AELP lobbies on behalf of its members to represent their views. Our main purpose is to lobby for government funded skills and employment programmes that increase work force productivity and improve social mobility.
You can access the latest news about our work here.
AELP Members can also access a wide-range of additional sector updates including our weekly Countdown newsletter, The Insider quarterly digest, and a range of webinars. If you're interested in accessing this market-leading insight then please visit our Membership section.
All Media and PR enquiries should be directed to Aidan Relf, Director of Public Affairs at [email protected] or 07710 305182.
Countdown Issue 1018
Date published: 09.04.2021
Member-only
AELP is very sorry to learn of the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. As many people are saying, the Prince was a marvellous public servant and someone who dedicated so much of his life to the betterment of young people. Our thoughts are with Her Majesty and the Royal Family. I hope that you all enjoyed the Easter break and the glorious weather that came with it – even if some of us where then treated to a day of snow! Because we live in exceptional times,
Our new Membership portal – MyAELP is now live!
Date published: 08.04.2021
Member-only
We are delighted to launch our new Membership portal - discover your AELP member only news, member only events, member-exclusive webinars and other member benefits, all in one place! Now you will have individual logins for each contact within a member organisation, with a valid organisation email address. (This replaces the existing login system that uses ‘one login for each member organisation’). You can access the portal here at my.aelp.org.uk
Countdown Issue 1017
Date published: 01.04.2021
Member-only
It’s been a week when we have had a rush of announcements most likely driven by a combination of the Easter break and the local election purdah period. On Wednesday, the ESFA published guidance on AEB reconciliation for 2020-21. This confirms the threshold arrangements which have not been welcomed by some in the college community. I need to stress that there is also a very strong message for ITPs implicit within the guidance based on our conversations with the Agency. For all ESFA funded
Patron Think Piece - Bud Systems - Put learner happiness first for an effective training management strategy
Date published: 30.03.2021
Member-only
The way that businesses recruit and train their employees is crucial to reducing the skills gap and boosting employment. Since the start of the pandemic, youth unemployment rose by 13% to 66,000 and with a damaged economy to treat, the emphasis is on routing young people into employment like never before. A large part of the Government’s focus is on apprenticeships as signalled recently in its FE white paper. Apprenticeships offer on-the-job training, providing the opportunity to work
Countdown Issue 1016
Date published: 26.03.2021
Member-only
This week we have had some great developments which will go a long way to supporting AELP members in their programme delivery. After some alarming misinformation was circulated during an employer webinar last week, Ofqual formally confirmed on Wednesday that teacher assessed grades (TAGs) are permitted for functional skills qualifications probably until the end of the summer and possibly beyond. I will say it again; with 86,000 apprentices currently beyond their planned end dates, there must
Countdown Issue 1015
Date published: 19.03.2021
Member-only
It was a fantastic day yesterday both watching and participating in AELP Spring Conference 2021. Firstly, my thanks to our principal sponsors, Learning Curve Group and NCFE, and thanks also for the support from e-learning WMB, Education and Training Foundation, Cognassist, bksb, Ascentis, VTCT and CogniSoft. I’m sure you will agree that the AELP events team did another fabulous job in putting a major online conference together. If you were not able to attend, the recordings of all the
Countdown Issue 1014
Date published: 12.03.2021
Member-only
It’s less than a week now until the AELP Spring Conference, sponsored by Learning Curve Group and NCFE, and the timing really couldn’t be better. Just ten days after the return to learning and the recent publication of the white paper and budget announcements, our four event themes – Regulation, Technology, Teaching & Learning and Quality – are so important as we come out of the third lockdown. On regulation, the ESFA will be able to provide an update on the RoATP refresh which has caused some
The Insider 13 - Technology
Date published: 09.03.2021
Member-only
Technology has been part of learning for over twenty years. The first CD-ROM version of Microsoft’s Encarta was actually released in 1993 and when the online version was ended in 2009, it comprised 62,000 articles. In those days, there were advocates in the education sector who believed that a potential revolution in delivering different styles of learning would quickly gather pace, but progress has been steady rather than spectacular.
Countdown Issue 1013
Date published: 05.03.2021
Member-only
The Budget has dominated the whole week with the Treasury choosing to trail the apprenticeship and traineeship announcements last weekend. It was rather cheekily pointed out to me that I could retire happy because I was quoted in the Daily Express! Nice thought but with so much still to do, my dream of retiring to a gite in Provence will have to wait just a while longer! On a more serious note, the reaction to the increased employer incentives for apprenticeships has been interesting and I
Budget 2021: Increased incentives for apprenticeships and traineeship boost welcomed
Date published: 03.03.2021
Member-only
The body which represents 800 training providers who train 7 out of 10 apprentices in England and supply the vast majority of traineeships has responded positively to the chancellor’s Budget boosts for skills. Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Jane Hickie said: “The boost for traineeships so soon after last July’s investment is exactly the type of support that young people need to secure a job opportunity as we emerge from lockdown.