Blog Archives: March 2017

We were very pleased to hear that the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed the initial outcome of the Applied General Review is that this category of qualification will remain. It was announced that the DfE will work with Ofqual going forward, to ensure Applied General qualifications are robust in providing appropriate skills and knowledge. The DfE will be retaining Applied Generals in official performance tables.

Together with the Campaign for Learning, we launched our new report: “Reforming Technical and Professional Education: Why should it work this time?” in Westminster yesterday, in a roundtable session that was attended by further education industry bodies, colleges and employers. In launching the paper, the author Mick Fletcher set out nine recommendations, to ‘promote technical education as a strong and prestigious alternative to the academic route, and to succeed where earlier attempts have failed’. The recommendations for the government are:

This NCFE-sponsored report, published with the Campaign for Learning and written by independent policy consultant Mick Fletcher, raises important questions for the roll-out of the Post-16 Skills Plan and for the reforms to technical education more broadly. The report, entitled “Reforming Technical and Professional Education: Why should it work this time?” includes nine recommendations of activity that the government should undertake if it is to achieve its aims. At NCFE, we believe that the principles behind the reforms outlined in the Post-16 Skills Plan are admirable; aligning the skills system to the needs of employers, eliminating ‘low value’ qualifications, and ensuring financial sustainability of the system. The promise to develop ‘a high quality technical option’ that would have equal status with the academic route, and increase the numbers engaged with technical education, is very attractive and we are hopeful that the new T-Levels will help to deliver on this promise.

The Post-16 Skills Plan, and the ‘Sainsbury Report’ it builds on, promises big changes in vocational education that will help build a valued and valuable alternative to the academic route of A levels followed by university.  It has been widely welcomed by the sector, not least because it reasserts a central role for college based technical programmes that have recently seemed side-lined by the political obsession with apprenticeships. These proposals however are only the latest in a long line of attempts to ‘reform’ vocational education that have generally ended in failure, and one is entitled to ask ‘will it be any different this time?’ On the positive side there is no doubt about the political commitment to reform; the cross party consensus is perhaps best symbolised by a Conservative government embracing a report from a former Labour minister. There is support from the sector too, perhaps encouraged by the clear role for ‘education professionals’ alongside employers in developing the system and the recognition of a need to build on rather than bypass existing institutions. But is it enough?

The release of the long awaited Department of Education (DfE) performance tables for 2019 has been a mixed bag of both relief and frustration. Having waited since November 2016, we were pleased to have confirmation from the DfE that a number of our qualifications are already appearing on the tables. However, it’s frustrating that there’s been an added wait for qualifications that will appear on the next list yet to be released (expected this month).

Concern is growing amongst groups who represent teachers, councils and Conservative backbenchers surrounding the Chancellor’s education funding reforms, and whether they’re fit to mitigate some of the discrepancies seen across different localities. The formula is argued by the f40 group of education authorities to be too heavily weighted towards “additional needs factors” and will leave the core responsibilities of schools underfunded. The group, which represents the lowest funded education authorities in England, states that ‘[f]unding for individual schools with similar pupil characteristics is inconsistent and unfair.’

In a hugely welcome move, the government has amended the requirement that only those who had achieved GCSEs in English and mathematics could be counted in the ratios for Level 3 Early Years Educators (EYEs). In the long-anticipated response to the consultation on the literacy and numeracy qualification requirements for Level 3 Early Years Educators, the Department for Education (DfE) has set out that:

The conversation surrounding funding for 16-18 year olds has hit both peaks and troughs in a matter of weeks. Widely covered announcements from The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), a timely press release from the Treasury and the Spring Budget that followed have served to highlight the ongoing need for investment in the education of this age group. As we move into unchartered territory with the UK preparing to leave the European Union, the focus has shifted towards this age group and how the UK might prepare itself for a potential skills shortage.

The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy is now just one month away, and discussion about this measure is at an all-time high. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of all the key things you should know about the Levy. The Apprenticeship Levy is of course part of the government’s plans to increase the number of businesses taking on apprenticeships, as it continues its drive to reach three million apprenticeship starts by 2020. From next month, all employers with an annual wage bill of over £3m will be required to pay a 0.5% tax, which they’ll be able to spend on training new apprentices or existing employees.

It’s a busy time for the NCFE and CACHE International team, as we’ve just started a period of extensive travel and conference attendance across a number of countries. Jackie and Sarah from our CACHE team have flown out to Dubai this week to meet some of our larger customers in the region.  They’ve already met with Early Years Education ME – our first and largest customer in the region – and spent some time with Arabian Child, an organisation which delivers our qualifications in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia.