Blog

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve joined the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), a membership body which comprises the eight, now nine, largest providers of qualifications in the UK.

In the run up to Mental Health Awareness Week we have been running our 12 Days of Exam Wellbeing campaign to encourage students, parents and teachers to prioritise mental wellbeing during exam periods.

The ongoing slump in apprenticeship starts since the apprenticeship levy was introduced has emboldened the lobbyists, and those with vested interests.

Last week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do some work experience at NCFE. I’m currently studying A-Level Sociology, Politics and BTEC Applied Law at Durham Sixth Form Centre. I spent two and a half days with the Policy team followed by two and a half days with the Marketing team. I really enjoyed my time with the teams and feel that I learned a lot about the type of work that is done in these areas.

With Stress Awareness Month now underway, the NCFE Innovation team have been reflecting on the complex relationship between stress and technology. Undeniably, our hyper-connectivity with technology often fuels stress and is a regular culprit in the media for our struggle to relieve stress. However, we’ve been reviewing how we can harness the power of technology to help prevent and better manage our stress levels.

Following the publication of the Education and Policy Institute’s report on schools funding, it was reassuring that this report, once again, allowed this issue to become a focus of the media.

Having eagerly awaited the latest version of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) Funding rules, we were delighted to see them published before the Easter break.

NCFE Policy Leader, Andrew Gladstone-Heighton examines skills growth and replacement in a post-Brexit economy in his newly published paper.

The Department for Education (DfE) has halted turning off apprenticeship frameworks, saying that they won’t withdraw any further frameworks until 2020. This is welcome news from the DfE, after months of concern that reforms around content, procurement and funding are being rolled out too fast. It’s encouraging to see that the DfE are willing to hit the pause button and allow providers to choose what they see fit for their learners.

Recent press attention surrounding the lack of appropriate provision in schools for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) pupils has highlighted a complex issue which seems to lack a solution for inclusivity for many children.

Functional Skills qualifications are changing and as an active member of the FAB Functional Skills Working Group, we want to keep you up to date with the latest developments.

In September, Stakeholder and Partnership Development Manager at NCFE, Warren Cresswell, started volunteering at his local primary school, Little Heath Primary School in Hertfordshire, as part of NCFE’s Community Time Bank.

Christine Bennett is a practicing counsellor with an MSc. in Counselling Studies and extensive experience in recognising stress and trauma. In this article, Christine looks at the physical signs of stress which may manifest in yourself or your pupils, allowing you to approach and manage the situation.

We love hearing about how technical education can change people’s lives so when we met Josh Dixon, Managing Director at YourCode Recruitment Group, we just had to share his story.

Neil Stocking, Vice Principle of one of our Champion Schools, Highcrest Academy, gives his thoughts on how teaching has changed over the years, the challenges he faces on a daily basis at Highcrest Academy, which many schools will relate to and the ways in which the school overcomes these challenges:

I’m delighted to share the positive news that our new model for combined level V Cert qualifications has been received extremely well by the Department for Education (DfE). In their latest update to the published list of approved qualifications, our redeveloped Health and Fitness qualification is the first V Cert of this kind to appear on the list for the 2020 performance tables. This news gives us further confidence in this new model and the next round of submissions.

Last week, NCFE and Campaign for Learning were delighted to publish our second white paper of 2018 entitled ‘Shaping the new National Retraining Scheme’. Written by Dr Susan Pember, the paper assesses the current and emerging needs a National Retraining Scheme should address. These include longer working lives, rising automation, and the potential retraining needs of millions of atypical workers, especially the 15% of adults who are self-employed.

In response to a recent BBC report regarding the link between social media and mental health issues amongst young people, NCFE work experience student Kathryn Bradbeer, 17, explores the issue further.

International Women’s Day, 2018. The year of #Vote100. Today has a lot of resonance.

We’re passionate about apprenticeships and are really getting behind National Apprenticeship Week. This year's theme looks at what apprenticeships mean to individuals, employers, communities and the wider economy, and we'll be sharing our stories and experiences all week!

We’re really pleased to be working with Virgin Trains as their end-point assessment (EPA) organisation.