Blog Archives: June 2016

Last Friday morning, the UK woke up to an uncertain future outside of the European Union after 52% voted to leave in the EU referendum. The result has already had, and will continue to have, a great deal of impact across government, as I’m sure we’ll all have seen in the news over the last few days.

Last week saw the publication of the House of Commons Committee’s science and technology report, which discusses the coverage and depth of digital skills in the UK economy. Titled ‘Digital Skills Crisis’, it sets out that, despite digital services being increasingly embedded in society, "there is a digital divide where up to 12.6 million of the adult UK population lack basic digital skills…this digital skills gap is costing the UK economy an estimated £63 billion a year in lost additional GDP".

Many years ago, when volunteering in Sierra Leone, I came across a sign on a brightly painted wooden hut – that message was “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” This simple and effective statement shows the vital role that teachers play in our education.

The Department of Education announced this month that Amanda Spielman will take over from Sir Michael Wilshaw as Ofsted’s chief inspector at the end of the year. Ms Spielman comes with a wealth of experience in the sector, as chair of Ofqual and also Education Advisor of Ark. Nicky Morgan, Education Secretary, described her as “uniquely qualified to take up this important role” and “the right person to improve the quality and consistency of Ofsted’s inspections.” 

Acorn Community is our online space dedicated to co-creation. Together, we’ll use Acorn to solve problems and address challenges - for a new qualification development, a supporting product, or something totally new. We want you to tell us what that should look like. Meeting these challenges will mean the best ideas become products and services that contribute directly to success – that’s success for the learner, for you, and for us. We’ve already set challenges around support materials for V Certs, our renewable energy qualifications, reducing re-offending rates among offenders, and supporting you through the Apprenticeship reforms.

With the eligibility criteria about to change, it’s a good time to highlight the benefits of Advanced Learner Loans, and how they could help your learners to get the skills they need to succeed. From August 2016, Advanced Learner Loans will be available to everyone aged 19 and over for study at Level 3 to Level 6 (they were originally only available for individuals aged 24 and over and for study at Levels 3 and 4). This opens them up to a significant number of learners and gives you more choice for delivery.

For many years now, going to university and getting a degree appears to have been the preferred route for many learners but we seem to be at a turning point. Despite the greater government investment in Higher Education and the academic route, young people are starting to ask serious questions about the value of a degree. Will we start to see more people take an alternative route through their studies and into a career? Young people wishing to enter Higher Education now face £9,000 annual fees (with some universities expected to be able to charge more in future). The majority of learners will have to cover these fees through a loan, and with maintenance included, a three year loan will mean borrowing over £40,000 (in some cases over £50,000). It gets worse for graduates; where student loans used to be fixed at the rate national rate of inflation (RPI); this is no longer the case. The current interest rate on a student loan is 3.9%, meaning graduates will need to earn around £45,000 before having any realistic chance of repaying. For the majority, it will mean a monthly deduction from their wages for 30 years of their working lives.

There have been a number of reports and announcements over the past couple of weeks that have triggered concerns over the future of Apprenticeships. In the recent Apprenticeship Enquiry for the Sub-Committee on Education Skills and the Economy, concerns were raised about the "scale and pace of the reform programme". Whilst there was acknowledgement that the rushed nature of the reform programme was because of the need for reformed Apprenticeships, there was also a lack of allocation of resources.

There are increasing numbers of learners who specialise in vocational subjects and are now progressing to higher education or apprenticeships. It’s vital that these learners are prepared to study at a higher level in terms of independent study, researching, developing self- awareness, as well as being skilled in their chosen field. With this in mind, NCFE offers the Level 3 Award and Extended Award in Higher Level Studies – fundable qualifications which are unique in the market place and can be used to complement apprenticeships, or as part of a bespoke Study Programme package.  These qualifications can now be supplemented by resources such as:

At NCFE, we’re eagerly anticipating the publication of the Sainsbury Review of Technical and Professional Education (TPE), which was delayed until after the EU referendum. This delay has been welcomed by some, as it allows more time for properly thought-out and tested qualifications to be created. The review is expected to present radical plans, meaning a revolutionary change for post-16 TPE provision, and it’s rumoured that it will recommend that the changes are piloted in 2019-20, which will at least give all of us some time to align ourselves with them.