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June Monthly Newsletter

What’s in this

Issue? Page 1

GTA England Annual

Conference dates

announced

Members Day

……………….........................

Page 2

Augar Report

Tom Wilson

EPA update

………………………………………

Page 3

GTA England News

…………………………………….

Page 4

RCU Data

Benchmarking

Project update

…………………………………...

Page 5

Peer Review Training

……………………………………….

Page 6

Events/Webinars

Contact Details

Annual Conference

arrangements announced

Please pop the evening of 19th

November and 20

th November into your diaries for a special celebration

for members.

It is the tenth anniversary of GTA England in 2019 and to celebrate we are holding an evening Dinner to launch a

special publication. Following from the excellent Apprentice Awards celebration, we are holding the event at the MTC, Coventry; don’t worry a hotel

including travel to and from the event is also being organised.

(unfortunately we can’t stretch to funding though!)

The theme of the conference is:

“GTAs: The best of the past and for the future”

There will be a focus on Industry 4.0 and how this will affect all members; as digital technologies become embedded in most operating systems and

processes in the home and across the AME sector. We have fantastic guest speakers lined up.

Our biggest strength is our national network of high quality, employer responsive members. To this end we need your brief stories of history but importantly how you are facing the future in having provision to meet employers needs of the 21

st century. We

also hope to convert some of these into video to show at the Dinner/Conference.

Please expect contact shortly from Steph Whalley who is leading on this topic.

Further details to follow.

Please ensure you register for the Evening Dinner and the Annual Conference using the below links. If you have any problems registering your attendance please contact

Lesley.Powles@gtaengland.co.uk

Celebratory Evening Dinner 19th November

GTA England Annual Conference 20th November

Members Day 23rd July 2019 – 10.30am – 3pm – MGTS

We will be holding a members day – it will be a full agenda which will cover the following topics:

• RCU Data Project Presentation & discussion further development

• Higher & Degree Apprenticeship - research summary and next steps

• Development of learning resources – Engineers Mate App, On Programme Training Units

• Launching resource to support Behaviours

• EPA Update

• Standards - current delivery issues

• GTA England 10 year celebration

Please use link to register

your attendance

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End Point Assessment update

We have now agreed the contract content with City & Guilds for the provision of a range of EPA. Under licence and management of the

Guilds, EPA “for members by members” while ensuring objectivity and impartiality in arrangements.

All the feedback from members day have been incorporated into the contract which included: 3 years span but with annual review; specification of GTA members with which, or not, to partner; have been

incorporated.

Members enjoyed a webinar on 18th June on the experiences of City & Guilds and key lessons learned in delivery of the 50 or so Standards for which they remain on the register of approved EPAOs. These

lessons and resources will prove invaluable to transfers into the engineering footprint during 2019 commencing with the MOET standard initially.

We are currently finalising the equivalent contract with our colleagues from EAL and the IMeche in respect of the Engineering Technician standard. Similarly, the contract articulates responses to the

issues raised at members day around timeframes and review; and also, a marketing protocol.

We hope to commence training of EPA assessors with EAL in the forthcoming weeks.

Cutting university fees was never going to be popular in universities. So the protests at the Augar Review recommended cut in fees from £9,150 to £7,500 were not surprising. Much more interesting were many other recommendations that did not attract headlines. Almost all these ideas are welcome to anyone interested in the “other 50%” who do not go to

university. They could be good news for GTAs too.

Augar’s shopping list is crystal clear: we must tackle the unfairness in funding between HE and everyone else; student loans should be

extended to almost everyone as a “lifetime learning loan”; we must strengthen technical education; there should be much better funding for

FE and a new £1Bn capital fund - FE meaning all post 16 including Independent Providers, not just FE Colleges; Degree Level Apprentices should be limited to those without a degree - so no more “apprenticeship MBAs”; “low value HE” should be replaced by high value Technical education.

Almost all the press coverage ignored these proposals for the other 50%. Critics were quick to claim that the Review would be regressive, claiming it would cost poorer HE students more because Augar proposed extending HE students repayment period to 40 years and freezing the threshold so it falls in

real terms. The actual impact is debatable, depending how repayments are modelled, but would at most affect a minority as Augar also proposed bringing back the £3K grant for the poorest. Overall the

Review’s proposals are a highly progressive package which would begin to rebuild technical education in the UK.

So we should give him two cheers. Augar could have celebrated the role of Independent Providers like GTAs instead of using FE as shorthand for the entire sector. He could have recognised that our model

of training with, for and by employers is the basis for any successful technical education. He could have called for a lifetime learning grant, not just a loan. Even so, this is a great step forward.

Sadly, it was commissioned by Theresa May and likely to follow her into history. Few politicians have

welcomed it. Nonetheless it has already shifted the climate of discussion. Whatever happens on the Brexit front, the UK must radically raise technical skills. Augar’s ideas are what many GTAs have been

saying for a long time. It’s nice to see them getting some attention.

Tom Wilson

GTA England News - Augar Report

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Where Levy Transfers meet Non-Levy contracting

Members will be aware of the challenges in contracting in responding to non-levy employers – our core

customers. Whether it be non being awarded direct contracts due to the last procurement criteria and

process or being at the maximum in terms of contract performance, there are huge challenges in

meeting the needs of our some 20k+ SMEs.

So what are we doing about it?

Well apart from making the observations about the policy conflicts to government in that the Levy

Transfers can’t be used for companies with 49 or less employees and including 16-18 years olds; we

have been seeking support from a number of our associated employers.

This support is seeking to create an ambitious £5m virtual pot of resources from their levy transfers

capability. To date we have Siemens making the pledge with four other organisations giving serious

consideration (consulting Boards and so on).

Please see the paper entitled, “Investing 25% of the Levy” in the members area of the website.

LINK

GTA England News

GTA England response to post 16 level 3 and below review of qualifications consultation

Mid-June saw the deadline for the above consultation and GTA England submitted its response.

In summary, we responded as follows:

Whilst we support the broad aim of simplification, we believe that it is essential that the different needs

of technically able, high performing learners, AND those who will not reach this level and need

stepping stones at a lower level, are acknowledged and met through different and appropriate

qualification system. Without this dual focus the ambition of a valued alternative to A levels, that

attracts and supports the most able candidates, will not be achieved because it will simply not perform

as or be perceived as achieving the same level of knowledge and stretch. In effect the vocational

options should be overtly more valuable - they offer the same knowledge but additional skills and

competency. For this reason, they may not be high volume options.

To recognise this dual aim, success measures must include the visible and measurable move of A level

capable students making an active choice towards vocational routes and the change in status perceived

by parents. Every other policy strategy has failed to achieve this change.

Members can read the full response in the members area of the website.

LINK

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GTA England News - Steph Whalley

RCU Data Benchmarking Project update

Current Position

The foundation platform has now been developed and the first suite of reports based on R06 and

17/18 have been sent to the 9 pilot organisation’s for review and comment. Responses are required by

the end of June to inform the roll out to the network.

We are really pleased to report that the vast majority of GTAs have now returned their data sharing

agreements and we are working with RCU to find a solution for the small handful of members who

operate on a subcontract basis to providers who are external to the GTA network.

Next steps

1) Responses from pilot GTAs on the report format will be reviewed early July. 2) Data sharing agreements to Non Pilot organisations will be returned by 21st June 2019. 3) RCU will contact Non Pilots for the name of a nominated data contact who will then be given access rights to the platform. 4) RCU will request R10 data from all GTAs and additionally 17/18 data from Non Pilot GTAs. 5) RCU will present an overview of the system and the reports at the next members day on 23rd July 2019

We would ask that you please co-operate with data requests to ensure that the deadlines are adhered

in order that we have the fullest data set possible.

It is important to note that this is phase one of the project and once the foundations are in place and

operating effectively we will work with RCU and GTAs to further develop the reporting tools.

Steph Whalley

GTA England Company Secretary/ Quality & Network Associate Stephanie.whalley@gtaengland.co.uk

07703 906758

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Peer Review workshop training and assessment 18th and 19th September 2019 JTL Birmingham

This popular two day event is essential to members who would like to participate in GTA Peer

Reviews. It will cover all aspects of a typical review. (data analysis, scrutiny of previous report,

teaching and learning observations, progress checking etc.)

There will be a range of learner centred activities, including role play and an informal appraisal.

Taking part in peer reviews in considered to be highly beneficial in reinforcing quality practices.

Reviewers often say how they value the opportunity to visit other members organisations and

invariably, it equips them with fresh thoughts to bring back to the organisation. Previous courses

have received “outstanding” ratings with attendees commenting as follows,

“Trevor made this (data) easy to understand”, “excellent session very informative”,

“great exercise” (Lines of enquiry)” “Brilliant! Great use of video to put across the subject”

Please contact Lesley Powles to book your place on this event or use this link. If you have any

queries, please don’t hesitate to call me (Trevor Alley) on 07403149224

Quotes from previous Peer Review

events

Jon Barker Quality Manager AMRC Training Centre

“A thought provoking and highly active programme covering, in detail, tried and tested techniques for assessing provision against all aspects of the Ofsted inspection framework. Activities are vital for peer review but also

provide practical, highly effective measures that would support robust self-assessment. Trevor’s delivery is absolutely engaging and his experience is priceless.”

Wendy Miller - AMRC Training Centre BA (Hons) Education and Professional

Development, MEd, QTLS, FHEA - Learning and Teaching Lead

“The training not only provided a platform to meet peers from other providers but also to review and confirm our own practice in comparison. The session was informative and Trevor gave some very useful tips and ideas to take back to the AMRC. From this we have made changes to our observation documents and highlighted the need to continuously improve. Sharing practice is critical, instead of sitting in your own bubbles and having

nothing to compare it to. It is sometimes good to have a critical friend in order to be made aware of improvements to be made. As I observe learning and teaching on a daily basis, it gave me more confidence that

the methods and judgements I make are based on evidence and good practice.”

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GTA England News, Training

Events & Webinars

Date Time

Mode

Venue

Title

To Register click on Link

23rd July

10.30—15.00

Event MGTS Members Day https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/members-day-

tickets-64165550890

28th August 10.30 – 14.00

Workshop JTL SAR & QIP writing best

practice – Trevor Alley

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sar-qip-writing-

best-practice-trevor-alley-tickets-58135685400

18th & 19th September

Workshop JTL Peer Review Training –

Trevor Alley https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peer-review-

training-trevor-alley-tickets-58137800727

19th

November

Celebratory

Evening Meal

MTC GTA England 10th

Anniversary

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gta-england-10th-

anniversary-celebratory-evening-dinner-tickets-

64160690352

20th

November

Conference MTC GTA England Annual

Conference

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gta-england-

annual-conference-tickets-64164487710

Mark Maudsley Rebecca Rhodes

GTA England CEO Network Development Manager

mark.maudsley@gtaengland.co.uk rebecca.rhodes@gtaengland.co.uk

Tel: 07837 832 996 Tel: 07720 888149

Stephanie Whalley Lee Weatherly

Quality & Network Development Associate Quality & Network Development Associate

stephanie.whalley@gtaengland.co.uk lee. weatherly@gtaengland.co.uk

Tel: 07703 906758 Tel: 07801275477

Trevor Alley Lesley Powles

Quality Co-ordinator Digital & Communication Officer

trevor.alley@gtaengland.co.uk lesley.powles@gtaengland.co.uk

Tel: 07403 149224 Tel: 07772 276608

SAR/QUIP writing workshop - 28th August JTL Birmingham

This event will cover the principles involved in the production of a company (or departmental) SAR and

Improvement plan (QUIP).

It is intended that this will be a mix of presentations and workshop activities.

Members are invited to bring with them any of their company’s evidence so that you can begin to work on

your own SAR success rate data, teaching and learning observations profiles, learner and employer

surveys etc.

Assistance will be provided with any query that you may have.

It will be beneficial to you if you are able to have a reasonable view of what your strengths and areas for

improvement are.

Link to register your attendance