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I’m delighted to share the positive news that our new model for combined level V Cert qualifications has been received extremely well by the Department for Education (DfE). In their latest update to the published list of approved qualifications, our redeveloped Health and Fitness qualification is the first V Cert of this kind to appear on the list for the 2020 performance tables. This news gives us further confidence in this new model and the next round of submissions. We’ve laid out our 2020 vision and our plan of action for 2020 in previous communications, and whilst the DfE may have adjusted the timescales and the benchmarks, our plan to implement a new model for V Certs has remained consistent.

Last week, NCFE and Campaign for Learning were delighted to publish our second white paper of 2018 entitled ‘Shaping the new National Retraining Scheme’. Written by Dr Susan Pember, the paper assesses the current and emerging needs a National Retraining Scheme should address. These include longer working lives, rising automation, and the potential retraining needs of millions of atypical workers, especially the 15% of adults who are self-employed. As Sue has identified, the National Retraining Scheme is an important innovation from the government which promises to ensure we maximise the skills and opportunities of our increasingly longer working adult skills base. We’ve started to see progress being made on the scoping around the scheme, and Sue’s paper should be essential reading for all parties engaging in this process. The paper sets out the level of the challenge ahead, as well as 10 recommendations to build a quality programme that will support all adults to their intended destination, regardless of their starting point.

Earlier this month, the Skills Minister, Anne Milton, called on FE providers to report schools that flout their new legal obligation to give training organisations access and opportunities to speak to pupils about vocational routes. The Baker Clause legislation is now in place to require Leader of local authority-maintained schools and academies to ensure there is an opportunity for a “range of education and training providers” to access pupils aged 13 – 18 and make them aware of the technical options available to them after they leave school. This means that it’s now compulsory for all schools to open their doors to training providers who want to showcase their offer to potential learners.

The university tuition fees debate, has once again arisen in the news and work experience student, Kathryn, explores the issue further from the perspective of someone on the cusp of making decisions on her future. Recent news reports suggest that universities are currently charging the maximum fee for a university course, standing at a huge £9250 a year. With this in mind, some have accused universities of taking advantage of students who feel forced to pay the fee with a lack of information about alternatives available for them.

In response to a recent BBC report regarding the link between social media and mental health issues amongst young people, NCFE work experience student Kathryn Bradbeer, 17, explores the issue further. Social media, popular, relevant and possibly dangerous, but addictive never the less. The constant bombardment of updates, invites and opportunities, has been recognised to have created intense pressure on users and also on society.

International Women’s Day, 2018. The year of #Vote100. Today has a lot of resonance. We want to celebrate International Women’s Day by highlighting women who make a difference by harnessing the power of education through innovation and inclusivity. These inspirational women are some of the many working across the sector who embody our aspirations to help change the lives of our learners and support people to progress and achieve.

“Being an apprentice at NCFE has given me an amazing opportunity to learn new skills, not only with my course but in the working world. I’m made to feel like a valued member of my team and not ‘just an apprentice’, under excellent management and mentorship I feel I am able to develop my abilities and take on new challenges.”Nicola Burlison, NCFE apprentice.

Left to right - Richard Turner, Lisa Hibbard, Charlotte Lord, John Giannasi, Julia Gallimore, Peter Dick, Zena Albachari.

Apprenticeships are going through their most significant transformation for a generation. NCFE is one of the few recognised assessment organisations approved by the Education & Skills Funding Agency to deliver end-point assessment and offers support in a variety of sectors and subject areas. Keen to offer NCFE customers the best experience in the new world of end-point assessment, we scoured the market to find the best technological solution to help deliver our excellent service. Smart Apprentices (part of Smart Assessor) have created SmartEPA, a bespoke platform exclusively designed for the new style of end-point assessments for apprenticeships and together, we’re providing a market-leading service to achieve maximum outcomes for our customers and learners.

Learners could be set to suffer as a result of colleges withdrawing their provision for 14-16 year olds, also known as “direct entry”.  Pupils seeking an establishment which offers technical alternatives to GCSEs, could find that their local college is no longer catering for their age group. FE Week recently reported that 2 large college groups are withdrawing their direct entry solutions in a bid to save their reputations. The accountability measures that are applied to Key Stage 4 pupils, known as Progress 8, have been found to have a negative impact on their overall average. Data released by the department for Education show that all but one college are underperforming against the government floor standard of –0.5. Colleges are arguing that this data is misleading as these learners are an extremely small proportion of their overall learner population.