Higher Education Authority’s Post

An opportunity for #Business & #Learners to access #Funded provisions through #MicroCreds check out more below

With UCAS reporting fewer young people in Wales seeking to enter Higher Education and the continued demand for higher level skills (The two things are BTW not synonymous) Wales desperately needs to innovate in the provision of adult continuing learning. Plans are in hand in England to deliver the Life Long Learning Loan Entitlement but innovation in Post 16 delivery in Wales is in short supply. Much has been made about micro credentials and more flexible approaches to credit accumulation and whatever the future structure and size of qualifications at level 4 and above will be, there remains the key question of who pays and how. Earlier today the Lifelong Learning Institute published Making Lifelong Learning Work: Skills Accounts for Bitesize Learning - disclosure alert, I'm a member of its Advisory Board. Their recommendations may not be to everyone's taste but are worth a read. But here in Wales, as the Personal Learning Account programme and all adult part time learning faces pressure, could Welsh Government with its treasury powers and the Development Bank of Wales create individualised funding pots? Chunking down qualifications to 10 unit blocks is within the gift of HEIs - but I doubt that it is a route thy really want to follow. So, what role can awarding bodies play in delivering genuine, stackable micro credentials Made for Wales? Have a read - if all it does is promote more debate and stimulate innovation in Wales it will be worth it.

Thanks to HESPA for running the session on the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. Very well timed as it coincided with the announcement of the delay to implementation. This is going to be a massive piece of work for the sector with all sorts of implications that have yet to be thought through. Odds on a further delay ? https://lnkd.in/e3JGrGRz

Considering heading back to study this year? With many of our online courses offering generous government subsidies, there’s never been a better time to reskill or upskill. See what’s on offer here: https://bit.ly/3tEGd0s #ACUOnline #upskill #reskill

Fee-free TAFE enrolments surge Enrolments in fee-free TAFE across Australia have reached 300,000 since the beginning of the year, beating the original target by 120,000. Latest figures show that fee-free TAFE enrolments reached 296,107 at the end of September – well ahead of the forecast 180,000 for the full year. “We are seeing a large number of enrolments and commencements in all of our priority industries, from aged care to agriculture, construction to nursing, education to disability services,” the Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor said. “Businesses in the bush are facing significant skills shortages, so it’s great that over 105,000 Australian living in regional and remote areas have enrolled in a Fee-Free TAFE course this year.” Women make up 60% of enrolments, while there are more than 65,000 job seekers, 22,000 people with disability and more than 14,000 First Nations people. There have been 65,500 enrolments in the care sector, 26,600 in technology and digital, and 21,000 in construction. The federal government has committed a further $414 million to make another 300,000 places available from January. https://lnkd.in/gmQkKyTh

Independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) serve as the backbone of skills training in Australia. They're the go-to for both students and employers nationwide, addressing the ever-evolving demands of the workforce. To fuel this growing need, both the Australian and State Governments have allocated funding for students in priority fields, ensuring the skills demand is met. Did you know? Among the 1.3 million students enrolled in government-funded courses, an impressive 45.5% opt for Independent Registered Training Organisations. These institutions are the driving force behind over two-thirds of all completions for government-funded courses. At the heart of this vital education landscape, independent RTOs continue to shape skilled professionals and bridge the gap between education and industry needs. Source: ITECA #AscendManagement #SkillsBasedTraining #VocationalEducationTraining

Attention BSS Holders! It’s that time of year again. Ensure you have your 10 Continuing Education credits logged before December 31, 2023. For details on how to report them, go here: https://ow.ly/8V9q50QiJKj #buildingscience #education #certification

📰 Learner Fee Subsidy Announced for Micro-credentials We welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris T.D, today that €3.4m in funding has been awarded to the MicroCreds Project as part of the HCI Pillar 3 Micro-Credential Course Learner Subsidy. The funding will make upskilling and reskilling opportunities in critical skills areas more accessible and will allow more learners from across Ireland to engage with lifelong learning through micro-credentials. Commenting on the funding, the IUA MicroCreds Project Lead Julia O’Connor said: “MicroCreds courses offer a fantastic opportunity to upskill and engage in lifelong learning. Micro-credentials make education easier and more accessible for people with busy lifestyles and helps them commit to learning in a flexible way that suits their personal and work commitments." The funding will be available across over 300 courses offered throughout the academic year from MicroCreds partner universities. Visit www.microcreds.ie/subsidy to find out more about eligible courses. Higher Education Authority | Irish Universities Association | Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Navigating Competency-Based Education (CBE) for CBSE: Here's the Breakdown! 1️⃣ Tailored Learning: CBE allows learners to progress at their own pace, mastering skills as they go. No more one-size-fits-all education! 2️⃣ Real-World Relevance: By focusing on competencies required in the workplace, CBE ensures that learners are equipped with practical skills that employers value. 3️⃣ Flexibility: Whether you're a full-time student, a working professional, or someone in-between, CBE offers flexible pathways to education, accommodating diverse schedules and learning styles. 4️⃣ Lifelong Learning: With CBE, learning doesn't stop after graduation. It promotes a culture of continuous improvement, empowering individuals to upskill and reskill throughout their careers. Have you incorporated Competency-Based Education (CBE) principles into your teaching practices? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below, and let's discover together how CBE can transform education in our classrooms.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the latest ESFA funding rules which state that all apprentices now need to go through a robust screener for identification for any learning difficulties. So we’re delighted to be promoting a tool with a trackable 30 minute assessment which identifies any learner with cognitive diversity & additional learning needs. Often traditional methods used by providers only pick up a small proportion of learners who require further help, which doesn’t help at all when evidencing to Ofsted. In reality 30-35% of learners require additional support and this screener uncovers and provides scientifically valid evidence of that need. The intuitive tool opens up a whole host of bespoke learning resources for those that need it as well as a bespoke report - to help assessors create a developmental pathway. All this then creates the evidence of learning that’s needed for each learner. Please reach out if you’d like to arrange a demonstration of this platform: Oliver.Kristall@fetech.co.uk / 07854 978 253