DIUS FE and Skills e-Newsletter

Audience: FE college principals, HR Managers

LLUK launched the first Workforce Strategy Implementation Plan on 31 March 2008. The Plan captures the actions and milestones committed by key stakeholders during 2008-09 to help realise the outcomes set for 2011. It also contains a checklist that providers can use to source actions for their own workforce development. LLUK will be hosting a series of regional events across England. Further information on the format, timing and themes of these events will be available shortly on the LLUK website.

Click on this link to see the Implementation Plan

• LLUK website

Audience: FE college principals/governors, training providers, school sixth forms, local authorities, voluntary providers and national partners/stakeholders. All with an interest in skills and employment

Launched by John Denham on 28 March, ‘Building Colleges for the Future’ outlines detailed proposals for the largest ever further education building works programme, which will see a further £2.3 billion invested over the next three years.

It will provide every community with state of the art further education facilities, and over 150 colleges throughout England are set to benefit from this continued investment in the FE estate. The strategy will ensure that all new facilities are zero carbon by 2016, two years ahead of the Government’s target for public sector buildings.

For the first time in any major procurement programme, companies that are paid to deliver the work will be contractually obliged to invest in the skills and training needs of their staff, thereby ensuring that local people will benefit from new work opportunities. All contractors accessing public funds to build colleges will be expected to put in place formal training plans to maximise local people’s access to work based learning.

• www.lsc.gov.uk

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

At the Governance conference in Manchester on 6-8 March, governors and clerks asked for further information on Joint Committees.

Joint Committees were introduced through section 166 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. They enable a governing body of a further education college to collaborate formally with the governing body of a maintained school and/or the governing body of other FE institutions.

The regulations setting out the arrangements for establishing and operating joint committees are available in statutory instrument 2007 no 1321.

To view the Guidance on Joint Committees visit the Association of Colleges website.

• Committee regulations
• Guidance on Joint Committees
• Association of Colleges

Audience: FE college principals/governors, training providers, school sixth forms, local authorities and their partners, voluntary providers, national partners/stakeholders and LSC local partnership teams.

The Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (England) Regulations 2008 were laid before Parliament on 17 March 2008.

These regulations will come into force from September 2008, replacing the current regulations, and follow a public consultation undertaken by the Department for Children Schools and Families (ending August 2007).

In summary, the new regulations will (from September 2008):

• enable further education institutions to host induction for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) if they wish, provided the institutions comply with regulations and guidance;
• provide a clearer, more flexible and up to date definition of the induction period;
• allow the appropriate body (the body responsible for making the final decision on induction) to shorten the induction period in certain circumstances (as outlined in the regulations) by up to 29 days;
• allow the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) one extra day to communicate a decision on an appeal; and
• remove the requirement to complete induction within five years of starting the induction period.

• View new induction regulations
• Teachernet website (more information)

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

Consultation on proposed changes to the pre and post 19 system is underway following the launch of 'Raising expectations: enabling the system to deliver' on 17 March. The consultation runs until 9 June.

DIUS AND DCSF are jointly holding 9 regional events to explain the changes, and identify key practical issues arising from the proposed new arrangements. Events are being held as follows:

• 7th May: East of England (provisional)
• 8th May: East Midlands (provisional)
• 9th May: London
• 12th May: South West
• 14th May: North West
• 20th May: North East
• 21st May: Yorkshire and the Humber
• 22nd May: West Midlands
• 23rd May: South East

All colleges and providers will be invited to attend these events and we hope many will be able to do so.

We want to know what you think of these important proposals and hear your ideas so please also respond to the consultation at:

• DIUS Consultations

Audience: FE college principals/governors, training providers, school sixth forms (all post-16 providers), voluntary providers, Further Education finance directors/managers and national partners/stakeholders

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Further and Higher Education Panel will be hosting Current Developments in Further and Higher Education Finance on 22nd May 2008 in London.

This event will give delegates a comprehensive insight into the financial issues evolving from the new skills agenda and employer focused provision. All delegates will receive information that can be used in their institutions to strengthen their finance function. The event’s focus is 'Strengthening the Finance Function in FEHE', and delegates will be equipped with the advice needed to stay ahead in the changing funding climate. The key topics presented will include:

• Demand-led Funding Accountability in Higher Education
• Finance in Support of Corporate Plans
• Employment Law Update.

Senior Finance Professionals who wish to join us for this timely event should contact Kate McNaboe on 0207 543 5750, or visit the CIPFA Website.

• CIPFA Website

Audience: FE college principals and training providers

During the last month DIUS Secretary of State John Denham visited Highbury College and Portsmouth College where he launched 'Building Colleges for the Future'. Beverley Hughes, DCSF Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families visited City College Birmingham.

Senior officials in DIUS also regularly go out to colleges and training providers to talk to staff and students and to see first hand the work they are doing. West Cheshire and Derby Colleges have been visited during this period.