‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’, will be held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on 15-17November 2012.

It will host the national heats for individual skills competitions to select the UK squad which will then . . . → Read More: WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show]]> Skills Minister John Hayes has formally announced the UK successor to the WorldSkills London 2011 competition.

‘WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show’, will be held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on 15-17November 2012.

It will host the national heats for individual skills competitions to select the UK squad which will then compete internationally at Leipzig in 2013.

The showcase will include the popular ‘Have a Go’ activities, as well as a number of experts to give out information, advice and guidance.

Funding for 2012-13 will be up to £50m, with an additional £200m available in the second year, subject to evidence of high-quality proposals from employers and ongoing evaluation. The prospectus is available at.

An initial payment will be made two months after the individual has started their apprenticeship; the balance will be paid after the apprenticeship has been completed and the trainee has progressed into sustainable employment

In December, 19 partnerships comprising employers and training providers were awarded £19m to support more than 19,000 degree level apprenticeships benefiting 250 employers. These include Leyland Trucks, Unilever, TNT . . . → Read More: Marking National Apprenticeship Week]]> Marking National Apprenticeship Week, the Prime Minister David Cameron has opened the second round of bidding for the remaining £6m in the Higher Apprenticeship Fund.

In December, 19 partnerships comprising employers and training providers were awarded £19m to support more than 19,000 degree level apprenticeships benefiting 250 employers. These include Leyland Trucks, Unilever, TNT and Burberry.

At the event, Skillset (the sector skills council for the creative industries) has pledged to work with 300 businesses in industries such . . . → Read More: Launch of Apprenticeship Week]]> Business Secretary Vince Cable has launched the fifth annual Apprenticeship Week (6-10 February) at an event held at Channel 4 in London and attended by apprentices and representatives from the creative industries.

At the event, Skillset (the sector skills council for the creative industries) has pledged to work with 300 businesses in industries such as fashion, media and design to create 500 apprenticeships. The first places are set to be offered in September 2012.

Official statistics released last week show that there were 457,200 apprenticeships starts in 2010/11 – an increase of 63.5% on 2009/10.

The list of recommendations from the Report of the Review of Higher Education Governance . . . → Read More: Scottish university and college governance reviews]]> Yesterday, in a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Education Secretary Mike Russell welcomed the publication of separate further and higher education governance review reports. He plans to take the recommendations forward ‘in discussion and collaboration with’ the two sectors.

The list of recommendations from the Report of the Review of Higher Education Governance in Scotland, chaired by Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski, fall under 17 headings, from the appointment of principals to whistleblowing. Recommendations include the establishment of a Scottish Higher Education Forum chaired by the Education Secretary, and a Scottish Centre for Higher Education Research. The report refers to a letter from one member of the five-member review panel, who was unable to agree with some of the group’s recommendations.

The 34 recommendations from the Report of the Review of Further Education Governance in Scotland, chaired by Prof Russel Griggs, include a number related to the new regional college structure, already being adopted by the Scottish Government (see below). The report calls for a new Further Education Strategic Forum to be set up by the Scottish Government, and states it has put the learner ‘at the heart of all we considered’.

Mike Russell also announced the outcome of the review of college regionalisation. Colleges are to ‘collaborate and plan together within 12 newly-created regions’, as set out in the consultation paper published in November 2011 (reported in FEdS news).

The strategy pulls together a range of actions aimed at tackling youth unemployment, including:

The number of undergraduate applications from students living in England has fallen by 9.9%. However, once demographic changes are taken into account, the fall is . . . → Read More: UCAS data]]> UCAS data on HE applications up to the January 15th deadline show that total number of applicants at this stage of the cycle are 7.4% lower than last year.

The number of undergraduate applications from students living in England has fallen by 9.9%. However, once demographic changes are taken into account, the fall is just 1%.

Applications from students living in Scotland are down by 1.5%, Northern Ireland by 4% and Wales by 1.9%.  Applications from those living in England to attend Scottish institutions are down 5.6%.

The number of English students applying to English universities is down by 9.8%; the number of Scots applying to English universities down by over 16%, with a similar fall from elsewhere in the EU. Applications from Scottish students to Scottish universities fell by only 1.1%.

Applications from students living outside the EU are up by almost 14%, giving an overall decline in applications to English Universities of 8.5%. The biggest increases in applications were from Hong Kong (+37%), Australasia, (+20%) Malaysia (+14%) and the Middle East (+13%).

The fall in applications has been slightly greater amongst students from better-off homes than amongst those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Applications from men have decreased by 8.5%; and from women by 6.7%. Applications from those aged 25 to 29 were down by almost 12%.

Applications are already 50,000 ahead of the number of acceptances in 2011 and last year UCAS received over 100,000 further applications between January and the close of the cycle.

The tables – to be published next week – will include additional information on: the amount of progress made by high-achieving pupils; the . . . → Read More: Reform of school league tables]]> Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said school league tables are to be reformed to remove incentives for schools to focus only on pupils whose grades will affect their league table ranking.

The tables – to be published next week – will include additional information on: the amount of progress made by high-achieving pupils; the proportion of children who were low achieving when they left primary school who went on to achieve five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C; and progress made by children from poorer background.

According to Ministers, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of C grades awarded because weaker schools have been incentivised to focus on them.