DIUS FE and Skills e-Newsletter

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, voluntary providers (all post-16 providers)

Queen's Anniversary Prizes

City and Islington College is one of the 20 winners in the seventh round of the Queen's Anniversary Prizes for exceptional achievement in higher and further education. The college has been recognised for "creating pathways to employment and higher education in the sciences". The Queen's anniversary prizes are announced every two years to honour world class achievement and excellence in British universities and colleges. Of the 149 prizes presented since 1994, 36 have gone to further education institutions, with ten of them going to sixth-form colleges. Congratulations City and Islington College. For more information visit the Queen's Anniversary Trust website.

WorldSkills

Congratulations to the 22-strong UK team who attended the 2007 WorldSkills Competition in Shizuoka, Japan, earlier this month. Between them the UK team won a gold medal in cabinet making, silver in graphic design and two bronzes in auto-body repair and car painting. They also won Medallions of Excellence for achieving world class scores in welding, bricklaying, joinery, floristry, hair, beauty, confectionery, landscape gardening, and IT PC network support. WorldSkills is an international skills competition held every two years, where 48 member countries compete in 40 different vocational skills. In May 2006 UK Skills, with its partners, led a successful bid to host the 2011 WorldSkills Competition in London. For more information please visit the World Skills International website.

Star Awards

The QIA Star Awards 'recognise the dedication and expertise of those people who, on a daily basis, are making a significant contribution to improving the skill level of young people and adult learners'. At the fourth awards ceremony in London on Monday 26th November, the winners were announced in front of shortlisted nominees, nominators and special guests including the Minister for Skills, David Lammy MP. Congratulations to all of the winners for their outstanding contribution to the learning and skills sector. For more information, including a list of winners, please visit the QIA Star Awards website.

Audience: All with an interest in skills for employment – as users or providers

The following article by Sir Michael Rake, Chair of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, will appear in the December edition of Public Affairs News in answer to the question: “What are your organisation's aims and priorities for the next 6-12 months?”

Sir Michael Rake

The next few months will be very busy getting the UK Commission for Employment and Skills up and running for April next year. I have just appointed Chris Humphries, currently Director General at City and Guilds, as Chief Executive and he will bring a wealth of experience of the employment and skills sector to the Commission. We are now recruiting an influential Board of Commissioners drawn from business and the employment and skills sector.

The Commission will have a major job to do working with partners across the UK. The UK Government and Devolved Administrations are committed to delivering a world class workforce with skills comparable to the top 25% of OECD countries. We need to make major progress to deliver this goal by 2020. We also need to help in reaching the aspiration for 80% of people of working age in sustainable employment.

A priority will be to develop our programme of work and also build a strong sense of common purpose among our staff, many of whom will join the Commission from the Sector Skills Development Agency and National Employment Panel. The Commission will also need to review all Sector Skills Council licences against a new licence framework, to make sure employers in every industry can drive investment and represent their needs effectively.

• UK Commission for Employment and Skills

Audience: : FE college principals, independent providers, school sixth forms, voluntary providers, teachers

The Education and Skills Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 28 November marking the beginning of the parliamentary journey for this landmark piece of legislation.

The Bill has two key objectives:

Firstly, it will increase participation in learning for young people and adults, to meet the ambition set out in the Leitch Review of Skills to achieve world class skills by 2020. The Bill will put in place the legislative framework to raise the education or training leaving age in England to 18 by 2015. A number of changes to existing legislation will help to ensure that appropriate support, information, advice and guidance is available for all young people to access and make choices about which learning options best meet their needs, whether GCSEs, A Levels, Diplomas, Apprenticeships or work-based learning. On the adult skills front, it gives adults the right to basic and intermediate skills development, offering a second chance for learners to gain the skills they need to thrive throughout their working lives. For those aged 19 to 25, it gives them free provision for a first full level 3 course.

Secondly, the Education and Skills Bill makes provision for the rationalisation of the registration and regulation of independent schools and non-maintained special schools.

More information about the Bill can be found at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/educationandskills

Audience: : FE college principals/governors, independent providers, school sixth forms, local authorities, voluntary providers and national partners/stakeholders

John Denham urged colleges and providers to engage with employers and individuals 'as never before' to ensure they provide the skills and training they need - speaking in his keynote address on the final day of the AoC conference. “The challenge to change is not coming from Government, but from the communities you serve”, he said.

The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills said that over the next three years more than £11bn a year will be invested in education and training for young people and adults, to help boost the country's job prospects. Colleges could look forward to greater autonomy and self-regulation, but would have to meet clear social objectives.

He also announced an exercise to identify the main drivers for change in the system and potential scenarios for the future of FE. 'I want to draw on your knowledge and experience' he said. He will meet with a small group of providers before Christmas and a much larger group in the New Year.

DIUS Minister Bill Rammell, and DCSF Minister Jim Knight had also planned to speak at the conference, but were unfortunately prevented by parliamentary business from playing a full part. Jim Knight spoke to delegates by video, and Bill Rammell was able to thank colleges for their increasing success over the past year at the Gala Dinner.

• View John Denham speech: Association of Colleges

Audience: All staff and managers of FE college and independent providers, and national partners/stakeholders

Foundation degrees (Fds) were first launched in February 2000 to create 'new routes into higher education and new forms of provision'. In January 2003 the Government White Paper 'The Future of Higher Education' set out a commitment ensuring that Fds became a major vehicle for expansion in HE, and this message was reiterated in the Skills White Paper 'Skills: Getting on in business, getting on in work'. In January 2007, the DfES minister for Lifelong Learning, Higher and Further Education set new targets of 100,000 Fd enrolments by 2010, with further growth beyond that.

More recently, in World Class Skills: 'Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England', the Government has committed itself to the ambition for more than 40 per cent of adults to attain a higher education qualification, at level 4 or above, by 2020. Foundation degrees, which integrate academic study with work-based learning, are an ideal vehicle to help reach that aspiration.

The numbers of Foundation degrees continue to grow since their first complete year in 2001-02, when there were 4,300 students enrolled on courses. In 2006-07 there were 60,925 enrolments.

Foundation Degree Forward (fdf) is a national body that supports the development and validation of high quality Foundation degrees. Their website provides a useful source of information including case study material and information is presented according to the various audience interests.

• Fdf for providers
• Fdf for students
• Fdf for employers
• Fdf course listings
• Fdf contact information

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, school sixth forms, local authorities, voluntary providers and national partners/stakeholders

Work is continuing on developing proposals for implementing the transfer of funding for 16-19 year olds from LSC to Local Authorities announced as part of the Machinery of Government changes. The way forward and the principles that will guide decisions about changes to both the pre and post 19 systems were set out in a joint open letter from the Secretaries of State for Innovations, Universities and Skills and Children, Schools and Families on 28 November. Detailed proposals for the changes will be subject to full consultation early in 2008.

• Letter from Secretaries of State

Audience: Stakeholders/Partners with an interest in FE (eg. QIA, QCA etc)

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) is responsible for the delivery of a Public Service Agreement (PSA) that covers Higher Education, Further Education and Skills. Its primary objective will be improving the skills of the population by 2011, consistent with the aim of having a workforce that has a world-class skills base capable of sustaining economic competitiveness by 2020.

As one of only two PSAs for DIUS, this PSA will be of crucial importance to the delivery of DIUS' priorities. The new Board structure that DIUS is putting in place represents the most effective way of making progress towards our key objectives. The new structure will comprise:

• an overarching Skills PSA Board
• a number of Programme Boards which oversee priority projects that contribute to performance against the PSA

The Skills PSA Board's primary objective will be to ensure progress against the indicators in the PSA delivery plan, ensuring collaboration between the key departments and agencies. It will drive overall direction of policy in this area, as well as consistency and coherence across the sectors and age ranges.

The Skills PSA will represent a significant challenge for DIUS and all its partners. We are conscious that we will only be successful in achieving our goals over the next few years by working closely together. This is why we are ensuring that our key delivery partners will be represented appropriately on the overarching Skills PSA Board and the supporting Programme Boards.

• View the Skills PSA Programme Board Structure

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, voluntary providers, FE practitioners

The Self Regulation Implementation Group, chaired by Sir George Sweeney, published its proposals for developing a self regulating FE sector on 20 November. The proposals are a direct response to the challenge from the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to the sector last November. The proposals focus on establishing a Single Voice for Self Regulation, a body comprising existing bodies which will represent the sector in strategic dialogue with Government on regulatory matters. It will also be responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining the framework for self regulation. Activity will focus in the first instance on the following key areas of work:

• Enhancing the sector's capacity for self improvement
• Responsiveness to the needs of learners and employers;
• Simplification of the regulatory landscape (challenging existing processes and systems operated by Government and its agencies (LSC, QIA, CEL, Ofsted, SSDA); and
• Provider governance and codes of conduct.

The landscape for FE is changing: proposals for self regulation must now take account of the proposals for pre- and post-19 delivery chains. Further work on developing the details will therefore need to take place within the machinery of Government consultations scheduled for the New Year. You and your colleagues are encouraged to work closely with the Department to ensure that self regulation proposals are given due weight in the consultation document.

Details of the proposals can be found on the self regulation website

The DIUS consultations page will be live shortly. The URL will be: http://www.dius.gov.uk/consultations

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers

Continuing their programme of visits to FE colleges and providers, Ministers have recently been to:

• Warwickshire College
• Tresham Institute
• Gloucestershire College
• Cornwall College
• North Hertfordshire College
• Tower Hamlets College
• Chesterfield College
• Reaseheath College
• Newham College
• Stourbridge College

In addition, SoS opened Prospect College's new Vocational Centre in Basildon on 31 October. Prospect College is an independent WBL provider.

As part of his series of regional meetings with college principals and training provider chief executives, Bill Rammell met providers in the Eastern Region and in London during the latter half of November. Bill Rammell also hosted an FE Sounding Panel of 17 providers to discuss the priorities and funding for the coming year set out in Our Statement of Priorities – Better skills, Better jobs, Better lives published by the LSC on 16 November.

These visits are in addition to a whole range of speaking engagements such as the AoC Conference, Skills for Life Conferences and Star Awards.

• View LSC Grant Letter
• View LSC Statement of Priorities

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, specialist colleges, sixth form colleges, voluntary providers and national partners/stakeholders

Speaking at the AoC conference on 22 November, Secretary of State John Denham announced the setting up of an organisation to drive forward improvement and leadership in the further education sector. Mr Denham invited colleges, providers and all those interested in the sector to take part in a consultation on the organisation's strategy and services. You can view the consultation here. Colleges, providers and those with an interest in further education are invited to respond to the consultation. The closing date is Friday 25 January 2008.

This organisation, which will be owned by the sector, will be formed through the coming together of the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL). It will take a comprehensive approach to whole organisation improvement, based on leading edge practice and building on the work of CEL and QIA. It will help the sector to develop its capacity, succeed in self-regulation and meet the social and economic challenges of today. The organisation will be set up by April 2008 and established by the autumn.

Recruitment for the chair and chief executive of the new organisation is now underway. Details can be found at www.feimprovement.co.uk

• DIUS Consultations
• Quality Improvement Agency
• Centre for Excellence in Leadership
• DIUS Speeches
• DFE Improvement
• Self regulation website

Audience: Chair of Governors and Clerks to Corporations

Would you like to receive this newsletter directly? We are aware that there is no direct route for DIUS to send this electronic newsletter to governors and would therefore like to compile email address lists of Chairs and Clerks. We would also be happy to include email addresses of any governors who are keen to receive this information from the Department.

The lists will be used initially to send this newsletter, but if you find it useful to communicate electronically, we could extend its use to seek your input in, for example, designing policies. If you would like to be added to our communication list please could you send your email address and the name of your College or a general email addresses such as chairgovernors@xxcollege.ac.uk to: fe.governance@dius.gsi.gov.uk

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, specialist colleges, local authorities, voluntary providers

There are some people in the FE and Skills sector who have suggested the Government is only interested in meeting Level 2 and higher skills targets. Some have claimed DIUS is not sufficiently focused on pre-level 2 learning and that the role of general adult learning is being neglected. On the contrary, the Government is investing over £1.5bn in first steps learning to engage adults in learning and encourage progression - and ultimately help them gain sustainable employment. But this story is not always easy to see in a coherent way – so the Secretary of State, John Denham, has published Adult Learning and Skills: Investing in the first steps.

This short document sets out how the Government helps adult learners below Level 2 engage and progress in learning. It describes the wide variety of activities targeting learners and the huge investment Government is making in this area – such as the investment of over £600m per year in Skills for Life. The publication is aimed at all those involved in adult learning and encourages those in the sector to help shape the proposals. It complements the World Class Skills report and was launched recently with the LSC's Statement of Priorities 3 and their grant letter.

For further information please download a copy of the 'Adult Learning and Skills: Investing in the first steps' document from the DIUS website.

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, specialist colleges, and partner organisations

The Government has outlined how a massive extension of the Train to Gain scheme will offer bespoke skills brokerage and high quality responsive training to enable all employers to identify and then meet their skills needs.

The doubling of funding in the Train to Gain Service is part of a major investment programme announced this month by Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham, which will see more than £11 billion per year invested in education, employment and training.

Since its launch in 2006, Train to Gain has helped more than 52,000 employers and enabled over 240,000 employees to undertake training. Just one call to the Train to Gain helpline gives employers access to an impartial and independent skills broker to help them identify their skills and other business needs, and source training from a range of available skills solutions to best meet those needs.

For more information view the Train to gain: a plan for growth - executive summary on the DIUS website.

Audience: FE college principals/governors, independent providers, specialist colleges, sixth form colleges, school sixth forms, local authorities, voluntary providers (all post-16 providers)

The Prime Minister, in his CBI speech on 26 November, set out the Government's reform of welfare and skills, saying that..." we will help people not just get work but get on at work - helping them move up the jobs ladder. So we propose a seamless transition from out-of work training to in-work skills development...". DWP and DUIS have jointly published 'Opportunity, Employment and Progression: making skills work' which sets out how the two Departments propose to transform welfare by putting skills at the heart of the system.

Peter Hain's written statement focussed on the next steps to full employment, where he identified some major new policy developments for DWP. These include new claimants of out of work benefit to go through a systematic skills screening process to identify basic numeracy, literacy or language needs. Those identified with skills needs will be referred to attend a full skills health check, delivered by the new adult advancement and careers service.

John Denham made an oral statement, focusing on improved opportunities to train that will come alongside the changes to the welfare system. This includes the investment of £1.5bn a year on basic skills for life and pre-level 2 training, an increase in the number of training places at level 2 and 3, closer collaboration between the new Advancement and Careers Service and Jobcentre Plus, training providers and other voluntary and statutory organisations and the expansion of Train to Gain to ensure the closest possible partnership with employers.

• View John Denham's speech: Welfare and Skills
• View new DIUS and DWP publication