Blog posts for tag:progression

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Helping learners manage their finances

By , Monday 02 February 2015

Following the season of lavish spending over the Christmas period, it's now the time of year many people look at getting their finances back on track and spend more consciously. However, recent studies have shown that young people are now more likely than ever to turn to payday lenders as they struggle with personal finances, with no real knowledge of how to manage their own money.

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Apprenticeship start numbers: The good and the bad.

By Marcus Ridley, Communications Assistant, Thursday 11 December 2014

Marcus Blog

Figures recently released by the Skills Funding Agency  (SFA) detail a fall in the overall number of new apprentice starts for the second consecutive year. The SFA report showed a fall of nearly 70,000 in the number of new all-age apprentices for 2013-14 compared to the previous year. The 25+ age group bore the brunt of the drop, seeing numbers decrease from 230,300 to 161,600 (-29.8%) this year. The 19-24 age group also contributed to the dip in numbers, with 2.8% less new apprentices this year compared to 2012-13.

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Supporting adult learners

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Wednesday 10 December 2014

David Grailey

It’s worrying to see that the number of adults in Further Education has dropped considerably due to this demographic now having to self-fund their education and training through borrowing and loans. The number of over-19s in FE fell by over 10% between 2012-13 and 2013-14, according to recent figures published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

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Respect and tolerance vital in schools

By , Wednesday 10 December 2014

The government have reinforced the promotion of tolerance and respect in British schools recently, stating these are key British values. The guidance document released by the government at the end of November, entitled ‘Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools,’ comes after a number of statements made by members of the government, following concerns around an Islamist takeover in Birmingham schools earlier this year.

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NCFE V Certs and the 2017 Performance tables

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Wednesday 10 December 2014

David Grailey

Christmas is here and we have a new performance table list from the DfE. This means we’ve now received confirmation from the Department for Education (DfE) on which qualifications will feature in the 2017 Key Stage 4 performance tables.

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Call for career advice on apprenticeships

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Wednesday 10 December 2014

Lindsay Plumpton

As we approach 2015’s General Election, ‘Apprenticeships’ is the hot topic that binds all 3 of the big political parties. However, Ofsted FE and Skills Director Lorna Fitzjohn has recently spoken out about young people not being well advised on the benefits of apprenticeships when at school, resulting in the number of apprenticeship starts among young people ‘flatlining’.  She claims that careers advice in schools mainly focuses on A-Levels as the preferred option for teenagers due to a lack of understanding in schools about work-based training.

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Policy Corner - 9 December 2014

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Monday 08 December 2014

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

£142m contractor top-slicing ‘extortionate’ 40% (p1) - Learndirect, the country’s biggest Skills Funding Agency (SFA) contractor, is under scrutiny after charging ‘extortionate’ 40% management fees on its contract value. FE Week has found out this information after new ‘duties’ were introduced on 24 November requiring SFA claimants to declare what they charge their subcontractors. Apparently "Learndirect failed to meet the new duty, but the 40% top-slice was declared in its range of fees."

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Supporting your staff into the online space

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 05 December 2014

Lindsay Plumpton

Earlier this year, the Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (FELTAG), made a number of ambitious recommendations to then Skills Minister Matthew Hancock and the sector more broadly regarding the effective use of digital technology in learning, teaching and assessment in Further Education and Skills. At NCFE, we support new technology within education and believe that digital methods can provide a more flexible, learner-centric approach to education, helping us to fit learning to individual needs. What’s more, it can support and empower staff to further strengthen their teaching.

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Upskilling our workforce

By , Wednesday 26 November 2014

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is encouraging businesses across the UK to invest in workplace training after their Workforce Survey 2014 highlighted that 92% of businesses acknowledged a skills gap in at least one critical area of the organisation. The most common skill shortages include leadership and management, organisation and planning, and computer literacy. By upskilling staff in these key areas, organisations can make their workforce more efficient and productive.

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Policy Corner, 17 November 2014

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Monday 17 November 2014

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Agency review puts 1,600 quals in the funding firing line (p3) – The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has listed ‘nearly 700’ qualifications it will remove from public funding and a further 972 at risk of losing their fundable status in its Annual Review of Qualifications, published on its website. The Agency has published the lists of qualifications with 100 funded enrolments a year or fewer, with a call for Awarding Organisations who want to keep these qualifications funded to make their case by the 4 December.

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