Eastern Daily Press ’s Post

This article about the social benefits of an educated workforce is very interesting. Alaska 529 accounts can be used for many forms of education, from K-12 to traditional college, to trade schools and apprenticeships! https://lnkd.in/gApSJWUm 

Ten points about the future of British tertiary education from the recent address to U.K. university vice chancellors by Andreas Schleicher. Lots of things to think about and do. Andreas is the OECD’s Director for Education and Skills. There is a need to: 1. Increase the number of learners on non-university pathways 2. Reduce the complexity of education and vocational qualification choice at 16 and 18 3. Increase the number of apprenticeships 4. Expand participation in post-compulsory education 5. Develop stackable micro-credentials 6. Reduce the relative cost of higher education provision. The U.K. has the third (now the second) most expensive higher education system among OECD member states and too much of this cost is paid by students 7. Provide better adult and lifelong learning 8. Question whether most students need to attend a research-intensive institution. 9. Encourage different types of provider to improve effectiveness 10. Reduce the cross subsidisation of research from teaching income.

Yesterday, I attended the RSA presentation of the Creative PEC’s new State of the Nations report, which examined creative further education challenges across the UK. Led by an expert panel that included Sara Whybrew, Professor Paul Moore, Lesley Giles, Heather Carey, and chaired by Lilli Geissendorfer. You can read the full report here: https://shorturl.at/H8G1K Key findings from the Creative PEC’s new research include: 1️⃣ Creative FE enrolments are declining in all parts of the UK and at a faster rate than average across all subject disciplines. 2️⃣ A 57% drop in creative subject FE enrolment in England between 2014/15 and 2022/23 (aged 19+) – compared with a 31% drop across all subjects. 3️⃣ There was a 68% drop in creative learning at FE institutions in Wales between 2012/13 to 2022/23. 4️⃣ There was a 20% decline in the number of college students studying Creative FE in Scotland (full-time equivalent) over the same decade. 5️⃣ A 28% fall in enrolments in creative subjects at FE institutions in Northern Ireland from 2017 to 2022. 6️⃣ Creative learners tend to be less ethnically and socioeconomically diverse than the wider FE student population. Naturally, the issues are multifaceted, and the panel discussed the need for a triangulated effort between education, employers and the government. ➡ Address Decline in Enrolments: Creative FE enrolments are declining faster than average across all subjects. Urgent measures are needed to reverse this trend. ➡ Increase Apprenticeships: Low take-up in creative apprenticeships, particularly outside ICT. Expansion is needed in other creative disciplines. ➡ Improve Rural Access: Creative FE is highly concentrated in urban areas. Enhance provision in rural and less serviced regions. ➡ Boost Achievement Rates: Address variable retention and achievement rates across creative disciplines and regions, particularly post-COVID-19. ➡ Enhance Diversity: Improve ethnic and socioeconomic diversity among creative FE learners, with a focus on underrepresented groups. Yesterday, we also saw the 2024 King’s Speech, which included the Skills England Bill. Skills England aims to create partnerships with employers, emphasising vocational training and apprenticeships. This aims to ensure that education is aligned with labor market needs, improving employment outcomes for students. Creative subjects are far from a 'soft option'; they are essential for addressing society's greatest challenges and enhancing the quality of life.

Higher education is taking steps to improve teacher education. But we want to partner with them to take leaps. I had this thought recently after reading an article for The 74 by Deans for Impact (DFI) Executive Director Valerie Sakimura (article in the comment section). She explores the elements of successful teacher preparation programs and gives specific examples of programs that strive to make teacher education more affordable, accessible, and hands-on. Some strategies programs use include offering night and weekend courses, reducing tuition, and offering aspiring teachers a stipend for apprenticeships. I don’t want to dismiss the value of these efforts - they are steps in the right direction. But I want to challenge higher education programs to think bigger. We can go even further to make it practical for aspiring teachers to pursue an education. Our team helps higher education institutions and school districts partner on an employer-delivered model of teacher education. For aspiring teachers, it means more opportunities to earn their teaching degrees on the job (during their work hours, not nights and weekends). And it means they earn a salary and benefits while completing their degree. I appreciate the strides higher education is making to improve teacher education. But I am eager to see institutions and districts go even further to improve the flexibility, affordability, and practicality of teacher training.

Live from American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) 2024 Annual Meeting this week: Join Integrating the Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) into Registered Teaching Apprenticeships on February 16, 2024, 11 a.m. MT. https://lnkd.in/dVpmJi-5 Amid the continued interest in registered teaching apprenticeships, examples highlighting the progress and challenges programs have faced in their pursuit of impactful "learn while you earn" models have been limited. Particularly, as leaders navigate the added complexity of merging multiple funding streams and meeting programmatic requirements, there remains a clear need for opportunities to explore different approaches and hear lessons from early implementation efforts. To meet this need, The Pathways Alliance and EdPrepLab invite attendees to join three programs as they share their recent efforts to advance paid apprenticeships in their different state and local contexts and reflect on the progress and challenges in building models that not only meet the moment where there are pressing teacher shortages to tackle but to also provide quality preparation pathways that can support long-term teacher quality and that reflect the most up-to-date research on how students learn and develop. Panelists include: Amelia A. Brown, Ph.D., Director, Office of Professional Licensure, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Cindy Gutierrez, Director, Clinical Teacher Education & Office of Partnerships, School of Education & Human Development, University of Colorado Denver Susan Keesey, Director, School of Teacher Education and Associate Professor, Special Education, Western Kentucky University #AACTE24

Educator apprenticeships require a different way of thinking, and this new series on It's a RAP promises to lay the foundation to understanding what Registered Apprenticeships are and how they are transforming educator preparation. Check it out. https://itsarap.blog/

Further Education (FE) and sixth form colleges are often a forgotten bit of UK education, and arguably hugely undervalued. If the government is serious about transforming opportunities and driving growth, then their critical role needs to be recognised. Colleges currently educate over 600,000 16-18 yr olds, offering a mix of A-levels, apprenticeships, T-levels, and BTECH’s. They have a huge role in building skills and getting young people into the workforce, particularly for those not following a university route – and are a bigger part of the sector than school sixth forms, which educate around 400,000 young people. Let's also not forget the valuable role that colleges play in providing training for adults who are upskilling or changing careers altogether. BUT these colleges are increasingly squeezed: ▪ Real terms funding per pupil is 9% lower than it was in 2010 (funding per pupil in school sixth forms has also dropped in real terms BTW). ▪ FE college staff have seen significant real-terms pay cuts of 18% since 2010 – much more than the between 5% and 13% pay erosion teachers in schools have experienced. On average teachers in colleges were paid about £7,000 less that teachers in schools last year. ▪ College staff were not included in this week’s 5.5% pay award for teachers, making this disparity worse. ▪ More college teachers than schoolteachers are leaving the profession each year (16% vs. 10%). Surely this is not the way to build the skilled workforce we need? We need more support for all the amazing colleges out there!

RICHMOND — Today the Virginia Department of Education awarded its second round of Grow Your Own Grants totaling $1.52 million to 24 school divisions to assist in creating registered teacher apprenticeship programs to help recruit and train well-prepared future teachers within their communities. A focused approach to helping school divisions deal with teacher recruitment challenges, Grow Your Own programs help future teachers work towards their bachelor’s degrees and fulfill all licensure requirements, so that upon completion of the program participants will be ready to accept a full-time teaching position in their communities. The VDOE has partnered with the National Center for Grow Your Own to become a national leader in helping develop effective registered apprenticeship programs to assist school divisions in recruiting teacher candidates from their local communities. Under this model, aspiring Virginia teacher candidates can include paraprofessionals and other staff already working in the schools, dual-enrolled graduating high school seniors, or career switchers with an interest in classroom teaching. Twenty-eight Virginia school divisions have launched Grow Your Own registered teacher apprenticeship programs during the 2023-2024 school year.

Did you know...you can hold a Masters degree and therefore qualify to teach at any community college within your subject area, but still be deemed unqualified to teach high school students? What if California provided a fast track to a preliminary Single Subject teaching credential to anyone holding an accredited Masters degree, and required just one methods course to clear it? What if we replaced an unpaid "student teaching" requirement with a paid teacher apprenticeship program? We need to reform teacher credentialing to best promote dual enrollment, prepare for the looming teacher shortage, and ensure high quality education for our secondary students! #teaching #dualenrollment

New national league tables have revealed Northampton College is now the fifth best-performing college in the country.   Data released as part of the latest 2022/23 National Achievement Rates Tables (NART) shows we have been placed fifth out of 225 colleges for 16 to 18-year-old education and training. We were rated 10th for our adult provision and given an overall rating of fifth nationally. The rating cements Northampton College’s position as the leading provider of Further Education in the Midlands, and among the very best in the whole country, thanks to a continuing and determined focus on ensuring each individual student reaches their full potential. The data has revealed that 96 per cent of our students pass their course, coming out as the best college in the Midlands. Our Principal Patricia Brennan-Barrett OBE, MA, PGCE SpLD Dip, said: “To officially be listed as one of the highest achieving colleges in the country is a huge honour. These ratings reflect the incredible work and dedication of our staff and students and I’m delighted that commitment to excellence has been recognised. “It’s a phenomenal effort and is proof that focusing on each student as an individual and really concentrating on developing their wider skills for employability and innovation pays dividends. “There is a relentless focus on equipping students with the very best skills that prepares them to succeed. All staff have bought in to this approach and as a result, students are making good progress in developing their confidence, self-esteem and skills for work.” The rating puts Northampton College in the top two per cent of colleges in the country while it ranked first for its English for Speaker of other Languages (ESOL) provision. National Apprenticeship data has also revealed an overall achievement rate of 10 per cent above the national average.   The College has seen increasing numbers of students aged between 16 and 18-years-old thanks to a growing reputation, with 500 extra students enrolling last year. Year-on-year applications are up once again this year.   Over the past 10 years we have worked with employer partners to develop an ambitious curriculum that aligns with local and regional skills priorities, ensuring clear career pathways and empowering students for success in their chosen careers. A total of 94 per cent of Northampton College students progress on to further study or employment and many go on to become the employers of the future.     We have created a positive ‘whole college’ culture with high expectations of what students can achieve, backed up by inspirational teaching, learning and assessment practice and outstanding levels of care and support for students.