news
Government review dominates FE leaders’ concern
Senior leaders in the Further Education sector say the Government’s ongoing area review of post-16 education is their number one priority, despite identifying learner performance as the most significant challenge in the next 18 months. In a survey of 240 college principals by City
& Guilds, the highest proportion (29%) said the area review was their top priority, followed by apprenticeships and traineeships (22.5%) and employer engagement (19%). Learner success was a priority for only 6% of those surveyed, despite the highest proportion (32%) stating it was their main challenge in the next 18 months. The other main challenges were training staff (30%) and generating income (19%). Staff retention and development was also low on the priority list for college leaders at 2.5%, a particular mismatch considering that training staff was identified as the second highest ranking challenge. Mandy Smith, director of Sales and Customer Service at City & Guilds said: “We are experiencing the most significant period of change in the FE sector for a generation, with more changes to come in the next 18 months. We are pleased that the Government has recognised the role of the sector in improving the productivity of the UK workforce but the reforms being put in place to deliver this agenda are placing huge pressure on colleges. Our research shows that this is creating a significant disconnect between the identified challenges and priorities for principals, which may lead to difficulties in the future.” Most of those surveyed expect to see a reduction in the number of colleges in the next few years, with nearly half (49%) predicting they will reduce by 25% or more. However, a quarter of respondents predict little or no change post-review but acknowledge that the outcome of the reviews will lead to colleges working together to improve efficiency.
Business input needed to solve skills mismatch
Skills problems in the UK are resulting in an increasing number of workers who are underqualified or overqualified for the work they do. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) analyses the degree to which UK workers are educationally well matched compared to the average for their jobs. It has revealed that the proportion of workers who are appropriately matched to their jobs has been falling steadily since 2012. The number of individuals under qualified was higher in 2015 than in 2014, contributing to the skills gaps which persist in certain areas of the economy. Vacancies caused by skill shortages are the consequence of disparities between the supply of skills and the demand in the job market. Steve Hill, director of External Engagement at
The Open University, comments: “While any well- functioning labour market will have some degree of mismatch between skills and jobs, the persistent skills shortages in sectors such as IT and engineering suggest that there are some structural problems in the labour market. When demand for skills is not aligned with supply, the impact on businesses starts to build, as the time and cost of finding suitable workers can become prohibitive.
“There is room for businesses and education providers to work together to develop training programmes that address these structural problems. Through collaboration, business leaders and academics can create practice-based educational content that aligns directly to the demands of the workplace.”
Kallidus appoints product innovator
Tim Drewitt: product innovator
Kallidus has appointed Tim Drewitt as product innovator to help shape the future of its product suite. As part of the product management team Drewitt is charged with driving innovation by working in partnership with customers to understand their learning technology roadmaps and ensure Kallidus’ solutions deliver. A key focus of the role will be sharing best practice
with customers to help them maximise their investments in learning technologies. Drewitt has worked in the learning technologies sector for over 20 years as a practitioner and consultant. Prior to joining Kallidus, Drewitt was responsible for Vodafone’s online and mobile learning strategy, he has worked for professional services, telecoms and financial services.
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e.learning age april 2016
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