Summer of Skills

A new Summer of Skills (SoS) campaign is due to break next month.  It aims to create stronger personal conviction amongst pre-level 2 adults to overcome the barriers of time, cost and employer objection to pursue learning opportunities.

The overall learner message is: “There are tangible benefits to learning, so don’t let anything stop you.”

The SoS campaign aims to support LSC providers in ramping up their enrolment activities.  Packs of materials and templates will be available for you to use for open days and introductory sessions covering ways of overcoming barriers and promoting benefits. 

The activity to the target market will include:

• 30-second TV commercial

• Radio commercials
• Online advertising and search function
• Website landing pages with FE college details
• Bus side/front/back/inside adverts

The call to action will be: “Don’t let anything stop you.  Enrol for a course now (or September)”
T: 0800 011 30 30        
www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands

At a regional level we will develop tailored PR pitched to key regional and local press, radio and TV. So if you have any case studies featuring students who have juggled family commitments; fitted learning around employment; etc, please email samantha.keating@lsc.gov.uk including “Summer of Skills” in the strapline. Some of these case studies will be used for national media promotion ie press and website video.

The SoS campaign will be constantly monitored and evaluated throughout the summer months, with a view to it continuing throughout the winter months too.

Total Quality Standard

The Training Quality Standard (TQS) was launched on 8th May in London.  TQS is the new certification system designed to recognise and celebrate organisations delivering the best training and development solutions to employers.  More information about the standard and its marketing campaign is available from the TQS website:  www.trainingqualitystandard.co.uk

Train to Gain

The TV advert for Train to Gain ran for two weeks in May to maintain awareness in the run up to next main burst of above the line activity in August and September.


 

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) – campaign overview

The May to September campaign is designed to encourage people to apply for EMA if they are eligible and highlight the fact that EMA can be used towards a range of courses, both academic and non-academic.  A range of activity has been booked, including:

Consumer advertising targeting parents
Two colour press adverts have been developed - copies of the adverts can be downloaded from the LSC’s dedicated campaign resources web site. The adverts are rotated equally in the leading TV guides and redtop daily national newspapers, in two bursts from 5th May until 1st June and 7th July until 3rd August.

Radio advertising targeting parents
Two x 30 second radio adverts entitled: ‘Wannabe’ and ‘Shoe Laces’ have been aired from 5th May until 1st June on Total RAM, Heart 106 and Smooth Radio in the East Midlands.

Cinema advertising targeting parents & young people (Aug – Sept)
One x 40 second cinema advert called ‘My Way’ is specifically targeted at young people and will run from 4th August to 28th September.  It sets up the independence idea and also dramatises the money message (that EMA can offer £30 a week to help you take control of your future).  In all August activity, the call to action will be 'apply now', as this is the time when students will be getting their GCSE results, so urgent action is prompted.

TV advertising targeting young people
Two x 30 second TV adverts 'My Way' & 'Courses' will rotate equally on air. One delivers the money message; the other the options message (that an EMA can be used for lots of different options, including learning that gets you outside of the classroom, and not just school-related or academic type courses).  These will run from 18th to 31st August.

Bus advertising targeting young people
The bus side will deliver the options message, as it is scheduled to appear around the time of GCSE results.  This will run from 18th to 31st August.

PR

Students PR

• June: press release gaming industry and 'instant career' and film competition: tactic support
• July:  GCSE media pack.

Teachers and parents PR

• May: by-lined articles focusing on a number of EMA related barriers
• August: AS/A levels results - media pack.

Trade press PR

• July: case study lead feature for fashion and retail trade media
• August: tactic support - film competition, short lead media relations
• September: tactic support - film competition.

On-line

• Website landing page:  currently live and linked to DirectGov.  Designed to complement the online display and hosts a video on how people use their EMA
• Displays – these have run from 17th April to 17th May on sites such as MSN, MySpace, Bebo, MTV etc
• Paid search – constantly running throughout the campaign to support all media
• Dubit street teams – online teams of people to start conversations online about EMA
• MySpace page – designed to be in the space where the target market regularly visit.  Encourages monitored conversation and has links back to the website landing page an DirectGov
• Bebo Sofia’s Diary – Sofia is a Bebo character whom regularly video blogs about her life.  Two videos will run from 16th June to 8th September
• EMA video competition – closely linked with PR to gain maximum exposure of EMA going live in September 2008. 

New items on LSC campaign resources site available for downloading

• Master print adverts x 5 - Student My Money, Student My Choice, Teacher, Parent x 2 (low-resolution)
• A3 poster adverts x 2 - Student My Money, Student My Choice (low-resolution)
• A5 leaflet (low-resolution)
• Regional adverts for adaptation x 5 - Student My Money, Student My Choice, Teacher (hi-resolution)
• Exhibition stands x 2 - Student My Money Student My Choice (hi-resolution)
• Bus headliners x 2 - Student My Money Student My Choice in hi-resolution (hi-resolution).
  
  

Adult Learning Grant (ALG) campaign update May – August

This summer’s ALG campaign aims to encourage people to apply for ALG if they are eligible - particularly those aged 22-30 and 31+. The activity includes:

• National press advertising
• National radio advertising and promotion
• Online display advertising and advertorials.

All the new adverts and supportive promotional materials can be viewed and downloaded from the campaign resources website.

• 6pp leaflet
• Business card – to give to current students at around their 19th birthday
• Stakeholder toolkit:
  • Press adapts – colour and mono
  • Prospectus ads – colour and mono
  • College poster, general poster and 6-sheet poster
  • Exhibition banners x 2
  • Bus headliner and bus side.

PR – 4 month plan

• June: ALG One-year anniversary - case study story to showcase ALG success stories
• July: gender debate - research based release around the differences in attitudes to personal and professional development between the sexes. Supported by spokespeople
• August: brain training release - looks into the benefit learning has on the brain with expert contribution from a media friendly doctor.

Radio ads
The existing 40-second ‘Helping Hand’, ‘Supporting Hand’ and ‘Reassuring Hand’ radio adverts have been adapted to push online applications after 7th June. The radio activity covers all target audiences and will be aired on:

• Mix 96
• Total Ram
• Fosseway Radio
• Oak 107 FM
• Total Northants Radio
• Peak 107 FM
• Heart 106
• Leicester Sound FM
• Radio Mansfield.

Press advertising
The existing ‘Male Hand’ advert targets all audiences and has been adapted to push online applications. The 25x4/25x5 colour adverts are running through June into July in the following press:

• Derby Evening Telegraph
• Leicester Mercury
• Nottingham Evening Post
• Mansfield, Ashfield, Alfreton Chad
• Lincolnshire Echo.

Radio promotion/radio marketing
A radio promotion will run during August where case studies will be played out on air and DJs will talk about ALG on local stations.

Online

• Online search will form a constant underlying foundation for all activity for the entire campaign
• Display advertising on Yahoo and EBay in June and August
• Advertorial content to be covered by radio partnerships.

Learner Support Programme Marketing Materials

New 2008/09 marketing materials for EMA, ALG and Care to Learn are now available to order from LSC Publications.  For details of the materials available and information on how to order them, click on the relevant link below:

• EMA - http://ema.lsc.gov.uk/resources/marketing-materials/
• ALG – http://217.160.210.43/lsc_campaignresources/
• Care to Learn - http://caretolearn.lsc.gov.uk/resource/

Apprenticeships

LSC EM hosted its regional Apprenticeship Awards last month to celebrate the achievements of skilled and talented young people, as well as dynamic and passionate employers across the region.  Over 300 finalists and guests from Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland headed to the East Midlands Conference Centre to see winners in each of the nine categories accept their awards in style.  Click this link to see a list of the winners.

NOTE: Please be advised that www.apprenticeships.co.uk is a not a LSC website; it is a ‘parked domain’ ie the ‘owner’ is a company that just buys domains and then point them at a page stuffed full of adverts – they are also known as domain squatters.

The Apprentice Newsletter

Click this link for a copy of the latest Apprentice newsletter http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/partners/news/

Other News

FE Institutions to Award Foundation Degrees

FE institutions in England can now apply for powers to award their own foundation degrees under new regulations that came into force on 1st May. Click on this link to read more.

FE and Skills e-Newsletter.
Please click here view the newsletter and find out how to subscribe for future editions.  http://www.dius.gov.uk/mailshots/mailshot_130508.html

VQ Day 23rd July

The first VQ Day to celebrate vocational success that will be held on Wednesday 23rd July 2008.  For more information about VQ Day and how colleges and training providers can get involved click on to: www.vqday.org

Maths ‘Geek’ Stereotype is Off-putting for Young People

The stereotypical ‘geeky’ image of a maths student is stopping young people from studying the subject according to research by the Economic and Social Research Council released recently. The research suggests using popular culture as one way to promote a more positive view of maths.  Click on this link for more information.

LSC Campaign updates

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