May 2017

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Monthly Bulletin

Inside this issue...

Apprenticeships General

Institute for ApprenticeshipsOperational planThe attached document lays out how the Institute for Apprenticeships will operate, carry out its functions and improve the quality of apprenticeships in England.

regulate the quality of apprenticeship proposals, standards and assessment •planscollaborate with partners•lead reforms to technical education•implement the new system•

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/609008/IfA_Driving_Quality_.pdf

Advertisement for role of Chief ExecutiveThe Institute for Apprenticeships has now advertised for a chief executive. The IfA launched in April and is expected to have an annual budget of around £8m and up to 80 staff.

The role is a fixed term contract, of up to five years, with a salary of up to £142,500.

The advert says a key role will be “to guide the Chair and Board through the tension inherent between being an independent Crown body and one that is funded by public money.

Click here to see the advert in full.

Route panels and apprentice panelThe route panels are made up of industry experts and will be responsible for setting the standards of knowledge, skills and behaviours needed by employers for every occupation in England.

PAGE 3- Skills Funding Agency- GOV.UK- AELP

PAGE 4- Education and Training Foundation

PAGE 5- LYAAN- The Learning Consortium

PAGE 6- Ofsted- Training Provider News

PAGE 7- Dates for your Diary

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The chairs will lead their groups in reviewing and recommending apprenticeship standards and assessment plans and advising on funding levels on behalf of the institute.

The panel of apprentices is made up of current or recent apprentices from a wide range of occupations and experiences from up and down the country. Holly Broadhurst and Adam Sharp, two of the winners at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2016, are among those chosen to sit on the panel.

The panel will decide what issues to focus on and ensure the apprentice voice is heard within the decision making structure of the institute.

Chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships Antony Jenkins said: “I’m delighted to be able to formally announce these appointments.

“For our panel chairs we’ve got individuals of superb calibre – a dynamic mix of experts in their field from a broad range of occupations.

“Their expertise will ensure the panels are run smoothly and that quality will be maintained across the system.”

He added: “Our panel of apprentices is something I am particularly proud of – a deeply impressive group of individuals who will ensure the needs of apprentices are truly reflected in the development of the apprenticeship programme.”

The panel chairs are:Agriculture, environment and animal care• – Richard Self, project manager, Edge Careers and Agricultural Manager, Co-operatives UKBusiness and administrative• – Andrew Ground, chief executive and co-founder of TutorfairCatering and hospitality• – Alison Gilbert, human resources and board director, CH&CoChildcare and education• – Sir Nick Weller, executive principal, Dixons City Academy, BradfordConstruction• – Tanja Smith, technical director, Gradon ArchitectureCreative and design• – Iain Smith OBE, film producer, Applecross ProductionsDigital• – Mark Sherwin, managing director, global digital customer services lead, AccentureEngineering and manufacturing• – Dr Graham Honeyman CBE, chief executive at Sheffield ForgemastersHair and beauty• – Suki Kalirai, director, GKC Infocus Ltd and Qi Spa (Spa WMC Ltd)Health and science• – Kirk Lower, national lead for apprenticeships, talent for care, widening participation and volunteering, Health Education EnglandLegal, finance and accounting• – Mike Thompson, director, early careers, BarclaysProtective services• – Sir Jonathan Murphy, former chief constable Merseyside Police, professor of advanced policing studies, Liverpool John Moores UniversitySales, marketing and procurement• – Godfrey Moger, station director for free radio, Bauer MediaSocial care• – Sir Roger Singleton, chair of the Independent Safeguarding Authority and previously chief executive of BarnadosTransport and logistics• – Michelle Nolan-McSweeney, head of training strategy, Network Rail

The 11 members of the panel of apprentices are:Heeran Basi – SevernTrent•Holly Broadhurst – JCB•Lucille Gallaway – Barclays•Adam Gymer – Pfizer UK•Kara Halford – Dawn’s Flower Box•Becky King – National Physical Laboratory•Kam Penglin – CT Skills•Sanna Shabir – Atkins Global•Adam Sharp – Sellafield•Daniel Skinner – BAE Systems•Poppy Wolfarth – Asset Training•

Which? Complete Guide to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships. Updated for 2017/18.

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Apprenticeship ReformsProviders to have non-levy apprenticeship contracts extended The government has announced that it has placed a pause on the non-levy apprenticeship procurement process. Existing apprenticeship providers will have their current ESFA contracts extended until 31 December 2017 to enable new starts in respect of non-levy paying SME employers while ministers review the system.

The decision gives the new providers on the register more time to prepare their offer for non-levy paying employers but more importantly, existing providers can continue to support their employers and start new apprentices while a more considered review of anticipated programme demand takes place in the context of the Industrial Strategy and the skills implications of Brexit.

The full ESFA announcement is available on this link.

Nothing from the SFA this month as they are in purdah

SFA InformYou can now download the latest edition of Inform, the monthly newsletter about funding systems and data management from the Skills Funding Agency, from here.

General election called As you will no doubt by now know, the Prime Minister has called a snap General Election for Thursday June 8th. With this now having been confirmed by Parliament, government will go into an official period of purdah from Friday 21st April, preventing central and local government from making announcements about government initiatives which could be seen to be advantageous to any candidates or parties in the forthcoming election.

It is not totally clear at this stage how or to what extent – if at all – purdah will impact on the communication or implementation of any new arrangements for the delivery of non-levy provision which was the subject of a paused procurement process late last week. However we are in close and daily contact with senior officials at both the DfE and ESFA and are as confident as we can be that the new arrangements can be put into place notwithstanding purdah.

AELP launches a new phase of the Future Apprenticeship Support ProgrammeAELP and partners have been commissioned by The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) to continue to run the Future Apprenticeships Staff Support Programme from April until September 2017.

Building on earlier support, the programme will continue to provide a range of support activities for providers who are new and not yet ready to deliver standards through to those who have been early adopters and are looking at ways to improve their delivery of standards.

The new support offer is divided into 4 strands: 1. Understanding apprenticeships, requirements, systems, delivery, capacity2. Transition and delivery planning3. Delivery of apprenticeship standards4. Improving the delivery of apprenticeship standardWorkshops designed to support providers in their preparations to deliver specific standards, curriculum planning and business development are now open for bookings, access the course pages on the Future Apprenticeships portal for further details.

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Improving the Use of Digital Technologies in Vocational Education – Free one day workshops!Would you like to enhance your confidence and use of digital skills in your teaching?

“Strong ICT skills can unlock a world of employment opportunities to learners and by developing the personal skills of teachers we can enable them to model and develop functional ICT skills amongst their learners”

AELP is working in partnership with Creative Education to deliver a Digital Skills Enhancement Programme (DSEP), funded by the Education Training Foundation.

This free, ETF-funded one day workshop has been designed to help you to understand the relevance of digital technologies in four specific vocational areas, enabling you to become more confident in the use of digital technologies, both in teaching and beyond. In addition, you will have the opportunity to:

• Identifyandaccessthekeytoolsneededtoworkdigitally• Evaluateandusetheappropriatedigitaltools• Understandtheethicalandlegalimplicationsofusingdigitisedcontent

Target Audience:This course is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants, advanced or lead practitioners, learning and performance coaches and mentors and teacher educators in four specific vocational areas.

Course Details:Date Vocational Area Location3rd May 2017 Customer Service/Retail Newcastle10th May 2017 Health and Social Care Manchester17th May 2017 Hospitality and Catering Birmingham24th May 2017 Team Leading and Management London

Booking and Further Information:To book a place on one of the workshops above, please email events@aelp.org.uk and quote ‘Digital Skills Workshops’ in the title of your email. Places are limited so please book early.

Delegates will be required to bring a laptop with webcam to the workshop and will need to undertake some preparation activities to make the most of the day. Further information about this will be included in your confirmation email.

Following these workshops we will be offering individuals the opportunity to be trained to become Professional Development Leads, providing you with the resources and tools necessary to deliver a workshop within your own organisation. We are currently seeking interest in this exciting opportunity. Please email cswales@aelp.org.uk for further information.

Digital Technologies - Free One Day Workshops Course outline

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Lancashire Young Apprentice Ambassador NetworkMeet our AmbassadorsStephanie Cook

During National Apprenticeship Week, Stephanie Cook went along to St Thomas’s Centre in Blackburn with Helen from the Lancashire WBL Executive Forum to support the delivery of two ASK presentations to Year 10 and 11 pupils.

St Thomas’s is a pupil referral unit supporting pupils who have or who are experiencing difficulties in the mainstream setting due to medical, social, emotional or behavioural issues.

The pupils were given information about apprenticeship levels, what jobs are available, salaries, and how to apply. Stephanie spoke about her own experiences as an apprentice, and answered questions about why she had chosen an apprenticeship, what her day to day job entails and what she considered the benefits of an apprenticeship to be. She was also able to provide information about traineeships and study programmes.

Stephanie, who works at North Lancs Training Group and has recently completed her Level 3 in Business and Administration, said “I think it went really well. The students were interested, and engaged by asking questions. I also think it helped with me being there as they learnt first-hand what it is like to be an apprentice”.

Michelle Hurst, the Careers Co-ordinator for the School said “Thanks ever so much for coming in. We all really enjoyed your presentation and I’m pretty sure that there will now be a lot more interest in pupils applying for Apprenticeships”.

Sub GroupsQuality Improvement Sub GroupTransforming Teaching, Learning and AssessmentChanging Mind-sets in Formative Assessment

As you know the Lancashire Forum Quality Improvement sub group is acting as the vehicle to test and review throughout the project.

The research phase of the project has now been completed. Assessors and managers from member organisation completed the survey which closed on Friday 10th March 17. Issues highlighted by the survey monkey responses indicated that some assessors did not understand formative assessment and that the tools that are used needs to be expanded.

Members of the Quality Improvement sub group are in the process of arranging focus groups for assessors to complete a number of questions that will enable the steering group to develop formative assessment materials that can be used by assessors. The resources developed will be shared with all member companies and stored on the members section of the website.

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New Ofsted Chair announced Education Secretary Justine Greening has announced that Professor Julius Weinberg is to take up the role as Chair of Ofsted. He fills the role vacated by David Hoare, who resigned following a backlash over controversial comments he made to teachers about the Isle of Wight.

As well as his current role as Ofqual’s deputy chair, from which he will now step down, Professor Weinberg has served as a board member for various university organisations, including the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, and London Higher. Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman said Professor Weinberg’s experience touches on the “full range of Ofsted’s responsibilities and I know he will be a tremendous asset to the organisation”

Ofsted to survey prime providers in scope for inspection Ofsted will be contacting independent learning providers subject to Ofsted inspection shortly via email, with a link to a survey to gather information about their training provision in case Ofsted inspect in the next year.

Receipt of the survey link is not an indication that Ofsted will be inspecting you - the purpose is merely to give providers the opportunity to provide Ofsted with information to ensure that should an inspection become due, they don’t seek to inspect training at a time when it is impractical. It will also help Ofsted to plan using accurate and necessary information provided directly by the providers, and to help ensure that all safety and security considerations are taken into account.

Providers do not have to complete the survey but by doing so, you will help to ensure the inspection goes smoothly for your organisation, your staff, learners and inspectors. Ofsted are only asking providers for information which is not otherwise available to them.

Deadline for responding is 15 May 2017.

Training Provider News

Accrington and Rossendale College gives Hyndburn taxi drivers specialist safeguarding trainingMore than 220 taxi drivers from the Hyndburn area have completed essential training with Accrington and Rossendale College to help them be more aware of important safeguarding issues like human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

The programme of training, spearheaded by Hyndburn Borough Council with support from Hyndburn Community Safety Partnership and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, will see more than 500 taxi drivers in the area fully trained by Summer 2017.

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said:“Tackling the sexual exploitation of children is a key priority and it’s not just a policing issue. We must all do what we can to prevent these crimes from happening and to enable people to spot the signs so they can raise the alarm if needed. The training for taxi drivers does exactly that and I am happy to give it my full support.”

Deputy Head of Service Industries at Accrington and Rossendale College Ray Felters said:“This training partnership between Hyndburn Borough Council and Accrington and Rossendale College has already provided almost 220 individuals with the skills to report issues which concern them. Understanding what they may encounter whilst working is essential to having a responsible taxi trade which operates for our community.”

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Dates for your diary...Dates of meetings in 2017Here are the dates of all Forum meetings including, Board, Executive Group and the 2 sub-groups, Quality Improvement and Employer and Skills

Next Forum MeetingWhen: 10th May 2017 Where: Preston’s College Time: 9.30 for a 10am startChair: Lisa Bloomfield

Raeleen DuthoitT: 01254 306831 M: 07890 169586 E: raeleen@btconnect.com

Themis reach finals of national Apprenticeship providers awardsThemis, Burnley College’s Apprenticeship and Training provider, is celebrating after being names in the top four Apprenticeship providers in the UK at the Apprenticeship 4 England Awards.

The prestigious awards ceremony, which was held in Tower Bridge, London, welcomed Apprenticeship providers from across the UK. On presentation of their award, the Themis team were commended for the outstanding training and support each Apprentice receives while completing their programme.

Also highly commended was Themis’ strong industry links with top employers throughout East Lancashire and the North West, the outstanding training facilities provided for

Apprentices within the Princess Way Campus (such as the Centre of Engineering Excellence and Construction and Future Technologies Centre) and wealth of industry trainers passing on their experience and knowledge.

Director of Themis Simon Jordan said:“It is extremely important that the north of England is being recognised as a hotbed of new skills and talent, not least to safeguard against the skills gaps of tomorrow. Being the only training provider in Lancashire to receive an award is a fantastic achievement for our outstanding trainer assessors and our wider Themis team and we’re very proud to have been nominated for this national accolade.”

Advanced Themis Apprentice Abigail wins top national aerospace prizeAbigail Parkinson, 20 from Hoddlesden in Darwen is an Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Apprentice at KAMAN UK, a subsidiary of Kaman Aerosystems who produce and market proprietary aircraft and components. She was awarded the North West Aerospace Alliance New Talent “One To Watch” trophy at a prestigious ceremony at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester earlier this month.

The aim of the prestigious award is to recognise the achievements made by Apprentices working in aerospace in the North West Aerospace Industry. Judges said of Abigail’s achievement: “Abigail has the potential to be an exceptional engineer and to that end KAMAN UK has sponsored her to take an engineering degree.”David Bailey, Chief Executive Officer at North West Aerospace Alliance, said: “The New Talent Awards has become a key event for the North West’s Aerospace and Defence Sector. It is important that we continue to recognise and reward the achievements of the talent emerging in our industry. It is hugely important to our industry that we increase the numbers of talented young people into apprenticeships to plug the skills gap to ensure that we achieve the growth the aerospace market is experiencing.”

Jane Buck, Head of HR for KAMAN UK said: “The team at Kaman UK are incredibly proud of the achievements of all our apprentices. Abigail has shown herself to be extremely hardworking and winning this award is very well deserved. We know she has a fantastic future ahead of her and Kaman UK will continue to provide her with our full support”

Neil Burrows, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering at Themis said:“Abigail has been a hard-working and diligent Advanced Apprentice from the moment she joined Themis and KAMAN UK. Her award was very well-deserved and we are extremely proud that Abigail’s talents have been recognised by the North West Aerospace Alliance at such a prestigious national ceremony. We hope her success inspires many more exceptional future Advanced Engineers to achieve their potential.”