Transcript Slide 1
Colleges Delivering for Wales John Graystone Chief Executive CollegesWales George Osborne’s Budget 20 March 2013 £161m increase in capital spending in Wales from 2013/14 – 2014/15 reduction in revenue budget: by £27m in 2013/14 and £32m in 2014/15 public sector pay awards in 2015-16 limited to average of up to 1 per cent. Government departments and pay review bodies to determine “whether lower award is justified based on affordability and individual recruitment and retention needs” reform of ‘progression pay i.e. increments in 2015-16 Spending Round Budget contd Office for Budget Responsibility predicts growth of 0.6% in 2013 (revised down from 1.2%), 1.8% in 2014; 2.3% in 2015, 2.7% in 2016 and 2.8% in 2017 debt as share of gross domestic product – increase from 75.9% (2013/13) to 85.6% in 2016/17 words used by Chancellor – ‘nation’ 26 times; ‘jobs’ 20; ‘aspiration’ 11; ‘deficit’ 11; ‘debt’ 6; ‘work hard’ 5; ‘get on’ 4; ‘schools’ 3; ‘apprenticeships’ 2; ‘universities’ 1, ‘further education’ 0; ‘Wales’ 0 A Failing Economy or a Failing State? Focus on economy is very important but we need also to focus on other large matters elected politicians - parliamentary expenses crises in some newspapers- hacking BBC - internal problems following handling of Saville and Hall cases police attacked over Hillsborough and Andrew Mitchell established church in crisis over attitudes to sex - female bishops, gay marriage civil service seen as obstructive to elected government banking crisis and tax dodging rich corporations Prof Colin Talbot House of Commons Education Committee on careers guidance for young people Education Act 2011 – statutory duty on schools to secure access to independent impartial careers advice came into force Sept 2012 this approach is ‘regrettable’ “we have concerns about consistency, quality, independence and impartiality of careers guidance....evidence that worrying deterioration of overall level of provision” Education committee (contd) schools should work towards Quality in Careers standards every school should be required to publish annual careers plan setting out what expected in careers work and resources allocated No Stone Unturned in Pursuit of Growth: Lord Heseltine FE providers not incentivised to run courses that deliver greatest economic benefit skills funding flows to courses that students want and colleges can fill and not what employers need little incentive for training providers to meet what economy needs e.g. only 2% of total FE income of £7.5bn was fee income from employers not enough private investment in vocational training The Heseltine solution good things Employer Ownership Pilot - £250m routed through employers to develop skills solutions some City Deals include agreements for devolving responsibility for skills budget for vocational training for 19+ and apprenticeships should be devolved to Local Employer Partnerships (LEPs) which should incorporate skills needs within local economic plans Skills Funding Agency should be wound up but Education Funding Agency should continue to fund 1618 What do these numbers refer to? 10 - 1880 11 - 1893 12 - 1899 14 - 1921 15 - 1947 16 - 1972 17 - 2013 18 - 2015 Ken Baker ‘A New Vision for Secondary Education’ Liberal Arts Colleges for academic studies akin to grammar schools University Technical Colleges (UTCs) Career Colleges for practical, vocational subjects; Sports, Creative and Performing Arts Colleges based on the highly successful Brit School in Croydon these will create a coherent array of routes leading to university, apprenticeships and employment pathways provide broad education but with distinctive character Theme Wales England Overall approach Partnership Competition Choice for students Limited Extensive New types of school No Yes Raise participation age to 18 Opportunities for learners expanded Legal requirement Funding councils? Welsh Government Two funding bodies Funding Tight but directly to colleges 16-18 protected but 19+ more to employers Mergers Strong lead from WG Discouraged EMAs Yes No NPISH FHE Bill Yes Curriculum reform Yes but different Yes but different Colleges enrol FT 15 and 16 yr olds No Yes Chartered status Being considered Yes White Paper on FHE Bill “The Welsh Government recognises the maturity of the FE sector in Wales and believes that colleges, rather than government, are best placed to determine how the needs of their learners and local communities should be met; based within the strong and vibrant Welsh culture of collaboration, co-operation and partnership working. This culture is central to the future success of the sector” White Paper ‘The Welsh Government will work alongside ColegauCymru to develop a Code of Governance for the sector which incorporates the Nolan principles and best practice’. ‘We also anticipate a key role for ColegauCymru in leading the sector and ensuring a sense of shared responsibility across all colleges, for example, developing a code of practice’. DfES Diolch yn fawr