A highly skilled workforce is essential to the countries economic growth to enable it to meet the demands of the consumer. The benefits for the individual will mean higher incomes and raise aspirations, for employers it will increase productivity allow them to be more competitive.
The review recommended that everyone should have;
- Basic skills which are represented as level 2, although for a small number this may be unobtainable.
- Adults with intermediate skills should move from a level 2 to level 3. Management skills will improve by achieving a level 4 qualification.
- An introduction of new diplomas and apprenticeships within the workforce and a greater emphasis on vocational skills
Lord Leitch concludes:
"Skills were once a key lever for prosperity and fairness. Skills are now increasingly the key lever."
Sir Andrew Foster’s review identified that there were some strengths within colleges. His report showed that there was a committed and professional workforce, a strong commitment to inclusion and a diversity of courses that were already being provided.
The review highlighted many weaknesses such as;
- Problems with the level of qualifications and skills
- Conflicts between FE colleges, the LSC and the DfES, there were too many bodies inspecting, advising and regulating.
- Too many students were not achieving the qualification on the course that they enrol, they were not realising their full potential.
The recommendations from the review were;
- To have a greater emphasis on vocational courses, those that end with a qualification so that they can be used within the workforce.
- Local employers need to be consulted on what skills they require their workforce to have so that the courses offered are relevant to the local community.
- Inspections should have a lighter approach; colleges should not being inundated with inspectors.
- Colleges need to work within the community to offer essential skills by providing outreach to those that would not be able to access the college, ensuring inclusion.
- Students should receive impartial advice from colleges with regard to courses that suit them and not the college.
- More institutions schools, colleges, voluntary organisations, support organisations and Higher Education establishments should all work with each other for the benefit of the learners and the employers.
The Government’s Ten Year Childcare Strategy entitled - Choice for parents, the best start for children, was published in 2004. This was another area the government felt needed to be tackled, they wanted to encourage parents to return to work after having children – many parents had complained that they were better off by not returning to work, there was little or no incentive for them. Many stated that they were simply better off on benefits, dependant on the state for many years until they had little or no self-confidence and almost no transferable skills. So by the time their children were at school they would be unemployable which could affect the UK’s economic growth and skill statistics.
The key themes in the strategy highlighted were:
- Childcare had been a neglected area of family policy within the government as it was seen as a private family matter.
- The Childcare workforce needed to achieve a higher level of education and training
- Provision was inadequate and research repeatedly demonstrated that it was the major barrier to employment among low-income families, especially lone parents.
In order to tackle child poverty some of the strategies highlighted were;
- To improve the availability, affordability and quality of childcare and formed part of the government’s strategy to tackle child poverty through expanding childcare to encourage more parents to return to work.
- Parents can get help with training or returning to work
- High quality provision delivered by a skilled early years and childcare workforce, with full daycare provision carers being professionally led with a strengthened qualification and career structure.
The 10-year strategy represents a ‘vision’ for childcare until 2010 ‘and beyond’:
‘The Government’s vision is that all families who need provision will have access to an affordable, flexible, high quality childcare place that meets their particular circumstances. The availability of childcare should not be an obstacle to participation in work, education or training.’
(HM Treasury 2004: 34)
Evaluation
Leitch’s review has had a great impact on further education – how could our economy grow at that level? Changes needed to be made. It was advising that colleges should change their emphasis on the courses that they provided shifting the emphasis towards courses that had a vocational purpose. Also he identified the need for all adults to acquire basic skills. Resulting in a change in funding, leisure courses lost a huge percentage of funding and the cost then had to be passed onto the student. Whilst vocational courses - those that resulted with transferrable skills were to receive greater funding, ensuring greater accessibility and inclusion.
Foster felt it was not enough to merely get students to enrol but colleges had to work on the retention rate by getting students to achieve the qualification, how? One way was to suggest that colleges went out of their comfort zone and utilised other premises to enable potential students to overcome barriers such as a previous bad experience whilst attending school or college or a travel issue. Additional learning support was to receive greater funding ensuring that students with impairments or learning disorders could access education and feel supported throughout the course.
Foster also recommended that the range of courses that were provided were relevant to the community that the college was within, so there was a need to consult local employers to ascertain what type of skills they needed their workforce to have. This could result that the employers would fund their employees to undertake certain courses whilst remaining in their employment. Although the Foster review seemed to be bias in looking specifically to the 14-19 learner and not taking the adult learners needs into account.
The government’s ten Year strategy highlighted the need for there to be sufficient quality & affordable childcare places to enable parents to have the choice of returning to work. How could this be achieved? There was already not enough nursery, playgroup places for the number of under 5’s in the country, so there was only one way to fill the gap with home-based childcarers – affordable with the introduction of working tax credit and skilled through achieving a minimum level 3 qualification by 2010.
For some tutors, especially those that taught leisure courses a negative effect would have been the result of both Leitch and Foster’s review. Also colleges saw the negative side they had to undergo a new direction and saw major structural changes within staffing and funding.
A positive outcome is that adults and younger learners will acquire the skills, knowledge and qualifications to be able to lead more meaningful and successful lives.
The positive impact has meant that suddenly CPPD was not just a buzz word but a vital part of a tutor’s role. All adults needed to achieve a higher level of education including tutors full or part-time - lifelong learning.
‘Throughout their working and learning lives adults must recognise the importance of continuous development; continuous personal development is as important for fulfilling social expectations as continuous professional development is for fulfilling economic expectations.’
(IfL FE White Paper Response)
Conclusion and recommendations
How has all this impacted on my role as a tutor, and what have the changes been?
The course that I was teaching was the CCP (Certificate in Childminding Practice). This became obsolete as a result of the strategy and both reviews so needed to be re-written (by CACHE and the National Childminding Association) to became the DHC (Diploma in Home-based Childcare) a recognised Level 3 qualification. As the CCP did not have any level, it was a course that childminders did to either underpin their knowledge for an NVQ level 3 in early years or as a standalone award. The course had much more detail which required me to complete the NVQ level 3 as part of my CPPD; I chose to do this as there was quite a wait for the new course and to keep myself up to date with changes.
The DHC award carries more value in the child care environment, meaning that probable employers of the childminders would be able to see that they have trained to the same level as a nursery worker or a pre-school employee.
The DHC now consists of five units; the first entitled Introducing Childminding Practice (ICP) which is now mandatory for all childminders as an Ofsted requirement. As a further result of the change the ICP now ends with a multiple choice test as a summative assessment as opposed to assignments which was the previous course assessment. In order to support my students I researched the best possible ways to tackle Multiple Choice Test (MCQ) and the types of questions that they may face. I utilised the CACHE website to do this and also sought my peers advice from those that already had experience in MCQ’s. The other four units have a summative assessment with assignments.
All of our students get a great sense of achievement in completing the diploma. Some have never achieved any qualifications. When they fill out the monitoring forms a great number have not even got level 1, so although they require a little more support this has meant greater access to education for them. I have had a greater need to access additional learning support for my students which, as a result of the reviews, has received greater funding meaning and is much more accessible. I have needed to update my knowledge of what is available as I do not directly work for a college but in an outreach capacity. I consulted the college’s website and sought advice from the ALS department who were very helpful.
The transformation fund was set up and funded by the Government as part of the Ten Year Strategy to allow the childcare workforce to improve their skills. This has allowed greater access to the qualification so Richmond Childminding Group has had to run two courses concurrently to meet the demand. This has meant that I have had a greater opportunity to teach and it has allowed me to stay with the same group of learners throughout all the units. For them it has meant continuity of teaching which has had an impact on their learning making them feel comfortable with each other and they have got used to my style of teaching. It has also ensured that in order to support them through this new qualification I have had to seek further training such as;
- Undertaking the Certificate in Education to enable me to teach the required hours of the DHC course and also increase my knowledge of the role of a tutor and how best to support my students. This course has also shown me other areas of teaching and I have looked in more detail into the awarding bodies’ role.
- Undertaking the Foundation degree in early Years to ensure that I am up to date on issues such as childrens curriculums and the theories of teaching, childrens development, inclusion etc.
- Undertaking Common Assessment Framework Training – to ensure that I can pass on information to Home-based practitioners
Other ways I have sought to develop are;
- Subscribing to Nursery World magazine again to keep up to date on changes within the childcare environment
- Keeping up to date on current issues with Ofsted
- Accessing briefings on the new EYFS which will be implemented in 2008 and requires all childcare practitioners to provide evidence that they are complying with its regulations. It also incorporates the National Daycare Standards and welfare requirements.
- Being observed by my peers and line manager on a regular basis – also observing other tutors to enhance my own practice as a tutor
What are the principles that I need to plan for my future CPPD?
- Reflect on my own skills – where I am now?, what I have achieved already?, My strengths, weaknesses
- Identify any gaps – where do I need to go next, what do I want to achieve, what areas do I need support in?
- Create a professional development plan – utilising the information I have found from the above
- Complete a professional development record – using the IFL website. Keeping a record of all CPPD activities that I complete.
- Reflect on what I have achieved, how it has benefited me personally and professionally. What has the impact been?
Any goals that I identify need to be;
- Specific – Targeted to my own relevance professionally and personally, how relevant is the goal?
- Measurable – How will I meet the objectives?
- Achievable – Are the objectives attainable?
- Realistic – Can I achieve the objectives with the resources available
- Time – within a reasonable timescale
One thing I feel concludes this report is that ensuring I continue to develop both professionally and personally will almost certainly benefit me by giving me confidence and developing my self-esteem but will also benefit those around me, especially my students who will be able to develop themselves fully and realise their highest potential, perhaps reaching self-actualisation.
Continuous professional development is a vital tool to enhance ones skills, knowledge and personal qualities.
Word count - 2809
References
Curzon, L. B. (2005), Teaching in Further Education. 6th Edition, London and New York: Continuum International Publishing
Petty, G. (2004), Teaching Today, Kingston upon Thames: Nelson Thornes
Rogers, A. (2002), Teaching Adults. 3rd edition, Buckingham: Open University Press
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