The  agenda and minutes of NFEC's 2009 AGM are now in the MEMBERS AREA.  

NFEC's Autumn National Conference was held at the Holiday Inn, Coventry, on Thursday and Friday 26 and 27 November - and it was thoroughly successful!  

The programme looked closely at the impact that the QCF developments were having on the qualifications and programmes of learning that Centres would be delivering from Autumn 2010.  Other subjects that got close scrutiny were Apprenticeship Frameworks, Diplomas, the plans for Credit Funding and the revised Common Inspection Framework.  Still many 'ifs and buts', but speakers brought delegates up-to-date.  Even more importantly, delegates had the opportunity to work with colleagues across the country to influence the level and nature of the changes that would confront them and which would affect the futures of centres, companies, teachers, trainers and learners.

You can access the feedback from delegates by going to our National Conferences page - click here.

Presentations caused much thinking and the workshop sessions allowed good discussion of points that had been raised.  However, there are still clear concerns regarding the implementation of the QCF, not the least of which is the news that Functional Skills are not now included - at least until we have a further 'review'.

So where does that leave the Apprenticeship Frameworks?  It looks like the NVQ name has been retained but NVQs will now be Diplomas.  Positive news is that there is good indication that the Technical Certificate will remain, but nothing is yet clear.  We want to see the Functional Skills included, but Centres do not need the extra work of bringing QCF and non-QCF elements together.

Awarding Bodies are certainly not currently on the same 'hymn sheet' and there appears to be a range of levels of understanding of what Learners and Providers need.  

Centres are being encouraged to develop and offer their own qualifications but where does that leave standardisation across the country?  How portable will these centre-devised qualifications be?

And what about funding - it is a brave person who will try to predict the outcome at this stage!

NFEC will be pursuing these concerns on behalf of Members and the Sector, but there may well be other issues that you would like to see addressed.  Get in touch and let us know

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The Act provides the first complete overhaul of Apprenticeships legislation for nearly 200 years – putting the new Apprenticeship Offer for suitably qualified young people on a statutory basis, from 2013.  The intention is to ensure good quality apprenticeships for apprentices and employers alike.

It is expected to be a key step towards achieving Ministers’ ambitions that 'one in five young people will undertake an apprenticeship by 2020'.

The legislation introduces a significant landmark (and perhaps a watershed) in the form of the time to train initiative.  This will give employees the legal right to request time to train throughout their working lives. The introduction of the right will be phased and will be made available to employees in large businesses from April 2010, before being extended to all employees from April 2011.

The other key measure of the Act is that local authorities will take on responsibility for securing education and training for all 16 to 19 year olds, to create a single, joined up offer for all children and young people from 0 to 19, while the new Skills Funding Agency will oversee a new demand-led approach to education and training provision for adults - better tailored to the needs of businesses and learners themselves.

You can get a summary of the provisions of the Act here.

We thought we had had the Government's vision for skills - the 2020 vision for skills - three years ago, in the Leitch report - but the world has, of course, moved on, even if it may not have completely changed!  So you can now read about: Towards Ambition 2020: skills, jobs, growth. by clicking here. 

For the next step in this saga you may also wish to read Skills for growth - The national skills strategy .

It can be found at http://www.bis.gov.uk/skillsforgrowth.  The aims are sound - but, as always, it is the way in which it is implemented that will determine the quality of the outcome.

Your thoughts/comments will be valued - let us know your views.  

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QCDA has responsibility for getting you ready for implementing the QCF.  It is doing this through a ‘readiness programme’ and is working with LSIS, AOC and ALP to achieve it.  You may or may not need their help – and you can check yourself out by answering the following questions:

Will you, by December 2010, have the necessary expertise and systems in place to enable you to:

• provide flexible curriculum delivery models which enable the achievement of credit and qualifications from the QCF
• develop personalised learning programmes which enable the achievement of credit and qualifications from the QCF and support progression
• provide information, advice and guidance to learners and employers on achieving credit and qualifications from the QCF
• process the achievement and accumulation of credit and qualifications from the QCF (MIS, funding)
• provide ongoing CPD for staff on flexible curriculum delivery models, personalised learning programmes and assessment in the context of the QCF
• embed the achievement of credit and qualifications from the QCF within their self assessment, quality assurance and quality improvement processes

·      The QCF readiness programme has identified a set of readiness indicators for providers:

These are the ‘readiness indicators’ to which QCDA is working.  If you feel that you don’t quite fit the criteria, you should take advantage of what the Readiness Programme offers.

You can get more details of the Programme and how to engage with it by going to the LSIS Excellence Gateway site at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/qcfprovidersupport .

If you believe you already have a good match to the criteria there are still opportunities available to become a QCF Champion.  Champions undergo a 3-day training programme and then you would lead curriculum development for the QCF within your Centre.  That would mean:

• working closely with whoever is responsible for QCF implementation in your Centre;
• using the Champions training and resources to cascade your QCF knowledge and expertise;
• training your colleagues and developing CPD programmes.

There would be three training days over a three month period, and you would complete self-directed CPD activities before and after each face-to-face session. You would also be able to bring in consultancy support to help you develop your Centre and you would work in cluster groups with other champions to share good practice.

What skills and capabilities should the QCF champion have?  It is expected that you would:

• have a good overview of your organisation and an understanding of the potential of the QCF;
• be able to be act as a focal point to equip your colleagues with the necessary skills and knowledge to drive forward the innovation and changes that QCF may require;
• be willing to undertake the role of champion and be able to achieve results; and
• have good interpersonal skills.

Didn’t someone say that ‘change always brings opportunity’?

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Are you delivering BTEC Firsts and/or BTEC Nationals in Engineering?  If so, Edexcel would like to hear from you.

Edexcel is looking for feedback from centres delivering these programmes.

Short ‘case studies’ will feature in their new support materials – to ‘help inspire those who are new to BTEC, and to show how flexible and accessible BTEC delivery can be, to suit the needs of learners and see them achieve their highest grades’.

If you would like your centre featured, you can send in your responses to the following questions.  (Edexcel says that ‘a sentence or two is fine, but please keep responses about Firsts and nationals separate’.)

The questions are:

• Why did you choose to run this BTEC course?
• What have you enjoyed most about the course as a tutor?
• How has your teaching changed since you started to deliver it?
• What changes have you observed in learners as they have progressed through the course?
• Can you give any examples of reluctant or previously unsuccessful learners who have ‘blossomed’ since embarking on a BTEC course?

Copy the questions, with your answers, into an email message to Joanne Allcock 
at: joanne.allcock@pearson.com – but please no later than 16 December 2009, for a chance to have your Centre’s achievements featured.

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