Blog posts for tag:progression

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FE loans – what do you think?

By Nicola Hughes, Communications Leader, Thursday 09 August 2012

Nicola Hughes

It’s recently been announced that from August 2013, learners aged 24+ who’d like to do a Level 3 or above qualification will need to use an ‘FE loan’ to fund this. At present, the government subsidises FE courses for adults by up to 50%. The new loans will be available for those resident in the UK, who’ve not previously had a loan to do the same type and level of qualification (learners can have up to 4 loans consecutively).  A learner’s loan will cover the cost of the qualification or components of the apprenticeship but won’t include living costs or materials.

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Is enterprise the key to economic growth?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 31 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

We all like a bank holiday, although chances are George Osborne may be disappointed we have had so many this year. The news, last week, that Britain was experiencing its first double-dip recession since the 1970s was in part blamed on the additional bank holiday in June.  Not great news for a Chancellor steering a struggling economy through its third quarterly contraction in a row. But whilst these latest figures present a picture of doom and gloom, other factors seem to be painting a more positive outlook.  The recent drop in unemployment and a slow but steady housing market would point towards an improving economy (albeit slowly).

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Work Programme – a positive impact on employment

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 17 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

Data published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) this week suggests that the Government's flagship welfare-to-work scheme, the Work Programme, has had a positive effect on the long-term unemployed. The figures reveal that 48% of people who joined the Programme at its launch in June 2011 had a break in benefit claims by the end of 9 months, and almost 25% had stopped claiming benefits for at least three months. The latest stats are encouraging after a National Audit Office (NAO) report earlier this year indicated that only 15% of over-25s would get jobs through the Work Programme in contrast to the official government estimate of 40%.

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Delivering employment outcomes in FE – what’s the answer?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 13 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

It’s hard to ignore the challenges faced by unemployed people in the UK today – we’re confronted with an almost daily stream of bad news related to the issue. This week, Ofsted published its report Skills for Employment.  The report was a direct response to the government’s plans for FE providers to offer work-based training to help the unemployed into work and was critical of FE providers. According to the report, only 19% of students were successful in finding a job when leaving college.

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A nation of NEETs – what’s the solution?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 05 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

According to recent headlines, the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training has risen by 5.7 per cent in the last year.  As reported, the proportion of young people staying on in school after the age of 16 has fallen for the first time in a decade and this comes amid a move to raise the school leaving age. Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton said NEETs figures had been "too high for too long" but the Government was determined to tackle the issue by reforming education and the qualifications system.

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