Blog Archives: July 2012

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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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Funding changes – hiding the wiring?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 26 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

You will have seen in recent weeks the usual media coverage of challenges facing the education sector in the UK; Michael Gove’s numerous announcements, comments regarding the merit of some of the qualifications on offer and changes to the funding system.   The most recent of these was the Education Funding Agency’s 16-19 Funding Formula Review published earlier this month.  The review outlines how the Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency (EFA) plans to fund 16-19 year old students from September 2013, with all full time programmes to be funded at a single funding rate per student, per year.   

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Exams getting easier? What about Functional Skills?

By Nicola Hughes, Communications Leader, Monday 23 July 2012

Nicola Hughes

It’s difficult to ignore the recent headlines referring to the ‘race to the bottom’, and the lowering of standards in education. The sector has seen heavy criticism over the last few weeks for syllabuses being too accessible and qualifications too achievable. The assertion is that organisations ‘shop around’ for the easiest courses to deliver, allowing them to appear higher in the league tables.  

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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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Funding rates for Functional Skills in 2013/14

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 10 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

With just 2 months to go until the switch from Key Skills to Functional Skills, many of you will be taking steps in preparation for this important transition - putting delivery models and policies in place, contextualising Functional Skills to different sector areas, thinking about learner activities, assessment, teaching and learning methods. As Functional Skills are the words on everyone’s lips, it seems fitting that the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has recently announced the rates for Functional Skills in the new streamlined funding system for adult learning.

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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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