Engineering

NATIONALREPORT FROMTHE INSPECTORATE1999-00

THEFURTHEREDUCATIONFUNDINGCOUNCIL

www.fefc.ac.uk

THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL

The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) has a legal duty to makesure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’sinspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further educationaccording to a four-year cycle. It also inspects other further educationprovision funded by the FEFC. In fulfilling its work programme theinspectorate assesses and reports nationally on the curriculum,disseminates good practice and advises the FEFC’s quality assessmentcommittee.

College inspections are carried out in accordance with the framework andguidelines described in Council Circulars 97/12, 97/13 and 97/22.Inspections seek to validate the data and judgements provided by collegesin self-assessment reports. They involve full-time inspectors andregistered part-time inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in,the work they inspect. A member of the Council’s audit service works withinspectors in assessing aspects of governance and management. Allcolleges are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff toparticipate in the inspection as a team member.

Cheylesmore HouseQuinton RoadCoventry CV1 2WTTelephone 024 7686 3000Fax 024 7686 3100Website www.fefc.ac.uk

© FEFC 2000 You may photocopy this report and use extracts in promotional or other material provided quotes areaccurate, and the findings are not misrepresented.

Paragraph

Summary

Introduction 1

Engineering in the United Kingdom and the Skills Required by the Industry 3

Public Sector Initiatives 10

Engineering Provision in Further Education Colleges 11

Engineering Enrolments in Further Education Colleges 14

Recruitment and Entry 21

Outcomes of Inspection 27

Teaching and Learning 29

Key Skills 40

Students’ Achievements 41

Curriculum Organisation and Management 49

Resources 60

Conclusions 65

Annex: Colleges visited

Bibliography

College Name

Contents

Engineering

Summary

This survey reviews the quality of provision delivered by engineeringdepartments in further education colleges. It is the second survey ofengineering provision undertaken by the Further Education FundingCouncil (FEFC) inspectorate, the first being undertaken in 1994-95. Thisrecent survey was based on 85 inspections of engineering carried out infurther education colleges between September 1997 and August 1999 andon the results of a questionnaire completed by inspectors who visited afurther 49 colleges. This survey report reviews progress on some of thekey points identified in the first survey and comments on current issuesrelevant to the provision of engineering courses in further educationcolleges.

Engineering departments in further education colleges are key providers oftraining for engineering employees and for full-time students wishing topursue engineering careers. Generally, departments are responsive to theneeds of the engineering industry and individual students, and to publicsector initiatives. Engineering departments support the specialised needsof employers by providing a range of standard and purpose-designedprogrammes to promote continuation training and skills updating foremployees. They are also making a positive contribution to initiatives toencourage participation by students who might not normally benefit fromfurther education, exemplified in the collaborative partnerships formedwith engineering employers and the provision of a range of level 1 courses.

The proportion of grade ones and twos awarded for engineering provisionbetween September 1997 and June 1999 has been significantly less thanthe overall average for all programme areas. Poor levels of achievementhave been the main reason for this lower percentage. The proportion ofgrade 1s and 2s fell significantly in 1998-99 but the decline should be seenin the context of the more reliable and detailed information on students’achievements now available in FEFC statistics. Inspectors agreed with theself-assessment grade for engineering in 69% of the inspections ofengineering. The grade given by inspectors was one grade lower than theself-assessment grade in 20% of inspections and one grade higher than theself-assessment grade in 11% of inspections. Many self-assessment reportspay insufficient attention to students’ achievements and retention rates.

The quality of teaching in engineering is comparable with that in otherprogramme areas. Teaching and learning is at least satisfactory, especiallyin practical workshops, but classroom teaching is often dull anduninspiring. Practical work, especially that on national vocationalqualification (NVQ) courses, is generally well organised and, increasingly,students are able to take some responsibility for their own progress. Thelogging of evidence of the achievement of competences needs strengtheningif students are to achieve their target qualification in the expected time.Most craft students in engineering departments are developing a suitablebalance of practical skills and underpinning knowledge.

Title of documentEngineering

The overall retention rate on engineering courses has improved slightlysince the first survey and is now just below the overall retention rate for allFEFC programme areas. However, the picture in many departments is stillmixed and most have poor retention rates on at least some of their courses.Engineering departments have been actively involved in many of the recentinitiatives to improve student retention but it is too early to say howsuccessful they may be. The overall pass rates in engineering remain low.The pass rates for 16 to 18 year old engineering students on level 1 andlevel 2 courses are particularly poor. Some engineering departments haverecognised this and have recently implemented a range of initiatives,including changes to the curriculum.

The mathematical ability of many engineering students continues to be aweakness. Students often lack confidence in the manipulation of equationsand formulae. The number and range of examples provided for studentsare not always sufficient to develop their mathematical competence.Mathematical principles need to be linked more often to engineeringapplications to promote the relevance and understanding of mathematics.Numeracy, literacy, and information technology (IT) are key skills which allengineering departments develop, but not always systematically. Thefurther application of computers to aid engineering processes is usuallywell taught. Few engineering departments have extended the developmentof key skills to cover problem-solving, working with others, and improvingown learning and performance, as requested by industry.

The quality of engineering accommodation continues to improve. Manydepartments have increased space utilisation. Some have modernpurpose-built engineering accommodation but in most colleges there aresome areas which present a poor image and which are not representativeof modern industrial practice. Engineering equipment varies in quality.The best and most modern equipment is usually associated with computer-aided engineering activities and the teaching of electronicsthrough computer-aided learning systems. Much equipment is ofsatisfactory quality but is becoming increasingly dated. The resource mostin need of investment continues to be general workshop machinery.

The level of administration in engineering departments has increasedsignificantly as a result of the increase in competence-based courses andthe growth of awarding and standard-setting bodies. Reductions in theproportion of full-time teachers have increased the administrative load forthe remaining full-time teachers.

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Introduction

1 This is a report on the second survey of thequality of engineering provision funded by theFurther Education Funding Council (FEFC).Engineering falls within the FEFC’s programmearea 4 and the term ‘engineering’ embraces allaspects of electrical and electronic engineering,manufacturing and motor vehicle engineering aswell as specialisms such as marine andaeronautical engineering. A small element ofengineering falls within other programme areassuch as construction and science. The reportcomments on some of the changes found sincethe report on the first survey, published in April 1996, quoting from the conclusions of thefirst survey, where appropriate. The report alsodiscusses other more recent issues relating tothe delivery of the curriculum and students’achievements.

2 This second survey draws on the findingsof recent inspections of engineering and on aspecial exercise involving a questionnaire andvisits to selected colleges. Inspectors carried out85 inspections of engineering in furthereducation colleges between September 1997 andAugust 1999 as part of the second quadrennialcycle of inspections. Engineering departmentsare now required to produce a self-assessmentreport on the quality of their provision andduring inspections, inspectors start with the self-assessment and not only assess the qualityof provision but also comment on the extent towhich they support the findings of the self-assessment report. The grades awarded bythe inspectors are published in collegeinspection reports alongside comments on theself-assessment. During the 1998-99 academicyear, a further 49 colleges completed a detailedsurvey questionnaire relating to a number of keyaspects of provision in engineering departments.Inspectors made follow up visits to each of thesecolleges. Numerical data quoted in this reportdraw on information from the completedquestionnaires and data provided by collegesthrough the individualised student record (ISR).The ISR were not available at the time of thefirst survey.

Engineering in the UnitedKingdom and the SkillsRequired by the Industr y

3 The United Kingdom engineering industryoperates worldwide in high technology marketswhich include aerospace, automotivecomponents, electronics, transport equipment,general machinery and equipment, processindustries and utilities. Half of all the UnitedKingdom’s fixed investment expenditure of £50billion is in engineering products andengineering companies employ over 1.7 millionpeople. Engineering output is worthapproximately £160 billion, which is around 8%of the total United Kingdom gross domesticproduct. Over 60% of the output is exported, ofwhich about two-thirds goes to the Europeanmainland. Exports are worth more than £72billion, and make up more than one-third of theUnited Kingdom total.

4 Predicted employment trends inengineering, 1997 to 2007, are shown in table 1. The number employed in ‘engineeringcraft and skilled trades’ is expected to fall.Owing to natural wastage, however, there will bea requirement to train people new to theindustry, and as shown in the table, the demandfor ‘new entrant’ training will far outweigh thefall in employment. A similar pattern ispredicted for ‘industrial plant and machineoperatives’. In total, there will be a need totrain approximately 350,000 new craft andoperative entrants each year. Employment inthe ‘science and engineering associateprofessional and technical occupations’ isexpected to increase and training will berequired for approximately 80,000 new entrantseach year.

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Engineering

Table 1. Expected employment trends in engineering, 1997 to 2007

Employment (000s) Annual New entrant trainingloss/gain including annual

1997 2007 (000s) loss/gain (000s)

Engineering craft and skilled trades 935 790 -14.5 90

Industrial plant and machine operatives 2,003 1,861 -14.2 350

Total 2,935 2,651 -28.7 440

Science and engineering associate professional and technical occupations 675 750 7.5 80

Source: Labour Market and Skills Trends 1998/1999, DfEE

5 A profile of the qualifications held byengineering employees is presented in table 2.It shows that 81% of engineering employeespossess at least a level 2 qualification and thatmost hold a level 3 qualification.

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Table 2. Profile of qualifications held by engineering employees

NVQ level Workers with qualifications (%)

No qualification 8

NVQ level 1 or equivalent 11

NVQ level 2 or equivalent 29

NVQ level 3 or above or equivalent 52

Source: Labour Market and Skills Trends 1996/1997, DfEE

6 In 1998, the Engineering and MarineTraining Authority (EMTA) carried out asubstantial labour market survey of theengineering industry in Britain. Some of thefindings relating to skills and recruitment needswere that:

• 49% of the employers who had recruitedover the previous 12 months hadexperienced difficulty in filling vacancies.Craft and operative vacancies werereported as being the most hard to fill;these included jobs for welders, machinesetters, skilled sheet metal workers,machine tool operators, computernumerical control (CNC) operators andelectricians. Other occupations where jobswere hard to fill included technicianengineers

• 53% of engineering companies felt that theskills required of the average employeewere increasing. This figure increased to61% for establishments of 250 or moreemployers. In the motor vehicle sector,91% of those surveyed felt that the skillsrequired of the average employee wereincreasing.

7 Engineering employers were asked toidentify their use of modern technologies. Their responses, summarised in table 3, showthat large companies make a substantial use ofmodern technologies, whilst a significantnumber of small companies make no use ofthem.

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Table 3. Percentage of companies using modern technologies, 1998

Area of technology Companies using modern technologies (%)

250+ employees <50 employees All companies

Computer numerical control 82 42 46

Computer-aided design 90 36 43

Computer-aided manufacture 65 21 25

Computer-aided engineering - 14 18

Materials requirement planning 70 16 22

Manufacturing resource planning 62 9 15

Statistical process control 67 11 16

Assembly line/production robotics 45 5 9

None of the identified technologies 2 39 34

Source: Labour Market Survey of the Engineering Industry in Britain, EMTA, 1998

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9 In summary, the figures presented in tables1 to 4 show that:

• there is a substantial demand for initialtraining

• there is a requirement for the updating andimprovement of skills to meet the ever-changing demands of industrialpractices

• the development of craft skills is still animportant area of training

• broad vocational skills are required to meetthe need for increased flexibility withinoccupational areas.

As part of the survey, this report will addresshow well these requirements are being met bydepartments of engineering in further educationcolleges.

Public Sector Initiatives

10 Recent public sector initiatives affectingthe work of further education engineeringdepartments include widening participationand inclusive learning initiatives fundedthrough the FEFC, the New Deal fundedthrough the employment service, and themodern apprenticeship and nationaltraineeship schemes funded through thetraining and enterprise councils. The wideningparticipation initiative aims to broaden therange of people who might benefit from furthereducation. Specific engineering courses aimedat those who would not normally enter furthereducation are usually at level 1 or below andprovide employment opportunities in semi-skilled areas of work. Trainees on New Deal,

8 The EMTA survey further identified that33% of engineering companies believe that agap now exists between the skills of the averageemployee and the skills required to meet theirbusiness needs. Literacy and numeracy skillsare the major issues identified by motor vehiclecompanies. Table 4 further shows that thepercentage of large companies reporting a skillsgap is well above the percentage for allcompanies.

Table 4. Gaps in skills reported by companies, 1998

Nature of shortfall Companies reporting a skills gap (%)

Large employers All employers

Management skills 56 25

Communication skills 50 29

Computer literacy 53 35

Problem-solving skills 40 23

Team working 38 18

Conducting skills audit 28 9

Multi-skilled employees 43 21

Business planning/business development 24 10

Source: Labour Market Survey of the Engineering Industry in Britain, EMTA, 1998

modern apprenticeships, and nationaltraineeships normally undertake courses atlevels 2 or 3 and these are intended to lead toemployment opportunities in skilled andtechnician areas of work.

Engineering Provision inFurther Education Colleges

11 In 1997-98, 365 of the 423 colleges in thefurther education sector had courses inengineering and technology compared with 347of the 456 colleges in existence at the time of thefirst survey. The figures do not indicate anexpansion of engineering provision, however.The reason for the increase in the number ofcolleges offering engineering is that manycolleges, especially sixth form colleges, areoffering courses which are identified for fundingpurposes as being in programme area 4 butwhich do not constitute a major engineeringprovision. One hundred colleges now havefewer than 100 students on engineering coursescompared with 70 at the time of the first survey.The number of colleges with a substantialengineering provision, involving over 1,000students, has also fallen from 123 at the time ofthe first survey to 72 in 1997-98. There werealso approximately 500 engineering students inagricultural colleges in 1997-98.

12 Most colleges with a substantialengineering provision offer a wide range of craft and technician courses inmechanical/manufacturing engineering,electrical/electronic engineering, motor vehicleengineering, and fabrication and welding.Engineering departments generally offercomputer-aided engineering courses includingcomputer-aided drawing and machine toolprogramming. Short courses are offered insubjects such as hydraulics, pneumatics, logiccontrollers, and health and safety regulations.Few colleges have courses in other modernmanufacturing technologies such as materialsrequirement planning, manufacturing resourceplanning, or statistical process control. Some

colleges offer particular specialisms such asaircraft engineering, nautical engineering, andfoundry work which are dependant on closelinks between the college and the specialistindustry.

13 A significant change since the first surveyhas been the collaborative arrangements thatcolleges have established with partnerorganisations to provide courses away from themain college sites. In engineering, the chiefpartners have been industrial companies andtraining organisations and the work has focusedmainly on national vocational qualifications(NVQs), enabling existing employees to havetheir work place skills assessed and accreditedfor a nationally recognised qualification. Asignificant amount of the work has been withsemi-skilled workers including those who mightnot normally have benefited from furthereducation. Many, as a result, have gained alevel 1 or level 2 qualification. An advantage forcompanies is that workers are being trained to acommon standard and can understand some ofthe wider aspects of their work. Improving thevocational qualifications of semi-skilledpersonnel has been an important element of thepolicy of companies aiming for a fully qualifiedwork force as part of their quality improvementstrategy. Often, long-serving skilled employeeshave also had the opportunity to obtain level 3qualifications in recognition of the skillsdeveloped since their initial training.

Engineering Enrolments inFurther Education Colleges

14 The first survey noted that:

recruitment to engineering courses infurther education has declined steadilyover the last five years: growth in thenumber of full-time students has beenexceeded by the reduction in part-timeenrolments. Both are planned to increaseby about 20% in the next three years.

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15 Table 5 compares engineering enrolmentsfor the academic year 1994-95 with those for1997-98. It shows that there has been a 35%growth in enrolments since the first survey,much greater than the anticipated 20%. Part-time enrolments have increased markedly.

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Table 5. Engineering enrolment data for the academic years 1994-95 and 1997-98

1994-95 1997-98 Increase/decreaseenrolments enrolments (%)

All engineering students 230,100 310,500 +35%

Full-time students 57,900 57,000 -1.5%

Part-time students 172,200 253,000 +47%

Source: FEFC strategic planning data for FEFC-funded provision in further education colleges, external

institutions, and higher education institutions, and for non-FEFC funded provision in further education colleges

16 The student number data for 1998-99compared with the 1997-98 data show:

• a 6% decline in full-time student numbers

• a 10% decline in part-time studentnumbers

• a 9% overall decline in student numbers.

This significant decline in student numbers inthe engineering programme area does not implya major decline in provision. During the 1998-99 year a number of qualifications werereclassified from engineering to otherprogramme areas leading to the transfer of over8,000 enrolments to other programme areas.

17 Some 20% of engineering students arefunded by sources other than the FEFCcompared with 17% of students in allprogramme areas. Table 6 compares data onthe student population in engineering with allother FEFC programme areas. Moreengineering students are male than the averagefor all FEFC programme areas. The percentagesof students aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 59 are inline with the averages for all areas. Thepercentage of engineering students fromminority ethnic groups is below the average forall programme areas.

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18 In 1997-98, students were studying for atotal of 376,279 qualifications. The number ofqualifications exceeded the number ofenrolments because some students werestudying for more than one qualification. Thequalifications attracting the greatest numberswere in mechanical, aeronautical and generalengineering at levels 2 and 3, in marinetechnology and transport at level 1, and inmanufacturing at level 2. Table 7 shows thepercentages of students studying at differentlevels.

Table 6. Engineering student population compared with that for all FEFC programme areas

Engineering All FEFC programme (%) areas (%)

Male students 89 46

Students from minority ethnic groups 18 23

Students aged 16 to 24 46 44

Students aged 25 to 59 52 53

Source: ISR database, 1997-98

Table 7. Engineering qualifications studied in England by level of study, 1997-98

NVQ level Students (%)

Level 1 or equivalent 23

Level 2 or equivalent 33

Level 3 or equivalent 19

Level 4, 5 and higher education 6

Unknown 19

Source: ISR database, 1997-98

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19 The first survey of engineering noted that:

the planned expansion is mainly inprovision for students with fewqualifications; lower levels of achievementon entry are already being accepted.

The current survey shows that most engineeringdepartments plan at least to maintain currentenrolment levels. Many are aiming for plannedgrowth, with a particular emphasis on level 1,as identified in the first survey, and at level 4.Growth can be achieved either by increasing thenumber of students studying for a qualification,and/or by increasing the number ofqualifications for which each student is enrolled.For example, in addition to their main course,students following either practical or academiccourses might also study computer-aidedengineering qualifications, and studentsfollowing academic courses might also studypractical skill-based qualifications. Enrolmentson part-time courses often depend on apprenticerecruitment patterns in local companies. Thesepatterns may vary from year to year, and withinthe year, thus making planning difficult.

20 Full-time level 1 courses in motor vehiclevaleting and basic servicing are a currentgrowth area. These courses are popular andsuccessfully recruit a broad range of studentsincluding those who would not normally havebenefited from further education. The coursesprovide students with relatively short-termgoals, with a reasonable expectation of success,and with possible opportunities for progressionto level 2 and level 3 courses and qualifications.The growth in level 4 courses is aimed atproviding technician and degree qualificationsfor day-release students from local industries.The courses develop a student’s academiccapabilities and update their knowledge,especially knowledge of computer-aidedengineering applications.

Recruitment and Entr y

21 Most engineering departments marketthemselves by promoting a career inengineering and advertising the courses theyoffer. Almost all colleges offer some form ofintroduction to engineering activities. Often,half-day or day-long ‘taster sessions’ held at thecollege or school enable potential students toengage in some form of practical activity; forexample, activities related to a particular themesuch as ‘Robot Wars’ or the use of computer-controlled machinery leading to the manufactureof a small item. In some instances, the closelinks with local schools result in joint curriculumwork and/or the school’s use of the college’sengineering resources. However, most localschools do not permit visits from college staff todevelop pupils’ interest in engineering or toprovide information on engineering courses.Other activities designed to promote engineeringinclude departmental open evenings, events foryoung females organised under the heading ofWomen into Science and Engineering, andengineering teachers’ support forNeighbourhood Engineer activities.

One college offers an institution-wideinitiative for primary schools and secondaryschools in its region. ‘Primary College’provides a week-long programme of practicalactivities involving 1,200 primary schoolpupils. In engineering, there are sessions inelectronics, motor vehicle and mechanicalpractice which are very well received by thepupils. ‘Secondary College’ provides three-day programmes for year 11 pupils in subjectareas in which they feel they may wish topursue a career. Engineering sessions arewell attended and students who have beeninvolved in this programme are now startingto register on college courses.

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A manufacturer of computer-aided machineryhas promoted a scheme for providing a videolink between the college and local schools.Machinery is installed in the college andpupils in the schools can observe it operatingthrough the video link. Pupils can sometimeswatch the computer-aided manufacture ofcomponents which they themselves havedesigned.

22 Recruiting students with good generalcertificate of secondary education (GCSE) and/orgeneral certificate of education (GCE)qualifications for general national vocationalqualification (GNVQ) advanced levels or nationaldiploma courses, remains difficult. Theminimum entry qualification for advanced levelfull-time engineering courses is four GCSEs atgrade C, preferably including mathematics andscience. Figures provided by the colleges in thesurvey show that most students who enter anadvanced course directly are meeting thisrequirement but that very few of these studentshave qualifications substantially above theminimum requirement. Part-time students onadvanced level courses normally have betterGCSE qualifications, especially those studentswho have been selected for companyapprenticeship schemes.

23 Mathematics is a key subject forengineering students. It was noted in the firstsurvey of engineering that:

many students start their engineeringstudies with an inadequate grounding inmathematics and this is the subject mostcommonly failed in engineering courses.

The current survey shows that most students onadvanced courses have a minimum of grade C inGCSE mathematics. There is, however, asignificant minority who do not includingstudents who have progressed fromintermediate level courses, mature students withfew formal academic qualifications, or studentswho have just failed to obtain a grade C andmay be expected to re-take the subject duringtheir first year of study. Sometimes a GCSEgrade C or above in science has been accepted

in lieu of mathematics. Of those who have agrade C in mathematics, some may have studiedthe higher level GCSE and some theintermediate level. However, the intermediatelevel course does not provide a good foundationfor engineering students because it providesonly a basic introduction to algebra andtrigonometry. A weak grounding inmathematics continues to provide substantialproblems for the teaching of mathematics andscience in engineering courses.

24 Identifying the correct level and type ofcourse for students, especially at level 2 orbelow, is critical if a student is to remainmotivated and is to succeed on the coursechosen. Increasingly, engineering departmentsare specifying entry qualifications for some level2 courses. This applies particularly tointermediate GNVQs, first diploma and firstcertificate courses. Typically, between two andfour GCSE grade Ds or Es may be specifiedincluding mathematics and science. Selectionfor level 2 craft courses is less formal. It usuallycomprises an interview, a consideration ofschool reports, and judgement of a student’smotivation. Many colleges provide bothpractical and academic courses at levels 1 and 2so that students can be placed on a coursewhich is well suited to their level of ability.Some colleges have extended induction periods,of up to six weeks, together with joint teachingof level 1 and level 2 courses. This approachhelps in identifying the appropriate level ofstudy for a student. There appears to be littledemand for accreditation of prior learning as ameans of reducing the time taken to obtain aqualification.

25 Most colleges now routinely assess theliteracy and numeracy skills of full-time studentson entry to the college. Those who fall below acertain level are offered additional support toimprove their skills, which is a majordevelopment since the first survey. Manycolleges also assess part-time students and offerthem additional support if necessary. Mostcolleges and engineering departments use

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standard assessments to identify students’abilities in one of several broad categories.Some have developed their own assessmentmaterial to try to differentiate more clearly theentry level of the student and the level ofsupport which may be required. A number ofengineering departments have adapted theassessment material, or developed their ownassessments, to focus particularly on thenumeracy skills required for engineeringcourses. Some engineering departments reportthat up to 90% of level 2 students are identifiedas needing some form of additional support. Afew departments also test the mechanical andspatial abilities of prospective students, though itis not always clear how this information is usedto help students. Some departments testpotential electrical engineering students forcolour blindness.

In one college, all full-time engineeringstudents are assessed at entry. There is afour-part process with questionnairescovering number, writing and comprehensionskills. The comprehension exercise is basedon text taken from the student handbookabout the students union and is therefore ofparticular relevance to all students. Thequestionnaires are marked using anautomatic system and interpreted by thecollege admissions team. The third andfourth parts of the assessment are carried outat interview and cover speaking, listening andwriting skills. Staff use a structured interviewrecord to assess the candidate’s responses toquestions. Students also carry out a fixedtime, free writing exercise. Criteria havebeen developed to identify whether studentsshould be studying at foundation,intermediate or advanced level.

In one engineering department, acomprehensive mathematics assessment hasbeen developed. It covers key areas ofmathematics including fractions, decimals,integer form, manipulation of formulae, andtrigonometry. A marking sheet has beendrawn up to show clearly the strengths andweaknesses of individual students.

26 The additional support provided fornumeracy and literacy skills aims to meet theneeds of individual students. Most studentshave individual interviews at which the preciseform of support they require is identified. Asupport programme is then drawn up whichusually includes a calendar for regular reviewsof progress. Additional support may beprovided in the form of: extra timetabledsessions provided by a central college facilitywith associated staffing; extra lessons providedby engineering teachers; additional teachersjoining engineering classes to provide extra helpfor students during normal classes. Supportmay be provided on a one-to-one basis or togroups of students who require similar help.Some support programmes lead to qualificationssuch as the City and Guilds of London Institute(C&G) Numberpower or a GCSE in mathematics.Generally, the support programmes are sensiblystructured. However, their success ultimatelydepends upon the motivation of the students,their willingness to continue with theprogramme, the rigour with which progress ismonitored, and the effectiveness of liaisonbetween staff providing the support and thestudent’s course tutor. In many engineeringdepartments, the drop-out rate from additionalsupport programmes is high. Additionalsupport is more likely to be successful when:

• extra help is provided during normalclasses

• students are able to work with vocationallyrelevant material

• help is available as and when required

• there is perceived to be no stigma attachedto requiring help

• progress is monitored carefully.

Outcomes of Inspection

27 The grades awarded to engineeringprovision in colleges as a result of inspectionsare shown in table 8.

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Table 8. Grades awarded to engineering provision and to all programme areas

Year Outstanding or good Satisfactor y Less than satisfactory or(grade 1 or 2) (grade 3) poor (grade 4 or 5)

Engineering All Engineering All Engineering All programme Programme programmeareas areas areas

(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

1994-95 56 71 41 26 3 3

1995-96 57 69 43 29 0 2

1996-97 53 68 41 30 6 2

1997-98 57 69 39 30 4 1

1998-99 46 63 49 30 5 7

Source: inspectorate database

28 The proportion of grade ones and twosawarded for engineering provision has beensignificantly less than the overall average for allprogramme areas. Students’ poor levels ofachievement have been the main reason for thelower percentage of grade ones and twos. Self-assessment reports produced by someengineering departments overestimate thequality of teaching and do not provide sufficientevidence to support judgements. Inspectorsagreed with self-assessment grades forengineering in 69% of cases. Inspection gradeswere one grade lower than self-assessmentgrades in 20% of cases and one grade higher in11% of cases. Many self-assessment reports pay insufficient attentionto achievement and retention rates. In somecolleges, the data sent to inspectors beforeinspection have provided an inaccurate pictureof retention and achievement rates, mainlybecause the initial collection of data wasincomplete. The proportion of grade ones andtwos awarded by inspectors fell significantly in 1998-99. However, this decline should be seenin the context of the more reliable and detailedinformation on students’ achievements whichhas become available in the form of recentlypublished FEFC statistics.

Teaching and Learning

29 The annual profile of lesson observationgrades awarded by inspectors since the firstsurvey is shown in table 9.

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Table 9. Annual profile of lesson observation grades for engineering and for all programme areas

Year Outstanding or good Satisfactor y Less than satisfactory or(grade 1 or 2) (grade 3) poor (grade 4 or 5)

Engineering All Engineering All Engineering All programme Programme programmeareas areas areas

(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

1994-95 61 62 32 30 7 8

1995-96 61 63 31 29 8 8

1996-97 60 61 29 31 11 8

1997-98 62 64 29 29 9 7

1998-99 60 65 32 29 8 6

Source: inspectorate database

30 The first survey noted that:

the general standard of teaching onengineering courses stands comparisonwith that seen nationally in other subjectareas; practical sessions are generally of ahigher standard than classroom-basedsessions.

The profile of lesson observation grades forengineering continues to reflect the findings ofthe first survey. It has remained broadly similarfrom year to year, reflecting a pattern ofteaching and learning that is at leastsatisfactory, especially in practical workshops,but that is often dull and uninspiring in theclassroom. Although the organisation ofteaching has generally improved over the lastfew years, this has yet to make an identifiableimpact on achievement and retention rates.

31 Schemes of work are improving slowlyalthough there are still many course schemeswhich comprise little more than a list of topics.The better schemes show:

• the sequence of topics to be covered

• the use of relevant material for teachingand learning

• a good range of activities including the useof practical activities to underpin keyprinciples

• the appropriate use of individual, groupand whole class activities.

32 Many individual lessons are planned welland the aims and objectives of the lesson aremade clear to students. In the better lessons:

• teaching methods are appropriate

• teaching is well planned and materialsproduced to a high standard

• the differing learning needs of individualstudents are met

• frequent checks are made on students’learning

• frequent references are made to industrialapplications

• effective use is made of demonstrations toassist students’ understanding ofengineering theory.

In some classes with part-time employedstudents, teachers make extensive use ofstudents’ experience and knowledge of theirwork to illustrate key points.

33 There continues to be a persistent numberof lessons which are judged to be less thansatisfactory. Typical weaknesses include:

• a lack of momentum in lessons

• teaching which is dull and boring

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• extensive dictation or the expectation thatstudents spend much of the lesson copyingfrom whiteboards or overhead projectorscreens

• the directing of questions at the classgenerally rather than at individual students

• the failure to monitor individual students’learning.

34 The teaching of mathematics is reviewedregularly in many departments. Differentteaching methods may be used depending onthe level of course and the background of thestudents. Some departments split students onthe same course into different groups to providebetter support for those with weaker learningbackgrounds. Some make extensive use ofcommercial learning material. This is usuallywell structured but it often lacks engineeringexamples. The better mathematics teachingmakes good use of exercises which applymathematical principles to engineeringexamples. The normal structure of mostmathematics lessons consists of a teacher-ledintroduction to the topic followed by the teachercompleting a typical example. The studentsthen undertake a series of similar examples withthe teacher providing support for individualstudents as necessary. Although in principle thisis an acceptable form of delivery, it often fails tostimulate students and the number and range ofexamples provided is not always sufficient todevelop the students’ competence andconfidence in mathematics. Students canusually solve straightforward problems but areoften unable to manipulate equations andformulae. They often appear unwilling toundertake the extensive practice necessary todevelop their mathematical skills further.

On an advanced GNVQ engineering course,students completed mathematics assignmentswhich contained both mechanical andelectrical engineering applications. Oneassignment made good use of workshopmachinery to explore the properties of aseries. The students were required to

determine the relationship between thespeeds of the input and output shafts of alathe using 16 consecutive gear ratios. Thespeeds were measured using a tachometerand recorded, and the readings then used todetermine the type of series they represented.The relationship derived was subsequentlyused to explore further the properties of ageometric series.

35 The teaching of engineering sciencesubjects on engineering courses follows a formatwhich is broadly similar to that of mathematics,but usually with the addition of some practicaland assignment work. In some of the morelively teaching, practical work is used as thebasis for developing the key principles. Often,however, the practical and assignment work isused only to confirm key principles.Engineering science teachers do not alwaysmake use of the mathematics being taught, sothat students do not appreciate the relevance ofmathematics in this context.

36 Most engineering students are taught touse information technology (IT) hardware andsoftware. Full-time engineering courses usuallyinclude an introduction to wordprocessing,spreadsheets and databases, and many part-time students use such software in theworkplace. Teachers normally require studentsto submit some assignments which arewordprocessed and which make use ofspreadsheets and databases. Few teachersmake use of spreadsheets in the teaching ofengineering subjects, however. On both full-timeand part-time courses the use of computinghardware and software is normally furtherdeveloped to include computer-aided drawing,computer-aided machining, and the computercontrol of engineering/manufacturing processes.These subjects are usually taught well. Studentsare able to progress at their own pace anddevelop skills appropriate to their individualrequirements. Appropriate manuals andteaching materials provide good support andstudents receive individual attention fromteachers.

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At one college, employed students can attendcomputer-aided drawing classes in theevenings and at weekends. The students area mix of professional engineers, technicians,and architects. Classes are run on Fridaymornings for unemployed students and thereare classes throughout the week for full-timeand day-release students. Staff havedeveloped high-quality manuals which breakthe course down into a number of logicalteaching units. Students work through theunits at their own pace supported by theteacher when necessary. Relevant exercisesare included in each unit to test students’understanding and progress. Students canoffer themselves for the final assessmentwhen they feel that they have reached asuitable level of competence.

37 The teaching of practical skills is usuallywell organised. Teachers have developed arange of relevant practical workshop taskswhich students have to complete to developtheir practical competences and there areextensive administrative systems that enableteachers to monitor the progress of individualstudents. Increasingly, NVQ work is organisedso that students can progress at the rate forwhich they are best suited and offer themselvesfor assessment when they are ready. Moststudents are now given considerable help andsupport to understand NVQ procedures,especially the achievement of competences andthe subsequent recording of evidence inportfolios. Once students understand theprocess they are usually able to manage theirown work programme. Mature students,particularly, value being able to work at theirown pace and take responsibility for their workprogrammes. One of the reasons why studentsdo not always successfully complete theirprogrammes, however, is that the recording ofactivities is not effective enough.

In one motor vehicle workshop, studentsstudying at different levels were workingconcurrently at different practical activities.One group was being shown how to use a gasanalyser by the workshop instructor; otherstudents were working in pairs developingtheir practical skills on activities such aschecking and setting the timing of a carengine; one student was working at thereception desk ordering spare parts for one ofthe cars; and a teacher was assessing astudent on the setting of valve timing. Therewere also two or three mature students, on acourse for unemployed adults, who wereworking at a much faster pace than the otherstudents in order to obtain their qualificationswithin a shorter than normal period. Foreach activity students completed a worksheetexplaining how the work had been done,stating the results of their work such as‘changed defective brake cylinder’ or notingactual dimensions against those quoted in theworkshop reference material stored on theworkshop computer.

38 Although the full-time students in somecolleges undertake work experience placements,work experience is still not a regular feature inmany engineering departments. The provisionof work experience is often dependent on theenthusiasm of individual teachers or thecontacts they have developed. Work experienceis more common in motor vehicle departments,where teachers usually have close contacts withthe local motor vehicle trade.

In one college, students on a full-time two-year motor vehicle mechanics programmeundertake work experience for one day aweek in the second and third terms of theirfirst year, and for one day a week throughoutthe second year. On Fridays an in-collegeworkshop is organised for cars belonging tocollege employees. The range of placementsis large, from prestige car dealers to smallgarages, and students who wish to do so canchange their placement between years oneand two. Students keep a record of theirwork experience in a log book.

39 On most intermediate and advancedtechnician courses the overall requirement forassessments is slowly reducing. There has beena reduction in end-of-unit tests and an increasein assignments. Most assignments areaccompanied by criteria identifying thestandards students have to achieve to gain apass, merit, or distinction grade for their work.This is an improvement in practice since theprevious survey. However, the criteria statedare often too broad. Students, for example,would benefit from greater clarity about theamount of detail required in their assignmentsand the expected length of reports. Workexamined by inspectors shows that manyteachers now routinely annotate students workwith comments that will help them to improvetheir work and make progress.

Key Skills

40 The EMTA Labour Market Survey of theEngineering Industry in Britain in 1998identified a continuing need to develop keyskills. These skills are an important feature ofGNVQs and of training programmes such asmodern apprenticeships, and the need forstudents to achieve such skills has been givenadded prominence since the first survey.Numeracy, literacy, and IT are key skills whichall engineering departments develop to someextent, but it is not always done systematically.Few departments have effectively extended thedevelopment of key skills to cover problem-solving, working with others, andimproving own learning and performance,which are also important to industry. Wherepossible, most departments integrate thedelivery and assessment of key skills with otheraspects of the main subject. In some cases,however, the development of these skills istimetabled separately. For example, it is oftenthe case in IT where the student has to learnhow to use the relevant hardware and softwarebefore such use can be applied. On somepractical courses, log books, which record the

practical work undertaken by the student, areused well for recording evidence relating to thesuccessful completion of key skills. Numeracy,communications, and IT are usually taughtpartly by engineering teachers and partly byteachers who specialise in the teaching of keyskills.

Students’ Achievements

41 Retention and pass rates on engineeringcourses in further education colleges, togetherwith the number of students starting courses,are shown in table 10. Retention rates arederived from the number of students who attendtheir courses to the end compared with thenumber who started the course. Pass rates arebased on the number of students who gain aqualification compared with the number whocomplete the course.

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Table 10. Number of starters, retention and achievement rates by type of course

1996 1997

Number Retention Achievement Number Retention Achievementof starters of starters

(%) (%) (%) (%)

Intermediate technician 4,714 75 56 4,810 75 65

Advanced technician 17,196 78 61 15,217 77 69

C&G level 1 21,203 78 55 19,346 76 54

C&G level 2 33,502 84 55 34,102 83 55

C&G level 3 7,540 86 55 6,549 85 54

NVQ level 1 1,785 87 77 2,655 80 53

NVQ level 2 14,427 76 44 16,875 76 58

NVQ level 3 5,039 82 61 11,746 85 62

Overall 105,406 80 55 111,300 80 58

42 The first survey noted that:

students’ completion rates on some coursesare poor; departments which achieve goodcompletion rates have a number offeatures in common.

The overall retention rate has improved slightlysince the first survey and is now just below theoverall retention rate for all FEFC programmeareas. However, the picture in manydepartments is still mixed. Most have poorretention rates on at least some of their courses,with the lowest retention rates mainly onintermediate technician and NVQ level 2courses. One of the main reasons claimed forstudents leaving courses early is that they haveobtained employment. Whilst this isundoubtedly true for some students, few collegessystematically record the destinations of allstudents who leave their courses, so an accurate

analysis is not possible. The employmentstudents obtain may be engineering related andif the employer has a training programme theymay return to the college to complete theirtraining. Other students, however, leave foremployment which is not engineering related.Additional reasons for students leaving coursesinclude: being on the wrong course; beingunhappy with the teaching; and low moralebecause they have fallen behind withassignment work.

43 The problem of retaining students is notconfined to engineering departments. Manycolleges have instigated college-wide initiativesto improve retention levels. Most of theseinitiatives have focused on improving tutorialsupport for students by: setting performancetargets for each individual; monitoring theirprogress through regular reviews; following up

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poor attendance immediately; and organisingparents’ evenings for the 16 to 19 year olds.Some engineering departments have reviewedtheir teaching methods. Many have introducedmore practical work to help improve students’motivation and, hence, retention; for example,particular projects, such as building a kit car ora hovercraft, may be used to help buildunderpinning knowledge. Some courses havebeen structured so that students attend collegeon three or four days and are free to obtainwork experience or employment on the otherdays. Other initiatives include: regularindustrial visits; overseas exchanges; morerigorous initial assessment of students’ literacyand numeracy skills; video links to localcompanies to enable students to talk to the staffthere; and firmer procedures for the submissionof work. These college-wide and engineeringdepartment initiatives are soundly based butmany have only been introduced recently and itis too early to say how successful they may be.

One college has taken all-round action aimedat raising levels of retention and achievement.There is an increasing portfolio of full-timeengineering courses at foundation,intermediate and advanced levels. There areclear entry requirements for each course.The admissions tutor is responsible for alladmissions and is able to counsel applicantsclosely. Students can be placed on coursesthat are within their ability range, which suittheir needs, and which ensure that they areappropriately and sensitively supported.Course programmes are designed to ensureas far as possible that students are engagedin activities that suit their interests andaptitudes. The college has introduced a ‘fiveplus one’ model in which every sixth week isdedicated to learner management. Thisinvolves personal tutors meeting theirstudents to identify problem areas, agreestrategies and enable students to resolve anydifficulties they may have.

44 The first survey noted that:

examination pass rates in engineering areoften low. Departments which achievegood results also have common features;good pass rates frequently go hand inhand with good completion rates.

The overall pass rates in engineering remainlow: 58% for courses completing in 1997 and55% for courses completing in 1996. Advancedtechnician and NVQ level 3 pass rates have beenabove the average in both years but are still notgood. The low overall pass rates owe much tothe poor performance of 16 to 18 year oldengineering students on level 1 and level 2courses. These courses have pass rates whichare significantly below the average for allprogramme areas.

45 These generally low pass rates are in spiteof a quality of teaching which is judged to becomparable with other programme areas. Theamount of assessment with which students areconfronted is often put forward as one of themain reasons for poor pass rates. The amountis especially heavy on craft courses. The needfor students to show that they have satisfied thedetailed performance criteria for each coursehas increased the thoroughness of assessmentbut it has also increased the complexity of theadministrative and recording proceduresrequired. Students have to build portfolios ofevidence to show how they have achieved therelevant competences and some of them fail tocomplete this process by the agreed target date.Many engineering departments provide highlysuccessful support in portfolio building tostudents on company-based NVQs.

46 Another explanation for poor pass rates isthat some students only want to achieveparticular units of an NVQ course, or similarqualification, and do not offer evidence insupport of their other units. These students arelikely to be recorded on college managementinformation systems as failing to achieve theirqualification even though they may successfullyhave achieved the units for which they wereaiming.

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47 The standard of work produced bystudents varies from very good to less thansatisfactory. Assignment work produced bypart-time students is usually good; it is carefullyprepared, well presented and makes effectiveuse of IT. Often, there is good use of materialdrawn from the companies at which they work.That produced by full-time students is morevariable in quality. The better examples matchthe standard of part-time students’ work.However, some of the work shows little thoughtin its preparation, copies extensively frompublished material, makes little use of IT, and ispoorly presented. At the end of their course,students on practical courses are confident inthe workshop environment and are usually ableto work to industrial standards although thespeed at which they work is often below therequirements of industry. On GNVQ and NVQcourses, students’ portfolios are clearlyorganised and generally well maintained.Engineering students’ average rate ofattendance at lessons was 75% in 1997-98compared with 77% for students in all FEFCprogramme areas. In some colleges, thepunctuality of full-time students is poor.

48 The first survey noted that:

teachers have developed appropriatesystems for assessing and recordingpractical competences in those NVQs whichare now available but methods forassessing knowledge and understandingare less effective.

Most craft students who attend furthereducation colleges are developing a suitablebalance of practical skills and underpinningknowledge. The introduction of NVQs and thefunding of training programmes whichconcentrated solely on the NVQ caused concernwithin the industry and in colleges at the time ofthe first survey. It was felt that students wouldobtain a limited knowledge base to underpintheir practical skills and that this would hindertheir future development. Many departmentscontinue to offer the relevant C&G course

alongside the NVQ to provide the underpinningknowledge. However, funding for both coursesusually has to be obtained from a number ofsources and not all companies and/or trainingagents require their trainees to undertake therelevant C&G course. Some departmentsprovide their own internal assessments for theunderpinning knowledge based on acombination of written tests, mainly comprisingmultiple-choice questions, and oral tests.

Curriculum Organisation andManagement

49 Courses are generally well administered.Records of individual students’ progress andachievement are maintained carefully. In manycolleges, course teams meet regularly to reviewcourses and to monitor the progress of theirstudents. In some colleges, the course reviewprocess is insufficiently rigorous. For example,not enough attention is given to improvingretention and achievement rates. To meet therequirements of the various examining andawarding bodies, plus their own internalrequirements, engineering departments operateinternal verification procedures. Mostprocedures are laid down clearly. Proceduresfor checking the quality of marking of students’work are usually adhered to, but verifiers do notalways check assignments before they are givento students and it is rare for one person to havean overview of all the assessments for aparticular course. In a few colleges, the coursecurriculum and associated teaching methods arereviewed regularly but often the role of thecourse leader is assumed to be that of anadministrator rather than one who takes aproactive role in managing the curriculum.

50 The financial viability of courses and theirrelevance to local industries and students arereviewed on a regular basis. Generallydepartments have started more courses thanthey have stopped, so overall enrolment targetsare still being met. Many part-time courses are

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dependent on the recruitment and trainingpatterns of local industry. Marginal courses maybe dropped and replaced with courses for whichthere is more demand. The survey showed thatmost departments have stopped offeringbetween two and five of their portfolio ofcourses in the last three years. The mostcommon courses to suffer, according to thesurvey, were the C&G 224 electronic servicingcourse and various welding courses. There wasno other clear pattern. Some colleges hadceased to offer the NVQ level 2 engineeringfoundation craft course, whilst others had justbegun to offer it. This is the only one of themain suite of qualifications in the NVQframework which has not yet been redevelopedand reaccredited using the new engineeringreformation qualifications. Some had closedhigher national certificates in different branchesof engineering, whilst others had startedspecialised higher national certificates. Courseson the installation and maintenance ofcomputers and courses associated with theperforming arts, such as sound engineering andmusic technology, are some of the new coursesbeing successfully introduced. In a few cases,departments had taken over courses previouslyprovided by private training companies whichhad withdrawn from engineering training.

51 Managers and teachers in many collegeshave developed productive partnerships withlocal companies, which often inform coursedevelopment. Specialist courses for employeesprovide an additional source of income. In afew colleges representatives of local engineeringemployers participate actively in the annualreview of the college’s engineering provision.

In one college, the school of engineeringoperates an arrangement with a consortiumof local employers to sponsor students on itsfull-time craft engineering course. Studentsare recruited by the college and six weeksinto the course they are interviewed by localemployers to identify who they will sponsor.Several students may be sponsored by one

company; for example, a major companysponsors 10 students every year. Sponsoringcompanies pay students an attendance feeand the fees for an outdoor pursuitsresidential course which is held in Wales.The students receive the £500 a yearattendance sponsorship in five £100 blocks.The students have two weeks workexperience with their sponsoring company.The company receives regular reports ontheir students and, at the end of the course itmay recruit a sponsored student, thoughthere is no commitment to do so.

52 The content of engineering coursesgenerally meets the needs of students and localindustries. This is especially so for the trainingof entrants new to engineering. There is usuallyan appropriate range of further educationcourses in terms of levels and specialisms.Many departments also run higher level courseswhich enable part-time students to obtainhigher certificates, higher diplomas, or degrees.An increasing number of colleges organise theirengineering courses so that students can starttheir studies at various times throughout theyear. Further examples of flexibility inresponding to the requirements of studentsinclude: lessons arranged at times to suit theworking hours of students; courses taught byengineering teachers on employers’ premises;and the assessment of students’ practical skillsin the workplace.

In one college, the national certificate andhigher certificate courses are timetabled on arolling pattern over the day and evening sothat students can start in the morning or atmidday and are able to complete their chosenqualification in two years. The midday startfits in with the shift pattern of a major localemployer.

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53 The first survey noted that:

engineering departments are often majorproviders of the income colleges derivefrom sources other than the FEFC. Theyare responsive to industry, providingcourses specially designed for their clients,but there is insufficient provision forcontinuation training for individualemployees.

Engineering departments continue to supportthe specific needs of employers. Examplesinclude NVQs with workplace assessmentsupported or managed by the college, a nationalcertificate in plant engineering for a processengineering company, a motor vehicle NVQ for amotor racing team and multi-skilling training forbreweries which fits in with shift patterns.

One college provides NVQ workplaceassessment for local companies. Forexample, it offers an assessment service foran NVQ level 1 in manufacturing operationsfor line operators in a local company. Theoperators are employed mainly on theevening shift and the college assessor is ‘on-site’ for two evenings a week. Individualassessments are carried out at times which fitthe operators’ working patterns on theproduction line.

At another college, the engineeringdepartment has worked closely with an officeequipment manufacturer to develop theframework for its modern apprenticeshipscheme and to provide NVQ courses for thecompany’s apprentices.

54 Many departments run short courseswhich provide continuation training and skillsupdating for individuals in engineeringcompanies. These courses support companyefforts to address the skills gaps identified in theEMTA survey. Computer-aided draughtingcourses have been particularly popular; they areoffered in the evenings and sometimes at theweekends. Many of the courses offered areshort courses, or elements of courses, which

develop the multi-skills capability of individuals.Typical examples are welding courses andcourses in hydraulics and pneumatics. Othercourses relate to aspects of health and safetyand to regulations such as those coveringabrasive wheels and electrical installations.Some courses cover specialist activities, forexample on security alarms, or they have beendeveloped specially for an employer, such as acomputer programming course for a majorelectronics manufacturer.

One college designed a training programmefor a major food processing company, whichinvolved approximately 150 personnel fromthe company’s production lines being trainedto carry out minor maintenance work. Thetraining supplied by the college included theassessment of workers’ basic literacy andnumeracy skills and the provision of secondlanguage support, where necessary, for themany minority ethnic workers employed onthe production lines. In-company practicalskills tests were also designed to assessworkers’ capabilities in carrying out furthermaintenance work.

55 The first survey noted that:

funding considerations that are causingdifficulties to colleges include the financingof joint NVQ/GNVQ provision and coursesfor part-time students who are in receipt oftraining credits.

The current survey showed that the financialviability of part-time courses continues todepend on local funding arrangements fornational training schemes such as modernapprenticeships. Local arrangements lead toinconsistent patterns of funding especially forthe day-release courses which provide theunderpinning knowledge for modernapprenticeships.

56 The number of hours a student is taughtvaries from college to college, and by level ofcourse. The weekly hours of study for a full-time student are usually made up of a series

of activities. The coherence of these activitieswithin a programme which attracts funding isthe main determinant of the number of hours astudent is taught. Most time is devoted toteaching on the core course, typically about 14to 16 hours a week for a craft or techniciancourse. This time is sufficient to deliver therequired subject material but it places aresponsibility upon the student to undertakesufficient private study to ensure that theyunderstand and absorb the material. In manycases, engineering students do not undertakesufficient private study. Further time currentlyallocated might typically include one hour for atutorial, three hours for key skills and/ornumeracy/literacy support, and three to sixhours for an additional qualification such as aGCSE, GCE, or an NVQ.

57 Engineering departments are required tokeep abreast of the work and associatedrequirements of a number of standard-settingand awarding bodies. Each of these bodieshave their own systems and procedures which,in total, present a considerable administrative,and in some cases financial, burden forengineering departments. The work ofstandard-setting bodies, such as the nationaltraining organisations, has increased inimportance since the first survey. Such bodiesidentify, define and update employment-basedstandards for agreed occupations. EMTA andthe Motor Industry Training Council are themain standard-setting bodies for engineeringbut there are also other bodies coveringspecialist aspects of engineering such aschemical manufacturing andtelecommunications. Awarding bodies workwith the standard-setting bodies in thedevelopment of NVQs. They are alsoresponsible for overseeing approved assessmentcentres. The number of awarding bodies hasalso increased significantly since the first survey.C&G, the Edexcel Foundation, and EMTA arethe main awarding bodies with whichengineering departments liaise, but other

organisations include the Institute of the MotorIndustry for motor vehicle engineering and theFood and Drink Qualification Council for thefood and drink processing industry.

58 The Edexcel Foundation, Assessment andQualifications Alliance, and the RSAExaminations Board (RSA) offer GNVQs inengineering and in manufacture. Themanufacturing GNVQ had just been introducedat the time of the first survey. It has been usedsuccessfully in a number of colleges, mainly inconjunction with apprentice trainingprogrammes, but few colleges now offer it. Theengineering GNVQs at advanced andintermediate levels are more popular and manydepartments now offer them as their maincourses for full-time students. A significantnumber of departments, however, have eitherswitched back to, or continued with, the EdexcelFoundation national diploma as their maincourse for full-time students. Thesedepartments claim that the national diploma hasa more ready acceptance with employers andwith higher education institutions. Demand forthe Edexcel Foundation national certificate isstill strong, attracting a mix of apprentices andmature students. Many departments who havecontinued with the national diploma are able totimetable joint diploma and certificate classes,making a better use of their resources andproducing interesting mixes of studentexperience. Some engineering departmentsoffer GCSE and GCE advanced levels (GCE Alevels) in design and technology and/orelectronics. These courses bring a wider rangeof students to engineering departments andsome of the work seen on design and technologycourses is innovative and visually stimulating.

59 EMTA has recently launched a new rangeof NVQs, replacing former qualifications at level2 and 3. These new awards are based onrevised generic standards which were producedby the Engineering Reformation Project, a two-and-a-half-year project to developoccupational standards across a wide span of

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engineering activity. The courses are based onmandatory and optional units. The Learning toSucceed white paper signalled the eventualintroduction of taught vocational qualificationscovering the theory of occupational areas. Thewhite paper also signals the possible funding ofunits of NVQ qualifications for adults.

Resources

60 The first survey noted that:

about half the colleges in the survey havemade significant changes to theirengineering accommodation recently; thearea available has been reduced and itsquality improved. Significant weaknessesin accommodation remain.

Colleges have continued to make changes totheir engineering accommodation. The currentsurvey found that many colleges have upgradedat least some of their specialist accommodationduring the last three years. The requirements ofindustry-led bodies to provide a realisticworking environment, for example in motorvehicle engineering, have prompted engineeringdepartments to improve the layout andappearance of motor vehicle workshops. Manyengineering departments have successfullyreduced the total area used for practicalactivities and so improved space utilisation. Afew have made major changes, usually involvingthe rationalisation of workshops. The use ofworkshops covering a number of locations hasbeen reviewed and new or re-modelledaccommodation on a single site has been built.These developments have normally been fundedfrom sources such as skills challenge andEuropean Development Funds. Typical buildingcosts have been £600,000 to £800,000. Inmost colleges, however, some engineering areascontinue to present a poor image and are notrepresentative of modern industrial practice.

61 Since the first survey, many more collegeshave developed learning resource areas withinengineering departments. The intention is that

students use the facilities to develop theirunderpinning knowledge at their own pace in amanner similar to the development of practicalskills in workshops. In reality, the learningmaterial is often not suitable for this. Students’study skills need to be further developed if theyare to work on their own in this type ofenvironment. Overall, more work is required toensure that learning resource areas inengineering successfully fulfil their intendedfunction.

62 The first survey noted that:

most engineering departments haveinadequate equipment for some areas oftheir work; the most common weaknessesare in general workshop machinery, motorvehicle stock and test gear, electronic testequipment and apparatus to supportengineering science.

Annual internal revenue allocations toengineering departments typically range from£10,000 to £50,000. In addition, college-widebidding procedures have usually released otherfunds to departments to purchase capitalequipment. The total amount is ofteninsufficient to purchase capital equipment formore than one curriculum area and funds areconcentrated on one particular area or on aparticular category of equipment, such ascomputers, which can be used in a number ofareas. Most funds have been used to upgrade orpurchase computer-related hardware orsoftware. None of the departments visited in thesurvey had established a realistic equipmentreplacement cycle. The resource most in needof investment continues to be general workshopmachinery. It is becoming increasingly dated, iscostly to maintain, and does not meet modernindustrial standards. Engineering sciencelaboratories, where they exist, are generally ofpoor quality. Electronic test equipment varies inquality and quantity. Most of it is satisfactoryfor purpose but becoming dated. Some collegeshave invested in computer-based electronicsteaching workstations. This equipment allows

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electronics to be taught by means of practicalexperiments and the results obtained bystudents are logged electronically so thatteachers can monitor students’ progress closely.Remote access to the electronic data is possible,through the telephone, so that students can alsowork independently of the teacher. Theintroduction of NVQs, with the associatedrequirement to have a minimum level ofequipment, has helped to improve motor vehicleworkshop test equipment although many of themotor vehicles on which students work remainout of date.

One college has a high-technology computer-integrated manufacturing centre which ishoused in a large glass-sided module within aworkshop area. It presents an attractiveimage of modern manufacturing and is wellorganised. It is very well equipped with CNCmachines, robots, a transportation system, aracking/storage system, and a tensile testingmachine with computer printout. There arealso 16 computer workstations withcomputer-aided design (CAD), computer-aidedmanufacture (CAM) and general purposesoftware.

63 Some colleges have benefited fromdonations of equipment, such as motor vehicles,or from equipment acquired at reduced cost.Many vehicle body finishing workshops usepaints and paint-mixing equipment donated bymanufacturers on the condition that they canuse the college’s facilities to demonstrate theirproducts. Classrooms used for teachingengineering principles vary in layout andappearance from high-quality modern suites tovery drab accommodation. Up-to-date displaysof students’ work and industrially relevantmaterial to help promote an appropriateambience for engineering in classrooms andother work areas are rarely found.

The food processing industry is a key elementin the economy of one college. The industryhas difficulties in recruiting suitably qualifiedstaff and accessing work-based training.Following discussions, the company and the

college established a wide-rangingpartnership with the aim of developingcomprehensive provision for education andtraining. A centre of excellence was createdaround a computer integrated manufacturingsystem and the partnership subsequentlyobtained European funding to install twofurther computer-integrated manufacturingsystems using production equipment of foodindustry standard.

64 Teachers are appropriately qualified intheir subjects and most now have relevantassessor and verifier awards. Some do notpossess formal teaching qualifications thoughnewly appointed teachers are usually requiredto obtain a teaching qualification as part of theirconditions of employment. In a few colleges,teachers are encouraged to take industrialsecondment, but many teachers continue to lackrecent industrial experience. The number offull-time engineering teachers has reduced inmost colleges over the last three years, in someby as much as 50%. In a number ofdepartments, the reduction is a consequence ofreduced enrolments. In others, it the result ofincreased efficiency, with teachers required toteach for a minimum number of hours a week,typically 23 hours, in addition to theiradministrative duties. In many departments,the number of teachers employed on fractionalor part-time contracts has increased. This hasmade departmental staffing more flexible andmore responsive to changing patterns ofenrolment. It has also meant thatadministrative duties, such as those carried outby a course leader, have to be undertaken byfewer full-time staff. Some departments haveset limits on the amount of part-time teaching, atypical proportion being 25%. Approximately50% of engineering departments employ one ormore instructors. The instructor post is usuallya ‘dual appointment’, with 50% of the timeallocated to workshop instructional duties and50% allocated to technician duties, normally inthe same workshop. In one college,approximately 10% of the teaching isundertaken by instructors.

Conclusions

65 The proportion of inspection grade 1s and2s awarded for engineering provision has beensignificantly less than that for other programmeareas. The main reason has been because ofthe lower achievement rates of engineeringstudents. Inspectors agreed with the self-assessment grade for engineering in 69% of theinspections but gave a lower grade in 20% ofinspections and a higher grade in 11% ofinspections. Many self-assessment reports payinsufficient attention to student achievement andretention rates.

66 Engineering departments in furthereducation colleges are key providers of trainingfor engineering employees and for full-timestudents wishing to pursue engineering careers.Generally, they are responding to the needs ofthe engineering industry, and individualstudents, and to public sector initiatives.Particular features of the provision are that:

• the quality of teaching in engineering iscomparable with that in other programmeareas. Teaching and learning is at leastsatisfactory, especially in practicalworkshops, but classroom teaching is oftendull and uninspiring. In many theorylessons students spend too much timecopying material provided by the teacherand there is not enough practicaldemonstration of underpinning principles

• practical work, especially on NVQ courses,is generally well organised. Increasingly,students are able to take someresponsibility for their own progress. Thelogging of evidence to support theacquisition of competences is not effectiveenough and is hindering students’ ability toachieve their target qualification in thetime normally expected

• the overall retention rate on engineeringcourses has improved slightly since the firstsurvey and is now just below the overallretention rate for all programme areas.However, the picture in many departments

is still mixed. Most have poor retentionrates on at least some of their courses

• engineering departments have beeninvolved in many of the recent initiatives toimprove retention levels but it is too earlyto say how successful these may be

• overall pass rates in engineering remainlow and are a matter of serious concern.The pass rates for 16 to 18 year oldengineering students on level 1 and level 2courses are particularly poor

• most craft students are developing asuitable balance of practical skills andunderpinning knowledge

• engineering departments are developingthe key skills of numeracy, literacy, and IT,but not always systematically. Fewengineering departments have effectivelyextended their work in key skills to coverproblem-solving, working with others, andimproving own learning and performance,though industry continues to call for thedevelopment of such skills

• aspects of computer-aided engineering areusually well taught but few teachers makeuse of spreadsheets in teaching engineering

• the mathematical ability of manyengineering students continues to be aweakness. The number and range ofexamples provided by teachers is notalways sufficient to develop the students’competence and confidence inmathematics. Many students lackconfidence in the manipulation of equationsand formulae. Mathematical principles arenot linked sufficiently to engineeringapplications

• the quality of accommodation forengineering continues to improve. Manydepartments have improved spaceutilisation and some have modern purpose-built accommodation. In most colleges,however, some of the areas used forengineering present a poor visual imageand are not representative of modernindustrial practice

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Engineering

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Engineering

• the equipment in engineering departmentsvaries in quality. The best, and mostmodern, is usually associated withcomputer-aided engineering activities andwith the teaching of electronics throughcomputer-aided learning systems. Muchequipment is satisfactory but becoming outof date. The resource most in need ofinvestment continues to be generalworkshop machinery

• engineering departments respond toemployer needs by providing a range ofstandard and specially designedprogrammes to promote continuationtraining and skills updating for employees

• engineering departments are making apositive contribution to initiatives to attractstudents who might not normally benefitfrom further education, through theircollaborative partnerships with engineeringemployers and the provision of a range oflevel 1 courses

• the amount of administration inengineering departments has increasedsignificantly as a result of the increasingnumber of competence-based courses andthe growth of awarding and standard-setting bodies. Reductions in the numberof full-time teachers have often led to heavyadministrative duties for the remaining full-time staff.

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Annex

Engineering

Colleges Visited

Eastern Region

Norwich City College of Further and Higher Education Oaklands CollegeThe College of West AngliaWest Herts College

East Midlands

Boston CollegeCharles Keene College of Further Education(now part of Leicester College)Northampton CollegeWest Nottinghamshire College Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton

Greater London

City and Islington CollegeCity of Westminster CollegeCroydon CollegeKingston CollegeNewham College of Further EducationNewham Sixth Form CollegeSouth Thames College

Northern Region

Darlington College ofTechnologyNorthumberland CollegeSouth Tyneside College

North West

Blackpool and The Fylde CollegeBury CollegeNorth Trafford College of Further EducationSouth Cheshire CollegeWigan and Leigh College

South East

Brighton College of TechnologyBrooklands CollegeCrawley CollegeFareham CollegeGuildford College of Further and HigherEducationMid-Kent College of Further and HigherEducationNorthbrook College, Sussex

South West

City of Bristol CollegeExeter CollegePlymouth College of Further EducationSouth Devon CollegeStroud College of Further Education

West Midlands

Coventry Technical CollegeEvesham CollegeStoke-on-Trent College Sutton Coldfield CollegeTelford College of Arts and TechnologyTile Hill College of Further EducationWorcester College of Technology

Yorkshire and Humberside

Barnsley CollegeDoncaster CollegeLeeds College of TechnologyWakefield CollegeYork College of Further and Higher EducationYorkshire Coast College of Further and HigherEducation

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Bibliography

Engineering

Bibliography

Engineering: Curriculum area survey report,Further Education Funding Council, Coventry,1996

Engineering Employers’ Federation website,www.eef.org.uk

Inspectors’ Statistical Handbook Version 6,Further Education Funding Council, Coventry,1999

Labour Market Survey of the EngineeringIndustry in Britain, Engineering and MarineTraining Authority, Watford, 1998

Labour Market and Skill Trends 1996/1997,Department for Education and Employment,London, 1997

Labour Market and Skills Trends 1998/1999,second report of the National Skills Task Force,Department for Education and Employment,London, 1998

Learning to Succeed, Department for Educationand Employment, London, 1999

Quality and Standards in Further Education inEngland 1997-98: Chief inspector’s annualreport, Further Education Funding Council,Coventry, 1998

Quality and Standards in Further Education inEngland 1996-97: Chief inspector’s annualreport, Further Education Funding Council,Coventry, 1997

Skills Survey, NTO National Council, Sheffield,1999