Fury as big city colleges denied right to teach apprenticeships MPs: Government ‘destroying technical education’ for teenagers in Birmingham
CITY MPs have condemned a decision which will see three major Birmingham colleges denied funding for urgently-needed apprenticeship courses.
Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet), South & City College Birmingham and Solihull College all failed to make the Government’s new register of organisations allowed to offer apprenticeship training.
Apprenticeships Minister Robert Halfon agreed to meet MPs to discuss their concerns, after he was told the Government was “destroying technical education for 16-year-olds in the West Midlands”.
And Labour candidate for West Midlands mayor, Sion Simon, vowed to overturn the decision if he wins the May election.
But Birmingham MPs said the Government was failing to provide Birmingham’s workforce with vital skills employers desperately need.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Gisela Stuart (Lab, Edgbaston) said: “Is the Minister not aware that if he goes ahead with that decision, he will essentially be destroying technical education for 16-year-olds in the West Midlands?”
And Jack Dromey (Lab, Erdington) said: “Does the Minister begin to understand the outrage over this inexplicable decision? Will he meet Birmingham’s MPs, so that we can make further representations to him?”
Mr Halfon agreed to meet the MPs but defended the decision, saying: “Getting on the register is a competitive procurement process – everyone had to fulfil the same criteria. It is important to note that... those that did not get on the register can reapply, so they may yet succeed.”
However, the Government announcement came as a major blow to the college bosses affected.
BMet Principal Andrew Cleaves said: “We put forward a solid proposal to the Skills Funding Agency (and) we are very surprised and disappointed by the outcome.” He added: “We are now working with the Skills Funding Agency to see how we can address things and are confident that this will reach a positive conclusion over the coming weeks.”
A South & City College spokesman said: “We were very shocked to discover the application had been unsuccessful, given our grade 2 (good) Ofsted report and excellent track record of delivering apprenticeships.
“We are keen to understand why this was the case and have already sought feedback. It is our attention to reapply at the next possible opportunity.”
A Solihull College spokesman said: “The college is indeed planning to reapply and we hope the situation is resolved very quickly.”
All three declined to say if jobs could go as a result as some fear.
The Government said all providers on the register had been through a rigorous assessment process – but there were claims training providers with ‘inadequate’ Ofsted ratings or no experience had made the list.
The Government said it aimed to ensure apprenticeships were better structured and aligned to the needs of employers.
This includes a new levy starting on April 6 which will require employers with a wage bill of over £3 million a year to pay 0.5 per cent of it into investing in apprenticeships.
Those firms will then be able
We put forward a solid proposal to the Skills Funding Agency... we are very surprised and disappointed by the outcome
to choose their apprenticeship training delivery from the newly published register for all apprentices starting their programmes from May 2017.
Acacia Training, a Stokebased private provider working with around 200 students in Birmingham, said the potential impact of the register was “huge” and it had written to the Skills Funding Agency asking why it failed to make the list when it had a ‘ good’ rating from Ofsted.
“Unless something is done to allow us access to the invitation to tender we, along with many other providers, will surely have to cease trading as our whole business is really the delivery of apprenticeships,” said Acacia team leader and assessor AnneMarie Morris.
A total of 1,708 providers from 2,327 applicants made the register, including the University of Birmingham and University College Birmingham and several NHS trusts.
BMet Principal Andrew Cleaves