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Some 20,000 vocational courses are to be scrapped and replaced with 15 new qualifications for teenagers in England under new government plans.

Sixteen-year-olds will have to choose between academic and technical options, according to the Post-16 Skills Plan.

The technical courses will be aimed at a set of skilled occupations and include a common core of English, maths and digital skills.

The government says the plans will help to harness the nation’s talent.

The plan follows Lord Sainsbury’s Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education, which recommended simplifying the current system of technical education is provided through “15 high-quality routes”, with standards being set by employers.

The report found the current “over-complex” system which “fails to provide the skills most needed for the 21st-Century” and highlights that this has serious consequences for the country’s productivity, economy, and competitiveness.

Publishing the plan, Skills Minister Nick Boles said a technical education system was needed to harness the nation’s talent.

“The Skills Plan is the next step towards that goal, building on the progress we have already made by investing in apprenticeships and creating a skilled workforce that is the envy of every other nation.

“This won’t just help our young people get the best jobs but it will also boost our economy, benefitting us all.”

The government said thousands of ineffective courses that short-changed employers and young people would be replaced with “straightforward routes into technical employment”.

These are to be drawn up by employer panels.

Lord Sainsbury said currently, young people considering a technical education had to choose from more than 20,000 courses provided by 160 different organisations.

Exclusive licences

The government says there is no clear indication which course will give them the best chance of landing a job.

For example, a budding engineer can choose from a possible 501 courses, it says.

Each course will be offered by a single course provider, which will be awarded an exclusive licence in a competitive process.

And each will take place either at a college and include a work placement or through apprenticeships. The first routes will be made available from 2019.

The Association of School and College Leaders said it was essential that the government backed up its plan with more funding for colleges.

“The amount of funding they currently receive is woefully inadequate and this situation needs to be urgently addressed”.

‘Wildly optimistic’

Gordon Marsden, shadow skills minister, said streamlining young people into a limited number of high-quality routes made sense, but there must be some opportunities to change and facilitate for fast moving developments, particularly in digital and technical skills.

But he added that to expect colleges to be ready to run the new courses from 2019 was “wildly optimistic”.

Association of Teachers and Lecturers general secretary Mary Bousted said: “Forcing young people to choose the route to their future career at the age of 16 would institutionalise the divide between vocational and academic learning.”

The proposals are reminiscent of Labour’s 14-19 Diplomas. which aimed to create a parity between academic and vocational routes.

These qualifications were launched in 2008 in 14 subject areas, but scrapped within a few years by the coalition government.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-36745058

Dwyane Wade is a Chicago Bull, leaving the Miami Heat after 13-years. But like LeBron James decision to head home in 2014, it did not have to end this way

Successful eras come and go in sports, and with the promise of free agency riches, soaring salary caps and the clash of egos when it comes to contracts, dynasties are harder than ever to maintain.

With the shock departure of franchise cornerstone Dwyane Wade, who has agreed a two-year deal with his hometown Chicago Bulls, Miamis fabled Big Three of Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh has been reduced to one, with serious doubts over whether the latter will ever play professionally again.

Four consecutive finals trips and two titles were not enough to keep LeBron James, but they perhaps should have been. The chance to see out his glorious career and secure a legacy as a one-club man wasnt enough for Dwyane Wade either, but theres no doubt it should have been.

So what went wrong?

Unfortunately, Miami will find it hard to blame anyone but itself for the dismantling of this championship empire well before its time.

Wades decision to turn his back on the team that drafted him after a glittering 13 year career yielding all three of the Heats titles is no snap decision; it is the culmination of multiple years of free agency friction and unrequited sacrifice.

It was Wade, who agreed to lighten his wallet to bring LeBron James to Miami in the first place, who did more than anyone to broker the deal with his friend. He was the lowest paid member of that Big Three.

When James high-tailed back to Cleveland, Wade again gave ground to accommodate the retention of Chris Bosh and the recruitment necessary to keep Miami competitive.

This summer, as tempestuous, immature and still largely unproven centre Hassan Whiteside walked away with a four-year, $98m max contract, Wade was asked to do it again, all while Miami fixed to cast him aside in its damaging, Hail Mary pursuit of Kevin Durant.

However, in a free agency period gratuitously inflated following a salary cap rise, the man whod never topped the Heats salary chart wanted his market value. He wanted Miami to finally make good on the years assurances hed be looked after.

What he got was an insulting offer of $10m for the 2016-17 season (via the Vertical), a 50% pay cut, during a week when players in his position scored unfathomably huge deals. Portland paid Evan Turner $70m over four years and Evan Fournier received $85m over five years from Orlando. Meanwhile, rival Dirk Nowitzki, three years older than Wade, nabbed two years and $40m to finish out his career where he belonged, in Dallas.

After it was dismissed by Durant, Miami upped its offer leaving little difference between it and the $48m, two-year salary hell receive in Chicago (when Florida tax benefits are factored) but by this point it was too late. The damage had been done. Wade, seemingly grossly offended, was going back to his home state just like LeBron.

A 13-year relationship, which saw Wade become the teams record holder for games played, points, field goals, free-throws, assists and steals, was over in unnecessarily acrimonious fashion.

Speaking to the Miami Heralds Dan LeBatard, all Pat Riley could muster was a text message reading: SADDDDDDD!!!! SO saddddddd!

Wade himself, admitted on Thursday he was still numb at leaving a franchise and city where hes bona fide royalty.

Breaking up, as they say, is hard to do.

Riley, the Heats so-called Godfather, of course, is more obsessed with snaring whales than Captain Ahab. However, for the second time in three years, Riley has overcast his line. As such, the two best players in franchise history have swum away to much cooler waters.

It was Riley who practically dared LeBron to leave in the aftermath of the 2014 finals dismantling at the hands of San Antonio.

This stuff is hard. And you got to stay together, if youve got the guts, he said in a memorable news conference that June. And you dont find the first door and run out of it.

Although there were other factors in play, this is known to have irked James, who is now a championship richer, his achievements in Miami now over shadowed by finally snapping the Cleveland hoodoo, while coming from 3-1 down against that Warriors team in arguably the greatest finals performance in NBA history.

Back than Riley was blindsided by LeBrons decision, just as he is reportedly surprised by Wades.

However, according to the Miami Herald, 13 years of service did not merit a call during the recruitment process. Instead, Riley left it to owner Mickey Arison, who was on one of his cruise ships shortly after the meeting with Wade.

Many Heat fans have argued Wade should have received the Kobe deal; the last big pay-out, partially as a reward for what is unquestionably the finest career in south Florida sports history, partially to make good on his years of sacrifice and also because he was just, you know, worth it.

While Kobe picked up $48m in two years of hobbling around in a legacy diminishing farewell tour, Wade still had the advantage of being Miamis best player, performing at a genuine All-Star level.

Seemingly beyond the injury concerns of recent years after revamping his diet and workout regimen, he missed just eight games of the 2015-16 season, averaging 19 points while carrying an injury-hit Heat to within one game of the Eastern Conference finals and a mouth-watering shot at LeBron a nation was hoping for.

Wades move may end up benefitting Miami on the court as it gears up for another run at a stacked free agent class in 2017 containing Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Durant and perhaps Blake Griffin. Riley gets another shot at those whales he covets so dearly.

However, like Kobe Bryant, Wade was worth far more to the Miami Heat franchise than wins and losses on the basketball court. For an entire generation of fans, who grew up watching him and that fabled Euro-step and step-back angled jump shot, Wade was the Miami Heat.

Without #3 in Miami-Wade County, the Heat and a crestfallen fanbase has lost its identity, leaving a void truly impossible to fill.

As a team that has often labelled itself as a family, that placed Wade front and centre of a defiant #HeatLifer marketing campaign after LeBron left, its a blow to the teams reputation and its chances of recruiting future big name free agents.

But what of Chris Bosh, the last surviving member of the Big Three era? Well that doesnt look good either. Issues related to blood clots have ended the forwards last two seasons at the All Star Break.

His relationship with his team is also strained, to put it kindly. Bosh and the Heat clashed last season over his desire to return for the play-offs. Miami stood firm in denying it.

Amid suspicions he may be forced into retirement, Bosh will be paid $23.5m by Miami next season. Medical retirement is a scenario the Heat front office may not be adverse to, given the three years remaining on his deal and the requisite salary cap hits moving forward.

The Heats looming demise in the wake of the Big Three era is perhaps a cautionary tale for the prospective dynasty that threatens to make Miamis four-year finals streak look like a mere blip.

For the Golden State Warriors, newly acquired mega-star Kevin Durant will be a free agent again next summer, alongside two-time league MVP Steph Curry and franchise mainstay Andre Iguodala. Can both be retained with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson also on big money?

Perhaps the Warriors softer approach will succeed where Pat Rileys challenges and bravado failed? Or maybe todays sacrifices will once again manifest themselves as tomorrows brooding resentment? The rest of the NBA will likely be hoping for the latter. In fact, it looks like their only hope.

For the Miami Heat, an uncertain future awaits without not one, not two

Well, you know the rest.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/08/miami-heat-dwyane-wade-big-three

Pet owners turn their noses up at boarding kennels and opt for the luxury dog hotel, which has has three US locations with a fourth set to open soon

Marie Antoinette famously had sheep perfumed and dyed cheerful colors for her amusement. Modern wealthy urbanites, lacking space for livestock, can now do that to their dogs. As ever increasing numbers of people see their dogs as children, everything from luxury clothing brands for dogs to baby carriages specifically made for a tot of the four-legged variety have sprung up. So it is perhaps not surprising that the boom in spending on pet care, estimated at $62bn for 2016 in the US, has now also spawned luxury pet hotels.

D Pet Hotels, a luxury dog hotel and spa franchise that offers cologne and doggy dye jobs, among other services, started 10 years ago. The business is thriving, with three locations in the US and a fourth set to open soon. The hotels are modeled on the human variety and dont see themselves as boarding kennels, which becomes apparent the moment you walk in. Enter the airy lobby of the Chelsea location in Manhattan and you are greeted by the sight of an ornate pink plastic throne, next to which hangs a large reproduction of a painting of Chelsea Handlers dog.

People see the throne on Instagram and want to come in and take pictures with it, said Kerry Brown, owner of the Chelsea location. A composed, slender blonde woman in yoga pants and a D Pet Hotels staff black T-shirt, Brown was a marketing executive for another high-end company, Lululemon, maker of the $98 yoga pant, before deciding she missed the thrill of entrepreneurship. About four years ago, she bought into the D Pet Hotels franchise with her husband, opening the New York City location.

D Pet Hotels is aimed at the dual-income households that want a step above the usual boarding experience for their fur baby. At the Scottsdale, Arizona, location, clients are known to fly their dogs to the hotel in a private jet, Brown says. At the flagship Hollywood location, its all about flashy cars such as Porsches, Bentleys and Rolls Royces, with the hotel offering chauffeured pick up in style. Here in Manhattan, where such displays would raise eyebrows, its a discreet black town car that is sent to pick up Fido, or more often a simple walk from a few blocks away, explains Brown. Occasionally, a Ferrari or a Lamborghini is hired to make a curbside drop-off when clients ask for it, she adds.

The hotel offers standard daycare and grooming services, but its the little extras that really catch the eye. Dogs that stay overnight get their own rooms, complete with a bed, toys and their own flat screen TV. Soothing music is sometimes piped into the premises. Room service is at 7am and 6pm, Brown says. No word on whether the dogs get a mint on their pillows.

The rooms range in size from a generous walk-in closet for $84 a night to a full-sized bedroom complete with an Ikea bed, for $200 a night, with each dogs toys arranged on the bed and carefully labeled with their names.

We have had parents in the lobby who cry over a yellow tennis ball, explains Brown, so the hotel makes sure no one loses a beloved toy during their stay.

The spa on premises provides an entire menu above and beyond the standard bath and a haircut. If your dog never got over the demise of punk, the spa offers dog mohawks, complete with dog safe gel. If your dog has gotten in on the nail art trend, the spa offers pawdicures, with dog safe nail polishes and even little diamond appliques, attached to each nail. One white dog comes in to get dyed hot pink at the spa.

Its a hoot, Brown.

But most people opt for a simpler service, like the wash and trim they offer specifically for dogs who will be attending a dinner party that night and need to look their best, says Brown. A spritz with a dog safe cologne is also offered, though disappointingly, the cologne is made to appeal to noses of the human variety.

After dogs are sorted by size and temperament, they are placed in three rooms with rubberized floors where the dogs socialize with each other. Toys or special treats are forbidden, because they might make dogs aggressive. Instead the dogs get one staff member per 20 dogs and the freedom to bark to their hearts contentment. While the hotel offers two relief walks per day as part of its nightly rate, the dogs are encouraged to go to the bathroom on the rubberized floor of the play pens, which can be a jarring sight. Staff follow them around with bags and mops soaked in an antiseptic cleaner for immediate clean up.

Should you want to experience some of the more upscale services with your dog, the hotel offers occasional mommy and me style exercise classes. There are also bikini body workouts, doga, meditation and massage, all designed to incorporate your dog. If you feel like your dog cant keep up with your intense exercise routine, there are tiny dog treadmills available and staff willing to provide the bribes and encouragement needed to get dogs to walk on them.

Some dogs come to the hotel just for daycare, living a latchkey kid existence, while others board overnight when parents need to get away from the city. On holidays all 57 rooms at the hotel, including the $200 a night Uber Suites, tend to fill up, while on regular weekdays, 40 to 50 dogs come to play in the rubberized playpens.

What dogs think of as luxury is probably different from the human idea and whether painting your dogs nails or giving him a mohawk is actually a good idea is debatable. According to Brian Hare, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University and author of The Genius of Dogs, Nail polish, perfume, and soothing music hopefully dont hurt the dog, but if you really want to make a dog happy, a good old fashioned belly rub is the way to do it.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/09/d-pet-hotels-chelsea-dog-spa