Leadership

UTCs: Are They Delivering For Young People And The Economy?

More than half of students who attend University Technical Colleges (UTCs) - which take in pupils from the age of 14 to 19 - are dropping out between the ages of 16 and 17, according to this Education Policy Institute (EPI) report. It says the government scheme for technical education is costing hundreds of millions of pounds and failing to deliver good results for students.

Those that remain for post-16 study are still far less likely to complete their final studies than students in other types of education, the report said.

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Leadership Briefing issue 6.10 (70)"
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      string(6013) "ResourceAPPRENTICESHIPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLEOriginal DocumentApprenticeships For Young People. This DfE report presents some of the common factors that have led to high performance in the work of providers who are extensively involved in delivering apprenticeships to young people. It explains how the providers have successfully recruited young people as apprentices: introducing them to the world of work; supporting them in developing vocational skills and completing their apprenticeship frameworks; and supporting their progression into employment and further study.KeywordsApprenticeships, young people, schools, teachers, learning, employment, vocational trainingSummaryThis report presents some of the common factors that have led to high performance in the work of providers who are extensively involved in delivering apprenticeships to young people. It explains how the providers have successfully recruited young people as apprentices: introducing them to the world of work; supporting them in developing vocational skills and completing their apprenticeship frameworks; and supporting their progression into employment and further study.Apprenticeships have a key role in the government’s strategy to develop the skills of the workforce and to promote the growth and rebalancing of the nation’s economy. Recent government investment has given priority to helping more young people into work and training through apprenticeships. Of the 457,200 people who began apprenticeships in 2010–11, just over a quarter (131,700) were under the age of 19.The government’s ambition that all young people will participate in learning up to the age of 18 will rely critically on the sector’s expertise in designing and delivering high-quality programmes, including pre-apprenticeships and intermediate and advanced apprenticeships, to engage and meet the needs of these learners and prospective employers.Key Findings:· In the providers visited, young people who had previous experience of vocational training were more successful in making good progress with their apprenticeship framework than those starting straight from school without it.· Work experience in the area that interested the young person was a recurring theme mentioned by providers, young learners and employers as a positive force in equipping young people with an appropriate work ethic and basic employment skills.· The negative views of employers in the survey about the ability of some young people to apply for jobs, along with their poor punctuality and timekeeping, were forestalled by the providers working to develop these skills in the young people before they applied for apprenticeships. A small number of the employers complained about the apprentices’ poor standard of English and mathematics when they arrived from school, even those with grade C at GCSE.· All the providers in the survey had improved their initial advice and guidance, including work tasters, to recruit young people into the area of learning that matched their interests. Provided during recruitment events, in interviews or online, this had a positive impact on increasing the completion of frameworks and eventual progression into employment and further training.· When online applications were included as part of the selection process, many of the young people had not been sufficiently well prepared by their schools to make the best possible application.· Effective initial assessment had a positive impact on the providers’ capacity to put appropriate support in place and secure a more successful match between apprentices and employers.· Educational statements from schools did not always follow students to their training providers who then had to reassess their needs. Where data were available, apprentices who received learning support had overall success rates as good as their peers.· Well-planned inductions increased young people’s understanding of how they would be trained and assessed, and what would be expected of them in their employment. They particularly liked hearing from former apprentices to whom they could relate and who acted as mentors in two thirds of the providers surveyed.· The most effective teaching was well planned, engaged learners and enabled them quickly to put into practice what they learnt in theory sessions. The strong vocational backgrounds of the providers’ staff together with small group sizes ensured good and sometimes outstanding skills development.· Flexible training and assessment, including additional workshops, group training at a distance using webcams, and ease of access to online resources, met the needs of employers and apprentices well. Apprentices did not always have to miss training and were often keen to do extra work when resources were readily available. · Assessment was often available almost ‘on demand’ by employer staff or, when planned with the employers, by the provider’s assessors. · Almost all the providers in the survey provided good training in key and functional skills that improved young people’s English and mathematics and was delivered by appropriately qualified staff. The key skills were contextualised to the areas of learning and therefore seen as relevant by the young people and their employers.· Young people had a good understanding of their employment rights and responsibilities through studying them as part of their apprenticeship. They valued the personal, learning and thinking skills that they were developing, as did their employers.· Many of the young people gained additional experience, skills and"
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Leadership

Apprenticeships For Young People

19 Apr 2012

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      string(3392) "24 through better promotion of the benefits ofapprenticeships ■ focuses on the industries that have the strongest demand for a skilled workforce andcontribute to economic growth ■ enables SMEs to be involved fully in planning and delivering apprenticeships while ensuringthat they get effective support and are not burdened by additional bureaucracy ■ promote traineeships and other vocational training that develops employability skills as a directprogression route into apprenticeships ■ make available information to providers about local and national skills priorities and hold them toaccount for the extent to which their provision meets these ■ hold providers to account for the value their apprenticeships add to their apprentices’ careers,evidenced by progression to higher-level training, increased responsibility at work and Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.improvements in earnings. ■ Schools and further education and skills providers should: ■ provide impartial careers guidance about apprenticeships to all pupils and theirparents, including to those pupils expected to achieve high grades at GCSE ■ provide courses, including traineeships, for students aged 16 to 18 that allow them totransfer onto an apprenticeship during an academic year ■ prepare students to move into work by ensuring that they develop the personal andemployability skills that employers value, including communication, team-working,problem-solving and decision-making skills, and a positive attitude to work. ■ Providers of apprenticeships, including employer providers, should: ■ ensure that apprenticeship provision is of a high standard and enables apprentices todevelop increasingly complex skills that lead towards the advanced- and higher-levelskills needed by employers ■ provide sufficient off-the-job training for apprentices to develop and practisesubstantive new skills that prepare them for long-term employment in their industry ■ ensure that they have the teaching expertise and resources to help their apprenticesdevelop the knowledge and skills in English and mathematics needed for their jobsand careers ■ promote apprenticeships to disabled people and/or those with special educationalneeds and ensure that trained staff support them ■ enter into appropriate subcontracting arrangements for apprenticeships that meet theskills needs of a region or national industry. They should closely monitor the quality ofthis provision and take swift action to tackle poor performance. ■ Employers should: ■ agree with the provider their contributions to the apprenticeship such as time,resources and funding for training ■ ensure that apprenticeships do more than simply assess apprentices’ existing skills ■ consider the benefits of taking on an apprentice to create employment opportunitiesfor local young people in their industry, improve productivity and ensure that they passon their skills and experience.WEB LINKApprenticeships: Developing Skills For Future Prosperityhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469814/Apprenticeships_developing_skills_for_future_prosperity.pdf"
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Leadership

Apprenticeships: Developing Skills For Future Prosperity

23 Oct 2015

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      string(365) "... embedded in all schools, let alone delivered toa consistently high standard. Given that digital skills are of thehighest priority to the future of the UK economy and the futurechances of young people, we find it surprising that computingis not explicitly considered in Ofsted’s schools inspectionframework. We recommend that the ..."
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      string(5656) "This month’sReportse-learning UPDATE n www.teachingtimes.com‹‹ PREVIOUS PAGE n  NEXT PAGE ››n CONTENTSPublished by The Science and TechnologyCommitteeThe Science and Technology Committee has published a reportwarning that the UK risks being left behind if the government does nottake more action to address the digital skills crisis.It is thought 12.6 million adults lack basic digital skills, while 5.8million have never used the internet at all. The report calls forbusinesses to invest more and better training at all levels of educationand urges the government’s digital strategy to be published withoutdelay.The report found that: n Twenty-two per cent of IT equipment in schools is ineffective. n Just 35 per cent of computer science teachers had a relevantqualification. n Only 70 per cent of the required number of computer scienceteachers have been recruited. n The UK needs another 745,000 workers with digital skills by2017.Digital skills crisis n 90 per cent of jobs require digital skills to some degree. n Skills gap costs economy around £63bn a year in lost income.Action: n Digital skills to be made one of the core components in allapprenticeships, not just ‘digital apprenticeships’. n Industry-led vocationally-focused digital careers advice inuniversities. n Universities to provide ‘code conversion courses’ to helpgraduates from non-computer science backgrounds enter the techsector. n After introducing the much needed computer curriculum inschools, the government to establish a forum for employers tofeedback on the continuing development of the curriculum, andOfsted to include it in its school inspections. n A review of the qualifying requirements for ‘shortage occupation’IT jobs under ‘Tier 2 visas’, to allow SMEs to get critical digitalskills from abroad. n Apprenticeship scheme processes to be simplified to allow SMEsto participate more easily.http://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’sReportse-learning UPDATE n www.teachingtimes.com‹‹ PREVIOUS PAGE n  NEXT PAGE ››n CONTENTSConclusions and recommendations: n The government has set targets for recruiting teachers in mathsand physics. They should also make a similar pledge for computerscience. This would demonstrate a commitment to equip our futuregeneration with the tools and resources to navigate the digitalworld, and provide a means of monitoring progress. n Every student must have access to education that enablesthem to participate in the growing digital economy. Thegovernment deserves credit for its leadership in introducing thecomputing curriculum but there is still some way to go for it tobecome truly embedded in all schools, let alone delivered toa consistently high standard. Given that digital skills are of thehighest priority to the future of the UK economy and the futurechances of young people, we find it surprising that computingis not explicitly considered in Ofsted’s schools inspectionframework. We recommend that the government requestOfsted to include the computing curriculum in their inspectionsand require schools to deliver credible, sustainable plans forembedding computing. n The government should encourage the uptake of existingavailable resources by schools, many of which are free.Learning from the success of existing teacher support initiativeslike The Big Write, and working closely with academia andindustry, the government should consider whether developinga similar model for computing will also help address gaps in ITresources. n Furthermore, to ensure digital education in schools continues tokeep pace with business needs in an evolving tech environment,we recommend that the government work with the TechPartnership to establish a regular forum for employers to raise anddiscuss their priorities for ensuring the computing curriculum andits teaching stay up to date, and to help ensure that other schoolsubject qualifications provide a foundation for a broader range ofdigital careers. n As digital skills are increasingly becoming essential for industrialsectors, schools will need to invest in offering high qualitycomputer science courses and upskilling teachers so that digitalskills can become more mainstream rather than a standalonesubject. n ICT teachers are now expected to teach the new computingcurriculum, but too many do not have the qualifications or theconfidence to teach computer science. It is clear that greaterinvestment is necessary to address the teaching skills gap. Wetherefore recommend that the government increase its investmentin teacher training as a long term commitment and requestthat, as part of its monitoring of the delivery of the computingcurriculum, Ofsted take into account the uptake of free resourcesand training. n The digital skills crisis includes not only shortages of key digitalskills in the economy but also a shortage of qualified, confidentICT teachers. We commend Teach First and the Master Teachersinitiative but, given the rate of loss to a highly attractive privatesector, we believe that the ICT streams of these programmesshould be scaled up to have any hope of delivering the sheernumber of teachers needed for the long term health of UK digitaleducation. n So far financial incentives have not attracted sufficientcomputer science teachers to the profession. In its forthcomingDigital Strategy, the government should review the case forfinancial incentives for recruiting and retaining computerscience teachers in schools, mindful of the higher payremuneration available in the private sector. As an interimsolution to recruitment shortfalls, the government"
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Digital Learning

Report summary: Digital skills crisis

4 Aug 2016

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      string(362) "... youth unemployment rates dropped; employer engagement, mentoring and work experience opportunities led many students into jobs with local employers. Even crime rates were reduced as young people stayed in education for longer and avoided gang culture. The value to the local economy is estimated at over $100m a year.Supporting ..."
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      string(5685) "When The Edge Foundation was founded in 2004, its mission was a fairly simple one: to end the disparity in status between ‘vocational’ and ‘academic’ qualifications and for wider recognition that ‘learning by doing’ offers an opportunity for all young people to fulfil their potential.Technologically, socially and economically, the world has changed considerably. Back then, the internet was barely a decade old and our phones were used simply to make calls. Fifteen years later, the imperative for a different approach to education has never been greater, yet in England the government has pursued an exam-results dogma on the back of a narrow, century-old curriculum.However, elsewhere in the world, educationalists have sought to design pedagogies and programmes which don’t just rely on students absorbing and regurgitating subject knowledge, but which aim to equip them with the critical skills that the 21st century demands.Learning from othersIn 2014, Edge’s then Director of Policy and Research ebulliently returned from a trip to Nashville in the United States, enthused by a learning model which had demonstrably changed the aspirations, prospects and achievements of young people in the city in just a decade.Ten years earlier, Nashville’s high school graduation rate was just 58 per cent, well below the national average. Both youth unemployment and offending rates were high, often related to the pervasive gang culture. Meanwhile employers were struggling to recruit locally to meet their skills needs. The Academies of Nashville is based on the concept of real-world learning, putting lessons into the context of work and wider life, increasing student engagement and helping them to develop problem-solving, resilience, communication and other skills essential for our digital world. After their freshman year, aged 14, students have a choice of 39 different academies to choose from across Nashville, which fall into five broad career groupings: arts, media and communication; business, marketing and information technology; engineering, manufacturing and industrial technology; health and public services; hospitality and tourism.The transformation of Nashville was very much led by the local business community, which continue to have a leading role in delivering working partnerships with schools. They help set the overall vision, design curriculum projects, share their expertise and work alongside teachers, as well as provide profound opportunities for employer engagement and work experience. Over 350 business and community partners work with schools, offering authentic learning opportunities, profound employer engagement and work experience. Lessons are taught ‘through the lens’ of the particular professional area or sector. Students might learn about mathematical forumulae from an aviation engineer or English comprehension via researching a court case with a local lawyer. This approach lends itself to project-based learning and cross-curricular teaching.The outcomes ten years later indeed show a transformation. High school attendance rose from 87 per cent to 96 per cent and suspensions fell 40 per cent. Students were clearly more engaged and keen to come to school. The graduation rate rose to 81 per cent with significant increases in academic subject results. The impact was also felt within the wider community. As high school drop-outs became high school graduates, so youth unemployment rates dropped; employer engagement, mentoring and work experience opportunities led many students into jobs with local employers. Even crime rates were reduced as young people stayed in education for longer and avoided gang culture. The value to the local economy is estimated at over $100m a year.Supporting educational innovation Keen to support similar innovation in the UK, Edge teamed up with Ford Next Generation Learning (FNGL), which led the transformation in Nashville and which works with over 40 communities across the US. We also conducted research in the four UK nations, as well as abroad, looking at the most successful innovative educational practices and forging partnerships with schools and colleges, such as XP School and School 21 in Doncaster and London respectively, and PBL Works and High Tech High in the US. The common element of all these models—whether the focus is on oracy or expeditionary learning or spending time working with an employer—is that they are designed to equip young people with creativity, problem-solving, team-work and communication skills. They are lessons for future careers and for life, not just for the classroom.The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) led the successful pilot of the Gatsby benchmarks of good careers guidance. It recognised the benefits of greater employer focus in schools, especially for students looking to further education and future employment, but also in terms of addressing local skills shortages and to deliver economic growth in the region over the long term. Solving real-world problemsThree very diverse schools, Churchill Community College and Norham High School in North Tyneside, and Excelsior Academy in central Newcastle, joined the pilot in 2018, following the FNGL roadmap. This involved bringing together school leaders and staff, parents, governors, pupils, local businesses and community organisations to develop a ‘leaver profile’ for their school. They articulated the skills, aptitudes, knowledge, character traits and behaviours which they believed students should leave school with to enable them to thrive.Each"
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Leadership

How Real-World Problem Solving Can Lift Vocational Education

3 Mar 2020