Review of Youth Training. Youth Council for Northern Ireland Youth Work + Employability Seminar Wednesday 25 th March 2015

Transcription

1 Review of Youth Training Youth Council for Northern Ireland Youth Work + Employability Seminar Wednesday 25 th March 2015

2 Background Minister announced review of apprenticeships and youth training in February Securing our Success, the Northern Ireland Strategy on Apprenticeships, published June The interim report of the review of youth training published for public consultation in November 2014.

3 Youth training: the Minister s vision Our aspiration is to build a system of youth training that will be recognised both nationally and internationally by employers, further and higher education providers, young people and parents/guardians for its quality, flexibility and transferability. The system will be centred on the career aspirations and needs of young people, and will be a conduit to support their ongoing career development. Young people in training will be sought after by prospective employers, and the system will be respected by young people and parents/guardians as an alternative progression route to the traditional academic pathway. By linking a new baccalaureate-style professional and technical award to the needs of employers and the wider economy, the youth training system will better match demand and supply, and provide a seamless progression route for young people to a breadth of professional and technical occupations.

4 Themes The report contains 26 proposals, under four key themes: Core components for the youth training system Supporting young people Delivery and employer engagement structures Ensuring quality

5 Key policy proposals A new youth training system, available to all young people aged 16 24, that facilitates progression into an apprenticeship, further education or sustained employment. Accessible to those starting a new job, those in existing roles, and those currently not in employment. Delivers structured work-based learning for all participants. Provides a new, baccalaureate-style professional and technical award at level 2, equating to a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades A* - C, including English and mathematics. Young people to be supported by impartial careers advice and guidance, pastoral support, mentoring, financial support and flexibilities to those with additional requirements. Linked in to the apprenticeships central service, Sectoral Partnerships, Strategic Advisory Forum and Quality Model.

6 A new, baccalaureate-style curriculum offer A new professional and technical award at level 2 for each sector equating to a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades A* - C, including English and mathematics. Combines professional and technical qualifications with numeracy and literacy qualifications. Includes flexibility to add any other qualifications relevant to a sector s needs. Designed by sectoral partnerships, containing representatives of employers and curriculum experts.

7 One flexible system with two routes The Youth Training System Employed route (New and existing job roles) Professional and technical training at level 2, delivered while the young person is in employment. Non-employed route Professional and technical training combined with structured workbased learning.

8 Case study: the MBO system in the Netherlands The Dutch middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, or MBO system was recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as the key case study of effective VET at upper-secondary level that ensures progression into higher level education and training. Maintains high completion rates of 93% and trains young people through either school-based training and a structured work placement (BOL) or work-based training for young people in employment (BBL). While the majority of MBO students (around 80%) move into the college-based MBO strand, due to the shared curriculum across both routes, young people can switch pathways from BOL to BBL if they gain an employment contract and continue with their studies.

9 Case study: the 48-hours initiative Structured work-based learning is key to an effective professional and technical training programme. At the Lillebælt Academy in Denmark, the 48-hour initiative was designed to expose students to new forms of work. Young people were given a practical assignment relating to a problem the company was facing, with the level of problem matched to the skill level of the participating students. Repetition of tasks in these tasters was avoided by the college negotiating a different 48-hour event with each employer, based on their specific needs at that time

10 Case study: Traineeships in Wales Independent careers advice and guidance is also useful in ensuring effective outcomes and guiding young people s choices. In Wales, the Traineeships programme focuses on giving young people the skills needed to progress to further education at a higher level, an apprenticeship or employment. A key element of the programme is the role played by Careers Wales, who provide an independent check on the suitability and relevance of the Traineeship for the young person. To start a traineeship, young people need a written referral from a Careers Wales adviser. The programme has recorded positive outcomes, with 67% of leavers in 2012/13 having a positive progression to employment (including self-employment or voluntary work) or learning at a higher level.

11 Case study: trade committees in Denmark The success of Denmark s VET system in encouraging high participation rates at both upper-secondary level (128,238 VET participants compared to 131,505 general participants in 2010) and in adult education and continuing training (the highest in the EU) is in large part due to the strong industrial engagement achieved by sector-based trade committees and a national trade council. Both employers and employees engage in planning, design and steering the VET system through representative bodies, which finance the trade committees and their secretariat. Trade Committees play the key role in designing the curriculum for their sectors (defining learning objectives, examination standards, deciding on duration and the ratio of college and work-based learning) and in quality assurance measures. Employment outcomes are monitored across all of VET programmes by central government, who then enter a dialogue with the relevant trade committee to devise action plans to address poor performance.

12 Case study: registration of host employers in the Netherlands In the Netherlands, the Foundation for Cooperation between Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market (SBB) in conjunction with local colleges, recruits, accredits and monitors firms in relation to the quality of the work placements delivered through VET. Participating employers are assessed every four years on the basis of specific quality criteria relating to the safety of the working environment, the experience and competence of in-house supervisory and training staff, and the capacity of the employer to generate sufficient training opportunities. Companies achieving accreditation are advertised on a public website (Stagemarkt.nl), allowing learners to search for placements with approved employers.

13 Strategic context: a new professional and technical skills landscape Apprenticeships, Further Education and Higher Education Level 3 to Level 8 Youth Training A new baccalaureate-style award at level 2 equating to five GCSEs at grades A* - C, including English and mathematics Further Education, ESF, United Youth and Pathways to Success Addressing barriers, delivering qualifications at entry level and level 1

14 Next Steps Public consultation on proposals recently concluded, leading to the publication of a final strategy in Spring Linking the proposed approach with ongoing pilot testing activity being taken forward through the implementation of the NI Strategy on Apprenticeships. Exploring opportunities to pilot elements of the proposed approach, including methods of securing high-quality work-based learning opportunities for young people. Developing the branding and marketing of the youth training system to engage young people, employers, parents/guardians and other key stakeholders. Scoping out the development of the new baccalaureate-style professional and technical award at level 2.

15 Timescales Final strategy to be published in Spring 2015 Piloting of approach to be carried out in 2015/16 Full implementation in 2016/17