Other than the slow-motion-car-crash-waiting-to-happen that is the fair schools funding formula, the reform of technical education is the only show in town during the current Parliament (however long it may last), according to the Queen’s Speech.
Accordingly, the Department for Education is boosting its manpower to prepare itself for the challenges ahead. FErret therefore decided to have a nosey at a few of the vacancies being advertised at Sanctuary Buildings, and found a batch of 13 roles that need to be filled in the department’s professional and technical education group - a “high performing, fun, friendly and supportive group” apparently. Fun, FErret suspects, may be a bit of a stretch.
Among them was a new post in the skills provider strategy team. The job description starts off well enough: “FE colleges and other FE providers are at the heart of delivering the government’s ambitions for technical skills education.” Hear, hear.
But this is the point where FErret starts to get concerned: “Our evidence base about those providers, their current capability to deliver high-quality learning and their capacity to improve is limited,” the advert continues. “This post will lead work to develop a comprehensive understanding of the sector and a strategy for building its capacity to deliver government priorities such as the new technical education routes, higher level technical education and apprenticeships.”
Whoa, hang on a minute. So the DfE reckons that FE providers are “at the heart” of its plans - at the same time as admitting that it doesn’t understand the sector? A “limited” comprehension of the sector’s “current capability to deliver high quality learning and [its] capacity to improve” doesn’t exactly instil confidence.
Here’s hoping for some clued-up new recruits to oversee the introduction of T levels. Hell, with a salary of £50,827-£58,957, FErret could be tempted to throw his hat into the ring himself.
The role’s duties include “assessing the impact of recent policies” and “comparing the situation in FE with that in HE and schools”. Those are a couple of easy ones to answer: “dire” and “dreadful”. DfE: FErret is awaiting his contract in the next post.
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