Do We Need to Think About the Social Impact of Defunding Level 7? FE Soundbite Edition 768
Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 768: 19th October 2024. Do we need to look at the social impact of defunding Level 7 Apprenticeships? We also look at Employer choice and I ask, do we need to start thinking about how we accredit Cobots like Optimus? Is this a potential massive new market opportunity for FE + Skills?
This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here is a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles, from sector influencers and cool thinkers across FE and Skills this week on FE News
Gavin’s Reflective Perspective
Industrial Strategy consultation is launched, how about Skills in the Industrial Strategy?
This week saw the launch of the Industrial Strategy, the first one in 7 years! This is again ‘Mission Led’, but still taking shape. My hope was for an Industrial Strategy to be fueled by skills. If you don’t have the skilled workers, or plan to develop skilled workers, how can you have a sustainable Industrial Strategy. There is even a new ‘Supply Chain Taskforce’… well how about Skills as a supply chain affect for staff?
Employer choice, investment and social mobility with Level 7 Apprenticeships
AELP’s Ben Rowland wrote a really great piece this week about Higher Level Apprenticeships: Defunding level 7: A choice that doesn’t need to be made. Which had perfect timing to line up with the Industrial strategy and raise some really important points about social mobility, productivity and employer choice.
Ben makes two really important points, there is a social impact of defunding level 7, as Degree apprenticeships at levels 6 and 7 open up career opportunities to a diverse range of people who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to risk taking on huge levels of debt.
Employers are literally invested in Apprenticeships, why change progression routes?
Also. Since the Richard Review, we have had an employer led Apprenticeship system, by choice. Due to the Apprenticeship Levy, Employers are literally invested in Apprenticeship programmes. As AELP’s Ben Rowland states, the Government rightly wants to more younger people engaging in Apprenticeships, but does defunding Level 7 qualifications have huge implications, for social mobility, giving return on investment to employers investing in the Levy for their staff, providing progression routes and potentially disengaging employers.
Employer Led System
As Ben Rowland says: “a mass defunding of apprenticeship standards at the stroke of a pen in Whitehall sits in direct contradiction of the need for this to be an employer led system“. I couldn’t agree more.
Defunding Level 7 would only save £200M
Ben also highlights: “defunding all level 7 programmes will save a shade over £200m” from a £4 Billion Levy pot. There is a risk of there being a blunt tool to defund Level 7 Apprenticeships from Levy paying employers, to instead promote foundation level Apprenticeships, there is a literal skills mis-match for employers… and squashing of progression routes, for learners, Levy paying staff, with implications on productivity for employers, social mobility for learners and staff… is it really worth it to save £200M, but restricted progression routes and access to Degree Apprenticeships to those who wouldn’t have otherwise had access. Personally, I think not.
We need incentives to promote Foundation Apprenticeships to young people, to encourage SME’s to take on more Apprentices, foundation and higher levels, to encourage more young people onto Apprenticeship programmes, but also provide progression routes through Apprenticeships to Degree and Masters level. This progression route is great and is also starting to be easily understood by large employers and learners. Why trash this?
Ben isn’t alone in asking us to think deeply about Level 7 Apprenticeships, we have also had recent articles from Gareth John and Mandy Crawford Lee asking for deep thought on this. Let’s hope the Government is also thinking deeply about this, we know there is a £22B financial deficit for the Chancellor, but saving what £200M, but trashing progression routes or enabling social mobility, doesn’t seem like a very good return on investment, it is better to surely keep this for employers and learners?
You thought ChatGPT was a game changer, welcome to Optimus
I wrote a piece on the new Tesla humanoid robot, packed full of AI, Machine learning, called Optimus. You thought ChatGPT and GenAI was a game changer! This thing is a walking and talking cobot! The iPhone is only 17 years old, and wow, haven’t they been a game changer! Can you imagine a World where we have as many AI filled Cobots, as today’s smartphones?
Do we need to be thinking about qualification or skill accreditation for Optimus or cobots?
I also ask, if they will be supporting us in work, do we need to be thinking about qualification or skill accreditation, or levels of accreditation of skills, competency and excellence in cobots like Optimus now? Who will accredit these levels, Elon Musk thinks there will be Billions of Optimus robots, is this potentially a massive new market for Awarding Bodies or Education Institutions.. but we’d need to prepare the ground now. Is this an exciting new market, for FE, Skills and Higher Education establishments?
FE + Skills Collective videos
We also started rolling out the videos this week from the FE +Skills Collective, so the Q&A Panel with Jennifer Coupland and Katerina and the Local and National decision making panels. The VoxPops / Talking heads are coming next week.
I hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week.
FE +Skills Collective Reflective- Bridging Policy and Pedagogy
Our Top 3 Thought Leadership Articles This Week
Firstly, Defunding level 7: A choice that doesn’t need to be made By Ben Rowland, CEO at AELP
Secondly, Australia’s proposed caps on international students – what led us here? By Neil Fitzroy, Managing Director of Australasia for Oxford International Education Group
Thirdly, Transforming traditional educational roles in the age of EdTech By Nicola Pearce, Head of Education, BenQ
This Week, We Have Also Had Some Other Epic Exclusives!
Can Skills England really help enhance the international standing of the English skills system? What can we learn from other nations? By Lesley Giles, Director of Work Advance, a research and analysis organisation, and former Deputy Director at the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
Diary of an Apprentice: leadership reflections from my summer pilgrimage By Sakina Khan, Innovation Project Manager at NCFE
Reclaiming Narratives: The Urgent Call to Embed Black British History in Education By Natalie Simmonds-Alleyne. Tutorial Development Manager and BAME Network Chair at Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet).
Collaboration over Competition – The Key to Transforming the Employment Support Sector By Scott Parkin FIEP, Group CEO, IEP
Global appeal: Winning strategies in the international student race By Stephanie Conville, Higher Education Lead at Codec
What’s New in the World of FE?
FE + Skills Collective
Jennifer Coupland and Dr Katerina Kolyva Q&A from the FE + Skills Collective
Localised Decision making for stronger skills system. Panel 1 of the FE + Skills Collective
National decision making for stronger skills system, from the FE + Skills Collective
Exploring the connection between Business and Further Education at the FE + Skills Collective By Alistair Gibson, Director at Countdown Creative Ltd
Announcements
Can a Scientific Council Transform FE? DfE Unveils New Science Advisory Council By DfE
Invest in Britain’s Future? New Fund and Partnership Unveiled By Treasury
The Government launches the first Industrial Strategy in seven years By Treasury
Vikki Howells, Welsh Minster for Further and Higher Education outlines aims for Post 16 education
Report
Voices
Tesla’s Optimus Robot: How Could it Reshape The Future of Work and Skills? By Gavin O’Meara, CEO and Founder FE News and FE Careers
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We hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week. Stay curious, keep innovating, and let’s shake up the world of FE together – catch you next week!
By Danny O’Meara, Digital Project Manager, FE News
By Gavin O’Meara, CEO and Founder, FE News and FE Careers
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