Basic skills: the missing ingredient in England’s apprenticeships

By Malgorzata Kuczera
Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills

Photo Credit: George Pastushok/Unsplash

Apprenticeships can be of great value. They allow apprentices to develop a wide range of skills, they offer a fast track to employment and they can boost social mobility. But not all apprenticeships are created equal: some provide limited learning opportunities and don’t adequately prepare learners for skilled employment.

So what is the recipe for a good apprenticeship? It includes two essential ingredients: education and training, provided both on and off the job. As with any recipe, results depend on the quality of the ingredients and the way in which they are mixed together. And as any great chef will tell you, the recipe only improves with repetition and continuous refinement.

England is investing more in the development of its apprenticeship system than nearly any other country. Current reforms have created a new structure for apprenticeship programmes developed by employer groups and funded by a new levy on all large employers. Much has been achieved so far, as described in Apprenticeship in England, a new OECD study that compares England’s recent reforms with practices in other countries. Here, though, we’ll focus on a key ingredient in the English recipe that demands closer attention: basic skills.

English apprentices have distinctive characteristics. In some countries, like Switzerland, nearly all apprentices are teenagers. In Canada and other countries, nearly all apprentices are young adults, with an average age of around 30. In England, apprentices are a mixed group, with a fairly even split between learners above and below the age of 24.

Share of 25-year-olds and older among current apprentices (2012)

For young people, an apprenticeship can act as a launch pad into a successful working life, though that cannot be guaranteed. A 2016 OECD study of basic skills in England, Building Skills for All, showed that one-third of 16- to 19-year-olds in England have weak basic skills, compared with about 20% in Germany and 10% in the Netherlands. This means that a high proportion of young English men and women have real difficulties with literacy and numeracy – the foundations upon which continued learning is built. In working environments where tasks and even whole occupations are at risk of radical change, such foundational skills have become increasingly important.

Young English apprentices receive far less general education than apprentices in other countries. In England, general education (including maths and English) adds up to between about 50 and 100 hours over the duration of an apprenticeship; and it is only mandatory for those not meeting the requirements in English or maths. German and Swiss youth apprenticeships, by comparison, require around 400 hours of general education covering a range of subjects. Norwegian apprenticeships require nearly 600 hours of general education.

The remedy, as described in the OECD's new report, is for England to include more general education in youth apprenticeships – though doing so is not exactly straightforward.  Increased general education will demand more time from apprentices, taking them away from the workplace. This is unlikely to be popular with employers. It may also require a differentiated approach to adult and youth apprentices who may be less in need of initial basic education. And of course, additional teaching will involve more human and financial resources.

These are major challenges, but if England wants to develop a world-class apprenticeship system, they need to be overcome.




Learn more:

• Apprenticeship in England
• Building skills for all: a review of in England
• A Skills beyond School Review of England
• Work-based learning for youth at risk: getting employers on board
• Incentives for apprenticeships
• Work, train, win: work-based learning design and management for productivity gains

Why pedagogy matters for innovative teaching

By Alejandro Paniagua
Consultant, Directorate for Education and Skills

Photo credit: Celia Ortega/Unsplash

It is generally acknowledged that the quality of an educational system depends upon the quality of its teachers. Teachers are responsible for preparing young people to meet new challenges in a fast-changing world; and that is why innovation in teaching practices has become essential for engaging students.

When it comes to innovative practice, there are many documented examples of innovative practice that teachers can turn to; however, to simply direct teachers to a set of tools and techniques would not necessarily be the best way to help them innovate in the classroom. Every situation is unique, and it is not always clear how such tools can be adapted in practice.

A new OECD report, Teachers as Designers of Learning Environments: the Importance of Innovative Pedagogies, takes a different approach. Rather than viewing teachers as technicians who adopt tools to improve the learning outcomes of their students, the report sees them as competent professionals who are able to find solutions to new problems. If the main challenge in educational practice is to meet the diverse needs of every student, then teaching needs to be acknowledged as a problem-solving process rooted in teacher professionalism.

Innovation in the classroom isn’t fostered by feeding teachers with techniques.

Our report focuses on pedagogies around natural learning inclinations, such as play, emotions, creativity, collaboration and enquiry. By identifying and grouping innovative approaches that promote learner engagement and align with new principles of learning, this publication can help teachers to innovate for themselves. It also provides readers with valuable insights from networks of innovative schools, including some that have already implemented the approaches described in the report.

In writing this report, we built on the analysis of six “clusters” of innovative pedagogies:

• blended learning, where the classroom is seen as the place to apply content and deepen one-to-one interactions, whether with the teacher or through peer collaboration; 

• gamification, which is engagement through play and the pedagogies of games; 

• computational thinking, which addresses mathematics as a coding language and looks at information and communication technology (ICT) as a platform for developing problem-solving reasoning in students;

• experiential learning, which focuses on the process of discovery;

• embodied learning, which focuses on the non-mental factors involved in learning and that signal the importance of the body and feelings; and 

• multiliteracies and discussion-based teaching, which situates knowledge in the political and cultural context. 

Together, these clusters provide a baseline from which teachers can innovate themselves.

It is essential for teachers to understand the relationship between teaching and learning when designing learning environments; and to acknowledge the importance of networking and collaboration among schools that are implementing similar approaches – this is the starting point for putting innovations into action.

In the case of ICT, the increased use of computers in different subjects has not signalled a turning point in how students acquire the complex set of skills they need to be proficient. They may become familiar with basic tasks, but not in a way that boosts their learning or, more importantly, helps them understand ICT as a critical tool for solving today’s challenges.

In fact, the unfulfilled promise of ICT in education underscores the importance of putting pedagogies at the centre of education policy discussions. The importance of ICT and skills like critical thinking and digital literacy has come into clearer focus in new projects targeting curriculum reform, and it has been incorporated in surveys such as the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA). Yet neither the curriculum nor the assessments really tell teachers how to update their practices.

School networks are critical for understanding and scaling classroom-level innovations.

To help teachers become champions of ICT in the classroom, we must think in terms of teaching and learning interactions. For example, by considering critical thinking, digital literacy or computer science in terms of pedagogies, it is possible to identify computational thinking as a key pedagogical lever in understanding how to use computers in the way that scientists do to solve problems – in other words, using computers to implement problem-solving approaches. This, in turn, can improve student competence in mathematics, sciences, or other key areas such as design or algorithmic thinking.

School networks are also a critical lever for understanding and scaling classroom-level innovations. Such networks play an important role in encouraging innovation as a community-driven process to collectively improve the design of learning environments.  Computers at School (CAS), a grassroots organisation that supports computer science teaching in schools across the United Kingdom, focuses much of its support on computer science subject knowledge. Such support also serves as a platform upon which new pedagogies, such as computational thinking, can flourish.

Recognising the key role of pedagogy is not about policy dictating the best teaching methods. Rather, it is a matter of broadening teachers’ skills and techniques, and helping them explore new ways of thinking, reflecting and understanding. In this mission, teachers are not and should not be alone: teachers in school networks are in continuous contact with a large community that supports their professional development. Innovation in the classroom isn’t fostered by feeding teachers with techniques, but through a learning process in which teachers identify their creative, intuitive and personal capacities, and better align them with innovative pedagogies.



Read more: 

• Teachers as Designers of Learning Environments: the Importance of Innovative Pedagogies
• Understanding Innovative Pedagogies: Key Themes to Analyse New Approaches to Teaching and Learning
• Teaching in Focus No. 21 - What does innovation in pedagogy look like? 

How to Promote Rehabilitation for People With AMD and Low Vision

Think about AMD and Low Vision:

In the United States, vision misfortune is one of the significant general wellbeing concern. In spite of the fact that there are numerous explanations behind vision misfortune, for example, waterfall, diabetes, glaucoma, birth deformity, damage, the most widely recognized reason is AMD that is Age-related Macular Degeneration - a main source of vision misfortune among individuals matured 50 or more.

In what capacity would this be able to issue be distinguished?

Frequently getting a migraine, torment in the eyes, obscured vision, loss of focal vision and murky vision are a portion of the side effects of low vision. Low vision because of AMD can't be adjusted by eyeglasses, contact focal points, pharmaceutical or surgery. It can influence the day by day exercises like perusing, shopping, cooking, watching that leads individuals feeling vulnerable and discouraged. You may not see these progressions till they happen. Be that as it may, the sooner these issues are distinguished, the more prominent the odds of counseling a doctor to enable ease back or stop to advance loss of sight. Whatever might be the reason, once you lost your vision, it can't be reestablished. In any case, you can adapt up to the circumstance by appropriate treatment and vision recovery.

What are Vision Rehabilitation Services?

The procedure incorporates an extensive variety of expert administrations that causes individuals change themselves to vision misfortune and reestablish useful capacity and enhance personal satisfaction.

Who offers these administrations?

They are given by a group of prepared eye mind experts, word related advisors, introduction and versatility pros. It helps individuals with low vision to boost their vision and shows them to carry on with a free and quality life, for example, move securely around the home, do their exercises like cooking, perusing and different exercises without anyone's assistance. Advance restoration administrations for individuals living with AMD and low vision in this mindfulness month of February.

Motivation behind a Special Awareness Month:

February is committed to bringing issues to light of age-related macular degeneration - the real reason for vision misfortune among more seasoned individuals, and urging them to take in more about approaches to deal with eyes, think about the indications, chance elements and treatment choices. Accept this open door by getting yourself required to impart your experience to other individuals, and rouse them that how to have a cheerful existence in spite of low vision.

Approaches to Promote Vision Rehabilitation:

AMD never causes finish visual deficiency and early discovery and opportune treatment can maintain a strategic distance from extreme difficulties and further loss of vision. There is a colloquialism "Counteractive action is superior to Cure". You can diminish the danger of having AMD and low vision by receiving basic preventive measures.

Try not to strain your eyes by composing or perusing at low complexity screens and little textual styles;

Do normal eye registration;

In the event that you feel any side effects of low vision, counsel your ophthalmologist promptly;

Keep up great lighting in your environment;

On the off chance that you happen to confront the blue light and UV beams, wear legitimate eyewear to secure colors;

Eat nutritious and all around adjusted eating regimen;

Stop smoking and drinking.

There are a greater amount of cutting edge treatment advances accessible these days for low vision through which you can appreciate a dynamic and autonomous life;

You can advance mindfulness by method for gathering gifts to help the restoration administrations.

Make Awareness:

The primary reason for observing National AMD and Low Vision Awareness month is to bring issues to light as if these disarranges make a tremendous effect on individuals, a considerable lot of them don't know about this condition. Compose a mindfulness crusade in your group to know individuals about AMD and low vision, their side effects, hazard factors and how to live cheerfully with these sicknesses. Advancing a reason with a giveaway blessing is an extraordinary and simple approach to achieve general society. Despite the fact that there are an assortment of things, utilizing redid silicone wristbands in your crusade is a standout amongst other routes in perspective of their simple adjustable nature. Individuals love to wear them as they are appealing and look smart. You can without much of a stretch get these items online with various hues, sorts, and sizes.

"Meeting up is a starting; keeping together is advance; cooperating is the achievement." - we as a whole consolidate our hands to advance recovery for individuals with AMD and low vision.

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6 Simple Foods for Your Eyesight

We are so gotten up to speed in completing our work inside the due dates yet have you at any point given any thought for your little valuable eyes? Indeed, it's a something worth mulling over for you. Incidentally, nourishments that you eat can really enhance your visual perception, so it resembles a twofold advancement solid eating regimen likens sound eyes.

#1: Fish

A decent chilly water angle like sardine, fish or even salmon, which is rich in omega 3 unsaturated fats keeps your eyes hydrated subsequently anticipating dry eye disorder and can likewise avert waterfalls. Omega 3 substance lessen the eye weight and ceaseless irritation of the eyelids. On the off chance that you are not an enthusiast of fish, oil supplements can do the trap also.

#2: Refreshing Green

The nourishments which are named as "green" like spinach and kale are rich in zeaxanthin and lutein content which will keep your eyes glistening and free from waterfalls. A decent and very much arranged plate of mixed greens with peas and broccoli additionally adds to the extravagance and further builds the proteins. So what are you sitting tight for? Go stir up a luscious serving of mixed greens for yourself!

#3: Eggs

Eggs are a decent weight lifter slim down, as well as battles against night visual impairment and in addition dry eyes. They are thought to be rich in Vitamin An and lutein. The yolk which a large portion of the general population disdain eating, yet it keeps the diminishing of the territory around student which is also called macula which upgrades the nature of our vision. There are different sorts of eggs these days, so you have to get your nuts and bolts appropriate to know which is genuine or plastic eggs.

#4: Meat adore

There is some uplifting news for meat darlings! Red meat contains zinc in it which assimilates vitamin A which is available in carrots and different fixings which additionally diminishes the likelihood of waterfalls and solid degeneration. As a lot of nectar is terrible for wellbeing, overabundance utilization of meat can cause visual deficiency in this way, you have to know where to draw a line amongst you and your affection.

#5: Orange Carrot it is!

I'm certain you were attached to having fresh carrots from your youth well, at any rate you accomplished something great as carrots are rich in vitamin An and vitamin C. Vitamin An and Vitamin C, both help to battle against strong degeneration and additionally waterfall. It improves the capacity to see plainly.

#6: Whole grains

Eating entire grains including grain, wheat and corn can help decrease the odds of getting retina harm with age. The eye tissue is fortified which additionally helps in the security of eyes from aggravation and light, it is the zinc content that makes this conceivable. Like the other talked about nourishment things this additionally helps in avoiding waterfall ailments.

The nourishment around us are so rich in supplement content. Giving some care to eyes should be possible normally and in the meantime you will have the capacity to fill your tummy also, what amount more great would life be able to get?

Allude the outback vision convention to discover more about the subject, yet do read the outback vision convention survey as it is constantly great to peruse the audit of a specific item before getting it. I for one trust this is the best and has a honest supposition than a large portion of the other outback vision convention surveys.

Things to Keep in Mind While Looking Out for an Eye Doctor

An eye is the most excellent piece of our bodies and furthermore is one of the tactile organs. Along these lines, it ought to dependably be in appropriate condition and be dealt with. One can't manage the cost of any damage or damage to the eye. Subsequently, finding a decent eye specialist is dependably an assignment.

In this way, here are a few focuses one must remember while searching for an eye specialist.

1. Sorts of specialist

The initial step while picking an eye specialist is to comprehend the contrast between the different kinds of eye specialists. Significantly there are two primary kinds of an eye specialist.

— Optometrist-this is the specialist that searches for treating the vision issues and the conditions identified with it. These specialists endorse the contact focal points and glasses to treat the vision of a person. Laser surgeries are additionally taken up by an optometrist.

— Ophthalmologist-an ophthalmologist manages giving the treatment to any eye wounds and diseases. The eye surgeries, for example, repairing retinal separations, evacuating waterfalls, and performing focal point inserts and LASIK surgeries are dealt with by an ophthalmologist.

In this way, as indicated by your need and prerequisite, search for the one that can treat in the most suitable way.

2. Protection design

One great approach to discover an eye specialist is by checking your protection design. The rundown of the specialists specified there can help a great deal by streamlining the assignment. All the specialist medicines require an immense measure of cash. Also, the protection can help you a ton along these lines by picking the one that is secured under your arrangement.

3. Have proposals

Converse with your loved ones to get data about the specialists they have gone to and note down their experience. This can help you a considerable measure by getting the individual input from the put stock in individuals.

4. Research

In the wake of following the above advances, simply complete a smidgen of research yourself about the eye specialists keeping in mind the end goal to check for any acts of neglect on the off chance that they've at any point been blamed for. Go for the accomplished ones. You need a decent treatment for your vision, for it an accomplished specialist is constantly prescribed.

5. Check the workplace

Likewise, one ought to be alright with the specialist and the way he treats his patients. For this, you need to meet the specialist face to face. Likewise, you would have the capacity to meet some more patients to get the criticism from them. You would have the capacity to observe the declarations and the confirmations the specialist has accomplished as they are for the most part held tight the dividers of the facility.

Continuously remember, to pick the specialist that is close to your home. Going amid the crisis isn't generally conceivable. Also, by being close to the facility, one can visit the specialist at whatever point they require and can get the treatment at most punctual.

Conclusion

Take after the above offered focuses to locate the best specialist for your visual perception and get the most fitting treatment.

To find out about eye specialist Chicago, please check our site.

Hints On How to Edit Videos At Speeches Or Conferences

The systems utilized by video editors to shape content demonstrates a considerable measure about how individuals can make meaning. Editors see how individuals feel, think, learn, and recall. Here are ten hints to enable you to alter recordings at addresses or gatherings:

1. Continuously pick the best plots for each minute. As you are experiencing film, your objective ought to be to adjust the purpose of speakers with the desires of the group of onlookers. Consider what crowds would need to take a gander at amid the discussions on the off chance that they were there. This will make it less demanding for you to choose the most ideal edge to remake each minute. This will likewise enable you to pick edges which let the speaker express their story better.

2. Utilize medium and close-up shots more than wide shots. This is imperative to help cut between different camera points, and the crowd will then see more about what's occurring. It is extremely captivating to watch the outward appearances and the non-verbal communication of speakers with a nearer see.

3. Watch the non-verbal communication of speakers and how they talk. Dialect is constantly exemplified. The musings, breath, and words are uncovered in their non-verbal communication. Each speaker will have a one of a kind rhythm and musicality to their voice. Focusing on such things will enable you to make a characteristic cadence while altering.

4. Extraordinary compared to other approaches to make alters between shots easily is to cut on signals. The watcher will watch the beginning of a movement in one shot and will tail it over the alter to the following shot. The fulfillment of the signal will veil all the altering.

5. The sound of specific words, particularly the ones with hard consonants, can decrease the conspicuousness of alters. At the point when words that are applicable to the discussion are said, they can be featured thusly and made more vital.

6. Continuously think about the gathering of people as one with a limited ability to focus. It is critical to outline the expressions of a speaker with different camera points to make it more fascinating and dynamic than simply holding the camera at one plot for quite a while.

7. You ought to likewise think about separating the illustrations. On the off chance that there are any slides that are a piece of the discussions, have a go at separating them into various areas. This may not help with the altering, but rather it is imperative to be systematic when you are endeavoring to coordinate consideration.

8. Attempt and alter out the greatest number of specialized mistakes or speakers blunders as you can. You can cover the alters by cutting from the activity.

9. Consider the general population who are talking and those that are tuning in. One test here is interviews. Alters here ought to be propelled by words. This will help move the perspective for the meeting.

10. Consume room from your alter. Once you've invested energy in it, you may simply get desensitized. It is essential to take a break. Taking a crush and coming spirit with a new viewpoint can enable you to keep up the feeling of the group of onlookers.

How to Make Creative Names and Passwords for Your WiFi

Your home WiFi system can be a chance to demonstrate your identity and get inventive. Whenever neighbors and their guests look for remote associations in the territory, they'll see the name that you have picked. Of course, it's not as evident to bystanders as the outside paint or finishing, yet it's unquestionably a piece of how you are seen by neighbors. In the event that you live in a swarmed condo complex, you might be known just by your music volume and your WiFi name. An inventive secret key is additionally fundamental to ensure that your association is protected and private. Take after these tips for setting up an epic neighborhood arrange association.

Get imaginative with the name.

Kindly don't leave the default series of letters and numbers. While it might feel like you're keeping the association mysterious, anyone who takes a gander at the flag quality on their gadget can make a decent figure. Stroll down the road with your telephone scanning for associations, and you can dependably distinguish the vast majority of the homes on the square, just by the flag quality as it pinnacles and blurs. Like the email address you initially made in center school, the remote switch is an open door for amateurish twists of imagination. Regardless of whether you simply need to make a couple of bosoms with brackets and periods, just the neighbors can judge you. Think about referencing popular culture or your most loved book arrangement, and you may turn into the coolest individual at the following neighborhood piece party.

A few people utilize their system name as an approach to send messages to neighbors, which can put on a show of being latent forceful. "PickUpYourDogPoo" may get a giggle from neighbors who share your disappointment, yet somebody who complains could react eccentrically. To get an all the more reliably positive reaction, stick to quips and popular culture like "Shroud Yo Kids Hide Yo WiFi."

Get innovative (in the correct path) with the secret key.

When making passwords for your distinctive online records, you frequently need to incorporate capital letters, numbers, and images. The outcome is that individuals have been prepared to consider passwords minor departure from single words. Substituting an "at sign" for the letter "a," be that as it may, doesn't make a secret word essentially more secure. Correspondingly, it's normally the principal letter of a watchword that we underwrite. These passwords are additionally dreary to disclose to visitors, since you need to clarify every one of the substitutions and which letters are promoted. Rather than relying upon numbers and images, think about a string of three irregular words. Inconsequential words are substantially harder to figure than the standard substitutions and secret word varieties. In a perfect world, your WiFi watchword ought to be extremely hard to figure and simple to disclose to visitors.

Remember proposals tips when setting up your home remote system, and your association can give you a sentiment warmth and achievement each time you sign on. The astute handle that you haven't utilized since AIM can give your whole neighborhood a laugh of happiness. When you know you have a triumphant combo, get an additional radio wire to help the flag quality all through your home and further down the road.