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Articles by Will Martin
Employer contact ‘most useful’ form of careers advice, say nine in 10 students
Jobs My jobs Job alerts My CV Career preferences Resources Downloads Saved resources Author dashboard Add resource My shop Tes Elements Community Courses Access courses News Magazine Subscriptions Payments About us My products Tes for schools Work for Tes A survey of almost 2,000 students concludes that information from employers and work experience were the ‘most useful’ sources of careers advice Will Martin 20th July 2016 at 12:01am Direct contact with employers – including employer-led...
Details of new degree apprenticeships revealed
Anglia Ruskin University Health and science Bioinformatics Aston University, with University of Winchester and Birmingham Metropolitan College Business and administrative; Digital; Health and science; Transport and logistics; Engineering and manufacturing Management at L7; Computer science in practice L7; Healthcare science (audiology); Embedded electronic systems design and development engineer; Logistics and operations management; Professional engineering (power systems); Professional...
EEF funds major trials to help learners ‘make the grade’ in GCSE resits
More than 13,000 students across the country will take part in large-scale research to trial new approaches to supporting those who have failed to achieve a good GCSE pass in English and maths. In 2016, the number of students aged 17 and over taking English and maths increased by a third to top 300,000 for the first time. But A*-C pass rates for these learners plummeted to less than 30 per cent in both subjects.
City and Guilds Group CEO received £690,000 in pay and benefits
The chief executive of the City and Guilds Group received more than £690,000 in pay, bonuses and benefits in one year, Tes can reveal. Chris Jones received pay and benefits worth a total of £690,471 in 2016 – up by 60 per cent on the £431,783 emoluments he received in 2015, according to the group's financial statements for 2015-16. In 2016, Mr Jones received a salary of £259,500, taxable benefits worth £46,375 (including car allowance and "cash in lieu of pension") and a cash bonus of £107,367.
Baroness Wolf: 'Apprenticeships and degrees can never be equal'
Parity of esteem between technical and academic education will never be "equalised", according to Baroness Alison Wolf. Instead, an apprenticeship should be celebrated as being "different" to a university degree. Baroness Wolf of Dulwich, speaking yesterday at a panel on apprenticeships at Pearson College London, said that people should not attempt to match an apprenticeship with universty study. "To start off with that as the aim: in a way you’re sort of dooming it," Baroness Wolf said.
Gordon Marsden: ‘The government hasn’t put its money or its mouth into traineeships’
The traineeship programme has suffered from a lack of funding, “mixed signals” and a failure from the government to put its money where its mouth is, according to Gordon Marsden, shadow minister for further and higher education.
Finding enough work placements is difficult, colleges warn
The government’s renewed commitment to T levels, as evidenced in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday, shows that the need for colleges to secure work placements for their students has arguably never been greater. T levels, which were introduced in the Sainsbury review of technical education last year, were one of two education policy areas to be referred to by Her Majesty.
Anne Milton to be new skills minister
Anne Milton is to take on the brief as minister for apprentices and skills, Tes understands. Ms Milton, the MP for Guildford, would replace Robert Halfon in the role. Ms Milton began her ministerial career as shadow minister for tourism in 2006, before being named parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department of Health under former prime minister David Cameron. Between 2012 and 2015 Ms Milton served as a government whip, and latterly as deputy chief whip.
Degree apprenticeship for police constables launches
The curriculum for the new police degree apprenticeship has been published. The police constable degree apprenticeship programme was revealed last week by the College of Policing, and is designed to provide the next generation of police officers with the skills required of a modern constable.
Chartered Institution for Further Education welcomes two new members
The Chartered Institution for Further Education (CIFE) has welcomed two independent training providers as its latest members. Steadfast Training, based in Lincolnshire, and Skills Group, based in Plymouth, will become the fifth and sixth members of the institute, and will join fellow members Blackpool and The Fylde; Bridgwater and Taunton; and Furness colleges; and Hawk Training.
Are subsidiary companies robbing FE staff of pay?
A "shadow FE sector" of subsidiary companies in further education colleges has been formed to employ teachers on inferior and "precarious" contracts, the University and College Union (UCU) has said. According to the union, almost 60 FE colleges in England have now set up companies, and some are using them to hire staff to deliver college teaching.
Greening announces programme to 'empower' FE leaders
A new programme designed to "empower" leaders within the FE sector has been announced by education secretary Justine Greening. Ms Greening, speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce’s Business and Education Summit in London today, said a National Leaders of Further Education programme would help to "lift up" areas of the FE sector that are "further behind" than others.
College leaders recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours List
College principals and FE leaders are among those from across the sector who have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List. Big names from the world of FE to be honoured include Paul Phillips, principal and chief executive of Weston College, who is made a CBE, while Beverley Robinson, principal and chief executive of Blackpool and the Fylde College, has been awarded an OBE. Both are recognised for their services to further education.
Revealed: UTCs given £31m to help 'recruitment challenge'
The Department for Education has agreed to provide additional funding to help university technical colleges (UTCs) attract more students. A letter sent to UTC principals and chairs of governors earlier this year, and seen by Tes, outlined that the DfE is to provide transitional funding in recognition of “the particular pupil recruitment challenges faced by UTCs in their early years”.
'Major reform of technical education' features in Queen's Speech
"Major reform of technical education" has been highlighted in the Queen's Speech in Parliament today. Speaking in the House of Lords, the Queen said her government would ensure that people would “have the skills they need” for high-skilled, well-paid jobs through “a major reform of technical education”. This is expected to focus on the creation of T levels as a result of the Sainsbury review of technical education.
Anne Milton promises 'clarity' over apprenticeship reforms
New skills minister Anne Milton has outlined her main priorities.
Sector unites to export FE and make UK a 'global leader'
The UK Skills Partnership has been created to boost the export of technical and vocational education and training, thanks to the Department for International Trade, the AoC, AELP, the British Council and the Federation of Awarding Bodies By Stephen Exley & Will Martin 28 July 2017 The UK Skills Partnership has been created to boost the export of technical and vocational education and training, thanks to the Department for International Trade, the AoC, AELP, the British Council and the...
Institutes of Technology are still being developed, Robert Halfon insists
Institutes of Technology (IoTs) remain an important part of the government's skills strategy, apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon has insisted. IoTs were first announced last year in former chancellor George Osborne’s plan as part of a strategy to boost the UK's productivity. The government said they were key to delivering the "higher-level science, technology, engineering and maths skills that local employers want and need".
Colleges raise concerns over Conservative 'change of tack' on IoTs
Colleges have urged the Conservative Party to ensure further education institutions are at the centre of the development of new Institutes of Technology if it is re-elected into power. This comes as the party's manifesto states the Institutes of Technology would be “linked to leading universities, in every major city in England” if the party wins the election, but does not mention colleges.
EFA and SFA to merge, Department for Education confirms
The Skills Funding Agency and the Education Funding Agency are to merge. The two agencies will form the Education and Skills Funding Agency, which will operate from April. The new agency will be responsible for overseeing funding of education for students aged between 5 and 19, as well as apprenticeship and adult education and managing school building programmes. The imminent merger was revealed by TES in February (article free for subscribers).
OECD: Give adults free lifelong learning in key sectors
The government should waive adult learner loans for students on courses in key sectors to make them more attractive, a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggests.
MPs scrutinise apprenticeships and skills to 'root out' poor provision
A new inquiry into the quality of apprenticeships and skills has been launched by the Commons Education Select Committee in an attempt to “root out” poor provision across the sector. The inquiry will seek to identify whether more can be done to improve provision, and to examine what barriers learners from disadvantaged backgrounds face when accessing skills training.
One in four sixth-form colleges converting to become academies
Next week’s Budget speech by chancellor Philip Hammond will mark two years since his predecessor, George Osborne, made an announcement with far-reaching repercussions for post-16 education. Sixth-form colleges would, Osborne’s 2015 autumn Budget speech revealed, finally be allowed to give up their status as incorporated colleges to return to the schools sector by becoming academies.
Spielman: 'Too many' college students 'do not get the education they deserve'
Thousands of students are not getting the education they deserve due to "too many" colleges failing to improve quickly enough, Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman has said.
T levels could 'enshrine' low esteem for FE, warns Oxford academic
A lot of time in FE is spent “remediating” past failures in the schools sytem, a leading educational academic has said.
Colleges drop A levels due to funding cuts
Funding cuts are damaging educational opportunities for learners in sixth-form colleges and schools, new research by the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA) has revealed.
Don't make young people choose between academic and technical pathways, report tells government
The government's ongoing reforms of technical education must fit into the wider education agenda if they are to be a success, according to a new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI). The new report, by an independent advisory group of employers and sector leaders, states that the government must “not close off options of further study and long-term career development" by discriminating between academic and technical pathways.
New FE teaching apprenticeship to launch 'within months’
The first teaching apprenticeship standard for the further education sector could be ready within months, according to the Association of Colleges (AoC). The FE learning and skills level 5 apprenticeship standard, currently awaiting approval from the Institute for Apprenticeships, has been in the pipeline since 2014. It has been designed as a teaching-based standard, and will be a route for current members of staff who aspire to hold a teaching qualification.
FE loan applications up overall - but down for older learners
The number of applications for adult learner loans has increased overall – but among older learners, the number has fallen, new figures from the Department for Education reveal. According to the data published today, the overall number of applications for advanced learner loans increased by 16 per cent from 2015-16 to 2016-17 – from 80,650 to 93,660 applications. This increase, however, was due to loans being offered to 19- to 23-year-olds for the first time last year.
Greening in an ‘alternative reality’ over FE funding, MP says
Education secretary Justine Greening is living in an “alternative reality” over funding for FE colleges, according to a Labour MP. James Frith, the MP for Bury North, was addressing Ms Greening at the House of Commons Education Select Committee hearing in Parliament today – presided over by the new committee chair, former skills minister Robert Halfon.
Grants worth £250K on offer for struggling colleges
Colleges that have an Ofsted grade of "requires improvement" or "inadequate" will be eligible for grants of up to £250,000 as part of a wider packet aimed at boosting struggling colleges.
Anne Milton: employers in the 'Dark Ages' on hiring female apprentices
Employers need to rethink their methods of recruiting female apprentices if the UK is to advance from “the Dark Ages”, skills minister Anne Milton has said.
Number of colleges charging £9K tuition fees on the rise
Given the fury that greeted the government’s decision to triple higher education tuition fees, it took a surprisingly short time for £9,000 a year to be accepted as the going rate for universities. But Labour’s general election campaign pledge to axe fees completely has dragged the issue back into the spotlight.
Supportive text messages boost GCSE resits grades
Sending students supportive text messages can boost performance in their GCSE English and maths resits, a new study by the Behavioural Insights Team has found. According to the organisation's Study Supporters project, which involved 1,800 students across nine FE colleges, those who received encouraging or motivational text messages from a friend or relative were 27 per cent more likely to obtain an A* to C grade than those who didn't.
Campaigner calls for NEU and UCU merger
Creating one education union to represent all staff in FE and schools would be a "logical" option for the trade union movement, according to campaigner Hank Roberts. Mr Roberts, organising secretary of the Unify campaign for a single education union, told Tes that that having one union would help to prevent rivals from engaging in "competitive recruitment", and would represent an “Everest” moment for the education sector.
Holex: 'Adult basic skills Brexit fund' is needed to train UK workers
The government should have a strategy for adult education and skills that has the same "status" as the flagship industrial strategy, according to adult education body Holex.
Union members vote to ballot over 2017-18 FE pay claim
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of balloting for industrial action over this year’s FE pay claim. According to UCU Left, over 75 per cent of UCU members voted to launch a ballot via an e-consultation on Friday. It will now be determined which of the union's branches will take part in a ballot, and whether industrial action will be part of their plans.
DfE launches search for £700-a-day deputy FE commissioners
The Department for Education (DfE) is hiring a team of new FE deputy commissioners and advisers to support FE commissioner Richard Atkins (pictured) with his expanded role – with the new recruits to be paid up to £700 per day. In July, education secretary Justine Greening revealed that the role of the commissioner was to be expanded thanks to a £15 million college improvement fund.
Theresa May calls for ‘first class technical education system’
Prime Minister Theresa May has called for the creation of "a first-class technical education system for the first time in the history of Britain" at the Conservative Party Conference.
Robert Halfon: skills 'the defining issue facing Britain today'
Skills and housing are the two most important issues facing the UK today, former FE and skills minister Robert Halfon has said. Mr Halfon, speaking to delegates at the Education Britain summit in Manchester today – for which Tes is a media partner – said that Britain was “way behind” in terms of its agenda and that the nation was currently “fighting to just catch up” with other countries. "Skills are the defining issue facing Britain today – that and housing," Mr Halfon said.
Apprenticeships based on 'overly simplistic' view of labour market
Current learning requirements for apprenticeship programmes are informed “by an overly simplistic view” of the future, according to innovation charity Nesta.
Second consultation launches on functional skills
Days after a consultation was launched by the government revealing changes to the subject content of the new functional skills qualifications in English and maths, Ofqual has launched a second separate consultation. The consultation, launched this morning by the exams watchdog, reveals several changes to the assessment of the new qualifications, set to be introduced in 2019.
Labour pledges £1 billion investment in FE
The Labour Party will pump £1 billion into further education to make a "success" of delivering the government's T levels if it comes to power, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has announced.
Unions 'disappointed' by colleges' 1% pay offer
College staff have been offered a pay increase of 1 per cent for 2017-18, with the lowest-paid staff receiving an uplift of at least £250. The offer was tabled yesterday by the Association of Colleges (AoC) to members of the National Joint Forum (NJF) – which represents the University and College Union (UCU), Unison, the ATL teaching union and its leaders' section AMiE, Unite and GMB. The NJF had proposed a pay rise of RPI plus 3 per cent, with a minimum uplift of £900 for the lowest-paid staff.
Two-thirds of employers not using levy funds to train staff
The majority of eligible businesses are not capitalising on the apprenticeship levy, new research by Evolve Learning Group and West London College reveals. The survey, which sampled 1,005 employers with more than 150 employees, found that 32 per cent of employers who pay the levy were using the funds to train new and existing staff. In London, only one in six employers utilised their apprenticeship levy funds.
Tes FE Awards 2018 open for entries
The Tes FE Awards 2018 are now open for entries – and, with new categories added to recognise the sector's "diversity and excellence", this year's awards are set to be the biggest yet. From the mastermind teachers responsible for crafting innovative learning initiatives to the unsung heroes working tirelessly behind the scenes, the “Oscars of FE” shine a light on the very best individuals, institutions and initiatives that the sector has to offer.
Anne Milton 'welcomes' apprenticeships for over-60s
Apprenticeships and skills minister Anne Milton has voiced her backing for apprenticeships for people over the age of 60.
MP demands more funding for sixth-formers
It’s time for the government to support sixth-form students, and review the "chronic underinvestment" in 16-19 education, according to Nic Dakin. Mr Dakin, Labour MP for Scunthorpe, said in a debate in Parliament’s Westminster Hall today that a lack of funding in school sixth-forms and sixth-form colleges was "letting students down", and was “bad for students, bad for our international competitiveness and bad for social mobility”.
GCSE resits: Pass rate down in maths, but up in English
The proportion of students aged 17 and above who achieved a grade C in the final legacy GCSE maths exams has fallen sharply, official figures reveal. Out of the 149,537 older students across the UK who sat their legacy GCSE maths exams this summer, only 24.4 per cent managed to achieve a grade C or better – a drop of 5.1 percentage points compared with last year. Meanwhile, in English 29 per cent of 17-plus learners achieved an A*-C pass, up from 26.9 per cent in 2016.
GCSE resits: Pass rate down in maths, but up in English
The proportion of students aged 17 and above who achieved a grade C in the final legacy GCSE maths exams has fallen sharply, official figures reveal. Out of the 149,537 older students across the UK who sat their legacy GCSE maths exams this summer, only 24.4 per cent managed to achieve a grade C or better – a drop of 5.1 percentage points compared with last year. Meanwhile, in English 29 per cent of 17-plus learners achieved an A*-C pass, up from 26.9 per cent in 2016.
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