The  recent NFEC National Council Agenda, Papers and Minutes are available in the MEMBERS AREA

Is it the 'light at the end of the tunnel' or maybe a 'train coming towards you'?  The following may help you decide!

The latest LSC Policy Update ,in respect of the approaching QCF, is now available.  It is designed to keep providers, employers, other external stakeholders, and LSC staff aware of the progress towards wider QCF implementation across the publicly-funded learning and skills provision in England. 

It confirms the final list of ineligible qualifications for 2009/10. 

It also contains the first full listing of QCF vocational qualifications that the LSC will fund (including QCF full Level 2 and full Level 3 ).  This information has been drawn from sector organisations Sector Qualifications Strategies Action Plans.

There is much useful information in the Update - see in particular The Summary of Key Messages, pages 7 & 8, Policy Statements pages 9 - 11 and Annexes A (level 3 Guidance) & D (list of full Level 2 quals) beginning pages 22 and 38 respectively.  Read and make sure you are 'up to speed'! 

If you believe that there are issues in the QCF development that NFEC should address, get in touch. 

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You probably recall that in the July mailing of NFEC News we said that the decision to reduce the number of 'NFEC National Conferences per year would be reviewed.  The new Board believes that the number should be restored to two, since the pace of change isn't slowing down.   If anything, it is 'on the increase'!

However, the Board wants you to have your 'say' before any decision is taken.  You can do this by using the following link and simply saying 'one' or 'two' as your answer to the number of national conferences question.

The responses will be collated and used to inform discussions at the next NFEC AGM in December, when the final decision will be taken.

However, we should also consider the broader question of 'is there an alternative to, or even an addition to, a second national conference'?  Your response will be valuable and valued.

You can of course include with your response any points that you believe relevant and which will help us to get to the right result for you.  

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The Excellence Gateway is designed to help you plan for the next academic term and to offer alternative ways and means of delivering learning and learner support.  Top Tips for Innovation have been developed by LSIS, to help providers review their lesson planning and improve what they do for their learners.  These tips are:

·         Foster better working with your colleagues by engaging in a collaborative workroom - create a virtual workroom, where you and your group can collaborate, and take part in joint planning, file sharing and discussions in a strictly private online space.

·         Consider how e-learning can be rooted into your lesson planning - good e-learning practices should always be engaging, empowering and exciting as well as electronic. The Excellence Gateway has a variety of e-learning tools, tips and techniques, as well as case studies to provide practical examples as to how it can make a difference to your lessons.

·         Learn from your peers - make use of the Excellence Gateway TV channel and review the ‘effective practice’ films designed to share innovation and good practice.

·         Do some research - access free information and resources to help you plan. This will not only save you time, but will give you the awareness you need to develop an innovative and dynamic learning experience.

·         Think about how Skills for Life can be embedded into your lessons – March this year saw the launch of the new Skills for Life adult core curriculum exclusively on the Excellence Gateway, with the most fundamental change to the adult core curriculum being the addition of new material to support embedded learning.

The Gateway has a research section that provides resources and interactive content, and it also offers case study examples.

Some Centres are holding group sessions where staff are introduced to the site and shown the resources available to them.  It will help to improve curriculum design, course management and subject delivery.  Teachers can get fresh ideas for supporting learners with specific needs, and ways to improve quality, course planning and the general performance across the Centre.

The Excellence Gateway’s aim is to help transform delivery by becoming the accepted knowledge portal for the learning and skills sector - through which practitioners can access high quality resources and information and where they can share effective practice.   This aim is on the way to being achieved as the Gateway already has 21,000 registered practitioners.

It will have something for you, whether you are a teacher, a trainer, a college lecturer, a program manager or a principal – it always helps to learn about other practitioners’ views and approaches..

STAR awards are made annually by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS),  to 'recognise and reward some of the unsung heroes of the further education sector'.

Over £150,000 in development funding and prize money has been given to winners since the launch of the awards in 2003.  There is a wide range of categories , including both individuals and teams.  STAR Awards cover all aspects of FE provision and are open to those in teaching and non-teaching roles.  Anyone can nominate, including learners, colleagues and managers.

Each STAR Award winner and highly commended nominee gets £1,500 from the STARlight fund.  It can be used for personal and/or professional development.  It can also be put towards a study trip abroad, some new equipment, a training course or indeed any activity that the nominee believes will enhance their ability to do their job. 

We are very pleased to announce that long-time NFEC Member Mustafa Shevket, now a Director of Matthew Boulton and Sutton Coldfield Colleges, is on the current short list - he has been nominated for Employer Engagement.   Well done Mustafa!

Get the full list of current nominees.  .  

Learn more by going to the list of STAR Award FAQs

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Edexcel is looking for individuals to lead our senior teams for the 14-19 Diploma. We are currently recruiting for the following roles and Subject:

• Principal Moderators for Engineering

• Principal Examiner for Engineering

A Principal Moderator ensures that internally assessed units meet the required standard and are consistent with the unit specification and assessment criteria

A Principal Examiner sets the question paper, produces appropriate assessment materials, question papers and mark schemes and ensures the standardising of its marking.

Interested?  Then get more details here .

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CIBSE, the professional body for building services engineering, offers a wide range of knowledge resources and publications to support the delivery of engineering programmes for NFEC members, as well as offering grades of membership suitable for Students and Technicians as well as lecturers and teachers.

If you haven’t checked out their website recently, go to www.cibse.org .

The Institution, which offers grades of membership up to and including Chartered Engineer, is actively encouraging students and learners in FE to join. Its Training and Development Manual for Approved Schemes now includes guidance for EngTech LCIBSE candidates, in response to employer demands for professional recognition for staff at this level (who are typically holders of a BTEC National for example, or can demonstrate equivalent skill and knowlege).

If you would like a CIBSE rep to come and talk to your students about career development and membership opportunities in building services engineering, email aringguth@cibse.org  

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The WorldSkills finals are now only days away.  It takes place on 2 - 5 September in Calgary.  

Follow this link http://www.worldskillsteamuk.org/ to see all of the UK representatives and get more information about each of them.  Is one of them from your Centre?

As I write this, it is 5 days, 9 hours and 10 minutes to the start of the competition.  Come on UK!

More details at UKSkills Home Page
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NOT YET A MEMBER OF NFEC? - then find out how you can help us to help you!   Enjoy the support of engineering and technology's independent grouping of employers, group training providers, colleges, professional training companies and specialist schools.