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The aim of this project was to evaluate combinations of mixed further education (FE) and higher education (HE) provision in the following contexts: mergers of FE and HE institutions; transfers of FE institutions to HE status; and mixed economy FE colleges delivering substantial levels of HE provision. It intended to: evaluate the effects of FE/HE mergers and transfers of FE institutions to the HE sector on the structure and organisation of the institution; identify the issues arising from FE/HE mergers and transfers of FE institutions to the HE sector which relate to development of good policies and the identification of best practice; evaluate the effects of FE/HE mergers and transfers of FE institutions to the HE sector on the scale and scope of FE and HE provision; and identify the barriers to safeguarding FE provision in FE/HE mergers and transfers of FE institutions to the HE sector. The project involved eleven case studies. Show less

In 2001, the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) in the United Kingdom (UK) initiated a series of Pathfinder Projects to test key elements of the Skills for Life strategy (indexed at TD/IRD 88.171). These elements included delivering learning using the new core curricula for literacy and numeracy, delivering learning by teachers who had received intensive training on the new curricula, and entering learners for the new National Tests at Levels one and two. Later in the year, the Communications Research Group (CRG) was commissioned to undertake an early stage evaluation of the projects, focusing on aspects of good practice. Key aims of the evaluation were to provide information on the numbers of individuals passing the National Test in various learning environments and to evaluate the competence of the new Basic Skills infrastructure in a range of settings in the nine Pathfinder areas of the UK. The evaluation criteria also included the performance of partnership activities, teacher training, screening, diagnostic assessment, learning plans, educational programs, quality assurance, the National Test, and progression to further learning. This report provides: an introduction to the Pathfinder Project evaluation; a report on progress in the various areas specified for evaluation; a discussion of issues arising for key groups of 'stakeholders'; outcomes of the Prison Pathfinder; an assessment of good practice; and brief conclusions from the evaluation. Key findings include positive reactions to the program of teacher training, better results than expected for trainees taking the National Test so far, encouraging take-up patterns for Pathfinder-linked literacy and numeracy support programs, and the delivery of a wide range of programs in various learning environments. The report suggests a number of areas to be kept under active review and makes a number of recommendations in terms of specific areas of good practice. Show less

This document reports on a research project which examined further education (FE) college mergers completed between 1996 and 2000 with the aims of: evaluating the effectiveness of FE college mergers in the short and longer term; establishing how merged FE colleges differ in substance from their pre-merger position and the degree to which this impacts on effectiveness; establishing the extent to which merged colleges serve as an effective model for the delivery of FE provision; and identifying the lessons learnt to assist in the implementation of mergers in the future. The first phase of the research involved interviews with Department for Employment and Science (DfES) and Learning and Skills Council personnel in order to gain background on college merger history and policy. The second phase of the study involved fieldwork visits at each of seventeen case study sites of FE college mergers. The findings of this review suggest that there are a number of key factors which may impact on the success or failure of a merger. These factors include: that the merger is seen as essential to the survival of one of the partners; that a realistic risk assessment has been carried out; that a business plan with measurable outcomes is in place; that there is a strong team supporting the merger, including the board, the principal and senior management; that accommodation strategies are in place; that preparatory training is made available to those who have a strategic responsibility for carrying forward the merger plans; that appropriate financial arrangements, support and guidance must be in place and that there is an experienced financial manager with adequate support systems; that the merger is particularly focused on support for the learner; that enhanced operational support systems are in place; and that a clear post-merger integration strategy is in place. Show less

The objectives of the Workforce Training in England 2006 survey were to collect information from employers about: the volume, type and pattern of employer-provided training; the motivations for training and the impact it has had; the barriers to undertaking any or more training; the use of external training providers and levels of satisfaction with them; awareness of government programmes and initiatives connected with training, and levels of involvement with them. The survey consists of 4,002 interviews undertaken with employers in England. All sizes and sectors were included. A multi-stage sampling strategy was used taking into account establishment size, industry sector and region. Findings include: overall, three fifths of employers (61 per cent) reported that they had provided some employees at the location with training over the previous 12 months; size is a key determinant of the likelihood of training being provided; three fifths (61 per cent) of all employees have received training in the last 12 months; managers, professionals and associate professionals were more likely to have been provided with training by their employer than other occupational groups; health and safety and job specific skills training were the most likely types of training to be provided by employers that train (79 per cent and 76 per cent respectively); two thirds of employers that train had also provided induction training (67 per cent); half had funded or arranged training to develop management and leadership skills (49 per cent) and a similar proportion had sought to develop interpersonal skills through training (47 per cent); basic skills training had been arranged by one in eight employers that train (12 per cent, equivalent to 7 per cent of all employers), and this was most commonly training in numeracy (5 per cent of all employers), literacy (5 per cent) or English language (3 per cent); the most common method used to deliver training is via in-house staff at the trainee’s usual workstation (71 per cent of employers that train use this method); training delivered off-site by external providers (59 per cent) and using external providers or in-house staff to deliver a taught course on-site (68 per cent) were also common methods among establishments funding or arranging training; and almost two thirds of employers that train (65 per cent) relied on staff to participate in some form of self-learning (including e-learning).

Excerpts from published introduction and summary of findings. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to ‘create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most’. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the DfES to conduct an evaluation of the first and second cohorts of IFP students. The evaluation aims to: assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the implementation of the IFP, and identify those delivery models and implementation practices and strategies that appear to be most successful; evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets; and assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young peoples’ skills, knowledge, attitudes, attendance, attainment and post-16 progression. This report presents a profile of the partnerships between schools and colleges that were established to deliver the IFP to Year 10 students in 2003. It outlines the characteristics of the students who were participating and the qualifications they studied. This is the second cohort of students participating in IFP and comparisons with the first cohort are provided throughout the report.

Other reports from the evaluation are indexed at TD/TNC 77.125, TD/TNC 80.651 and TD/TNC 80.678. Show less

School-college partnerships have many advantages: for schools, colleges offer a wide range of vocational and other courses, experienced and qualified teaching staff and facilities frequently of industrial standard; for colleges, partnerships enable efficient use of available assets, marketing opportunities, possible increased income and professional development opportunities for working with younger groups of pupils; for pupils, a broader curriculum relevant to ambition and aptitude may encourage motivation and attainment and commitment to learning post-16. This booklet provides advice and guidance in planning, management, organisation, monitoring and evaluation, all of which are critical for effective partnerships. The contents are: Introduction; The background; Making the first move in forming partnership; Designing the curriculum; Organisational considerations; Explaining the developments to staff, pupils and parents; Monitoring and evaluation. Show less

In June 2003, the UK government will publish a national Skills Strategy and Delivery Plan. The strategy will establish a broad agenda for raising skill levels amongst young people and adults in close cooperation with employers to ensure that their skill needs are satisfied. The strategy will describe the roles and responsibilities of employers, individuals and government in skills development, including the government’s role in providing institutional, qualifications and quality frameworks. The aim of the strategy is to create a more demand-led learning system and it will include: a comprehensive approach to promoting participation in learning through better advice and rendering learning more attractive and accessible to learners of all ages; the government’s approach to engaging employers across all areas of skills development; adult workforce development, especially in relation to the delivery plan for the new Level 2 target for adults, i.e. to reduce by at least 40% the number of adults in the workforce without a Level 2 or equivalent qualification by 2010; and the outcomes of the review of the funding of adult learning. This interim report summarises progress in developing the strategy and outlines emerging ideas on its main elements. The report covers the following sections: (1) the background and context to the strategy; (2) the nature and extent of the skills challenge in the UK; (3) the proposed principles for the plan; (4) emerging ideas on how best to meet employers’ skill needs; (5) emerging ideas on providing better learning options for young people and adults, and on engaging more adults in learning; and (6) the implications for colleges and other training providers, building on the current reform program described in ‘Success for all: reforming further education and training: our vision for the future’ (indexed at TD/TNC 72.207).

The companion report, ‘Developing a national skills strategy and delivery plan: underlying evidence’ is indexed at TD/TNC 73.359. ‘Funding adult learning: technical paper’ is indexed at TD/TNC 73.360. Show less

This eighth edition of ‘Education and training statistics for the United Kingdom’ uses over 50 tables to provide an integrated overview of statistics on education and training in the UK. It covers: expenditure; schools; post-compulsory education and training; qualifications and destinations; population; and international comparisons. Key facts reported under ‘Post-compulsory education and training’ include: in 2001/02, 72% of 16 year olds and 58% of 17 year olds were in post-compulsory education either at school or in full-time further education; there were 47,300 new starts on Advanced Modern Apprenticeship schemes (AMAs) in England in 2002/3; the average number of learners on AMAs in 2002/3 was 108,300, representing almost two-fifths of the average year for the total number of learners on work-based learning for young people; people with high levels of qualifications were much more likely than those with low or no qualifications to have received job-related training; the economically inactive tend to receive job-related training of a longer duration than that received by employees; and a further education college or university is the most common location for off-the-job training. Show less

This document outlines a number of key proposals and opportunities for young people. Those relating to information, advice and guidance will be of most interest to schools. These proposals will help schools to deliver the 14-19 curriculum set out in the recent White Paper, as well as giving them a clearer voice in the services that are delivered to their pupils. They will also provide clearer routes to help outside the school for pupils with additional needs. Show less

Learning Partnerships were set up across the United Kingdom (UK) in early 1999 to promote a new culture across the school, further education (FE) work-based learning, and adult and community learning sectors to rationalise the range of existing local partnership arrangements covering post-16 learning. This is the fourth of six reports. It provides an update of the progress that Learning Partnerships have made nationally and is based upon an analysis of Learning Partnerships' performance as reported by the partnerships themselves, 20 national case studies, and a review of five regional evaluation reports. The contents are: Introduction; Purpose and focus; Learning Partnership activities; Relationships; Area inspections; Impact; Added value; Conclusions and Recommendations.

The other reports are indexed at TD/TNC 68.196, TD/TNC 69.279 and TD/TNC 69.280 and the final report is indexed at TD/TNC 75.237. Show less