Children and Young People Committee
CYP(4)-04-12 Paper 7
Learning and Skills Measure 2009
Additional information from Semta
Welsh medium provision
1. Are young people who wish to study vocational courses through the medium of Welsh in further education colleges, usually able to do so? If not, for which types of courses, or in which areas, is Welsh medium provision most scarce?
National Occupational Standards (NOS) are available for Performing Engineering Operations and Business improvement Techniques bilingually and therefore qualifications can be written around the NOS to cater for any demand. The demand for Welsh or bilingual provision is very low as reported by Semtas Engineering delivery partners (FEIs and PTPs and Awarding Bodies). We are informed that all learners for apprenticeship programmes are offered Welsh or Billingual provision at initial screening and support measures put in place as a result. For short course provision designed specifically for industry the contracted delivers must provide a bilingual support package as usual unless the company/companies specify Welsh provision only.
supplementary questions
Is there any recent improvement in the number of vocational courses run through the medium of Welsh particularly by further education colleges?
The evidence from delivery partners show the majority of training provision and assessment is delivered though the medium of English as asked for by individuals and companies but bilingual support is always included.
Careers Advice
2. How can employers and sector skills councils help to ensure that young people receive careers advice that includes up to date labour market information on all their options?
Labour market information will never be 100% accurate as the response time to Industry information and advertisement is too short to influence overall choice. E.g. Apprenticeship target numbers for large organisations are planned in advance but demand mainly arrives from smaller sized organisations on a regional basis early in Sept/ Oct of the academic/training year that learners need to attend. We are promoting apprenticeships to employers and encouraging them to produce a strategic work force plan which takes account of the number of employees they require for their business which includes age profile of their staff. We also ensure that LMI is available to employers training providers and careers Wales to point out the skills gaps that exist in the sector.
Semta are supportive of The Apprenticeship Matching Service intiative implemented by Careers Wales which could help but the information must be updated with data at regular intervals by all stakeholders inclusive of SSCs, Industry, FEIs and HEIs and Careers Wales and then advertised/marketed as a system to external stakeholders such as schools, parents and most importantly learners. This identifies a major management of data issue involving many stakeholders.
It is very feasible to use this platform as a tool not just for matching but also to track progression through apprenticeship frameworks.
Semta feel a key improvement has been via the implementation of the PtA scheme where target numbers per industry pathway are agreed in advance with Dfes Apprenticeship Teams. This gives a clear indication of potential job opportunities within the specific pathway and supplements data received from Work Based Learning Contract Holders.
A key element of the PtA engineering programme is the recognition that learners can be assigned to an apprenticeship programme and gain a level 2 apprenticeship framework and certification before the employer is found.
Work-based learning
3. The focus of the Measure is on school and college based provision. Should the Measure be amended to include work-based learning?
This will depend on the definition of “Work – based learning “ and the specific age group of the learner.
For engineering Work Based Learning should be carried out in work or in a recognised “Sheltered Working Environment” i.e FEI or PTP which has industry standard equipment available to cater for sufficient learner numbers. The learning programme should be assessed to competence standards and would normally be for learners 16 to 18 years of age in the first instance before progressing onto higher apprenticeship frameworks.
Work Related Experience can be delivered to non - competence standards but in an applied way and can include awareness and classroom based activity supplemented by industry visits and attendance in a recognised “Sheltered Working Environment” This would normally be for learners 14 to 16 years of age.
School provision could also include a ratio of attendance in a local college or private training provider which could be deemed WBL as the standards are equal to Industry standard training in the workplace but because of the age range the activites could be non-assessable due to H&S and time constraints.
supplementary question
Do you think that more emphasis should be given to work-based learning opportunities when young people are making their choices at age 16? If yes, how should this be done for example by the schools or CareersWales?
Semta feel career choices actually begin and are influenced from the age of 13/14 at options year.
Semta have advertised the success of pilot programmes for the WBQPL which superceded another successful programme called the “Work Based Learning Pathway”
Both schemes were designed to allow an equivalent outcome of 5 GCSEs which could be gained by a single day of attendance in a “Sheltered Working Environment” This fitted into Options Blocks offered by schools involved.
Semta would recommend similar schemes be offered within the option menus of all schools and be run in parallel with core activity. Other SSCs could design similar sized options and outcomes to provide occupational choice via a single Work Based Option route supplementing the core.
The overall scheme should be advertised and marketed accordingly on a national basis.
For Engineering manufacture, the Welsh Baccalaureate is particularly suited to work based learning as students can work on projects such as productivity, supply chains as well as technology this also lends itself to the Wales Europe and the world unit as many companies have a global customer base, supply chain as well as global competitors, these projects could investigate the importance of Wales to the global supply chain as well the potential risks to Wales of the global economy.