WE NEED MORE APPRENTICES, SAY TORIES

7/24/2008 6:59:00 AM

The Guardian 23 July

Schools and colleges would encourage thousands more young people into "practical" occupations under a Tory government, David Cameron said today.The leader of the opposition said it was often being left to chance as to whether young people found out about apprenticeships at local or national firms.He promised £180m to fund a careers adviser in every secondary school and college in the country. He also pledged £100m for a new "all-age" careers advice centre.Cameron vowed to create 100,000 more apprenticeships and to give small and medium businesses in England £2,000 for each apprentice they trained. Speaking at the launch of his party's "training and apprenticeship revolution", he said the plans would "cut down the cost of social failure and bring down taxes".He said: "Getting skills right is about strengthening society and strengthening the economy."He said the number of young people not in education, employment or training had risen by a quarter under Labour.Shadow skills minister, John Hayes, said: "If we want to give everyone a chance, then we must get serious about practical learning. Britain has neglected this and is behind other countries such as Germany. We need to re-value skills and crafts. We must elevate practical learning."If we put a high quality careers adviser into every school or college they will encourage more young people to go for a practical route."Guardian

DEMAND FROM EMPLOYERS BOOSTS NVQS

The Guardian 23 July

The number of vocation qualifications awarded in the UK last year rose by over 8%, according to a new study.Healthcare, retail, business, construction and engineering are the top subject areas for people taking the qualifications.The review by education foundation Edge found the growth in people taking vocational qualifications was because of "significant demand" from employers for qualifications that give people the skills they need for work.According to Edge's research, 3.25m vocational qualifications were awarded in 2007, a rise of 8.3% on the previous year and 117% on the numbers five years ago.It found the number of schools awarding vocational qualifications had doubled in the last year, although colleges, private training companies and employers remain the largest providers of practical courses.Success rates for vocational qualifications have also risen, with passes at further education colleges rising to 78% in 2007.For those taking higher education vocational qualifications in colleges the success rate was over 77% – about the same as for higher education overall.The success rate for apprenticeships is 63%.Over half of all NVQ/SVQ awards are achieved by people aged 25 and over, and a quarter by people over 40.Andy Powell, the chief executive of Edge, said: "At long last we can now see a full picture of the many different paths to success available and the sheer numbers achieving vocational qualifications. "This review also highlights the very real benefits that vocational qualifications offer to young people, adults and the economy – providing people with the skills so desperately needed by employers."In the future, the publication of this review will enable the public to judge the numbers of people gaining such vital qualifications and assess the quality of the courses on offer year on year."Guardian

General | FE/HE/ Skills

20,000 GRADUATES OVERCHARGED FOR STUDENT LOANS

7/22/2008 7:04:00 AM

The Independent 22 July

More than 20,000 graduates were overcharged on their student loan repayments last year.They have forfeited hundreds of pounds in overpayments because money is still being deducted from their salaries despite having paid back the full amount they owe on their student loans.Figures given to MPs for the first time show that 20,900 young people were overcharged last year – about one in 50 of the students who should have finished paying off their arrears.The figures have prompted claims from Stephen Williams, the Liberal Democrats' higher education spokesman, of "bureaucratic incompetence". He said: "It comes at a time when many people are feeling the pinch and definitely don't want to be paying back more than they have to.Independent

FE/HE/ Skills

TORIES OFFER £2,000 BONUS FOR TAKING ON APPRENTICES

7/21/2008 6:49:00 AM

The Times 21 July

David Cameron was put under pressure to explain how the Conservatives would fund a string of tax cuts as the party announced plans to spend £200 million on getting the unemployed back to work. The Tory leader promised he would set out his plans on expenditure and taxation before the next election, but he emphasised that the specific details would not be decided until much closer to that date. Mr Cameron has been criticised for promising a series of tax-busting measures — including a reduction in the rate of corporation tax and a scrapping of vehicle excise duty — without making clear how he would fund the proposals. Yesterday the Conservatives said that they planned to offer employers a £2,000 bonus — on top of money they already receive — for taking on and training apprentices as builders, plumbers and electricians. With a goal of training 100,000 apprentices in total, an incoming Conservative government would need to find another £200million at a time when the public finances are under severe strain. Times

FE/HE/ Skills

DEBT-RIDDEN STUDENTS GET REALITY PAY CHECK

7/21/2008 6:50:00 AM

The Times 21 July

Students are running up substantial debts but earning less than they expect on graduating, research indicates. The authors of a report say that government ambitions to push half of all school-leavers into higher education could be to blame for the mismatch between expectations and reality. On average, students misjudge their starting salaries by more than £2,000, according to the research led by John Jerrim, a PhD student at Southampton University's department of social statistics. New graduates were paid an average of £16,600, rather than the £18,600 that they had expected. Some had been ambitious enough to anticipate a six-figure pay packet. Times

FE/HE/ Skills

A DEGREE OF CREATIVITY ON CVS

7/21/2008 6:51:00 AM

Ft 21 July

City personnel managers who think applicants' CVs look too good to be true may be right after all, according to research published today that reveals high rates of "embellishment" and downright "false information".The survey of almost 4,000 job applications by graduates underlines the pressure they are under amid sharp competition for high-paid finance jobs, particularly as the pool of people educated at university increases.Graduates with less than a 2.1 face an especially high temptation to hide the mediocrity of their academic achievement because many large employers reject them before even the first-interview stage - sometimes through automated computer systems that ruthlessly sift them out.Arts and humanities graduates are the most prone to exaggerating achievements - suggesting their creativity is often carried over into their resumes.FT

FE/HE/ Skills

DEGREE AWARDS 'CLOSE TO FARCE'

7/18/2008 7:32:00 AM

The Independent 18 July

The university degree classification system is "descending into farce", the chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Universities has said.Phil Willis was speaking as MPs questioned Peter Williams, the chief executive of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the higher education watchdog, on degree standards. "An individual institution can award as many firsts as it wants, provided it satisfies its own criteria on what is a first," Mr Willis said.It followed comments from Professor Geoffrey Alderman, the former head of quality at the University of London, which were reported in The Independent, that lecturers had been told to "mark softly" to ensure enough first-class degree passes were awarded to win a high ranking in league tables. He also alleged universities were turning a "blind eye" to plagiarism by international students because they were dependent on income from their fees.Mr Willis, who is also the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate, made his comment after hearing that individual universities drew up their own criteria for what constituted a first-class degree.Mr Willis said that this meant there was nothing to stop an individual vice-chancellor taking steps to boost the number of first-class degrees awarded, adding: "We seem to have had a miraculous improvement in standards of achievement in some of our universities."The number of first-class degrees has doubled since the mid-1990s.Independent

FE/HE/ Skills

COLLEGE BASED APPRENTICESHIPS PLUMMET, SAYS OFSTED

7/18/2008 8:52:00 AM

Daily Telegraph 18 July

Labour has been accused of creating virtual apprenticeships after new figures revealed a dramatic decline in numbers taking part in a Government led college-based scheme. Research by the education watchdog Ofsted showed that those signing up for Programme Led Apprenticeships (PLAs) has plummeted by 58 per cent from 54,536 to 22,751 since 2005. A major reason for the decline was a lack of incentive for those taking part in the scheme overseen by the Learning and Skills Council with reports of some apprenticeships working a 30 hour week for no money. PLAs differ from the conventional apprenticeships offered by employers in that the majority of training for National Vocational Qualifications and technical certificates takes place in colleges, although participants may be farmed out to do work experience. DT

FE/HE/ Skills

SIXTH FORMS’ CASH CRISIS

7/18/2008 8:56:00 AM

TES 18 July

Schools threaten to cut staff from under-16s to finance demand for places from older pupils

School sixth forms are facing serious funding shortfalls as the Government seeks to persuade pupils to stay in education beyond the age of 16, The TES can reveal. The Learning and Skills Council is funding only a 2 per cent rise in the number of teenagers staying at school beyond GCSE. But schools are predicting a 7 per cent rise, a difference many are warning could see sixth form places “rationed”. .
Deficits of more than £100,000 are being predicted in some sixth forms. Heads say it would be “immoral” not to provide teaching for students who want it. This looks likely to have a knock on effect for lower years at the schools affected as the pinch is felt at all levels. .
One secondary, Valley School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, warns it may have to cut staffing for 11- to 16-year-olds because of a deficit of more than £100,000 in the budget of a sixth form centre it shares with another school. .Cox Green School at Maidenhead, Berkshire, has a shortfall of more than £140,000, meaning that the college faces going into the red to pay for its popularity. Ian Hylan, the head, said: “This is a travesty. We are being encouraged to help youngsters expand their opportunities and we will not turn any student away: to do so would be immoral, given the work we do encouraging students to stay on.” .
Until 2007, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded schools according to the previous year’s level. This year, schools are asked to estimate the numbers they expect in the sixth form for 2008-9. .Last year, numbers enrolled in school sixth forms rose by 7,000 to 377,500. This year, the schools predict a rise of 28,000 to 403,500, which the LSC believes is an overestimate. It is believed to be funding only an extra 6,500 places. TES

Secondary | FE/HE/ Skills

DEGREE STANDARDS 'NEED SCRUTINY'

7/17/2008 8:55:00 AM

BBC 16 July

The threat to quality is the most serious issue facing higher education, says Phil Willis, chair of the Commons' universities committee. Mr Willis' committee is to question the chief of the university standards watchdog on Thursday. He says universities must put their house in order, after reports of degree grades being inflated or wrongly given. Mr Willis says he wants to hear from the watchdog how it is tackling abuses of degree standards. The House of Commons select committee on innovation, universities, science and skills is to take evidence from Peter Williams, chief executive of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). The UK has the "most prestigious higher education system in the world," says Mr Willis, which earns the country billions of pounds each year. "Therefore to put that under threat, which is what will happen if people do not believe in its quality, is the most serious issue affecting higher education," says Mr Willis. BBC

FE/HE/ Skills

INDIA IS SHUTTING THE DOOR ON BRITAIN'S TOP INSTITUTIONS

7/17/2008 8:54:00 AM

Independent 17 July

Since it began market reforms in the early Nineties, India has rolled out the red carpet for many British corporations. Vodafone, British Telecom and Rolls-Royce all have operations here, helping to push foreign direct investment to nearly £8bn last year. But while Britain's phone companies, cars and expertise in higher education are welcomed, its universities are not. Despite overtures from dozens of British and American colleges, the Indian government has yet to allow any foreign institution to create a legally recognised degree programme in India. And outsiders may have to wait awhile – some say a long, long while – before that is likely to change. The issue has become a political hot potato. Some administrators here are keen to allow foreign universities in, but efforts to do so have been strongly opposed by the communist political parties and some leading academics, who say the government would do more good by increasing the amount of money it puts into higher education than by giving the task to foreigners.The resulting stand-off has caused a legislative stalemate. A draft bill allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India was scheduled to be introduced in Parliament in March last year but has yet to see the light of day. Independent

FE/HE/ Skills

WE NEED MORE APPRENTICES, SAY TORIES

20,000 GRADUATES OVERCHARGED FOR STUDENT LOANS

TORIES OFFER £2,000 BONUS FOR TAKING ON APPRENTICES

DEBT-RIDDEN STUDENTS GET REALITY PAY CHECK

A DEGREE OF CREATIVITY ON CVS

DEGREE AWARDS 'CLOSE TO FARCE'

COLLEGE BASED APPRENTICESHIPS PLUMMET, SAYS OFSTED

SIXTH FORMS’ CASH CRISIS

DEGREE STANDARDS 'NEED SCRUTINY'

INDIA IS SHUTTING THE DOOR ON BRITAIN'S TOP INSTITUTIONS

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