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NCFE joins the Joint Council for Qualifications

By Kievah Wallace, PR and Social Media Officer, Tuesday 15 May 2018

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We’re delighted to announce that we’ve joined the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), a membership body which comprises the eight, now nine, largest providers of qualifications in the UK. JCQ undertakes a wide range of activities on behalf of its members including consulting with stakeholders, government departments, teacher unions, professional associations, and further and higher education. JCQ publishes advice, guidance and regulations for delivering examinations assessments.

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Mental Health Awareness Week: Supporting students manage their mental wellbeing and exam work load

By Louise Geddis-Regan, Innovation Marketing Officer, Monday 14 May 2018

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In the run up to Mental Health Awareness Week we have been running our 12 Days of Exam Wellbeing campaign to encourage students, parents and teachers to prioritise mental wellbeing during exam periods. The anxieties of exam pressure can mean that this time of year is incredibly stressful for young people. It’s increasingly important that we support students develop coping strategies to help them tackle their exam stress and equip them with better life long skills to look after their mental health.  Focusing on achieving a better balance during exam preparations, this infographic illustrates a series of tips we have designed to help students improve their mental wellbeing during exams. 

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City Regions and FE: not much power and even less responsibility

By Mick Fletcher, FE Policy Analyst, Monday 14 May 2018

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One of the reasons that FE policy making in England is in such a mess may be the repeated failure of those in power to clearly define terms.  I’ve written in a previous NCFE blog (June 2017) about the lack of any shared understanding, still less a clear definition, of what is meant by technical education. A similar charge can be laid against the so-called “Review of Post-18 Education and Funding”; despite its title it’s really only about higher education and misses out whole chunks of post-18 FE and adult provision both in and outside colleges. This faulty labelling may explain why there is no apparent connection between the review and the ongoing discussions on how best to devolve much of the adult FE budget to eight city regions – a decision apparently taken some time ago in a parallel universe.  One might have thought that some of the problems that the post-18 review tries to wrestle with – how to make provision more accessible to all, for example, or how to develop more of the skills that employers need – could be addressed through seriously ambitious devolution.  The devolution ship has already sailed however and it’s clear that local government is not allowed anywhere near higher education (the ‘wide range’ of interested parties to be consulted in the post-18 review is defined as ‘students, employers and institutions’!)

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Recent history should be a warning against changing the apprenticeship levy

By Nick Linford, Writing exclusively for NCFE, Tuesday 01 May 2018

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The ongoing slump in apprenticeship starts since the apprenticeship levy was introduced has emboldened the lobbyists, and those with vested interests. They know that as the manifesto commitment to three million starts by 2020 creeps further out of reach, the government may listen to calls for policy changes that would remove “barriers”.

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My week of work experience at NCFE

By Joe Hindmoor, Guest Blogger, Tuesday 24 April 2018

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Last week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do some work experience at NCFE. I’m currently studying A-Level Sociology, Politics and BTEC Applied Law at Durham Sixth Form Centre. I spent two and a half days with the Policy team followed by two and a half days with the Marketing team.  I really enjoyed my time with the teams and feel that I learned a lot about the type of work that is done in these areas. On my first day, I was given an ICT induction and taught how the systems work within the office. As this was my first time in an office setting, it was quite interesting to see how technology is used in a large scale office. Afterwards, Paul Turner from the Policy Team showed me around the office and introduced me to the different teams. I found it very interesting to get an overview of how many different teams contribute to making the company successful.

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