Ministers should be bold about introducing a demand-led system in the Further Education white paper

Joint AELP Ufi press release A new digital platform that will support the learning of apprentices, trainees and college students post-Covid 19 is set for an autumn launch. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and Ufi VocTech Trust (Ufi) have formed a new partnership to launch the service, which is called #SectorShare. This project is part of Ufi’s VocTech Now funding call, which was a direct response to the impact of Covid-19 on vocational learning across the UK.

AELP response to ‘The English College of the Future’ report

AELP feels compelled to respond to one particular recommendation in ‘The English College of the Future’ report published on 18 November 2020. The commission behind the report called for “introducing a legal duty on colleges to establish networks across appropriate economic geographies – which must be matched by a duty on all other post-16 education providers – to collaborate in the interests of students, communities and the economy”. Association of Employment and Learning Providers managing

Countdown Issue 1000

It’s very timely that the 1000th edition of Countdown should occur when a new government white paper for the sector is imminent. This has prompted us to reflect about the 20 years which those 1000 editions have covered and what lessons should be learned to avoid making mistakes for the future. We should bear in mind of course that while some of us have been around throughout this period, ministers change almost every other year and civil servants regularly move on; the current ones may not

AELP Business Recovery Conference 2020: All recordings now available

The AELP Business Recovery Conference took place on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th September 2020

Logistics and Transport Sector Forum

This sector forum is Chaired by James Billingham, Skills Office Ltd and vice chaired by Andy Frost MD of Merlin Supply Chain Solutions limited. It is supported by Simon Ashworth, AELP Chief Policy Officer and managed by Cheryl Swales, AELP National Operations Manager.

Can “virtual” ever be “real” Work Experience? The tried, the constants, the future

Rod Natkiel, formerly CEO of Work Experience quality assurance organisation, Fair Train, explores the serious impact on work-based learning, i.e. placements ranging from school work experience to apprenticeships, that the COVID pandemic has had. In the majority of sectors, the activity has come to a standstill. Unsurprisingly, this has accelerated the advent of virtual work experience, and with that comes the increasingly heated debate: “Can ‘virtual’ ever be real Work Experience?”.