October 2009
Autumn is truly here as we see the trees turning from green to gold and the leaves starting to tumble. As the days grow shorter, the reassuring passing of the seasons is perhaps the only constant we can count on in these tricky times, where we never know what’s going to crop up in the news or closer to home on our desks! That and the fact that we have a clear need for Business & Administration in every facet of our working lives. There will be a skills shortage in this area by 2010 and it’s essential that we have a steady supply of administrators waiting in the wings to step up to the challenge when the skies turn brighter. So, to keep us on course, this month we have a packed edition for you. CfA conference 2009 bookings are arriving daily and there are only a limited number of spaces available. Make sure you join us to hear our impressive speakers talk about the key issues we all face in Business & Administration! To see how to book your place click here. And this month in our ‘Focus on …’ we feature Sharmilee Rau, Marketing Officer who has been instrumental in organising Conference 2009. Apprentices are definitely in the news right now as following the TUC Annual conference, we have an extract of questions put to Gordon Brown by Joanna Wiczak, Business & Administration Apprentice with Merseytravel. If you would like to comment on any of these stories or have a feature of your own to contribute, please contact Helen Gerlach.
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Book now! Places are running out fast! Friday 27th November 2009 Bookings for Conference 2009 are in full swing and places are selling out fast, so book your place now to avoid disappointment.
Friday 27th November 2009: Nottingham: NCSL Learning & Conference Centre Sponsored by – EDI, OCR and iam Some key issues facing Business & Administration Learning Providers are:
Your eight good reasons to attend the event: 1) Hear the latest news from our exciting line-up of speakers:
2) Discover the new Business & Administration Standards and the QCF units before their launch in 2010 3) Understand the importance of Business & Administration skills across sectors 4) Receive guidance on achieving national recognition for in-house training 5) See the key features of the new BAF Diploma (implemented in September 2009) 6) Recognise the business benefits of Business & Administration Apprenticeships 7) Network and share best practice with those who deliver Business & Administration training and education 8) A chance to meet with and talk to the CfA team For further details amd to see who needs to attend and to book your place now visit www.cfa.uk.com/products/conference. We look forward to seeing you there! |
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A focus on... Sharmilee Rau, Marketing Officer, CfA I have been working at the CfA for just over a year now. During this time my role has been extremely varied – no day is the same as the next and I’m never entirely sure what each one may entail! On a day-to-day basis I work on a range of activities, from writing and proofing copy for a range of publications, liaising with designers, updating the website, preparing materials for events and the inevitable mailer. Preparations for the Conference began over a year ago and time has flown by ever since. I have been responsible for arranging and organising the content of the day, promoting the event, processing your bookings and, of course, dealing with any enquiries and questions that you may have.
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TUC Congress - Joanna Wiczak quizzes Gordon Brown Joanna Wiczak, 22, Business & Administration Apprentice atMerseytravel, Liverpool was at this year’s TUC Congress 2009 in September. Joanna put some tough questions to Gordon Brown on the question of the minimum wage for apprentices. Click here to read what she asked and how Mr Brown responded. We’ll be catching up with Joanna in a future edition of the eBriefing. Make sure you let your colleagues know that they can also sign up to receive it. Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk |
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Development news - Business Contingency Planning To help businesses better prepare for the unexpected, the CfA is in the early stages of developing specialist standards for Business Contingency Planning. Every year, nearly one in five businesses suffer some kind of major disruption. Having standards that support the planning to deal with major disruptions is essential. If you are an employer or provider working within the specialist area of Business Contingency Planning and would like more information on how to get involved in this project, please contact Uta Sempf, Standards and Qualifications Manager at the CfA on 020 7091 9620. |
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The CfA is pleased to confirm that Cohort 7 of the Young Apprenticeship (YA) programme has been officially announced by DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) and the LSC (Learning and Skills Council) and will be going ahead from September 2010. All documentation relating to the application process for Cohort 7 can be found by visiting the CfA's YA website. N.B. The closing date for YA Cohort 7 applications is midday on Friday 30th October 2009. |
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Review of Specialist Standards Project - Legal Administration Standards If you are an employer or provider working within this specialist area and would like to take part in the consultation, please follow appropriate links below: If you are a legal support worker, please complete the legal support worker survey here. For more information on the project, please contact Matthew Street. |
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Over the past two years the CfA has been working on a special European project to develop a Resource System for Facilitators of Learning. Our direct target groups for this project are training providers and SMEs where training is facilitated and it is oriented towards the company’s needs instead of being “catalogue-oriented”. The Resource system is based on research of best practice across the 27 EU countries and will be a tool to support validation of individual work experience and learning outcomes, especially when people move from one professional environment to another. On the 29th October, the CfA is hosting a European conference in East London. Delegates include professionals and experts from 13 European countries to discuss the Facilitation of Learning at a European wide level. The event starts at 9:30am on the 29th October and ends at 12.30pm with lunch. It offers an excellent opportunity for networking on a broader level. If you are interested in attending the event please contact Uta Sempf for details This is a free event and places are limited. To secure your place now, register your attendance early here! |
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Your update - Standards Review We’d like to sincerely thank all those who gave up their valuable time to be involved in the 18-week electronic consultation to review the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Business & Administration. Your valuable feedback has now been analysed and comments fed into the Standards to amend their content. Over 1,000 people responded to our questionnaires and we have the following news to share:
The remaining part of this vitally important project will focus on the development of units of learning. It will also look at the assessment strategy for delivery of these units in a qualification. This work will engage regulators and awarding organisations from across the four nations of the UK. You’ll be pleased to know that the CfA still needs you! During the first three weeks of November, we’ll be doing a last three-week electronic review of the final draft of standards. To have your say and take part, look out for our email inviting you to contribute to the final review of the Business & Administration Standards. As a result of your commitment and hard work on this project, the CfA are confident that the new standards are a robust, valid and reliable contribution to maintaining and updating the skills requirements for Business & Administration in the UK. Thank you for your support.
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We need you! Apprenticeship Case Studies As you know, we’re keen to keep our content up-to-date and in line with what’s happening for apprentices in the area of Business & Administration. To make sure that we do this, we need you to contact us with your apprenticeship stories. In return, we’ll turn them into a Case Study and feature you and the company you are training with, on our website! So, get your thinking caps on, tell all your contacts who are completing Business & Administration apprenticeships about us. Please email or call us on 020 7091 9620 directly. |
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Samara Kaisar from Rushey Mead Secondary School, a Young Apprentice who achieved a Distinction along with several A* /A GCSE grades, said it was a great experience to gain so many skills which will help in a future career. You can read more about this by clicking here. |
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Launch of the Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance (BAF)
Through its carefully designed curriculum, developed with employers for employers, the Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance is one of four key pathways offered to 14-19 year olds alongside GCSE’s/A Levels and Apprenticeships. The Diploma will equip young people with the skills, knowledge and attributes that they will need for progress into further and higher education and employment. As the Diplomas are designed to provide students with practical work-based learning employer involvement is fundamental to their delivery. By forming partnerships with local schools and colleges employers have the opportunity to support them in the local delivery, promote understanding of the industry through schools visits, work placements and professional development of the teachers. The Diploma Champion Network (DECN) also offers employers the opportunity to show their support of the Diploma. The Network consists of 180 members from SMEs to private and public sector. If you or someone you know would like more information on how to become a BAF Diploma Champion visit www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19/decn or contact jkelly@semta.org.uk. For more information on the Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance please visit the dedicated website www.baf-diploma.org.uk. |
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OCR sponsors first CfA Conference OCR is delighted to sponsor the first CfA conference 'A Focus on Change' on 27th November 2009. OCR qualifications specialists will be available at the event to discuss the new Administration (Business Professional) suiteof qualifications and all other OCR qualifications in the Administration and Business sector, including Text Processing (Business Professional) and replacements for the current National Vocational Qualifications. For further details visit: http://www.ocr.org.uk Join OCR’s pilot Functional Skills qualifications are expected to replace Key Skills from September 2010. Centres will be unable to register learners for current Key Skills in Communication, Application of Number and ICT after 31 August 2010. Key Skills tests will be available until 2012. To join us in the pilot, visit www.ocr.org.uk/functionalskills OCR Functional Skills - your next steps Whether you simply need to get an overview of our Functional Skills qualifications or to help you prepare deliver them from September 2010 – OCR has a free INSET training event to suit your needs. Click here to see a list of dates and locations and to book your free place today. For a limited period only, OCR Training is offering free ‘in-house’ training for 10 or more delegates. To find out more about this opportunity, email us at training@ocr.org.uk. For help, queries and guidance with our functional skills qualifications, email our us at functionalskills@ocr.org.uk. |
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A. The Working with Others and Problem Solving Core Skills are implicit within the 2009 Level 3 Business & Administration SVQ core units and do not require separate certification. The Communication, Information and Communication Technology and Numeracy Core Skills must be separately assessed and certificated.
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Free - European Conference in London
If you would like to submit information to the CfA eBriefing, please contact Helen Gerlach on 020 7091 9620.
© CfA 2009
