News NDT Engineering Technician Apprenticeship gains approval
The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) has announced the successful government approval of a new apprenticeship standard for non- destructive testing (NDT).
The new standard for the ‘Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Engineering Technician’ apprenticeship received formal approval on 6 July 2015 and is now officially published on the government’s apprenticeships website at
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeship-standards. Once the assessment plan and costing model have been approved, employers can sign up to offer the apprenticeship. In the meantime, employers are being encouraged to indicate their intention to put people through the NDT Engineering Technician apprenticeship by emailing
apprentices@bindt.org Roger Lyon, Phase 3 Trailblazer Apprenticeships Project Manager for BINDT, commented: “This has been an immense effort by the Employers’ Development Group and our success has been achieved against a background of significant rejection of other Trailblazer apprenticeship standards. Approval of the standard was the major hurdle, but now we have achieved this we can press on with the assessment plan, costing model and other appropriate documentation. As part of BINDT’s strategic plan, NDT Apprenticeships will help to address the ageing profile of NDT technicians, it will encourage employers to take on new staff at reduced training costs and it will enable school leavers to embark on a worthwhile career in NDT." The NDT Engineering Technician Apprenticeship will be appropriate for all industries, including power generation, aerospace, motor sport (F1), petrochemical, gas, rail, steel, nuclear, marine, service inspection and many more. The design of the apprenticeship will allow companies and applicants
The Great Prevent Duty Giveaway 2016
Five lucky schools are in with the chance to win a site free site license for the new Prepare for Prevent online CPD module from SSS Learning. The module has been designed to help schools comply with their statutory Prevent Duty, introduced under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Every school and academy now has a responsibility for the active prevention and detection of extremism and radicalism among its pupils. In order for
schools/academies to comply, all staff must be able to identify children who may be vulnerable and know where to refer concerns.
Comprising multi-media animated training, specialist seminar and comprehensive study notes, the ‘Preparing for Prevent’ module suits all types of learners and takes approximately an hour to complete. Created with the knowledge of counter-extremism expert Sam Preston the module is designed to help schools and academies adequately prepare staff to protect those vulnerable to radicalisation, extremism or being drawn into terrorism. By undertaking the module online staff are free to complete the training at a time convenient to them providing flexibility and removing the issue schools and academies face of releasing staff for external training.
Once the online training and assessment sections have been successfully passed, staff can generate their certificate and CPD record. The school/academy administrator can also generate certificates or print a list of staff who have completed the training for their Ofsted evidence. The system is fully accredited by the CPD Certification Service.
Jonathan Case, CEO at SSS Learning Ltd, said; ‘We recognise the demands on school and academy budgets. Far more cost-effective than external consultancy, our securely hosted online service is live, safe and regularly updated with changes or new requirements.’
For your chance to win, simply click on the link or visit
www.ssscpd.co.uk/educationtoday and register. The winner will be announced 1st May 2016.
www.ssscpd.co.uk/educationtoday 6
www.education-today.co.uk March 2016
to follow different pathways to success by conforming to appropriate international standards, such as EN ISO 9712 or EN 4179. The development of the scheme is to include core, sector-specific and company-specific training and qualifications, as well as a measureable demonstration of behaviour, diversity and codes of conduct. The end result will be a fully-rounded NDT Engineering Technician who has the skills to carry out appropriate NDT tasks within their industrial sector and in whom the employer can have considerable confidence. A successful NDT Apprentice will meet the requirements for professional registration as an Engineering Technician (EngTech) with the Engineering Council.
www.bindt.org
No evidence of a decline in A-level maths standards since the 1990s
New research shows A-level maths standards have declined since the 1960s – but appear to have remained consistent over the last 20 years.
In one of the most comprehensive studies into A-level standards, mathematics experts at Loughborough University judged 66 A-level scripts from the 1960s, 1990s and the current decade. They found a grade ‘B’ today is equivalent to an ‘E’ in the 60s, but found no evidence that standards have declined since the 1990s.
Researchers applied a comparative judgement technique that enables direct comparison of mathematical performance across different examinations – experts judged the better mathematician from randomly selected pairs of papers. Bias was eliminated by re-typesetting questions and re-writing answers in the same hand. Dr Ian Jones in Loughborough University’s Mathematics Education Centre led the study. He said:
“There has been ongoing concern that maths A-levels are getting easier. Whilst our study does show a decline in standards between the 1960s and 1990s, there is no evidence to suggest there has been further decline in the last 20 years. “Our study has overcome limitations of previous research in this area, making it the most robust of its kind. With debate continuing about the standard of maths exams it’s important the decision makers have the best evidence available to them.” Fifty years of A-level mathematics: Have standards changed? is written by Ian Jones (Loughborough University), Chris Wheadon (No More Marking), Sara Humphries (Ofqual) and Matthew Inglis (Loughborough University). The study was funded by AQA.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.3224/abstract
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