Generic standards: engineering and manufacturing

Topic: Education & Skills
Date: July 2006
Source: OSCEng

Overview:

The Occupational Standards Council for Engineering has published a new, unified suite of generic occupational standards for engineering and manufacturing: the Engineering Competence Reference Standards (ECRS). These have been produced following nearly ten years of work by the Council to develop, promote and manage the implementation of generic competence standards across all sectors of engineering.

The original OSCEng generic standards were developed as two separate sets, dealing with different functional levels. The key difference with the new Engineering Competence Reference Standards is that they are presented according to subject matter and not with regard to a notional ‘level’ of application. ECRS Units can therefore be selected according to functional content: that is, the description of what needs to be done to provide evidence of competence in the workplace for a particular task.

ETB linked activity:

The use of the previous standards has been acknowledged in the design of vocational qualifications and by individual engineering companies, in devising training and development programmes and undertaking skills audits. The ETB recognises that these generic occupational standards can provide a useful framework for these purposes.

One of the priorities identified by the ETB in 2006 and included in the white paper, Skills: Getting on in business, getting on at work, was to map the “links between Advanced Apprenticeships and technician requirements” as detailed in UKSPEC – the professional standards for engineers and engineering technicians. With the IET and ECUK we will be feeding back to the awarding bodies and sector skills councils to help their design of vocational qualifications.
 

Further information:

Copies of the new Engineering Competence Standards are available, free of charge, in printed and electronic format from Tim Feest, Executive Director of OSCEng. E-mail: tim@osceng.co.uk.

Consultation: Pursuing excellence in further education

Topic: Education & Skills
Date: June 2006
Source: QIA

Overview:

Pursuing Excellence is the new Quality Improvement Agency’s first steps towards creating an Improvement Strategy for the whole learning and skills sector, i.e. all organisations which teach or train young people from 14+ and adults. This consultation paper builds on previous consultations including the Foster Review and the recent FE White Paper to spell out who’s responsible for what in quality improvement.

Amongst the many recommendations put forward for this strategy, some key ideas include:

•  A network of advisers to provide tailored support to colleges and training providers
•  New materials and tools to help colleges and training providers assess their own performance
•  The Excellence Gateway portal to share best practice
•  New professional development programmes for leaders, managers and staff working in FE
•  A National Learner Panel to ensure that learners' views are heard.
 

ETB linked activity:

The ETB welcomes the publication of this strategy document. The Quality Improvement Agency was set up to bring a sense of common purpose and shared understanding to the Further Education sector. This sector as it stands contains a myriad of different quality bodies, often applying different systems through their own interpretation of quality performance. All of which adds to the confusion over who is responsible in quality improvement, and therefore hampers their ability to drive up standards in this sector.

The ETB over 2006/07 will be continuing its research into the FE sector.
 

Further information:

For details on the QIA consultation visit their website.

For more information about the ETB research agenda please email Barry Cleasby, ETB Senior Executive for Research. Email: bcleasby@etechb.co.uk

Report: Effective CPD in schools

Topic: Education & CPD
Date: July 2006
Source: Ofsted
 

Overview:

This Ofsted report looks at schools’ arrangements for the continual professional development (CPD) of their staff. It is based on visits to 29 schools whose previous inspection reports identified strong practice in this area.

Overall, CPD was found to be most effective in the schools where the senior managers fully understood and recognised the potential for CPD to raise standards. In these scenarios they gave CPD a more central role in planning for their improvement. Therefore the teachers and support staff generally enjoyed high-quality CPD, chosen from a wide range of possible activities to meet the schools’ and individuals’ needs.

The report also identifies a number of concerns. Although senior managers identified their school’s needs systematically and accurately, the identification of individual teachers’ needs was not always so rigorous.
 

ETB linked activity:

The ETB is concerned with an area of need that is often unaddressed in CPD namely the development of knowledge and skills gained through experience in industry. For this reason we have launched with SEMTA and LSN a pilot scheme to deliver high-quality extended teacher and lecturer placements of 6-12 weeks in engineering companies.

We hope that by providing teachers and lecturers with experience in engineering we will better enable them to deliver the work-related aspects of courses through illustration and example, hopefully driving up standards in the quality of teaching science related subjects.
 

Further information:

The report on CPD in schools is available on the Ofsted website.

 
Launch: Sector Skills Agreements

Topic: Education & CPD
Date: July 2006
Source: SSDA
 

Overview:

This month saw the launch of the second tranche of Sector Skills Agreements. These agreements are being produced by every Sector Skills Council and the aim of these agreements is to secure for each sector the range and level of skills necessary to achieve productivity at internationally competitive levels.

The documents identify for these sectors:

•  Short-term, medium-term and long-term skills needs and map out the factors for change in the sector
•  Current training provision across all levels to measure its range, nature and employer relevance
•  The main gaps and weaknesses in workforce development

These are then used to outline the scope for collaborative action for improving the skills and productivity for these sectors.
 

ETB linked activity:

These framework agreements will help the ETB identify collective actions that can be taken to meet the identified skills priorities. Already we have signed a memorandum of understanding with SEMTA, the sector skills council for science and engineering. With SEMTA we will be combining our expertise and knowledge to ensure that young people are provided with the highest standards of science, engineering and technology careers information.

Further information:

A complete list of Sector Skills Agreements can be found on the SSDA website.
 

 
ETB Skills Conference 

The ETB is hosting its first annual skills conference on Thursday 12th October in Central London. This year the conference focuses on the issues of supply and demand in engineering and technology vocational skills.

The conference will provide a unique opportunity to hear the latest policy, research and intelligence activity on vocational skills, and examine the contribution Levels 3 to 5 skills can make to the future international competitiveness of UK science, engineering and technology (SET) industries and the economy as a whole.

The event will provide a forum where key stakeholders from education, business, industry and the SET community can share information, engage in debate, and hear from experts in their field and map out the next steps in ensuring access to an appropriately skilled workforce.

To register your interest in this conference, contact Debbie Young on 020 7324 4364 or e-mail debbie.young@neilstewartassociates.co.uk
 

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