Blog

There was a lot of talk at the Conservative Party Conference about the ‘skills revolution’; largely centred on promises of greater degree level apprenticeship opportunities for teachers. This, along with raising the profile of apprenticeships and ‘gold standard’ T-level technical qualifications, are part of the government’s plan to raise the esteem of technical education. These are welcome announcements from the government, but in order to create a true parity of esteem, we need to go much further in promoting, and embedding, technical opportunities in mainstream learning from an early age.

Tweet

We’re really proud to say that our Level 2 Certificate in Creative Studies: Craft has been developed to offer flexibility to schools to deliver a craft discipline that suits the needs of the pupil. This qualification aims to: · develop a broad and comprehensive understanding of craft

Tweet

One of the key announcements at the Conservative Party conference was the increase in the payment threshold for student loans. Although the policy only applies to graduates who took out student loans introduced in 2012, it was launched as part of a raft of policies which appear to be trying to appeal to the younger demographic. Although at time of writing the official guidance is yet to be updated, the Department for Education (DfE) has clarified that this new threshold will also apply to advanced learner loans. Will this help the struggling advanced learner loans policy? We’ve seen continuing reports of the low take-up of advanced learner loans, with over half the budgeted amount underspent since 2013. As a key source of funding for learners looking to upskill themselves, this is a cause for concern.

Tweet

This month, we spoke to Edith Hall, Chief Moderator for NCFE covering:Business Administration & Law and Preparation for Life & Work, to give us the inside track on what Edith and her Moderators are frequently asked and some handy tips for qualification delivery and assessment success. We’ll be speaking to more of our Chief Moderators, so if you have any burning questions about the sector you teach in, get in touch with [email protected].

Tweet

In their simplest form, Functional Skills are practical qualifications in English, Maths and ICT which provide learners with essential knowledge, understanding and skills that will enable them to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and work. On paper the offer makes sense, but historically the problem has been that rather than Functional Skills qualifications being given the recognition they deserve as technical and practical alternatives to traditional academic routes, there has been an ongoing disconnect in gaining that recognition from employers and industry. At NCFE we are passionate about the importance of Functional Skills being widely recognised and appreciated as high quality, robust qualifications and we are continually working to improve our offer for both learners and centres delivering our qualifications. We welcome the reform and are doing all we can as an active member of the Functional Skills Working Group to ensure that learners are at the heart of any changes made. Here we take a look at the stages so far in the Functional Skills Reform, and look ahead at how we deliver our own Functional Skills offer in the future.

Tweet

Schools

Colleges

Training Providers

Employers

Learners

NCFE is a national Awarding Organisation

Join the debate

Destination unknown

Flexibility in action: V Cert in Creative Studies: Craft

A new lease of life for advanced learner loans?

Interview with a Chief Moderator

NCFE and the Functional Skills Reform

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

Categories

Archive

Join the debate

Subscribe

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

Categories

Archive