Today’s post comes courtesy of Lorna Tyrtania, ThirdForce Senior Product Manager

Today John Hayes, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, announced at the Association of Learning Providers (ALP) conference that Key Skills in Apprenticeship Frameworks will be extended until March 2011. This will allow providers and employers the choice of offering either Functional Skills or Key Skills until 31 March 2011.

The Minister stressed that this is a temporary measure to allow more flexibility for providers and employers whilst they finalise their preparations for delivery of Functional Skills from April 2011. This announcement has been carefully positioned to stress it is not  viewed as a postponement of Functional Skills but rather a period of dual running alongside the Key Skills qualifications.

ThirdForce has lobbied alongside some of our key work based learning providers for the Functional Skills implementation timeline to be reassessed and the assessment delivery model tailored to provide the necessary flexibility for success in a work based learning arena.

ThirdForce are delighted that this announcement has been made as it offers the opportunity for us to continue to robustly pilot our unique blended U-skills Functional Skills solution and work with our existing key employers and new clients alike to make the April 2011 implementation and delivery of Functional Skills a complete success.

John Hayes (Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning) statement:

“This coalition Government believes the best way to teach the practical skills employers need is through the partnerships between learners, employers and trainers that we know as Apprenticeships.

“We have already shown that Apprenticeships are central to our approach to vocational skills, by redirecting £150 million of funding to create an additional 50,000 high-quality Apprenticeship places. In particular we want to expand Apprenticeships at Level 3 and improve access to Apprenticeships for SMEs.

“Functional Skills are due to replace Key Skills in Apprenticeships this year, and this will necessarily change how they are delivered in the workplace. We believe this will make the system work better, but we need to get the implementation right. That is why, after speaking to providers, I have decided to extend the use of Key Skills in Apprenticeship Frameworks to March 2011 and continue to consult with the sector on the best way forward. This will give providers the time and flexibility they need to provide the best service possible to Apprentices.

“Ultimately whether to learn and what learning to choose will remain a matter of individual choice, but it is clear that by informing people we simultaneously empower them. And that’s something from which everyone – providers and employers as well as learners – benefits.”

If you’re interested in joining the ThirdForce Functional Skills pilot please contact us now.