This month in your eBriefing

Apprenticeship Framework Documents

Apprenticeship Framework documents are currently available to download on the CfA website in the following subject areas:

• Business and Administration
• Customer Service and Contact Centre
• Leadership and Management
• Marketing and Sales

To view the documents, please go to our apprenticeships page and follow the sub-menu links to go to the relevant subject area.

www.cfa.uk.com/apprenticeships.html

Apprenticeship Framework Survey 2010 – Functional Skills and Essential Skills Wales

The CfA are reviewing the Functional Skills and Essential Skills Wales requirements within all of their Apprenticeship frameworks, including Business & Administration, Customer Service, Contact Centre, Management & Team Leading, Marketing & Communication and Sales & Telesales.

To help conduct these essential reviews, a survey has been setup to allow stakeholders to share their views with the CfA. The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/apprenticeships2010 and will be open until 1st October 2010. Please share your views with us, we value your input.

For more information on the survey please contact matthew.street@cfa.uk.com.

Management SVQ and Management Modern Apprenticeship (Scotland) workshops

The CfA will be holding two free of charge workshops in Glasgow on 30th September (AM and PM) on Management and Team Leading SVQ qualifications and the Management and Team Leading Modern Apprenticeship frameworks. The CfA welcomes employer organisations, training providers and representative bodies to help and aid their review of the qualifications, existing SVQs and Apprenticeships, as well as the planned changes proposed by the CfA.

For more information on the workshops and to reserve your place, please e-mail qualifications@cfa.uk.com. Please note that there is a limited capacity at both workshops and places will be awarded on a first come first serve basis. There is no charge for attendance, these are free of charge events.

Britains Got Talent says City & Guilds

Across the country, vocational learning awarded through City & Guilds has risen by a significant 11% over the last 12 months, reflecting how more and more individuals are upskilling and employers are investing in staff training to compete in this tough economic climate. 

Chris Jones, Director General and CEO, City & Guilds said: "Our learner data reveals that Britain really has got talent! Growing numbers of people are recognising the value of work-related learning and equipping themselves with the right skills and training they need to succeed and lead in today's fast-paced economy.

Key findings nationally
The 20 most popular City & Guilds courses across the country in the UK are:

Click here to see the article in full 

Termination of Scottish Skillseekers Programme

In September 2007 the Scottish Government published 'Skills for Scotland - A Lifelong Learning Strategy', which clearly set out their ambitions for skills training in Scotland from cradle to grave.

Within the document, the Government made a commitment to implementing the conclusions of the 'Building on our Success - Improving Modern Apprenticeships' consultation which explicitly recommends the extension of the current Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme to include Frameworks at level two and phase out the current Skillseekers programme.

Since the announcement of the introduction of the level two MA Frameworks by the Scottish Government, a number of Sector Skills Councils have made representations to the Modern Apprenticeship Group on numerous occasions, seeking the introduction of a level two MA Framework for their occupational areas.

As a result, there are now some twenty three approved MA Frameworks at level two, with many more in the pipeline to be approved in the next few months.

The Scottish Government remains committed to phasing out the Skillseekers programme and extending level two MAs where this is supported by clear employer demand. As such, there will be no further starts approved for Skillseekers after 31 March 2011.

For further information, please contact Iain McCaskey, Qualifications Manager at the Alliance Scotland, at iain.mccaskey@alliancescotland.org or telephone 0131 226 7726. 

FTSE 350 companies toast 'Cafe Culture' learning

Skills Minister John Hayes has called on all UK businesses to promote informal learning at work, following pledges from sixty-four innovative companies to increase informal workplace training for their staff.

These companies, including eleven from the FTSE 350, represent nearly two million employees. They formed part of a recent ‘Café Culture’ campaign run by Business in the Community on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to improve workers’ skills.

They include:

• Barclays Bank
  
• BT
  
• Channel 4
  
• FirstGroup
  
• Ginsters
  
• Google
  
• McDonald’s Restaurants
  
• Microsoft

The central aim of 'Cafe Culture' is to promote good practice among employers, so BIS and Business in the Community have today published 'Building the Cafe Culture Movement' to help other organisations to see the benefits of informal adult learning at work. 

The resource includes case studies showing how successful companies have seen the business benefits of informal learning, alongside guidance on how to follow in their footsteps.

For further information, please contact ndsenquiries@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Council Apprenticeship Scheme wins top national award

City of Lincoln Council received a top accolade for its Apprenticeship scheme at the Apprenticeship Awards, organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS). The award recognises the council’s success in using apprentices to meet the needs of its business and the community it operates in.

The organisation was praised by judges as a shining example of how hiring apprentices can benefit councils, and the wider public sector. The council, which currently employs forty-two apprentices, credits its apprenticeship scheme with bringing in fresh business approaches to things like improving community relations.

The ceremony was a double celebration for the council; as well as being awarded the Large Employer of the Year prize, one of its most promising apprentices, Joel Dowse, won a highly commended award in the Apprentice of the Year category. Joel, 19, manages projects to curb anti-social behaviour in the city, working on the frontline liaising with both victims and offenders. 

Jane Newman, City of Lincoln Council’s Work-Based Learning Officer, said: “Sixty per cent of all our past apprentices still work for our organisation, which is one of the reasons we’ve embedded Apprenticeships into our working culture – apprentices are our lifeblood.”

More about the Apprenticeship Awards and the benefits of Apprenticeships can be found by visiting www.apprenticeships.org.uk or by calling 08000 150 600.

Britain for Events 2010

National Meetings Week has been refreshed, rebranded and renamed for 2010 as ‘Britain for Events 2010’. The campaign is intended to raise awareness and promote how the meetings and events industry contributes to the UK economy. Lots of events and activities have been organised, including the Event UK exhibition on 21 - 22 September as well as an MP forum at the House of Commons during the week of 18 – 25 October.

Last year the campaign reached more than 17 million people globally through its online activity.

For more news on Britain for Events, go to www.meetpie.com where you can register for upcoming news and information.

CfA Student Handbooks update

The countdown is on for the release of the updated and revised CfA Student Handbooks, Levels one and two. They will both be available to purchase in paperback from late autumn 2010 – so watch this space to hear how you can order your copies!

If you would like to register your interest, please email sales_marketing@cfa.uk.com and provide your details so that we may contact you in the future with further updates.

Glasgow Super College Merger

A proposal to merge Central College, Metropolitan College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies has been approved by the Scottish Government.

Costing an estimated £300 million pounds, the new City of Glasgow College plans to provide ‘substantial benefits’ for 40,000 students.

Scottish Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning Keith Brown said, "full consideration was given to the complexity of this proposal. We are a listening and open government, which is why we listened to the views of a broad range of interested parties including MSPs, the Scottish Funding Council and the trade unions.

"Ultimately, we agree with the Scottish Funding Council, whose role is to ensure efficient and effective delivery of further education, that the merger will deliver substantial benefits to students in Glasgow. That's why we have given the go-ahead to this historic move.”

However, the General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, Ronnie Smith said, “there remain significant concerns about the impact on job security, harmonisation of working conditions and terms, the resources available to deliver new buildings and the educational impact in terms of the range and quality of provision on offer to students.”
The business case for a redeveloped campus for the three colleges is unlikely to be ready before mid-2011 and any updates to the plans will be published here

Upcoming events

Get the low down on the latest events taking place around the UK

• 21st-22nd September Office professionals should check out the Office* exhibition at Earls Court in London.

www.officeshow.co.uk/

• 22nd-23rd September Square Meal Venues & Events 2010 returns with their popular exhibition.

www.venuesandevents.co.uk

• 26th September The European Day of Languages highlights linguistic diversity.

www.cilt.org.uk/home/valuing_languages/european_day_of_languages.aspx

• 28th – 29th September World of Learning takes place this year at the NEC in Birmingham

www.learnevents.com/index.php

• 4th-10th October Celebrate National Customer Service Week, the world's largest celebration of customer service professionalism.

www.nationalcustomerserviceweek.co.uk

Question of the month

Q: If a learner has previously completed the old NQF NVQ or Technical Certificate, do they need to do the new QCF qualification?

A: No, the learner does not need to do the new QCF qualification. However, the date of completion must not be longer than 3 years. For example, a learner who has completed a relevant old NQF NVQ or technical certificate in October 2009 would be able to APA that qualification for Apprenticeship Certification purposes until October 2012.