Latest news with #Apprenticeship
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's Schrödinger's Schools – both succeeding and failing?
Ms Duncan-Glancy said that the proportion of school leavers in positive destinations has gone down, that more pupils than ever before are leaving school without qualifications, that fewer are leaving having secured at least one qualification at levels five and six (the latter of which includes Highers), that the attainment gap in relation to passing those qualifications has increased, that the number of Modern Apprenticeship starts has declined, and that youth unemployment has increased. Earlier this week in the Scottish Parliament, two politicians clashed over the state of Scottish education. During a meeting of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, Labour's Pam Duncan-Glancy asserted that things are getting worse for the country's school pupils, asking education secretary Jenny Gilruth to explain why education is 'declining' and opportunities 'narrowing.' Ms Gilruth, as you would expect, rejected this framing and claimed that we are in fact seeing progress and improvement across the system. Lessons to Learn | Did the Scottish Government mislead me or are they just incompetent? It's not like there's a shortage of available information: the 'school education statistics' of the Scottish Government's website has more than twenty different datasets covering areas like school leaver destinations, literacy and numeracy levels, teacher numbers, pupil exclusions, the state of school buildings, parental engagement and much more. But that's easily solved, right? If we just stick to the facts then we'll be able to figure exactly what's going on, won't we? And with an election not too far away, it'll only get worse. Sometimes these distinctions are strictly political. It suits the Scottish Government , and supporters of the SNP , to believe that things are good and getting better, just as it suits opposition parties and their backers to tell you that the opposite is true. Education is inherently political, but the way in which education is treated within Scotland's awful, insular, and claustrophobic political culture, with it all-too-often reduced to petty point-scoring by politicians, is a significant problem. Depending on who you listen to, the Scottish education system can be a huge and ever-improving success, a catastrophic failure in continuous decline, and pretty much everything else in between. It all sounds pretty damning. But Ms Gilruth responded that more pupils than ever are reaching expected levels in literacy and numeracy, that the attainment gap for literacy has fallen to the lowest level recorded, that this is also true for secondary school numeracy, that the percentage of leavers going to positive destinations is at the second-highest level on record, and that we have seen improvements in exam results during the post-pandemic period. And here's the thing: almost all of those claims are demonstrably true, as shown by our fact-check article on the matter – in fact, the only egregiously incorrect assertion was the one about exam results, which is definitely not correct. This would appear to suggest that, at least according to the cited statistics, both Pam Duncan-Glancy and Jenny Gilruth are mostly correct: things are getting worse, and they're also getting better. Scotland has apparently managed to build Schrödinger's Schools, which are both succeeding and failing at exactly the same time. This mess is partly explained by the fact that too much of our information is of limited use, and some is effectively meaningless, which leaves us constantly operating in a frustrating fog. To make matters worse, most politicians and commentators clearly aren't able (or willing) to properly understand what that data is even supposed to be showing them, because they've never managed (or in some cases even tried) to wrap their heads around the nuances that underpin it. But beyond all of that, the exchange between Ms Gilruth and Ms Duncan-Glancy was a stark reminder that cherry-picking statistics in the service of a political back-and-forth is a huge waste of everyone's time that makes it near impossible to have proper, grown-up conversations about a matter of the utmost importance. Sign up for a weekly expert insight into Scottish education. If side A wants to be able to 'prove' that things are going wrong then they won't have any trouble finding a few bits of information to back that up, and when side B wants to 'prove' the exact opposite, that won't be a problem for them either. They'll very often even be able to use the exact same spreadsheets to do it, either by concentrating on a different section to the one their opponent is looking at, or sometimes just by choosing a different detail from the very same page. That suits politicians, researchers, speech writers, press officers, special advisers and more than a few columnists just fine, because it keeps them all looking busy without actually having to do much serious work.
Business News Wales
2 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Awards Recognise Training Company's Apprenticeship Stars
Winners of the Apprenticeship, Employment and Skills Awards organised by Cambrian Training Company. The achievements of apprentices, employers and work-based learning practitioners from across Wales were celebrated at an awards ceremony in Mid Wales. Twenty-seven finalists competed for the Apprenticeship, Employment and Skills Awards organised by work-based learning provider Cambrian Training Company. The awards, held at The Metropole Hotel & Spa, Llandrindod Wells, recognised employers, learners and practitioners who have excelled in apprenticeship programmes delivered by the Welshpool-based company and its sub-contractors. A popular winner was autistic apprentice Aaron Jones, a waiter at Penycae Inn, Penycae, near Swansea, who received a standing ovation after collecting the Apprentice Special Recognition 2025 Award. 'In receiving this very special award, I am enormously proud and owe it to every single person in the audience but above all to my fellow team of staff at Penycae Inn and to those that have autism and other profound learning needs,' he told the audience. 'As a person with autism who works in the hospitality industry, this award means so much to me. Anybody with a learning or physical disability who is considering doing an apprenticeship should absolutely go for it.' He praised Cambrian Training Company's hospitality training officers Andrew Addis-Fuller and Leah Williams for their support and encouragement to achieve his goals, which include completing his Hospitality Supervision and Leadership Apprenticeship early next year. Aaron Jones from Penycae Inn receives the Apprentice Special Recognition 2025 Award from Arwyn Watkins, OBE The Foundation Apprentice of the Year was awarded to Cameron Long, a cleaning support services attendant at Elite Clothing Solutions, Ebbw Vale, who has completed a Supported Shared Apprenticeship with support from Elite Supported Employment. Apprentice of the Year was Cai Watkins, head of business unit contract manager for Cambrian Training Company, Welshpool, while the Higher Apprentice of the Year award went to Mathew Verallo, operations manager for The Celtic Collection's Tŷ Milford Waterfront, Milford Haven. The awards for employers was keenly contested. The Small Employer of the Year was Silver Assist Homecare, Llangorse, Brecon, Filco Markets, Llantwit Major collected the Medium Employer of the Year Award and Achieve Together, Cardiff was named Large Employer of the Year. Outstanding Individual of the Year was Denise Hodson, a playworker at Little Disciples Childcare, Penymynydd, Flintshire and Welsh Ambassador of the Year was Phoebe Wilson, lead training officer at Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Clubs, Cardiff. Practitioner of the Year was Elfed Wood, from Portal Training, Cardiff, the Employer Special Recognition Award went to The Grove, Narbeth and Kepak, Merthyr Tydfil was recognised for Outstanding Contribution to Apprenticeships. 'Among our winners and finalists are inspiring stories of personal growth and professional development,' said Faith O'Brien, Cambrian Training Company's managing director. 'This year's awards ceremony was a testament to the dedication, passion and hard work of our apprentices, employers and supporters. From the Apprentice of the Year awards to the recognition of outstanding employers and individuals, each accolade reflects the transformative power of apprenticeships in shaping careers and communities. 'Let's continue supporting and championing vocational education. Together, we can create a future where every individual has the opportunity to thrive through learning and development.' The other finalists were: Foundation Apprentice of the Year Award: Josh Williams, a receptionist at Whitbread Premier Inn, Bangor and Leanne Barratt, a chef at Mitchell & Butlers' Miller & Carter, Killay. Apprentice of the Year Award: Deanne Rance, area manager for Lonetree-McDonalds, Newport and Jodie Bowater, hotel manager Whitbread Premier Inn, Bangor. Higher Apprentice of the Year: Ashley Richards, general manager at Peppermint Cardiff and Keri-Ann Evans, head chef at Bluestone, Narberth. Outstanding Individual of the Year: Rachael Bowles, blending room team leader for Hilltop Honey, Newtown and Aaron Jones, a waiter at Penycae Inn, Penycae, near Swansea. Small Employer of the Year: Nazareth House, Cardiff and Interplay, Penlan, Swansea. Medium Employer of the Year: Voco St David's Cardiff and The Grove, Narberth. Large Employer of the Year: Kepak, Merthyr Tydfil and Urdd Gobaith Cymru. Welsh Language Ambassador: Catherine Smith, training officer at Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Clubs and Samantha James, restaurant manager at Millie & Sid's, Tywyn. Work-based Learning Practitioner: Sean Williams from Sirius Skills Consulting, Mountain Ash and Sarah Bird from Clybiau Plant Cymru, Cardiff.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
MU's traditional BA, BSc, BCom to get ‘skills edge'
Mumbai: Skill-integrated BA, B Com, and B Sc courses are likely to be rolled out by Mumbai University from the next academic year, 2026-27. With interest in traditional courses in the city declining, as seen in this year's degree college admission cut-offs, skill-integrated courses may offer a meaningful shift. The skill-integrated courses, a scheme announced by University Grants Commission (UGC), will allow students to get theoretical education of the core subject for 50% of their total credits, and the remaining 50% can be obtained from multidisciplinary studies. The university plans to launch these programmes in collaboration with Maharashtra Skill Development Society, a senior university official said. UGC's former chairman, M Jagadesh Kumar, who was at Mumbai University for a conference on 'Vikas 2025' (Venturing into Industry Knowledge, Apprenticeship and Skilling), said that of the 4.5 crore students pursuing higher education in the country, 70% are enrolled in BA, BCom, and B Sc, and that it is a challenge to empower them in the competitive era. "In the skill-integrated courses, students will complete the 50% credits in the core subject, be it BA in history or anthropology, and the remaining 50% credits can be earned through different skills – 10% in hospitality, 10% in machine learning, and so on. These skill-oriented courses can either be designed by the universities or they can allow students to complete it on platforms such as Swayam. At the end of their four-year programme, the skilled workforce will be readily absorbed by industries," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo UGC set up an expert panel, which is meeting companies from different sectors, to design industry-specific courses. For instance, an insurance company will help set up a course in insurance, or a real estate firm can help design a course in their sector. These courses will be uploaded on the Swayam portal, said Kumar. Higher education minister Chandrakant Patil said the state govt is taking initiatives to restructure courses as per industry needs, focusing on skill development knowledge. About 500 dignitaries from Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat attended the conference. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
The Star
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Factories give fresh graduates a stepping stone
GEORGE TOWN: You graduate as an engineer and take your first career step, only to find your gross pay is about RM3,000. Seeking a higher quality of life, you switch to another job or even start a small business. To keep the engineering talent pool intact, 11 local factories in Penang, seven of them publicly listed, are using human resources strategies to ensure engineers' salaries are eye-catching enough. A registered industry and education NGO called the 88 Captains and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are developing HR management and training systems so that fresh engineering graduates can earn at least RM4,000 a month, while diploma-level personnel can get at least RM3,000. Called the Apprenticeship, Internship, Reskilling and Upskilling (Airu) talents programme, it recently started in Penang and begins even when the engineers are still undergraduates. 'Airu is done through assessment of degree students starting from apprenticeships and their requisite internships. 'There's no reason not to give them premium salaries after they graduate because they are deemed to have been 'home-grown' by those companies even before the students earn their bachelor's degrees,' said 88 Captains chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ooi Eng Hock. A check on recent online job advertisements shows that junior electrical engineers start at as low as RM2,500 a month. Offers for fresh mechanical engineering graduates tend to be higher, at about RM3,800 a month, and for most other fields, the starting pay of engineers tends to be a little over RM3,000. Under Airu's apprenticeships and internships, Ooi said local factories guide the undergraduates so that they would be uniquely suited for the companies after completing their studies. The students can then assimilate with the companies' work culture, specific machinery and operating systems, and thus, from the perspective of those factories, they will not be 'fresh graduates'. As for those with technical and vocational education and training (TVET) diplomas, Ooi said Airu would allow them to skip the degree route and sign up for a master programme being developed by USM. 'The master programme is about reskilling and upskilling those who have started working after earning TVET diplomas, and should be finalised by the last quarter. 'It is now being brainstormed in USM with all relevant stakeholders,' Ooi added. He said eligibility to join Airu's master programme will consider factors such as the amount of work experience of diploma holders, and it is not meant to compete with degree programmes of tertiary institutions. He said a starting pay of RM4,000 was also the target of the Higher Education Ministry's Research and Industry-Infused Incubator, led by the Malaysian Electrical and Electronics Consortium comprising 19 public universities headed by USM. 'For TVET diploma holders, the minimum pay of RM3,000 is as per the government's goal,' he said. Key companies that are part of Airu include Vitrox Corporation, UWC, Hotayi Electronics, Swift Bridge Technologies, M Summit Group, MyCO2 Group, ASP Medical Group, Solarvest, Sky Resources Group, YBS International and Chung Chambers, Advocates & Associates. Launched simultaneously with Airu last week was the Intangible Asset Commercialisation & Strategy Association, a grouping meant to empower youths not only in innovation but also in protecting, valuing and commercialising their ideas. Ooi believes that collectively, all these initiatives will help the country retain local talent rather than lose them to other countries. 'We need to start small by encouraging local talent developed in Penang and the northern region to remain here,' he said. Present at Airu's launch were Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed.
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Elmvale students learn about trades at Apprenticeship Expo
Barrie Watch Upwards of 50 employers took part in a Grade 7 and 8 Apprenticeship Expo for Elmvale students.
