To receive updates via email join at www.lsect.co.uk/join.asp
Please pass this information on to colleagues that may find it useful. Thanks.

Also, there are a series of training and events with places available on www.lsect.com that you may be interested in. The full summer programme can been accessed from http://www.lsect.co.uk/summer/

Summer College Data Conference
I am delighted that John Perks (Head of the information authority), Una Bennet (Head of the Learning Records Service) and Rich Williams (Head of the Data Service) will be providing hot off the press business critical news and ILR developments at this conference on the 16th June 2011 in London. We will also be joined by Karl Bentley, whose's slot is called “Audit pitfalls and pitbulls ~ how to avoid getting bitten” and I suggest one not to be missed! Places are again going fast, so to secure your place visit: http://tinyurl.com/5vfn4tr

SFA publish Learner Eligibility and Contribution Rules 2011/12
This 40 page document (http://tinyurl.com/6zhv4py) “is the first step in determining the eligibility for funding”, so don’t expect all the answers just yet! It does however "provide detailed rules on the learner eligibility approach for 2011/12 together with rules on compliance in evidencing learner eligibility to assist colleges and training organisations in their enrolment processes.” Importantly, “This document will be used by Agency auditors in their audit testing for the necessary evidence of compliance with these rules.” and “forms part of the Contract/Funding Agreement between the provider and the Chief Executive of Skills Funding in the delivery of Agency provision”.

If you are a provider I suggest you pay particular attention to the tables and decision trees on pages 33-36, and consider how you will ensure this is incorporated into the enrolment form, enrolment staff training, enrolment process as well as regular specific thorough internal data audit checks to make sure the ILR fields have been correctly coded (and then update it all again for the entitlement changes in 2012/13). Simplification? Bureaucracy busting? Either way, in previous years this was called guidance, and now rather sensibly it is called the rules, because failing to adhere to them is still not an option.

Sub-contracting Funding Summit
If you are involved in sub-contracting, either as a college or training provider, then this is a must attend summit. The sold-out London summit took place this week, and you can read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/6kyk9dy. Sally Palfrey is responsible for Contracts and Partners at Sussex Downs College, and described the London summit as: “A thorough and essential event which accurately reflects the changing demands within FE”.

I am repeating the event on the 14th July in the North East and places are again going fast, so if you or a colleague would benefit from hearing top tips and advice from the best FE sub-contracting lawyers (Eversheds) and auditors (RSM Tenon Basingstoke office) then find out more an book places via: http://tinyurl.com/6j5o9fo

SFA Proposals for Funding Simplification
At the Summer College Data Conference (see above) I will be delivering a session on SFA and YPLA plans for simplification in 2012/13 (much of which is not in the public domain). Not so long ago the SFA presented their latest proposals to the AoC Skills Portfolio Group, and the paper can be downloaded via this link: http://tinyurl.com/67taqj5

It is interesting to note that the proposal suggests “payments will continue to be paid monthly and not stopped when the learner leaves”. Perhaps most surprisingly, whilst the percentage associated with achievement is ‘yet to be agreed’ there was not even a mention of the introduction of Outcome Incentive Payments! These will be piloted in 2011/12, and there will be more about this at the Summer College Data Conference (see above).

Apprenticeship Funding Practiclasses
I have waited until the funding rates for the new Apprentiecship Frameworks have been published (which will be happening in the next few weeks) before running some practical funding sessions on Apprenticeship (and Train to Gain successor programme) funding. So am excited to now be able to announce the four dates for this event. On 20th June I will be in the Midlands (http://tinyurl.com/20-06-11), 22 June in the South West (http://tinyurl.com/22-06-11), 27th June in London (http://tinyurl.com/27th0611) and 5th July in the Midlands (http://tinyurl.com/05th0711). If you are involved in the planning and delivery of Apprenticeship and Train to Gain funding in 2011/12 then this will prove a fantastic opportunity to find out what impact the new Frameworks have on funding rates.

Record youth unemployment whilst 25+ Apprenticeships rise
Figures release yesterday show that whilst overall unemployment falls, “Youth unemployment has risen by 66,000 to 965,000 – the highest figure since records began in 1992” (http://tinyurl.com/6yojq4m). This means nearly one in five (20%) 16-24 year olds are seeking work whilst unemployed. It seems highly likely that if this upward trend continues it will reach the 1 million mark very soon.

It is also interesting that a day later (today) the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published their latest Social Tends study, which points out that education spending more than doubled to £87bn between 1988 and 2011 (http://tinyurl.com/64vafy3). In particular, it points out that: “While the number of learners starting apprenticeships have generally increased in all age groups, the most noticeable change is in those aged 25 and over where there was a considerable increase from 300 apprenticeship starts in 2005/06 to 49,100 in 2009/10.”

Perhaps it should not be forgotten that before 2007/08 anyone aged 25 and over was ineligible for Apprenticeship funding (Apprenticeships were until four years ago a youth programme).

Encouraging employers to take 16-18 year-old apprentices in particular was an unsurprising priority in the Wolf Review of 14-19 Vocational Education, so it came as a disappointment to many that the recent DfE response had (as yet) little new to offer: http://tinyurl.com/63993mz (as I poined out in a quote in the Financial Times).

Apprenticeship in-year adjustment to allocations
On Tuesday the SFA published the revised Apprenticeship (16-18 and 19+) and Train to Gain allocations following the mid-year (period 2) reviews. These can be compared with the period one revised figures, as well as the original allocations (all three spreadsheets are on the SFA website: http://tinyurl.com/6cwqa4c