Developing a national VET system

Richard Atkins, Principal, Exeter CollegeJenny Williams, Director of VET, ETF

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

Why CAVTL?

We must ensure that our skills system produces a talent pipeline of skilled individuals who can design, develop and deliver the sophisticated technology and high quality products and services, which will enable the UK to compete at the highest level. Such productive work helps build identity and self-esteem, and promotes the wellbeing of communities.

Its about work…Frank McLoughlin CBEMarch 2013

 

Ambitions…• A Commission for the future – developing a new generation of ‘home grown’ talent and highly skilled technicians to drive our future prosperity;

• An opportunity to turn the spotlight on an under- recognised part of the education landscape, but one that will be critical to all our futures;

• A once in a generation opportunity to raise the status of vocational teaching and learning, and to develop a robust vocational model.

Four characteristics1. a clear line of sight to work on all vocational

programmes;

2. ‘dual professional’ teachers and trainers who combine occupational and pedagogical expertise;

3. access to industry-standard facilities and equipment, reflecting the ways in which technology is transforming work;

4. clear escalators to higher level vocational learning, developing and combining deep knowledge and skills.

The key enabling factor is the VET system working as a two-way street, not further education and skills operating as a separate ‘sector’.

The two-way street is about genuine collaboration between colleges and training providers, and employers. In the best examples the Commission has seen, employers are not just customers of vocational teaching and learning, but are engaged at every level in helping to create and deliver excellent vocational programmes. Collaboration is based on the recognition that there is added value in working together. Providers and employers make distinctive contributions for mutual benefit.

Two-way street:

CAVTL One Year On…We very deliberately introduced the phrase a two-way street in recognition of the need to move on from past models of engagement between employers andproviders. Historically the further education and training sector has tried to engage employers on its terms, or employers have tried to engage the sector on their terms, both looking at the problem from different ends of a one-way street. But the old supply and demand paradigm is not fit for the 21st century.

We need a genuinely collaborative approach which is based on a shared understanding of the problems to be solved, the potential solutions and the business benefits of working together, for both employers and colleges or training providers. This approach focuses on how both ends of the street – working within a robust and well organised VET system – can help individuals and organisations to grow and succeed.

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

CAVTL recommendation 5: Establish a National VET Centre

…a new research and development capacity focused on vocational pedagogy and the development of VET more widely…

…to showcase and experiment with new ideas for excellent vocational teaching and learning and to act as focal points for employers and other partners to evaluate its impact.

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

CAVTL One Year On: four signposts

• Direct pathways to higher level vocational learning

• A longer term goal to develop a National VET Centre to provide a dynamic hub for practice development and innovation

• A review of the characteristics of pre-vocational (as opposed to vocational) programmes.

• An evaluation strategy to measure progress, and an exemplar framework for vocational teaching and learning

CAVTL One Year On ReviewNovember 2014

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

A National VET CentreWork from practice to theory to:

•Support the development and sharing of effective vocational teaching, learning and leadership practice;•Strengthen the VET system by building genuinely collaborative arrangements between employers, and education and training providers;•Provide a focus for ambition to continue to raise standards in VET and work to support our future prosperity;•Work dynamically with the BIS-funded VET Research Centre with its focus on rigorous analysis of the administrative and statistical data sets, and the economics of vocational education.

CAVTL One Year On ReviewNovember 2014

Education and Training Foundation – VET Priorities• Contributing to the creation of a strong

VET system with employers at the heart.

• Supporting the further development of excellent vocational teaching and learning at the heart of a strong VET system.

Education and Training Foundation - VET Programmes• Teach Too• CPD for Skills Competitions• Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme• Traineeship Staff Support Programme• Learning Technologies Support Programme• VET Two-way Street Leadership Programme• VET Conference

Progress• An annual National VET Conference• Teach Too • CPD programmes to support vocational

teachers and trainers• CAVTL/Ofsted case studies• Early work to develop the ‘two-way street’• Development of a cadre of specialist English

and maths tutors• A focus on developing technology to support

VET• ETF holding the centre of a developing VET

system

Over 100 institutions are working with the CAVTL criteria for excellent VETOver 12,000 teachers, trainers and leaders supported by the ETF’s VET programmes70 employers involved in ETF VET programme

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Teach Too:Initial demonstration models published in summer 2014Publication of Teach Too Phase 1 report in January 2015, downloaded by over 2000 peopleTeach Too conference in January 2015, attended by over 100 delegates28 Teach Too projects in the Phase 2 programme

Traineeship Staff Support Programme140 professional development resources available on TSSP website. Over 5000 website visits during phase 1Over 480 staff attended workshops in phase 1; 30 providers benefitted from the TSSP consultancy service

Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme150 professional development resources available on ASSP website. 120 delegates attended ASSP conference in February 2015. Phase 2 programme in progress, based on survey responses from over 700 staff working on apprenticeships.

Skills Competitions CPD Programme60 CPD events delivered, with 1400 participants in phase 1. Programme evaluated by SKOPE at Oxford University

Learning Futures 15 action research projects in progress focused on leadership, pedagogy, online delivery, CPD and assessmentIndustry mentors (Toshiba, Microsoft, Google) are supporting the projectsAn online CPD programme including support for leadership, creating online videos, gamification, instructional design, assistive technology

Two-way Street Local Leadership Exchanges9 leadership exchanges between sector and industry leaders have been established and will be conducted over the next 6-8 months.

ETF VET Early Outcomes

Looking ahead…

… building a first class VET system

• Professional solutions for Apprenticeships • Support for higher level VET• Employer engagement: Teach Too and Two-way Street• Working with LEPs to address economic priorities• Supporting professionals within a dynamic VET system