Countdown Issue 922

Things are warming up on the social mobility and apprenticeships front. Firstly there was: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2019/03/08/graduates-immature-skills-minister-suggests-urges-youngsters/ University graduates are immature, irresponsible and cannot communicate effectively when they enter the workplace, the skills minister has suggested as she urged more people to do apprenticeships instead. Anne Milton MP, a former nurse, said that many employers have been reducing their graduate

Patron Think Piece - Can structured data ease the pain of apprenticeship compliance?

The idea that apprenticeship compliance is onerous has become a familiar motif. But if data is structured, argues John Brightwell, CTO of MWS Technology Ltd and the developer of the Aptem platform, organisations can be audit and inspection-ready. The idea that business and other organisations are overregulated has become a familiar motif, associated with the ‘slashing red tape’ agenda from parts of the media and government. We all know that apprenticeships have complex compliance requirements,

Countdown Issue 921

Thanks to Simon for covering Countdown last week – as always good feedback from members. Where we see common themes coming through in terms of questions from members, or common areas of confusion, we do try and highlight them in Countdown and webinars for all members. Going forward, every few weeks we will pull a single topic together to set out the key points, issues, ways forward, outstanding questions etc – a sort of “Simon Says”. I spoke at The Apprenticeship Conference yesterday (I know

Webinar: Devolution Update

From 2019/20, around 50% of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) will be devolved to 6 Combined Authorities (CAs) & delegated to the Greater London Authority (GLA). The remaining non-devolved 50% will continue to be managed nationally by central government. The Devolution (free) Member Update webinars will provide the latest information on policy developments and operational processes as the 2019/20 academic year approaches as well as future policy direction and scope for the years that follow.

Webinar: Preparation for self-assessment for NHS employer providers

This webinar is designed for NHS Employer Providers new to self-assessment. The aim is to provide an essential guide to writing an effective and meaningful self-assessment report that helps drive forward organisational performance.

Webinar: Understanding the new Ofsted inspection framework for post 16 education and training

This webinar is intended to help providers understand the new approach and raise their awareness as to how they can prepare and produce evidence that is consistent with the new inspection focus.