is growing after But the government was forced to providers. Freddie Whittaker the Department for Business, Innovation and defend progress with implementation of A new downloadable guide has also been Jude Burke published by AELP, called Resources for Skills (BIS) refused to confirm they would Trailblazer apprenticeships in June, after planning and action — effective practice from the Rebecca Jones cease come 2017/18. FE Week reported that official figures Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme, which Photographer: Ellis O’Brien Adam Harper, BIS head of apprenticeship indicated there had been just 300 starts on includes a section on planning for delivery of new Financials: Helen Neilly legislation, was non-committal when the new programmes in nine months. standards. Visit www.apprenticeship-staff-support.co.uk/ Victoria Boyle questioned about the deadline for the end Another FE Week report on August 6 resources to download them all. of apprenticeship frameworks and move to revealed that frustration was growing Sales manager: Hannah Smith Trailblazer standards, at London’s Capita among Trailblazer apprenticeship Sales executive: Jasmin Fergus-Aghamiri Dual mandate response apprenticeships and traineeships conference, designers, with many of the new standards The government has said it aims to publish its Administration: Frances Ogefere Dell on September 23. still awaiting government approval for response to Dr Vince Cable’s ‘dual mandate’ With providers keen to find out if BIS was delivery almost a year after they were consultation later this month. Contributors: Shane Chowen sticking to its planned cut-off for frameworks, published. The consultation, which closed June 16, addressed the FE sector’s dual role of providing FE Week asked BIS if it was now planning to Just 24 standards had been published Frintan Donohue vocational training for the workplace, and being Alexandra Reid allow them to continue beyond August 2017. by BIS at that time as ready for delivery, a ‘second chance sector’ for those who didn’t get Paul Grainger However, a BIS spokesperson declined and that figure still only stood at 54 as of their GCSEs at school. to comment on the issue directly, saying September 24. A government spokesperson told FE Week the instead that “there will be one new Yet the government said in August that issues in the consultation were still relevant, but needed to be considered in the context of the standard for each occupation identified by more than 350 standards had either been government’s Productivity Plan Managing director: Shane Mann employers as requiring an apprenticeship, delivered or were being developed. and the standards will replace existing It led to claims in FE Week on September Screen learning awards And tweet us your thoughts @feweek or apprenticeship frameworks.” 4 that Skills Minister Nick Boles had with the #feweek College media teams have got two months to get He would not be drawn on a timescale for broken a promise made to the House of their entries in for the 2016 Learning on Screen when this process should be completed by. Commons Education Select Committee in Awards. Contact the editor The government had confirmed the date January that there would be “many fewer” Nominations for the awards, in their 12th year, Please inform the FE Week editor of any open on October 6 and close on December 1. errors or issues of concern regarding this for when it wanted old frameworks to be new apprenticeship Trailblazer standards They are held each year by the British publication. scrapped in an implementation plan for than the frameworks, of which there were Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC) and apprenticeship reform back in October 2013. 334 at the time, they will replace. celebrate excellence in the use of moving image Email [email protected] with It stated: “The Trailblazers will provide The story saw FE Week editor Chris and related media in learning, teaching and Error/Concern in the subject line. clear examples of effective practice and Henwood, in edition 145 of the newspaper, research. Please include the page number and story There are categories for in-house and student headline, and explain what the problem is. approaches which others can build on as we on September 7, raise the prospect of the production, among others. Visit bufvc.ac.uk/ move towards full implementation of the frameworks deadline being put back.