Institution News
The Chartered Surveyors Training Trust (CSTT) is adopting a new name; the Built Environment Schools Trust (BEST). This is a strategic change to better align its name with its mission “to create a pipeline of diverse talent through our school outreach, promote sector-wide collaboration, and provide support for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds who may encounter barriers when entering the sector”. For nearly four decades, the charity has been dedicated to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in pursuing surveying careers. It has become clear that BEST needs to broaden its scope to encompass all young individuals and provide guidance and support on careers across the entire built environment sector. beschoolstrust.org
The UK Government has announced senior appointments that will impact on the future of Skills England and the apprenticeships and technical education programme. Former Cisco UK and Ireland chair and CEO, Phil Smith has been appointed as chair. Sunderland University chief executive and vice chancellor, Sir David Bell, comes in as vice chair. Tessa Griffiths and Sarah Maclean, highly experienced civil servants who have overseen the setting up of Shadow Skills England, will act jointly as CEO. Gemma Marsh, who has extensive experience with the No10 delivery unit and as director of education, skills and work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, will be deputy CEO.
The government also highlighted changes in response to employers’ calls for more flexibility, to make sure everyone feels the benefits of the reforms. This will include the introduction of shorter apprenticeships from August 2025 (subject to the parliamentary timetable), which will see the minimum length reduced from 12 to 8 months. The new development will allow training to be delivered and completed more quickly where that makes sense for a given industry, or an individual has significant prior learning.
Added to this, the government is giving employers more flexibility over maths and English requirements for apprentices. Businesses will now be able to decide whether adult learners, over the age of 19 when they start their apprenticeship course, will need to complete a level 2 English and maths qualification (equivalent to GCSE) to pass it. This policy change is effective immediately and will apply to new starts and existing learners currently on programme.
Learners aged 16-18 will still be required to achieve English and maths qualifications. instituteforapprenticeships.org/about/skills-england/
A team of expert AI developers from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), has built a package of tools to speed up the work of civil servants and make them deliver ministerial plans more quickly. Across Whitehall, the bundle of tools will be known as ‘Humphrey’, named after the fictional Whitehall official made famous in BBC drama ‘Yes, Minister’.
It is set to be made available to all civil servants soon, with some of the products included ready for use today. Among their uses, the tools will help the government take on board the views of thousands of people, civil society organisations and businesses that comment on policies through consultations.
‘Consult’, a tool in the package, analyses thousands of responses any government consultation might receive in hours, before presenting policy makers and experts with interactive dashboards to explore what the public are saying directly. Currently, this process is outsourced costing the taxpayer around £100,000 a time.
Thank you to presenters Ruth Kavanagh and Megan Green, Archor; Laura West, Karen Cossar and Chiara Pieri CMS and Mark Reid, KOREC for the roundup of recent webinars.
