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Apprenticeship Vacancies with Youthforce: 2013

Richard Davis — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:16:47 +0000

Youthforce is committed to equipping young people for life. We believe that employment is a key factor in improving people’s lives, and strive to support young people work across the UK.

In support of this goal, Youthforce has engaged with local employers to offer Apprenticeship vacancies in the following locations:

London
Chelmsford
Portsmouth
Brighton
Arundel
Worthing

More vacancies come on board every day. To register your interest in attending one of our ‘Employability Days’ where you have the chance to apply for apprenticeships in a range of sectors, click here

Current vacancies include the following occupational areas:

Teaching Assistants
Sports Coaching
Youth Work
Play Work
Customer Service
Health & Social Care

Contact us for more information

Adult Apprenticeships are Changing…

Richard Davis — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:24:55 +0000

Are you old enough to remember when you were funded to study whilst on the job – and still have change for the bus home?

From August 2013 Adult Apprenticeships are changing

No longer will individuals aged over 25 be eligible for government funding to support their learning and development through Adult Apprenticeships.

From August onwards Apprenticeship programmes where the learner is over 25 years of age will be funded via student loans. With the value of qualifications generally in excess of £5000.00 per person, the debt to the individual is considerable.

It’s not too late! Act now to take advantage of the final days of the funded Adult Apprenticeship!

Youthforce Funded Qualifications for Adults 2013

Throughout March Youthforce has secured funding to deliver Youth Work Training for adults aged over 19 years and residing in London & the South East.

The Qualifications include the following areas of study:

Subject Area	Value of Qualification (approx)	Cost to Youthforce Learner	Click below for more course information
Advanced Adult Apprenticeship in Management	£5,000.00	£500.00+VAT*	Click here
Advanced Adult Apprenticeship in Youth Work Practice	£5,000.00	£500.00+VAT*	Click here
Intermediate Adult Apprenticeship in Youth Work	£4,300.00	£500.00+VAT*	Click here

*Bursaries available to support learning and reduce course fees to £250.00 per person on request

We’re Currently Under Construction

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:28:02 +0000

We are currently in the process of reworking the layout of our website, to make it easier for you. Please bear with us whilst we put everything back together! If you have any queries please call us 01273 776779.

Sign up for PTLLS in 2013

admin — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:01:02 +0000

*Course Registration Open*

Become a trainer or teacher with Youthforce

Get ahead in 2013 with our Level 3 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS).

NOCN identified our PTLLS delivery as a model of excellence in 2012. This year we’ve made it even better. Let us inspire you to train and teach others the Youthforce way.

For more information on how to register your interest follow the below link or call the office on – 01273 77677

Should Maths and English be taught after 16 if a Grade C is not achieved?

admin — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:01:54 +0000

The government have announced plans to make Maths and English compulsory until 18 if a grade C at GCSE is not reached in the subject at 16, according to Guardian (2012) and Watkins (2012). Watkins (2012) says that these measures could be in force by September of next year.

Watkins (2012) points out why this measure is going to be brought into force which is to tackle the problem that a number of school leavers at 16 are not ready for the workplace in terms of literacy and numeracy. He further gives the statistic that 40% of GCSE student fail to reach C in English and an even larger number of GCSE students at 16 fail to reach C in GCSE Maths at 60%!

This problem of school leavers not being well equipped in literacy and numeracy has been shown in a recent survey, Watkins (2012) adds, in which 2/5 of employers were not satisfied with the standard of literacy shown by school leavers. This report was quoted by Michael Gove when he set out the plan in his statement.

With this controversial plan possibly coming in to force in the near future it has divided opinion. This can be seen on the Guardian (2012) website in which a poll conducted on the internet has so far voted 77% yes for the proposed plan of making English and Maths compulsory if the grade C is not achieved.

What do you think?

References:

Watkins, J. (2012). Maths and English to be made compulsory until age 18. Available: http://www.lawontheweb.co.uk/news/2012/07/630-maths-and-english-to-be-made-compulsory-until-age-18. Last accessed 9th July 2012.

Guardian . (2012). Should maths and English be taught after 16 to struggling pupils?. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2012/jul/03/english-maths-after-16. Last accessed 9th July 2012.

The 2.1 Effect in Graduate Job Applications

admin — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:02:08 +0000

The three articles bring into question the importance of a degree below a 2.1. Henley (2012), Crane (2012) and Vasagar (2012) both state that over three quarters of graduate employers look for a grade of 2.1 and discard the applications below this. They use this as an initial sorting process of applications. Crane (2012) continues from this point and says that some top academics are calling for a change to this 2.1 effect by possibly introducing supplementary documentation with the application form. Henley (2012) states that many people with third class degrees, which is the lowest grade, have gone on to great things and lists names such as WH Auden and Lewis Caroll!

With this news it shows the importance of having good qualifications when leaving university in the job market of today. To further set yourself apart one could do qualifications with Youthforce in a number of areas such as leadership and management, sport and leisure and youth work to impress your potential employer.

References:

Crane, H. (2012). Academics call for degree shake-up to reduce 2:1 effect. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jul/04/academics-seek-degree-shakeup. Last accessed 6th July 2012 .

Henley, J. (2012). Don’t judge a job applicant by their degree.Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/shortcuts/2012/jul/04/dont-judge-job-applicant-by-degree. Last accessed 6th July 2012 .

Vasagar, J. (2012). Most graduate recruiters now looking for at least a 2:1. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jul/04/graduate-recruiters-look-for-21-degree?intcmp=239. Last accessed 6th July 2012 .

Number of Teenagers in Education with Saturday Jobs Declines

admin — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:06:09 +0000

This article is interesting as it indicates that the youth workforce is less skilled than it was in the past after education. Vasagar (2012) states that fewer youths in full times education are in part time work and also the number of part time jobs available for this age group are decreasing. Vasagar (2012) further states that the number of students in school or college with part time jobs has fallen from 40% in the 1990s to 20% now! It is important to note that this trend seems to not just be due to the recession.

The article details that the government aim to introduce more work experience into the education system. This is a potential opportunity for the youth of today but it does not solve this problem at this current time. The courses that Youthforce offers in areas such as youth work, leaderships and management, sport and leisure and apprenticeships in youth work and sport allows youth to be further skilled and increase their employability in this tough and dwindling job market of today.References:
Vasagar, J. (2012). Number of teenagers with Saturday jobs slumps. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/03/number-teenagers-saturday-jobs-slumps. Last accessed 5th July 2012.

Youthforce integrates Learning Assistant

admin — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:02:09 +0000

Youthforce is moving forward with the vision to integrate technology into our training services. An exciting development in this is the incorporation of Learning Assistant. Learning Assistant is an e-portfolio system that Youthforce is using for assessing vocational qualifications and apprenticeships. It is a well-established service and very easy to use. Learning Assistant has many benefits for learners, trainers and verifiers alike.

Learner Benefits

With learning assistant, learners can build and submit their portfolio online. Benefits to using this system include the level of flexibility given to learners; to study where and how they want with a variety of submission methods. The system is intuitive so there is little to no training required to be able to use the system and means that you will not have to worry about storing and organising bulky portfolios.

Verifier Benefits

There are a variety of benefits for assessors and trainers within the Learning Assistant programme. The software streamlines workflows and improves learner management. As well as this, it has full visibility to the internal verifiers as well as available access to the external verifier. It allows the trainer the flexibility to work anywhere they wish as well as having a greater insight to evidence and portfolio deadlines.

If you are a learner or trainer you can access the user guides below. Alternatively they are in the respective Learner & Trainer pages!

[button link="http://www.youthforce.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/LA_Training_Manual_Candidate.pdf" color="purple"]Learning Assistant Guide (Candidates)[/button]

[button link="http://www.youthforce.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/LA_Training_Manual_Assessor_IQA.pdf" color="purple"]Learning Assistant Guide (Assessors)[/button]

Colin McDonald completes Learner Award at 76!

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:27:22 +0000

Colin McDonald, aged 76 qualified as a Youth Worker whilst volunteering at a local youth group and has already put his newfound skills to good use by raising funding for the group and inspiring others to learn. His dedication and commitment to improving his life through learning is being recognised with a Regional Senior Learner Award as part of Adult Learners’ Week 12 – 18 May 2012. Nominator, Karen Jensen, Unite (ULR), said, “He is enthusiastic and has more energy than the paid staff sometimes … [he] always makes time to listen to young people, and his work spans generations seamlessly.” Whilst working as a volunteer at a youth group, Colin wanted to study for a youth work qualification as he felt it would bring great benefit, not only to him, but also to the youngsters at the group.

He was the first volunteer to qualify as a Youth Worker at Level 2 ABC with Youthforce,. Working with Veena Dykes, which then inspired some members of the youth group to follow suit. Colin’s course enabled him to learn alternative working practices from fellow students who worked at different groups in the area. He is now more confident in understanding issues such as health and safety, as well as building on its intergenerational work and applying for future funding – to ensure the organisation’s longevity. With his newfound skills, Colin applied for, and gained, funding enabling the youth group to undertake a course in drumming so they could participate in Stockton International Riverside Festival. Colin said, “…someone of my age completing this course, it gives the younger ones little excuse for not finishing and gaining their qualification in Youth Work too.” David Hughes, NIACE Chief Executive, said, “Every one of our award winners, for this year’s Adult Learners’ Week, illustrates how learning can help people to change their lives, make them feel part of their community and help support them in their future. Colin’s life has improved because of his commitment, enthusiasm and ambition. I hope that others will be inspired by this story and see the role that learning can play to help them get a better life.”

Training Methodology

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:01:07 +0000

There have been huge technological advances in educational and training programmes in the last decade. ELearning (on a computer) and mLearning (on mobiles and tablets) have many benefits in the vocational training industry.

Awarding bodies allow flexible methods of assessments; so using podcasts, videos and photos are becoming a more assessable method of submitting evidence for courses, as well as more engaging for students and trainers alike. With over 50% of the United Kingdom owning a smartphone (Tecradar, 2012) it is time to bring education and training in line with other societal trends such as the use of technology on a day to day basis.

A potential drawback however, is not all students are confident in using IT, and this needs to be recognised by software developers in making the transfer of training methodology more coherent for unfamiliar users.
The Youthforce team would be interested to hear your views! Please click on your preferred training styles!