Provider Access Legislation (PAL) 2024-25

Aims 

This policy statement aims to set out our College’s arrangements for managing the access of education and training providers to students for the purpose of giving them information about their offer.

It sets out:

• Procedures in relation to requests for access.
• The grounds for granting and refusing requests for access.
• Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access.

Statutory Requirements

Academies are required to ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students in years 8 to 13 for the purposes of informing them about approved technical education, qualifications or apprenticeships. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997. In addition the Baker Clause, an amendment to the above, stipulates that providers must allow colleges and training providers access to every student in years 8 - 13 to discuss non-academic routes that are available to them. It is expected that by doing so this will help address the UK’s productivity challenges and address skills shortages experienced across several sectors of the economy.

As a Trust we provide the same access. In line with the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, which will come into effect from January 2023, all students will have at least six encounters with a provider of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. Two of these will be in school years 12, with another two in year 13.

Rationale and Student Entitlement

At Connell Co-op College, we will use Gatsby Benchmarks as a framework of best practice to develop and improve our careers provision to ensure that we not only fulfil legal duties of providing opportunities for a range of education and training providers to access all students in year 12 and 13 but to also have a CEIAG programme that meets the needs of an ever changing cohort. All of our students are entitled:

1. To find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point;

2. To hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events;

3. To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses. An expectation of our providers will be to provide:-

• Information about the provider and the approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships that the provider offers.
• Information about the careers to which those technical education qualifications or apprenticeships might lead.
• Description of what learning or training with the provider is like, and responses to questions from the pupils about the provider or approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships Further detail of our CEIAG programme is available on our website.

Management of Provider Access Requests

Procedure

A provider wishing to request access should contact CEIAG Leader : Ali Harrison, 0161 231 9200, ali.harrison@coopacademies.co.uk 

Opportunities for Access

A number of events, integrated into our careers programme, will offer providers an opportunity to come into our academy to speak to students and/or their parents/carers:

Year 12

Autumn Term

• Making the most of College: Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Edge Hill University
• Widening Participation Programmes: MMU WP 1st Generation HE open Sept 23 and Access Leeds Uni open Sept 23
• UCLAN Medical pathways open Sept 23
• Careers Fair 
• Employers, HE and Apprenticeship Providers
• UK University & Apprenticeship Search Fair
• PWC Workplace/Technical Apprenticeships
• Amazon experience
• Individual trips/visits/experiences provided by each Faculty

Spring Term

• Assembly/workshops WP programmes
• Sutton Trust UK Summer Schools and Apprenticeship Summer School - January 2024
• Next Steps York - Jan 2024
• Targeted Intervention
• Early applicants - University of Manchester
• One Million Mentors
• Deloitte mentoring
• HSBC - Financial Independence workshops
• STEM – Apprenticeships.
• Individual trips/visits/experiences provided by each Faculty

Summer Term

• Career Insight Days
• MIHP
• Deloitte
• GMI Construction
• Slater Heelis
• Aldermore Bank
• Whole year groups HE visits: University of Edge Hill /Huddersfield/MMU/UA92/John Moores/UCFB
• Individual trips/visits/experiences provided by each Faculty

Year 13

Autumn Term

• Next Steps Student Finance Information Evening:
• MMU, Universities of Salford, Law, UA92, Manchester, Huddersfield, John Moores, UCFB
• UCAS Personal Statement workshops:
• Universities of Leeds, Huddersfield, Liverpool, John Moores, Manchester, Salford, York, Law, UCAN, UCEN, UA92.
• Careers Fair 
• Employers, HE and Apprenticeship Providers.
• UK University & Apprenticeship Search Fair
• PWC Workplace/Technical Apprenticeships
• Amazon experience
• Individual trips/visits/experiences provided by each Faculty

Spring Term

• STEM – Apprenticeships.
• Individual trips/visits/experiences provided by each Faculty

Summer Term

• 121 advice/workshops:
• Career Connect
• INTO
• One Million Mentors
• Individual trips/visits/experiences provided by each Faculty

Examples of Local Providers (Current Offer – July 2024)