Blog posts for tag:vocational

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Plans for a Technical Baccalaureate and the importance of Apprenticeships

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 13 May 2013

David Grailey

This month, the Government announced plans to introduce a Technical Baccalaureate as a 'mark of achievement' for the 50% of school-leavers who don't go on to university. It will consist of 3 strands, including an approved vocational qualification equivalent to Level 3, a core Maths qualification and an 'extended project’ designed to test skills in communication, research and motivation. The 'Tech Bacc' will become a league table performance measure from 2017. The proposal comes at a time when raising the status of vocational qualification is very much in the spotlight. According to a government survey this month, job candidates who have trained through an apprenticeship scheme are “more employable” than people with other qualifications, including degrees. The employability research conducted with 500 companies demonstrated that employers rate apprentices’ skills and experience way above learners who have followed alternative career paths.

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Lord Adonis' call for investment in work based training

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 13 May 2013

David Grailey

Many of you will know that the NCFE is based in the North East and while it hasn’t stopped us delivering great service right across the country it does mean we get to share with you some of the work going on to support the region’s development during these times of austerity. One thing many of our non-North East customers won’t be aware of is a recent report by Lord Adonis, the theme of which is relevant across the UK – let’s get young people “on the road to a job not the dole”. Lord Adonis' report ‘More and Better Jobs: North East International’ was commissioned by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, following a major review of the North East’s economy. The report follows announcements earlier in the year which revealed that the North East has more than 441,100 people with no qualifications and that the region is facing a Northern “skills drain”. In his report, Lord Adonis places a lot of emphasis on the need for investment in work based training.

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'Tech Bacc' announced to boost status of vocational courses

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Monday 22 April 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

The Government has announced plans to introduce a Technical Baccalaureate as a 'mark of achievement' for the 50% of school-leavers who don't go on to university. It will consist of 3 strands, including an approved vocational qualification equivalent to Level 3, a core Maths qualification and an 'extended project’ designed to test skills in communication, research and motivation. The Department for Education is currently consulting on the list of vocational qualifications that will qualify for inclusion on the 'Tech Bacc' approved list. These vocational qualifications could be in any sector area from engineering to hairdressing, but will be taught at a level of complexity on a par with A-levels.

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Apprenticeships are still a hot topic says David Grailey, NCFE Chief Executive

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 15 April 2013

David Grailey

This month the hot topic is still Apprenticeships - with youth unemployment still at almost one million, Apprenticeships remain high on the political agenda. Government also recently re-affirmed their commitment to work-based training and the Prime Minister has stated that Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government’s mission to rebuild the economy. His comments come in the light of recent statistics which suggest that apprentices could add up to £3.4bn a year in economic gains. It’s never been more important to raise the status of high quality Apprenticeships as a viable alternative to higher education, allowing learners to earn while they learn and gain that all-important work experience.

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Re-engaging Britain's teens in education by David Grailey, NCFE Chief Executive

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 15 April 2013

David Grailey

A new report has highlighted the need to re-engage Britain’s young people in learning, as the UK falls to the bottom of an international league table showing the proportion of young people in education. The United Nations states that Britain ranked in last place, out of the 29 countries surveyed – with fewer than 75 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds studying. However, initiatives such as the raising of the participation age together with investment in traineeships and high quality apprenticeships aim to tackle the issue.

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The value of the arts in creating futures

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 22 March 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

The Creative Employment Programme has announced its intention to create up to 6,500 employment opportunities across the country. The road show has already visited cities nationwide, including Birmingham, Sheffield, Gateshead, Cambridge and Southampton to encourage employers to sign up. Using money from the National Lottery, Arts Council England has set up a £15 million fund to create thousands of apprenticeships, traineeships and internships in the arts and culture. The scheme will be run by Sector Skills Council, Creative and Cultural Skills, a body designed to promote training and employment in the arts sector.

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Proposed changes to Level 3 qualifications for 16-19 year olds

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 08 March 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

Following the Wolf review of vocational education, the Department for Education is now consulting on proposals to establish rigorous standards for Level 3 vocational qualifications taken by 16-19 year olds in schools and colleges from September 2014. The plan is that only ‘high value’ qualifications that meet specific sets of requirements will count in performance tables from this point onward. Quality and rigour are very important to us here at NCFE. Supporting learners to reach their full potential is at the heart of everything we do. Therefore, we’ll be working with the Department throughout the consultation process to find workable solutions that will best support learners to achieve success.

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An article from David Grailey - early interest in V Cert qualifications

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Thursday 17 January 2013

David Grailey

I’d like to start by wishing you and your school a Happy New Year for 2013. Following on from last month’s newsletter, I can tell you that we’ve already started receiving requests to run the new V Cert qualifications.

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16-19 Study Programmes

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Wednesday 05 December 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

From September 2013, the ‘Raising the Participation Age’ (RPA) policy will come into effect for learners aged 16 to 19. This means that from Summer 2013, 16 year olds in education will be required to ‘participate’ in education until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17. From summer 2015, 17 year olds will be required to participate in education until the end of the academic year in which they turn 18. This participation will be counted as learners engaging in one of the following:

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Vocational qualifications for schools

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 08 November 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

By David Grailey Back in December 2011, I told you about our plans to redevelop a selection of vocational qualifications so that they’re in line with the new Department for Education (DfE) criteria. To recap on this, the qualifications we’re redeveloping are:

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