Leadership

Educating For The Modern World

More than three-quarters of businesses expect to increase the number of higher-skilled roles over the coming years. Yet two-thirds fear that there will be a lack of sufficiently skilled people to fill vacancies, according to this 2018 CBI Education and Skills Annual Report.

The report represents 28,000 businesses and reveals that 85% of firms are expecting to maintain or increase investment in training in their workforce. Currently UK employers spend £44.2 billion on training expenditure each year.

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      string(427) "... those organisations that use them to deliver training programmes, but the main area of dissatisfaction among businesses using universities is the cost of programmes (with a balance of only +33% satisfied). WEB LINK Educating For The Modern WorldKeywords Education, apprenticeship programmes, productivity, business, economic prosperity, training, schools, colleges, engagement, skills "
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      string(5492) "linked with secondary schools and sixth-form colleges and +44% for those linked with FE colleges. All our respondents with links to schools have ties with state-funded schools of various type. The leading areas of activity by businesses are providing work experience/site visits (83%), offering information about apprenticeships and traineeships (70%), and giving careers advice and talks (68%). Gaps in understanding can act as obstacles to maximising the benefits of partnership. For example, less than half of businesses (46%) are fully aware of the new GCSE system and understand the grading arrangements. Two thirds of respondents (65%) are willing to play a greater role in supporting schools and/or colleges, but they report barriers including inadequate guidance on how to make work experience and other encounters worthwhile for young people (48%) and the difficult, time-consuming processes involved around for example health and safety and DBS checks (47%). Businesses see apprenticeships as a valuable route to training and developing their future workforces, but many firms struggle to fill places: over half (59%) of respondents have experienced difficulty in recruiting apprentices or expect to do so in the next three years. The number of firms operating apprenticeship programmes has shown a sharp fall since introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy (from 83% in 2017 to 70% in 2018). The Apprenticeship Levy has triggered widespread changes, with nearly three quarters of businesses (73%) reporting some impact. While close to a third of firms have created new apprenticeship programmes (34%), increased apprentice places (32%), and/or reconfigured training into apprenticeships (31%), more than a quarter (26%) are simply absorbing the Levy as an added cost of doing business. The biggest challenges posed by the Levy are the inflexibility of the funding rules (seen by 34% of businesses as the single biggest problem) and the lack of clear guidance and confusion about the rules and the system’s operation (the biggest problem for 20%). The Levy offers opportunities to develop and upskill existing staff (seen by 30% as the biggest opportunity) and to extend apprenticeships into new areas of the business where these have not been traditional (19%), but radical change is needed to improve these opportunities. The main changes that would boost business confidence in the Apprenticeship Levy are allowing use of Levy funds to cover a wider range of costs for training (59%), greater flexibility in spending the funds including their transfer and pooling (51%), and less bureaucracy to make the system more responsive and more user-friendly (47%). At this early stage in the development of T-levels, two in five employers (41%) think the T-level reforms are necessary as part of developing technical qualifications fit for future needs while a similar number (41%) are uncertain at this point. Increasing employer understanding of and access to T-levels must be a key priority for government: our findings show that over four in ten employers (42%) were unaware of T-levels while under one in five (18%) reported being very aware of them. Levels of awareness of the 45-day work placement element of T-levels are even lower, with two thirds (64%) of businesses largely or wholly unaware. The value of graduates to business is clear, with graduates having higher levels of employment, lower levels of economic inactivity, and higher levels of earnings on average compared to non-graduates. Close to nine in ten (87%) of businesses that employ graduates have maintained or increased their levels of graduate recruitment over the past year.For the sixth consecutive year, more businesses have expanded their graduate intakes than have cut back on graduate recruitment, cumulatively raising the number of graduate openings. More than half (54%) of those firms with ties to higher education have increased their engagement over the past year, with just 6% cutting back. The upward-shift in skills demand, with increasing demand for higher skills, means there is more to do to ensure levels 4 and 5 qualifications are developed on the scale and in flexible forms that fit with business demand as well as open progression routes for individuals. In training and a similar number of businesses (37%) face a problem finding a provider who can deliver when and where training is needed. More than four in five businesses (85%) will be maintaining or increasing their investment in the year ahead while only (15%) plan to cut back. Among businesses using FE colleges, the balance of firms satisfied with their performance stands above +50% in relation to the quality of the trainers/assessors (+61%) and the relevance of course content (+57%), but is markedly lower in relation to costs (+40%) and responsiveness to the firm’s training requirements (+43%). On most measures of satisfaction universities are rated as surpassing FE colleges by those organisations that use them to deliver training programmes, but the main area of dissatisfaction among businesses using universities is the cost of programmes (with a balance of only +33% satisfied). WEB LINK Educating For The Modern WorldKeywords Education, apprenticeship programmes, productivity, business, economic prosperity, training, schools, colleges, engagement, skills "
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Leadership

Educating For The Modern World

21 Nov 2018

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      string(372) "... and levels in the Framework     · Ensure that accredited courses place greater emphasis on enabling pupils to understand the changing social significance of religion in the modern world    · When reviewing the Framework, consider whether the two attainment targets for RE are an effective basis for planning and assessment.Local authorities, in ..."
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      string(613) "A report on religious education in schools and the impact of locally agreed syllabuses.  
Recent world events have raised the profile of religious education significantly and schools have new responsibilities to promote community cohesion. Those with responsibility for RE therefore have the task of ensuring that children and young people are able to make sense of religion in the modern world and issues of identity and diversity. This report looks at the progress made in enhancing the provision for religious education in recent years.

Folder: Leadership Briefings Issue 2.08 (20)"
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      string(2601) "become the statutory basis for locally agreed syllabuses, allowing for some local determination of specific content to reflect local circumstances· the Framework could become the basis for the inclusion of RE within the National Curriculum· Consider ways in which SACREs might be enabled to play a stronger role in promoting the priorities of community cohesion and educating for diversity.The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) should:· Develop further guidance to support the effective use of the Framework in constructing agreed syllabuses· Provide further opportunities for SACREs to share good practice    · Extend the range of accredited courses for RE to ensure that the needs of all students are met    · Secure greater continuity and progression in RE for the 11 to 19 years age group by aligning the assessment criteria for accredited courses with the attainment targets and levels in the Framework     · Ensure that accredited courses place greater emphasis on enabling pupils to understand the changing social significance of religion in the modern world    · When reviewing the Framework, consider whether the two attainment targets for RE are an effective basis for planning and assessment.Local authorities, in partnership with their SACREs, need to:· Consider ways in which SACREs can be better supported to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities effectively    · Use the Framework rigorously in reviewing their agreed syllabus, and thoroughly assess the impact of their existing syllabus on standards and the quality of planning and assessment    · Consider how the work of SACREs might support further the promotion of community cohesion and educating for diversity.Secondary schools should:· Improve the quality of curriculum planning and assessment, particularly at Key Stage 3    · Use their locally agreed syllabus more systematically and effectively to improve provision for RE.Primary schools should:· Improve the quality of teachers’ RE subject knowledge    · Focus on RE in the course of whole-school development work, where appropriate.All schools should:· Ensure that RE contributes strongly to pupils’ understanding of the changing role of religion, diversity and community cohesion.Providers of ITT should:· Strengthen the arrangements for selecting and training RE subject mentors to ensure that trainees receive high quality training.NotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Questions PublishingDate CreatedJuly 2007Enquiries to:rchima@qiis.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Making Sense Of Religion

9 Jul 2007

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      string(332) "... the future, these are defined by what we dotoday, with a new emphasis on professional development in terms of growth and service.What has drawn the modern world into being is astrange, almost occult yearning for the future. Themodern mind longs for the future as the medievalmind longed for heaven ..."
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      string(4681) "13Reference………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Future schools: theprofessional developmentchallengePaul Clarke poses startling questions about the nature of improvement, the purposeof education and the viability of the society we are preparing children for. He says thatwhilst we need to consider our hopes for the future, these are defined by what we dotoday, with a new emphasis on professional development in terms of growth and service.What has drawn the modern world into being is astrange, almost occult yearning for the future. Themodern mind longs for the future as the medievalmind longed for heaven. Wendell Berry (1977) TheUnsettling of America p.56■■■ The future begins now!One of the frequently heard claims about school andcommunity improvement and their accompanyingregeneration programmes is that they will pave theway for a better future, and a brighter tomorrow1.In education speak this translates into the form ofour bright new buildings bringing about a smarterworkforce, a more literate generation of youth,leading to a population more suited to a knowledgeeconomy. But what drives these utopian dreams isnot the aspiration for individual emancipation; ifthat were so then we would be educating our youngpeople to deviate and challenge convention. So wehave to ask ourselves what is all this improvement for?Likewise, there is little point in educating our youngpeople so that they can become the latest cohort ofconsumers hell-bent on exploiting and draining thefinite resources we have at our disposal. Little point ineducating our population for what effectively comesdown to ecological genocide. Much of modern living isbased upon the myth, perpetuated by any of a numberof professions and services ranging from education,to business to politics – promising ‘things can onlyget better’.The future as it is conceived in education andeducational reform, has our modern world in a tight,totalitarian knot. It is often presented to us in a formthat suggests we can neither avoid its arrival, nor,seemingly, step onto a different track to meet it. Thetension of the knot is created through industrialization,our complete dependency upon the belief that through1. Almlov and Moberg 2008Future schools: the professional development challenge ■■■■■14…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….“This preoccupationwith the ‘new,’ meansthat we abandonthe adequate orthe acceptable inpreference for thelatest version ”this industrialization all of our lives will get better. Thisis the modern day opiate of the people; it transcendsnational boundaries and forms the fundamentalview of economy, that industrialized commerce andproduction are the route, and the only route to thePromised Land. It is a vision of the future that bindstogether the collective global modern mind; it leadsus to believe that all the cars and planes, cookers andcomputers, ipods and ipads, hoodies and trainers, andproduce of every kind are all mere prototype versionsof their final future-perfect form. This preoccupationwith the ‘new,’ means that we abandon the adequateor the acceptable in preference for the latest version.For example: my operating system on my computer,prompts me every time I start up themachine, telling me that I need toupdate my software, but my needs aremet perfectly adequately with what Ialready have installed, on a machinethat is more than three years old andde facto obsolete.Education is locked into the verysame mode of thinking. We havegrown accustomed to ‘BuildingSchools for the Future’ and EveryChild Matters in the UK, or No Child Left Behind inthe USA. Worldwide national systems for schooling arelocking into the effective improvement model. It is apowerful toxin, and it plays on the public imaginationas personal choice, and on the professional mind asperformance culture, it defines our plans, and it drivesour spending habits in such projects"
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Professional Development

Future schools: the professional development challenge

22 Jul 2010

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e-Learning Update issue 03"
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      string(355) "... tedious task they are forced todo. This idea of  being pressured intorevising and learning creates a levelof  reluctance for many young people.However, in a modern day learningenvironment it is important to moveaway from this ideal. Education canbe fun, empowering and motivating;providing it is delivered in the correctway.”Communicate ..."
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e-Learning Update issue 03"
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      string(5600) "Technology FeatureEducating through a medium with appealICT is a fundamental and infinitely valuable tool within today’s educationenvironment. Students now have regular access to advanced technologies,across many areas of the curriculum. But is it always used to its potential? MikeWilkinson explores how ICT can be utilised to maximise the learning journey ofyoung people – and equip them with skills the will need for their future.contributed effectively tolearners’ personal development,helping them to develop theskills of  working independentlyand cooperatively.Taking the tedious out oflearningThe most effective way to reachyoung people and ensure thatthey are educated in a positivelearning environment is to strive tocommunicate with them in a way theycan understand and which nurturespersonal development. Rather thanThe inclusion of  ICT withineducation is an ideal way toachieve innovative learning.According to a recent reportconducted by Ofsted report,called Importance of  ICT,looks at evidence taken frominspections of  ICT in 177maintained schools. It foundthat students almost alwaysenjoyed working with ICT andwere engaged by tasks thatenabled them to do so.Moreimportantly the report alsorevealed that using ICTmaintaining rigid and traditionalmeans of  education which draws ontextbooks and a teacher lecturing atthe front of  the class, why not connectwith learners via a medium that theyunderstand; that of  ICT. As reportedby FutureLab in its 2009 ComputerGames, Schools and Young People report,“Games are viewed as cultural forms,not just as a sophisticated technology.What this means is that the playingof  computer games has become asignificant social and cultural activity”.This research demonstrates thesignificance of  technology and gaming http://www.teachingtimes.comTechnology Featurewithin society; it has extended frombeing a form of  entertainment toestablishing itself  as an integral partof  life for many and something bywhich a number of  people structuretheir identity. It therefore seemslogical and valuable to exploit thepower of  technology and apply itsability to engage young people to theireducation.I recently spoke with Nick Wall,an ICT leader from HaltwhistleCommunity Campus Upper Schooland he concurs: “A number ofstudents unfortunately have a negativeperception of  learning and view itas a tedious task they are forced todo. This idea of  being pressured intorevising and learning creates a levelof  reluctance for many young people.However, in a modern day learningenvironment it is important to moveaway from this ideal. Education canbe fun, empowering and motivating;providing it is delivered in the correctway.”Communicate in a languagethat learners comprehendIncorporating ICT with games intoeducation can be an even morevaluable way of  applying an appealingelement of  learning. In some instancesteachers are daunted by the inclusionof  gaming, and many think that thismay open a dangerous minefieldwhich could result in children notactually completing any work, insteadjust being disruptive and unruly.However, realistically this is nottypically the case.With effective games basedlearning resources students are notable to simply play games – theyhave to answer questions correctlybefore this can happen, which meanstheir understanding of  a subject isconstantly improving. With studentsable to access many resources viamobile devices, including mobilephones, this enables their learning totake place when convenient. Childrencould be sitting on the bus on theirway to school and rather than theirtime being wasted, it is effectivelyutilised. The same way that a childmight log on to their phone to play agame they’d play for entertainment,they can still do this but the game theyare playing has the added benefit ofaiding their learning.Providing a reward for successis a brilliant way to commend an http://www.teachingtimes.comTechnology Featureindividual for their successes andrecognise that they have performedwell. As the children work throughanswering questions correctly, theyunlock levels and progress throughthe stages. This provides a motivatingand inspiring learning experience andmeans that students truly becomeengaged. It is not a case however, ofsimply adding games-led computerbased learning into education, butensuring that this is done so in aplausible and useful way.Games should draw on areas andtopics that children can understandand relate to. Nick revealed: “Whatis brilliant with a resource such as iam learning is the way that it linksto different themes and topics, theycan aspire to be as good as TomDaley in the Dive 2012 game, whilstin Aargh! Aliens! they can protectthe planet from an alien invasion.The competition element is a greatmotivator – after completing a teststudents can compare their gameresults with fellow learners, both atschool and from around the world. Inorder to improve their game score,they need to do further tests andanswer more questions correctly – theperfect motivation tool. Teachers canalso create their own tests – so no moregroans when revising for a spellingtest! An effective resource should trulyappeal to its learners and provide apositive link between both educationand entertainment.”Skills for the futureWith so many jobs now requiring thebasic ICT skills, it has never beenmore important for learners to obtainawareness of  technology and beable to complete simple tasks usinga computer. Including ICT basedlearning in a student’s education ina fun way facilitates this to happen,whilst also improving the skillsrequired"
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Digital Learning

Educating through a medium with appeal

18 Mar 2010