Blog posts for tags:Vocational, Schools, Schools

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Cabinet changes in FE and skills

By Michael Lemin, Policy and Research Manager, Tuesday 19 July 2016

michael blog.jpg

It’s all change in the government. Theresa May has been sworn in as our new Prime Minister, and there is wholesale change across the political Cabinet.  In education and skills, there are several ministerial changes, and responsibility for skills, along with Higher Education, has returned to the Department for Education (DfE). We look forward to seeing how bringing education, universities, FE and Apprenticeships under one minister’s remit will ensure joined up decision making for the benefit of learners.

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Sainsbury Review and Post-16 Skills Plan published

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Friday 08 July 2016

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Today, Lord Sainsbury’s Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education and the accompanying Post-16 Skills Plan have both been published. The report has been long-awaited and will have a significant impact on the awarding sector, and especially on the development of post-16 qualifications. 

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Key points from Ofqual corporate plan

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Wednesday 18 May 2016

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Last month saw the refreshing of Ofqual’s corporate plan for 2016 through to 2019. It sets out a number of key objectives that Ofqual wants to achieve over the next 3 years, and reading between the lines, we can also get an inkling of the challenges Ofqual will be facing during that period. Ofqual has set out its key objectives in this plan; “covering standards maintenance and reform in both general and vocational qualifications, as well as our own organisational development.” This sets the theme for the plan, focusing on the introduction and regulation of new qualifications in the GCSE and Functional Skills spaces, continued rigour around Technical and Professional Education (TPE) and efficiency savings in the way Ofqual operates.

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Choosing the right career path

By , Wednesday 18 May 2016

A recently released report has stated that better understanding is needed of why young people choose oversubscribed career paths. The AELP-published study, Routes into Work… it’s alright for some, aimed to explain why youth unemployment has remained high as the economy recovers.

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An update on academisation

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Wednesday 18 May 2016

David Grailey

It’s not often that education takes centre stage in British politics, but when it does, you can bet that it’ll capture public opinion. The government had probably not expected that its proposal to force all schools to convert to academies in the Educational Excellence Everywhere white paper would prove to be such a political hot potato. 

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What does the future hold for Technical and Professional Education?

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Wednesday 18 May 2016

David Grailey

Here at NCFE we’re anticipating the forthcoming publication of the skills white paper which will, in part, include the findings of the Sainsbury Review of Technical and Professional Education (TPE).   Although this wasn’t referenced in the Queen’s Speech on 18 May as expected, rumours are that the final recommendations and report will be published at some point later, before the EU referendum Purdah begins on 27 May.

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Can we improve careers advice?

By , Wednesday 20 April 2016

Careers advice has once again been a hot topic in the news, as many in and outside of the sector have emphasised its importance, and some have criticised the current resources available to school learners and leavers. Gatsby has carried out a survey on the current state of careers advice in the UK and made recommendations to improve the guidance young people receive going forward. In the foreword of the report, Lord Sainsbury argues that, while many reports in the past have been critical of the careers advice available to learners, the situation hasn’t improved. He cites persistent youth unemployment and the widening skills gap facing UK employers as evidence of this.

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Keeping creativity on the agenda

By , Wednesday 20 April 2016

A petition to include more creative subjects in the EBacc will be discussed in parliament after gaining over 100,000 signatures. The petition states: “The English Baccalaureate, or Ebacc, is a standard which maintains that English, maths, science, a language and a humanity [subject] define a good education. The exclusion of art, music, drama and other expressive subjects is limiting, short sighted and cruel. Creativity must be at the heart of our schools.” Many believe the EBacc’s focus on more traditionally academic subjects may push creative qualifications to the side, which will result in pupils being discouraged from taking them. Malcolm Trobe, Interim General Secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) argues this could lead to arts becoming a “preserve of the elite”.

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Vocational achievement on the rise

By , Wednesday 20 April 2016

More learners than ever are achieving Level 3 vocational qualifications, while the number of learners taking A Levels has fallen. The number of learners earning Level 3 vocational qualifications by the age of 19 rose by 0.8% in 2015 to 18.4%, representing an increase of more than 15% over the previous 10 years. In contrast, the number of learners studying A Levels has fallen by 0.3%; this is the first time the number has fallen since 2008.

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What will the National Funding Formula bring?

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 18 April 2016

David Grailey

In March the Department for Education (DfE) published the long anticipated ‘stage one’ consultation into the National Funding Formula (NFF) for schools. The DfE believe a change to the way schools are funded will create a“fair, transparent funding system where the amount of funding children attract for their schools is based on need and is consistent across the country”. The consultation essentially proposes a transition so that by 2019-2020 “a pupil would attract the same amount of funding to his or her school no matter where they are in the country”. As the amount each pupil at a school would attract is determined on a national level, there would be less of a role for Local Authorities under these proposals.

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