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Qualifications and apprenticeships – it’s all about the currency

By Paul Turner, Futures Leader, Thursday 06 April 2017

Paul Turner

The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) formally began its role on 3 April with the broad remit to monitor the design, delivery, end point assessment (EPA) and quality assurance of apprenticeships, including standards and assessment plans. Two documents were also released in parallel – the Strategic Guidance to the Institute for Apprenticeships and the Apprenticeships Accountability Statement. The former is to provide the high level guidance to the IfA around the fundamental reforms taking place. The latter sets out the responsibilities of each organisation with a role to play in the reformed apprenticeship system. This includes assessment bodies, providers and employers as well as other organisations such as Ofsted and Ofqual.

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Positive news as government decides to retain Applied General qualifications

By , Friday 31 March 2017

We were very pleased to hear that the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed the initial outcome of the Applied General Review is that this category of qualification will remain. It was announced that the DfE will work with Ofqual going forward, to ensure Applied General qualifications are robust in providing appropriate skills and knowledge. The DfE will be retaining Applied Generals in official performance tables.

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Launching our new report with the Campaign for Learning

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Friday 17 March 2017

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Together with the Campaign for Learning, we launched our new report: “Reforming Technical and Professional Education: Why should it work this time?” in Westminster yesterday, in a roundtable session that was attended by further education industry bodies, colleges and employers. In launching the paper, the author Mick Fletcher set out nine recommendations, to ‘promote technical education as a strong and prestigious alternative to the academic route, and to succeed where earlier attempts have failed’. The recommendations for the government are:

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New report published on reforming technical and professional education

By Esme Winch, Managing Director, Thursday 16 March 2017

esme blog.jpg

This NCFE-sponsored report, published with the Campaign for Learning and written by independent policy consultant Mick Fletcher, raises important questions for the roll-out of the Post-16 Skills Plan and for the reforms to technical education more broadly. The report, entitled “Reforming Technical and Professional Education: Why should it work this time?” includes nine recommendations of activity that the government should undertake if it is to achieve its aims. At NCFE, we believe that the principles behind the reforms outlined in the Post-16 Skills Plan are admirable; aligning the skills system to the needs of employers, eliminating ‘low value’ qualifications, and ensuring financial sustainability of the system. The promise to develop ‘a high quality technical option’ that would have equal status with the academic route, and increase the numbers engaged with technical education, is very attractive and we are hopeful that the new T-Levels will help to deliver on this promise.

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Reforming vocational education – will it work this time?

By Mick Fletcher, FE Policy Analyst, Thursday 16 March 2017

Mick Fletcher blog.jpg

The Post-16 Skills Plan, and the ‘Sainsbury Report’ it builds on, promises big changes in vocational education that will help build a valued and valuable alternative to the academic route of A levels followed by university.  It has been widely welcomed by the sector, not least because it reasserts a central role for college based technical programmes that have recently seemed side-lined by the political obsession with apprenticeships. These proposals however are only the latest in a long line of attempts to ‘reform’ vocational education that have generally ended in failure, and one is entitled to ask ‘will it be any different this time?’ On the positive side there is no doubt about the political commitment to reform; the cross party consensus is perhaps best symbolised by a Conservative government embracing a report from a former Labour minister. There is support from the sector too, perhaps encouraged by the clear role for ‘education professionals’ alongside employers in developing the system and the recognition of a need to build on rather than bypass existing institutions. But is it enough?

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