Consortium For Learning - News

Hull Apprentice scoops major Apprenticeship Award

Dave — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:11:16 +0100

Sam is celebrating after scooping the major prize at Leeds Town Hall in front of over 350 apprentices, employers, business leaders and political figures from across the region.

Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) the regional Apprenticeship Awards are designed to celebrate the achievements of apprentices and the businesses that employ them. Sam will now represent Yorkshire and the Humber and automatically go through to a judging panel for the National Apprenticeship Awards held on the 15th July in London.

Sam has completed an Advanced Engineering Apprenticeship and Higher Professional Diploma qualification through Hull Training and his local employer, Ideal Boilers. The judges felt he exceeded all expectations with his high level of job awareness and effort. They believe he is yielding good benefits for his employer, by making excellent progress and playing a key part in many work projects. He is regarded as an exceptional apprentice and a real role model for others.

Nick Wilson, regional director for the NAS in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “This year’s awards were a terrific showcase of the outstanding wealth of Apprenticeship talent that we have across Yorkshire and the Humber. Given the volume and high calibre of entries we received, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sam on this superb achievement.

Aimhigher Humber announced as Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony main sponsor

Dave — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:40:03 +0100

Aimhigher Humber works with local people and partner organisations to widen participation of under-represented groups to higher level learning. Aimhigher is a national government-funded programme.

Susan Well’s of Aimhigher Humber stated “In June 2010, the Aimhigher Humber Area Partnership Committee agreed to sponsor the Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony 2010. We are pleased to support this activity which celebrates the achievements of all the Humber Apprentices at Level 3 and encourages their continued professional and educational development. The Apprentices are excellent role models for other Aimhigher learners.”

Steve Roe Chief Executive of CfL stated “I would like to thank Aimhigher Humber for sponsoring this prestigious event. This kind contribution will ensure all of the Advanced Apprentices attending this year’s ceremony will have an extra special day”

For further information regarding this year’s Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony, please follow this [link]

Yorkshire and the Humber Apprenticeship Awards 2010

Cheryl — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:04:47 +0100

Hosted by BBC Look North presenters Harry Gration and Christa Ackroyd, the awards ceremony will be a spectacular event which will shine a spotlight on the success stories of Apprenticeships within our region.

As the current Advanced Apprentice of the Year for the Yorkshire and the Humber region, Dave Thompson was invited to be a part of the judging panel for the awards. Out of the seven Advanced Apprentices shortlisted for this year’s regional awards only one of these was nominated from the Humber sub-region. This was Samuel Buckley, an Advanced Apprentice with Ideal Boilers, who has completed his Advanced Apprenticeship with Hull Training.

CfL would like to wish Sam and Hull Training all the best for the Awards.

CfL Apprenticeship Information and Advice Workshops

Cheryl — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:23:09 +0100

The impartial workshop is delivered interactively to small groups of young people during a one-hour session in school as part of their careers education and guidance programme. The workshops are now being funded by three of the four local authorities in the Humber as part of their approach to support achievement of the local Apprenticeship target. Predominately delivered to Year 10 and 11 young people, the workshops cover, what an Apprenticeship is, the range of Apprenticeships on offer, which providers deliver Apprenticeships in the area and how to apply for an Apprenticeship. Both in Hull and North East Lincolnshire, this process starts much earlier with workshops being delivered from Year 9 to support young people's options choices for progression to an Apprenticeship, including the opportunities for Young Apprenticeships.

The National Apprenticeship Service has been so impressed with the workshops that they have requested CfL to support the development of the service across Yorkshire and the Humber. CfL is now sharing its expertise in this capacity with other WBL Network organisations in the region. As a result, it is hoped that even more young people are able to receive high quality, impartial information and advice about Apprenticeships in schools across the region.

CfL Newsletter now available

Dave — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:43:59 +0100

In the forthcoming days you will be receiving the first edition of the CfL Newsletter “CfL Network News - The Work Based Learning Newsletter for the Humber”.

If you have yet to receive a copy of this newsletter and you would like to be added to the mail list for future publications, please e-mail info@cflhumber.org.uk

The new-look Newsletter has a new name and format and we would like feedback to enable the continued development and improvement to the format and content.

A questionnaire is included with this edition and there is also the opportunity to complete the questionnaire electronically if you would prefer please follow below link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/cflnetworknewsevaluation

The newsletter is also available below as a download. Please right click the link below and "save target as..".

HAP launches new SMS text service for Apprentices

Dave — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:58:06 +0000

HAP – Txts provides Apprentices the opportunity to have their voice heard. To complement the HAP website and forum, this new service enables Apprentices & Advanced Apprentices from across the Humber sub-region to text HAP followed by any queries, worries, concerns or praise of a Apprenticeship provider or assessor anonymously to 0779 7885151.

On a monthly basis Apprenticeship providers across the Humber sub-region will be informed of any positive or negative feedback to give the provider the opportunity to use the data to help inform their Learner Involvement Strategy.

Further information regarding this new service can be found via the HAP website [Click here for more info]

Merry Christmas from the CfL Team

Dave — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:07:55 +0000

The staff at CfL would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

For a extra special festive treat please visit http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/HVQHwXlDaR8ommNq to watch the CfL team participate in a snow ball fight!

Office Hours during Christmas. Closed 24^th December until 4^th January 2010

CfL joins the National Learner Panel.

Dave — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:04:43 +0000

All applicants went through a rigorous selection process and Dave joined 17 other successful applicants from across England on the panel.

The NLP was originally established by Bill Rammell (the then Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education) in November 2006 and is now sponsored by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). It is a high profile reference group, with a remit to influence and steer the direction of post-16 further education policy by ensuring the learner perspective is included in the policy-making process.

The panel draws its members from a wide range of learning backgrounds and has a crucial role to play in helping to capture the diversity of the learner community within the further education system.

Through the panel Dave will have the opportunity to work alongside government ministers and other key further education policymakers over the course of the year. Of course this will be nothing new for Dave as he has already undertaken this with the Humber Apprentice Panel (HAP).

This is an excellent achievement for Dave and he will ensure the NLP and his role on the panel complements the activity and developments with HAP.

Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony most successful to date!

Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:02:33 +0000

More than 332 Advanced Apprentices completed their Advanced Apprenticeships in the Humber sub-region between August 2008 and July 2009. Of these 160 Advanced Apprentices confirmed attendance to this prestigious event, making this years celebration the biggest to date.

All Advanced Apprentices at this ceremony were dressed in mortar boards and gowns and presented with a Certificate of Attendance by CfL chief executive Steve Roe and National Apprenticeship Service director Clare Bonson.

Feedback from Graduates and guests has been extremely positive. One Advanced Apprentice commented "Really enjoyed it, made the learning worthwhile" whilst another stated "Excellent, one of the best days ever"

This years ceremony would not have been possible without the support, contribution and sponsorship by a range of organisations, including local employers. A programme from the ceremony is available, which can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

For more information on the ceremony, please contact CfL on (01482) 638508 or email dave@cflhumber.org.uk

Apprenticeship & E2E Handbook 2009/10 is now available

Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:25:43 +0000

Feedback from previous years handbook have been very positive with schools, Connexions and users stating that the Handbook provides an easy to read access to the Apprenticeships available in the Humber sub-region and quick reference contact details of Apprenticeship and E2E Providers in the sub-region. As with the previous Handbook the detail in the hard copy publication will not be to duplicate the online Area Prospectus but to enhance this as a vehicle to provision you can offer.

The handbook will refer to the area prospectus and detail the providers that deliver Apprenticeships in each of the occupational sectors and your contact details and website in the appendix as previous years. The matrix will also be a key feature of the handbook.

As with previous years, 17,000 copies of the Handbook have been developed and distributed to all secondary schools in the Humber sub-region, with enough for the Year 11 cohort and to Connexions centres for distribution to young people seeking Apprenticeship places. A number of copies will be delivered to you as a provider however an electronic version will be made available (downloadable version below) for use on central systems including the CfL website. If you have any comments or queries regarding the Handbook, please do not hesitate to contact Dave on (01482) 638508 alternatively you can e-mail him at dave@cflhumber.org.uk.

Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony 2009

Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:22:03 +0000

This is only the fourth year this unique event has been held and continues to celebrate and recognise the achievement of Advanced Apprentices in the sub-Humber region. Advanced Apprenticeships are tough frameworks to complete, requiring absolute commitment and determination from everyone involved.

All successful Advanced Apprentices have proved that they have the skills to succeed and CfL is delighted to provide an opportunity for them to celebrate with family, friends, employers and Apprenticeship Providers who helped and supported their achievement. CfL expects that this year’s ceremony will continue the success of the 2006 ceremony when 80 Advanced Apprentices graduated, 2007 when over 100 Advanced Apprentices graduated and 2008 when over 150 Advanced Apprentices graduated.

For further information about this year’s ceremony, or the sponsorship opportunities available to local organisations, please contact Dave Thompson.

CfL has moved

Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:54:10 +0000

Our new address is:

Melton Court,

Gibson Lane,

Melton,

East Riding of Yorkshire

HU14 3HH

We also have new telephone and fax numbers, which are as follows:

Telephone: 01482 638508

Fax: 01482 638500

Our email address remains unchanged and I would remind you that these are as follows for the CfL team:

Dave Thompson - dave@cflhumber.org.uk

Paul Robinson - paul@cflhumber.org.uk

Steve Roe - steve@cflhumber.org.uk

Tammy Aldred - tammy@cflhumber.org.uk

The move to new premises has enabled the further separation of CfL from its subsidiary Avant Partnership. As a result all staff, other than those detailed above, transferred to Avant Partnership and are located within a separate building to CfL, with its own coontact numbers and addresses. Please note that staff within each organisation will only be responsible for that organisations activity and will no longer work across both. As a result I would urge you to ensure you contact the appropriate member of staff.

Below is a downloadable map of our new location.

CfL's own Advanced Apprentice scoops Regional Award

Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:44:47 +0000

Dave Thompson is a communications and information administrator at the Consortium for Learning (CfL) and recently completed his Advanced Apprenticeship in Customer Service with HYA Training. He provides information and communication to Apprenticeship providers across the Humber sub-region.

As part of his role Dave set up the Humber Apprentice Panel (HAP) to help local Apprentices communicate with each other and share views on Apprenticeships with providers and external organisations. He was appointed vice chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Learner Panel two years ago, and spoke in front of 400 delegates at a Learner Voice conference, which Dave never thought possible before starting his Apprenticeship.

Through his work on the Humber Apprentice Panel, Dave has liaised with ministers and government departments, and has developed an interactive workshop delivered to Apprenticeship provider staff and their Apprentices. Dave and HAP have been acknowledged through a number of prestigious awards, with Dave being recognised as runner up in the national VQ Hero awards in 2008 and both Dave and HAP were shortlisted in the 2009 national Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) Learner Voice Awards.

The most recent success for Dave was as a winner in the Yorkshire and the Humber Apprenticeship Awards. Here Dave was named as the 2009 Regional Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the prestigious Celebration of Learning and Skills (CoLaS) Awards.

HAP apprentices head to Parliament for launch of NAS

Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:34:13 +0000

MPs, training providers, employers and apprentices from across the country were invited to hear Lord Young, Minister for Apprenticeships, outline the ambitions for the new service.

The NAS was set up following a government report which identified that Apprenticeships were a very important part of the skills and training strategy for the future of the country.It was decided to set up a team that would look exclusively at building and growing quality Apprenticeships for the future.

HAP are due to meet NAS regional directors for the Yorkshire and Humber region on the 26 May 2009, to discuss how HAP can assist the NAS.

VQ Awards 2009

Vicky — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:15:16 +0000

VQ stands for Vocational Qualification. A VQ means a recognised qualification at any level relating to a particular line of work or specific job role. These qualifications have an emphasis on the assessment of practical skills and knowledge.

Examples includes BTECs, City & Guilds, NVQ/SVQ, OCR Nationals, Apprenticeships, HNC/HNDs, Degrees with a largely vocational content and professional qualifications awarded through a recognised professional body. They cover subjects that range from agriculture to accountancy, business to beauty therapy, care work to construction and many more.

As part of VQ Day, three VQ Hero awards will be awarded. The categories are:

VQ Young Learner of the Year (under 25 years)

One each awarded for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

VQ Learner of the Year (over 25 years)

One each awarded for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland Celebrity VQ Hero of the Year

The awards are designed to celebrate vocational success and showcase the best in vocational qualifications. Through their award, the VQ Hero awards aim to demonstrate the talent, commitment and rigorous standards required to gain a vocational qualification. The VQ Hero learner awards will be awarded to one learner in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

HAP facilitator Dave Thompson received the runner-up award last year at the first UK wide VQ Heros Awards. Dave, the only Apprentice to make it to the final, is pictured alongside the awards host Alesha Dixon and Edge Chairman Garry Hawkes. The awards took place at London's Royal Opera House as part of the VQ Day celebrations.

Apprenticeship Week

Paul Robinson — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:36:02 +0000

Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the essential role that Apprenticeships are playing in today’s business world, ensuring that the workforce has the skills it needs in order to remain competitive, even in difficult economic circumstances.

Apprenticeship Week 2009 is the chance for employers to share the many benefits that Apprenticeships are delivering on a daily basis for their businesses and demonstrate that apprentices “Make Things Happen”. Apprenticeships are crucial for providing employers with the skills they need to succeed, spanning the breadth of the economy - from accountancy and engineering, to construction, creative industries and sport. Apprenticeships also provide a high-quality alternative route to future career success for ambitious individuals.

We would like employers and partners organisations to take part. The message is clear: Apprenticeships are good for business, supplying employers with the skills they need, when they need them: “Apprentices Make Things Happen”. Do not miss out. Get involved help us spread the message.

Apprenticeship Awards 2009

Paul Robinson — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:52:50 +0000

Now in their sixth year the Awards have been designed to recognise and reward both employers and apprentices who are successfully using Apprenticeships to improve their business performance and tackle skills shortages, whose contribution to the workplace has exceeded their employers’ expectations and resulted in measurable benefits or who have overcome difficulties to succeed through their Apprenticeship.

To enter the awards, or for more information, visit apprenticeships.org.uk/awards or call 08000 150 600. Deadline for entries is 27th February 2009. Regional Apprenticeship Awards category winners will automatically be entered into the national Apprenticeship Awards. The winners’ event will be held on 16 July 2009 at Old Billingsgate Market, Central London.

Interested in greater Business Success?

angela — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:25:02 +0100

Consortium for Learning (CFL) supports the development of work based learning in the Humber sub-region. We represent a network of work based learning providers and have developed a Train to Gain Partnership to complement the business solutions we offer local employers.

Managers of the Future

angela — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:40:03 +0100

In addition to gaining valuable experience in a real work situation, Apprenticeships provide high quality training leading to nationally recognised qualiﬁcations.

As an apprentice, young people work with an employer, learning the skills of the industry whilst completing an Apprenticeship framework. Learning is ﬂexible to meet the needs of the young person and the employer and is planned with an Apprenticeship Provider. Most training is ‘on the job’ at the employer’s premises but some of the training can be carried out ‘off the job’ at the Apprenticeship Provider centre or provided by a local college.

Apprenticeships - Managers of the Future

angela — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:27:42 +0100

Apprenticeships are designed with the help of employers in the industry to ensure relevant training and knowledge is integrated.

Your training will include the skills for the industry, enable you to perform in your job and increase your employability skills.

Humber Apprentice Panel is 1 year old!!

angela — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:43:21 +0100

Since its formation in September 2007 the panel of Apprentices have set up the HAP website and online forum. Members of the panel also met with the Department for Innovation, University & Skills (DIUS) regarding the World Class Apprenticeship strategy and have recently been involved in a feasibility study looking at setting up a national Peer Support Network for Work Based Learners, with Atkins Global and Becta.

The panel are currently in the process of developing a learner video blog to promote Apprenticeships and ‘The Learner Voice’. With the HAP newsletter due to be launched in September, its all systems go!

Interested in joining?

Are you an Apprentice, a good communicator, based in the sub-Humber region and enjoy sharing your ideas with others?

Have your say on the latest Apprenticeship topics and make a real difference for current and future Apprentices.

You will need to apply to become a member, but the benefits are endless. Join through the HAP website, contact Dave on freephone: 0800 393744 or via e-mail at: dave@humberapprenticepanel.co.uk to find out more.

Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony 2008

angela — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:43:29 +0100

This is only the third year this unique event has been held and continues to celebrate and recognise the achievement of Advanced Apprentices in the sub-Humber region.

Advanced Apprenticeships are tough frameworks to complete, requiring absolute commitment and determination from everyone involved. All successful Advanced Apprentices have proved that they have the skills to succeed and CfL is delighted to provide an opportunity for them to celebrate with family, friends, employers and Apprenticeship Providers who helped and supported their achievement.

CfL expects that this year’s ceremony will continue the success of the 2006 ceremony when 80 learners graduated and 2007 when over 100 learners graduated.

For further information about this year’s ceremony, or the sponsorship opportunities available to local organisations, please contact either Carolyn Robins or Dave Thompson.

Get the best start to your career

adam — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:44:32 +0100

There are more than 259,000 young people in England undertaking an Apprenticeship in over 200 different occupational areas.

Without trained people right up to a senior level, the world of work would grind to a halt. Apprenticeships will provide you with an excellent starting point for a rewarding career in any number of areas.

Apprenticeships - Don't just dream it, do it

angela — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:42:03 +0100

What is an Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships are high quality, work based learning programmes for young people who want to develop their prospects and careers.

Dave Thompson - A VQ Hero

adam — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:20:21 +0100

Dave, the only Apprentice to make it to the final, is pictured alongside the awards host Alesha Dixon and Edge Chairman Garry Hawkes. The awards took place at London's Royal Opera House as part of the VQ Day celebrations.

Could you be the next apprentice?

angela — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:45:17 +0100

There are different levels of Apprenticeships available, Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship, all leading to National Vocational Qualiﬁcations (NVQs), Key Skills qualiﬁcations and, in most cases, a technical certiﬁcate such as a BTEC.

Apprenticeships are designed with the help of employers in the industry to ensure relevant training and knowledge is integrated. Your training will include employability skills, industry speciﬁc skills and qualiﬁcations enabling you to maximise your future career opportunities.

The government is investing heavily in Apprenticeships to ensure young people can become highly skilled employees, enabling the country to compete and stay ahead in the global economy and as a result are increasing the number of Apprenticeship places available.

Celebrate in style for the second year

angela — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:16:00 +0100

More than 400 young people from across the Humber sub-region achieved their Advanced Apprenticeship between April 2006 and March 2007. Of these 113 Advanced Apprentices attended the unique event, along with family, friends, employers and the apprenticeship providers that delivered their training, development and support.

The ceremony was opened by Steve Roe, chief executive of the Consortium for Learning (CfL). CfL is an umbrella organisation representing the network of apprenticeship providers across the Humber sub-region.