Quick as a flash, we are in December! November… no, strike that, this year has gone so quickly! As ever for GlobeUs, we have been busy bees getting everything ready for the end of the year, ready to start 2017 with a bang. Here’s a brief update on what’s been going on aboard the good ship GlobeUs…

The Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (ROATP) opened this month, and we have now submitted our full application to the SFA and Department of Education for funding under the new proposals. It is a huge opportunity for GlobeUs to extend our current Apprenticeships offer as we are looking to move into new sectors and cover a wider Geographical area, so please keep an eye on our Apprenticeships page and News Feed for updates. We also have a dedicated space on our website containing all the information you need to know about the new funding arrangements, including the Levy and contributions for employers. To find out more, please view our information page. We will also publish updates on the new standards and frameworks as and when they are made available to us. As ever, please by all means drop us a line if you have any queries at all.

Speaking of Apprenticeships, I am sure anyone working within the Childcare sector has felt the impact of the mandatory GCSE requirements for Level 3 practitioners under the new EYFS guidance. Whilst there are a huge number of positive effects resulting from this stipulation, settings have fed back to us the pressure they feel with a reduced number of candidates for staffing vacancies, and limitations for existing staff members to gain their Level 3 Apprenticeship due to not meeting the GCSE requirements. In response to this, the Department of Education released a consultation on the ruling, to gain feedback from settings, training providers, and anyone working within the Early Years sector to see if changes need to be made. The consultation has generated a huge response (as reported by Nursery World yesterday). The result of the consultation will be issued in a report in Winter 2016/17, and we await any updates from our local Gosport MP and Early Years Minister Caroline Dinenage.

Caroline has been working with local Apprentices recently as part of her “Get In Go Far” campaign promoting Apprenticeships within our local area. 3 of our Apprentices participated in the response, submitting fantastic testimonials detailing their experience of Apprenticeships so far. By way of thanks, all 3 learners and the Apprenticeships Manager have been invited to a celebratory reception with Caroline at the Houses of Parliament later this month, with a tour of Parliament planned – how exciting! It was very unexpected but so lovely to be able to extend our thanks to the participants, and be able to offer them an amazing opportunity and experience in addition to their course with GlobeUs!

Our Director of Quality has been in London herself recently, rubbing shoulders with none other than Lord Alan Sugar! Lord Sugar hosted an event on the 3rd November (“An Evening with Lord Sugar“) inviting those in business along to listen to a whole range of speakers giving advice and tips on how to be successful in business. It was hugely enjoyable and something none of us have ever been to before, but certainly would attend again in 2017.

Another event we will be attending again in 2017 is Race For Life! We have already signed up and will be attending the Bournemouth 5K should anyone like to join us or cheer us on! It’s an incredible event every year, and the atmosphere was absolutely electric – we cannot wait to don our running shoes in the Spring and get training ready for the run in June.

We have been here, there and everywhere delivering Compliance Short Courses this month, visiting Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Brighton and the Isle of Wight. Phew! We also attended the Southampton Business Expo held at the Ageas Bowl on the 24th November, which was an incredibly well-attended event. It was fantastic to meet so many businesses, small and large, local and national, and we really appreciate the opportunity given to us by the event to liaise with some fantastic people!

With 2017 quickly approaching, we have added a whole range of dates to our Courses section on the website, to help keep up with demand. Check out our page here to see what’s coming up, and as always do not hesitate to get in touch if we can help at all.

We are also looking to expand our Apprenticeships team in 2017, and currently have an advert out for an additional Childcare Trainer Assessor to join our team! Interested, or know someone who might be? Please help spread the word and visit our Vacancies page to find out more.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported GlobeUs in 2016. We simply could not have kept going without the sheer amount of support, encouragement and feedback from our clients, staff, business advisors, settings, learners, and supporting team around us, and we thank each and every one of you for your involvement. We are incredibly excited to see what 2017 will bring, and are delighted to invite you all along for the journey.

We wish you all a very merry and peaceful Christmas, and a prosperous, happy New Year.

With all our very best wishes,

Team GlobeUs