Latest news from FE Week

WorldSkills UK national finals 2023

Welcome to this special souvenir supplement bringing you the full results and insights from the 2023 WorldSkills UK national finals in Greater Manchester.

The finals showcase the pinnacle of technical skills among UK students and apprentices, but there’s a lot more to skills competitions than winning medals.

Find out why Greater Manchester was the perfect host city region for this year’s finals, how learning from abroad is raising technical training standards at home, and get the very latest on how WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence programme is transforming teacher CPD.

AoC 16-18 recruitment survey ‘reveals major concerns among college leaders’

Half of colleges have seen a drop in enrolment figures, with the blame partly placed on the loss of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

A survey by the Association of Colleges (AoC) of 182 colleges shows 49 per cent are reporting falling numbers of 16-19-year-olds, compared to last year.

It also shows a national drop of 0.1 per cent, the first time in 15 to 20 years the figure has fallen, with 46 colleges reporting a dip between five to 15 per cent.

Colleges believe unaffordable transport, combined with the abolition of the EMA and increased competition for student numbers among school and college sixth forms, have been the main causes for a decline.

The survey is further evidence supporting the findings from two surveys – conducted by Lsect – and published in FE Week. The first showed that 105 colleges forecast an initial total shortfall of 20,319 students for this academic year.

Key AoC survey findings:

Half of the 182 colleges that responded are seeing a drop in 16-19 students, with 46 colleges reporting a significant dip of between five per cent to 15 per cent
Of those reporting a decline, colleges say the end of EMAs for students in the first year of the course, competition from other providers, lack of affordable transport and cuts in funding per student were the main factors
A decline in Level 1 courses (pre-GSCE and basic skills) was reported by 41 per cent of respondents
51 per cent of colleges said that their student numbers have increased or remained stable
60 per cent of colleges reported a drop in transport spending by their local authority
Over half of all colleges are ‘topping up’ Government bursary funding with their own contributions and the same proportion are spending more on subsidising transport this year than last
79 per cent of colleges agreeing that free meals in colleges for 16-18 year olds (currently not available, unlike in schools) would encourage participation.

Fiona McMillan, president of the AoC and principal of Bridgwater College in Somerset, said that at her own college EMA provided students with about £1,000 per year. Now, there is only £152 per year available for students.

She said: “We are all aware that funding is tight. But these young people are our future and we must consider our investment in them.

“We would all regret a situation where young people miss out and then become the so-called lost generation.”

Ms McMillan said the new 16-19 bursary, which replaced the EMA, is “better than nothing” but in terms of what it provides, “there is a big gap”. To cope, her college – like many others – has subsidised the cost.

She is also concerned colleges will miss out on vital funding, adding: “We are paid by our student numbers. So it’s an important issue for us.”

Martin Doel, chief executive of the AoC, said some of the changes could be due to demographics – with a drop of 40,000 in the 16-18 age group. He added: “It is a complex picture. The decline in college enrolment by students on Level 1 courses may be partially explained by improvements in school teaching.

“What is clear is a significant number of member colleges are concerned that financial constraints are preventing students from pursuing preferred courses at their institution of choice and there is a risk of vulnerable groups becoming disengaged from education.”

Andy Forbes, principal at Hertford Regional College, said they are “about five per cent down” on 16-18 enrolment from last year.

He said: “We’re now projecting a figure of just under 2,600 against our target of 2,719.

“We have experienced a particular decline in Level 2 enrolments and at the furthest reaches of our catchment area, which stretches quite a long way.”

Mr Forbes believes there are two factors to blame, adding: “The withdrawal of EMA and the cost of transport from the two ends of our catchment.

“We were not helped by late arrival of concrete information on what funding we had to compensate for loss of EMA and how we could use that funding, which made it difficult to put financial support in place for students and publicise them effectively.”

He also said colleges need to work harder to get the message across about the “exceptional quality of provision” they offer, in the face of “growing competition from schools” expanding sixth forms by offering vocational courses.

He added: “The decline of independent careers advice isn’t helping young people make good choices at 16 and we in FE are going to have to be a lot more active in ensuring school pupils and parents are made positively aware of the alternatives to staying on at school.”

However, the Department for Education spokesman (DfE) said there are “record numbers of 16 and 17-year-olds” in education or training.

He said: “There has been a massive increase in apprenticeships for anyone over 16 to learn a specific trade – 360,000 places in all available in more than 200 careers.

“And we are strengthening vocational education so young people will have high-quality courses open to them which are valued by employers.”

The spokesman also said: “We are targeting financial support at students who need it most to get through their studies – through the new £180m a year bursary fund, with further transitional support available for those students who were already drawing the EMA.”

Gordon Marsden, Shadow FE and Skills Minister, said the “alarming figures” show the impact of the government’s policy to scrap EMA. He said: “The government has left FE colleges facing a double whammy at a time of real economic uncertainty.

“Not only are college finances jeopardised by falling enrolment numbers, but they face the strain of having to try and address the post EMA funding gap, putting extra administrative burdens on them at a time where they claim to be setting them free.

“The government needs to get a grip urgently with a strategy that will help, rather than hinder, FE colleges in addressing young people’s employment and skills needs.”

AoC said they will repeat the enrolment survey in September 2012.

Click here to download the study and here to download the AoC press release.

DWP slammed for keeping revived training scheme outcomes a secret

The government is refusing to publish evidence that a revived training scheme for unemployed people is succeeding in getting them into work, despite pouring tens of millions into it since the pandemic.

Although the concept of the Department for Work and Pensions programme – known as sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs) – is viewed positively by training providers and sector bodies, officials have been criticised by MPs for a lack of transparency over its results.

SWAPs aim to give unemployed people the skills they need to work in a specific sector, such as construction or care, through a short-term combination of training, work placement and a guaranteed job interview.

The DWP recently celebrated “smashing” its 80,000 target for the number of jobseekers that start SWAPs each year since the pandemic, with about 330,000 participating since it was renewed as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs in mid-2020.

But despite spending an estimated £35 million, with a further £25 million due to be spent this year, there is limited evidence of the scheme’s success since Plan for Jobs was launched.

A lack of transparency

The DWP is understood to collect data on SWAPs that includes how many participants complete SWAPs and whether they remain in sustained employment for at least 13 weeks.

But the department refused to tell FE Week what data it collects when asked through a freedom of information request, claiming that most statistics are held “clerically at a local level”.

Last year, an inquiry into Plan for Jobs and other employment programmes by MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee said the DWP “lacks transparency” around the performance of work schemes including SWAPs, making evaluation of their success “unfeasible”.

The inquiry published a report in July added that the department fails to consistently “set clear targets” for its programmes and makes “unsubstantiated” claims about their success.

The government published basic figures showing the age, region and sector of SWAP starts for the first time in February this year.

While preparing a reply to FE Week‘s questions, the DWP also announced that it will begin publishing data showing how many people are starting SWAPs on a quarterly basis.

However, the department’s spokesperson did not respond when asked whether they could prove SWAPs are a success or when an evaluation of Plan for Jobs, understood to have been carried out in 2022-23, will be published.

Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms told FE Week that the DWP is failing to follow its own protocol – introduced under David Cameron – that government should publish research it has commissioned.

He added: “[Outcomes of SWAPs] strikes me as exactly the kind of information that the government should be publishing – but unfortunately it isn’t on this programme or many others.

“But actually, if they are open about it and there’s public debate, then that is a powerful lever to improve the programme and would be helpful for the department to do a better job.

“David Cameron used to say sunlight is the best disinfectant and under him we saw a genuine openness that unfortunately has been lost – I very much hope it improves.”

Does the scheme work?

Training providers and sector bodies told FE Week they believe the SWAPs are “effective” at getting people into sustained employment.

The DWP also pointed towards two studies, carried out in the mid-2010s, that suggested SWAPs increased the time young unemployed people spend in employment, but failed to provide older participants with work experience or a job interview.

Deputy director at Learning and Work Institute, Sam Avanzo-Windett, said helping people who are economically inactive into employment through work experience in a sector “feels like a good thing”.

But she added: “Without data, it’s quite hard to know how many of those people are getting into jobs.

“It’d be important to know if there are sanctions that sit alongside the SWAPs programme as well as any information on those job outcomes.”

The Association of Learning Providers (AELP), which represents hundreds of training providers, is supportive of the scheme as a “quick and intensive” way of getting people work-ready.

Simon Ashworth, AELP’s director of policy told FE Week: “We have seen them used particularly effectively in sectors with big skills shortages such as hospitality and retail.”

Ashworth added that the “short, sharp, high impact intervention” of SWAPs complements skills bootcamps, which are longer and higher-skilled training programmes lasting up to 12 weeks.

How did SWAPs start?

SWAPs were first launched under a different name in 2011 as part of David Cameron’s ‘Get Britain Working’ initiative, with 330,000 people starting the scheme in the next seven years.

But Jobcentre Plus’ failure to tell participants they faced benefits sanctions if they refused to work resulted in a successful legal challenge known as the ‘Poundland case’.

SWAPs were revived alongside other work training schemes in mid-2020.

Participation is voluntary, but benefit claimants still face financial sanctions for dropping out before completing the course or refusing a job offer for good reason.

In the 2021 spring budget the government set aside £10 million per year for SWAPs, which has jumped to £25 million this financial year.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 457

Andy Sparks

Chair of Governors, Writtle College

Start date: March 2024

Concurrent Job: LSIP Executive Director, Essex Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Interesting fact: Following a 27 year career in further and higher education, Andy moved to the Chamber to develop and maintain the Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP)

David Gallagher

Vice Chair, Federation of Awarding Bodies

Start date: March 2024

Concurrent Job: Chief Executive, NCFE

Interesting fact: Growing up, David wanted to be either an architect or an archaeologist (somewhat Indiana Jones inspired). He think an architect is still in there somewhere as he’s very interested and involved in how our skills system is designed

North Yorkshire college downgraded following leadership ‘turbulence’

A north Yorkshire college has been downgraded by Ofsted following “significant turbulence” in its leadership.

The previously ‘good’ Craven College was handed a ‘requires improvement’ judgment this week. Inspectors said “too many” study programme learners do not attend lessons and teacher workloads “may not be sustainable.”

While the college was judged ‘good’ for the quality of education, personal development, adult learning and apprenticeships, the watchdog found its leadership and management to ‘require improvement’.

“Over the last five years, there has been significant turbulence in the leadership of the college. The current senior leadership team, appointed within the last 18 months, has established stability and identified a clear path to make necessary improvements,” according to the inspection report.

However, “strategic and cultural changes have not fully permeated throughout the organisation”.

The college is currently led by interim principal Anita Lall, who took over following the sudden and mysterious absence of its previous leader, Lindsey Johnson, last year.

Johnson was last seen at the college in January, reportedly being escorted into the college to collect their belongings. According to LinkedIn, Johnson left their role at the college in January 2023, but had not been at college since the preceding October. They had been principal at Craven for three years and have since moved into a role as head of education, skills and work at the Ministry of Justice.

The college told local reporters at the time: “We are confident that Lindsey’s absence has not impacted negatively on the college’s ability to meet its obligation to its students and the communities it serves.”

As well as an interim principal, Craven College is also led by an interim assistant principal for quality and two interim assistant principals for curriculum. Just one of the five senior managers, the vice principal for finance, is not an interim.

FE Week understands interviews for a permanent principal of the college have been taking place this week.

A college spokesperson said: “Whilst the overall grades are not what we wanted or hoped for, the report acknowledges the journey the college has been on recently and highlights the steps we are already taking to address the challenges identified.”

Student attendance “doesn’t reach the high standards we have” the college admitted, adding, “our attendance is in line with the national average, but we will continue to focus on implementing specific actions” to improve.

Students that do attend learn in high-quality facilities, often in “environments in which they aspire to be employed”, Ofsted reported.

The college added: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful staff and students for all their hard work and commitment and to extend our thanks to our community partners and stakeholders, who supported the college during the inspection and continue to do so.”

MoJ’s prison service U-turns on mandatory apprenticeships

The government’s prison service has pulled out of apprenticeships after forcing thousands of custody officers onto the programme before realising there wasn’t the capacity to train them and run prisons safely.  

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) experienced a rapid rise in apprenticeship delivery after deciding, in 2021, to make it mandatory for all new prison officers to take the level 3 custody and detention officer apprenticeship.  

Starts shot up from just 20 in its first year of delivery in 2018/19 to 2,387 in 2021/22 and then 3,320 in 2022/23 – making it the 14th largest apprenticeship provider in England last year.  

But HMPPS, part of the Ministry of Justice, recently found that releasing apprentices from operational duties for around 200 hours over the period of the apprenticeship to complete off-the-job training was “putting strain on staffing levels and the safe running of prison regimes”, according to its recent annual report.  

More than 1,200 prison officers, who were put onto the apprenticeship dropped out of their training last year, leaving HMPPS with a retention and apprenticeship achievement rate of just 21 per cent in 2022/23.  

The prison service has now stopped enrolling new apprentices and chosen to focus on other training schemes. It has also just been judged as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted.  

The case echoes a situation at HMRC two years ago, when the government’s tax office put thousands of employees onto apprenticeships before realising it did not have capacity to train them – leading to the majority withdrawing from their programme.  

A prison service spokesperson said: “We launched this scheme [mandatory apprenticeships] prior to our surge in prison officer recruitment and have since changed the way we train our hardworking staff.”  

Despite HMPPS’ rapid rise in apprenticeship delivery, Ofsted waited almost seven years before conducting a full inspection of the government agency.  

The prison service received an early monitoring visit from Ofsted in May 2021 when the employer provider had just 182 apprentices, in which it was judged to be making ‘reasonable progress’.  

Ofsted rules state new apprenticeship providers will normally receive their first full inspection within 24 months of their early monitoring visit – a timeline that was recently reduced to 18 months. But the watchdog didn’t fully inspect HMPPS until March 2024 – 34 months after its early monitoring visit.  

FE Week understands Ofsted had planned to fully inspect HMPPS in November 2023, but deferred the inspection due to a staffing incident. A November inspection would have still been six months later than the window for fully inspecting new providers after a monitoring visit.  

HMPPS’ learning centre is based in Rugby, Warwickshire, but trains apprentices working in prisons across the country. The employer provider only offers the level 3 custody and detention officer apprenticeship and had 2,284 apprentices in learning at the time of Ofsted’s full inspection last month.  

Ofsted published HMPPS’ grade three report this week, in which the watchdog praised HMMPS’s “highly experienced” coaches for creating a “positive and calm learning environment” with high standards.  

But the inspectorate called out the service’s low completion rates and its lack of capacity to teach functional skills English and maths, which most of its apprentices are required to complete.   

The report said: “Leaders have developed a curriculum in response to the significant skills needs of the prison service. The service recruits large numbers of new staff every year and has a constant need for initial officer training.  

“Following a detailed review, leaders identified that they did not have the capacity to support the high number of prison officers entering the service to complete an apprenticeship.   

“Leaders have changed their training offer to stop the high numbers of apprentices withdrawing from their apprenticeship early. Leaders have removed the mandatory requirement for all new prison officers to study the apprenticeship. As a result, the number of officers completing their apprenticeship is beginning to increase.”

HMPPS is still on the government’s apprenticeship provider and assessment register, but it has not yet decided whether to put any prison officers through apprenticeships in the future.

First Holex CEO revealed

Adult education body Holex has appointed Caroline McDonald as its first chief executive officer.

Birmingham-born McDonald arrives from Birkbeck, University of London, where she has worked as director of access and engagement for the past six years.

Up until now, Holex has been run by policy director Sue Pember and a board of governors. But Pember announced in February the organisation had created the CEO position amid an “increased demand” for its services.

Holex was looking for a “dynamic and experienced” person with a “deep understanding” of the adult community education landscape, according to the job description.

McDonald was hired by the membership organisation after building up more than two decades of expertise in adult education and community engagement, according to Holex chair Dipa Ganguli.

Pember will remain in her role as policy director under McDonald’s leadership which begins in August. She told FE Week that the appointment will allow her more time to advocate and lobby on behalf of members.

In her previous role at Birkbeck, McDonald worked closely with several adult education providers and served as head of access and engagement and head of outreach.

The position will pay between £70,000 to £90,000 and McDonald will report to the board, chaired by Ganguli.

She will now be responsible for advocating for positive change and influencing policy discussions, possibly in time for a general election.

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of our new chief executive officer, Caroline McDonald. With over two decades of expertise in adult education and community engagement, Caroline brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to our mission,” said Ganguli.

Holex is now 31 years old and has more than 140 members, including local authorities, adult education institutes and further education colleges, that provide adult and community education in England.

Along with the Association of Colleges and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, Holex is also a founding member of the Education and Training Foundation.

DfE mistakenly gives university intervention powers to FE Commissioner

The government has said it will retract a new policy document after mistakenly giving the FE commissioner powers to intervene in universities.

A fresh “post-16 intervention and accountability” guide was released by the Department for Education today to show the ways officials tackle poor performance in different types of education providers.

For higher education institutions, the guidance made clear that the department does not undertake financial assessments of those that also provide further education provision, like apprenticeships, as this is a job for HE regulator the Office for Students.

But in a surprising addition, the document said that if a higher education provider receives an ‘inadequate’ judgment from Ofsted for any further education provision it delivers, then the “FE Commissioner may undertake an assessment of the capacity and capability of current leadership and management”.

The FE Commissioner “would then make recommendations to the minister about appropriate intervention action”.

This would mark a remarkable expansion of the FE Commissioner’s remit, which has to date only included further education colleges and local authorities.

The FE Commissioner, an independent adviser post currently held by Shelagh Legrave, leads the DfE’s oversight of struggling colleges and publishes reports on leadership capacity and capability for those in formal intervention.

However, the DfE has since backtracked on the guidance and claimed it was published in error when approached for further information by FE Week.

The department said the FE Commissioner does not have a role in higher education institutions and the page concerned is being withdrawn.

The page was still live at the time of going to press.

Ofsted downgrades large Birmingham college to ‘requires improvement’

A large college in Birmingham has been hit with a first ‘requires improvement’ Ofsted judgment, as it reveals plans to close a troubled academy for 14- to 16-year-olds.

The inspectorate downgraded South and City College Birmingham (SCCB) from a long-held ‘good’ rating in a report published today which revealed low qualification achievement rates, particularly in English and maths, and attendance concerns.

Ofsted also flagged poor teaching and bad behaviour in the college’s 14 to 16 provision, including homophobic name-calling which made a minority of students “feel vulnerable”.

The academy, which offers pathways in engineering and technical crafts, health sciences, physical education, animal care and art and design, opened in 2019 and currently teaches 123 young people.

Ofsted said teachers in the 14 to 16 academy “do not check learning and challenge misconceptions effectively”, and it lacks a “clearly designed curriculum for English or maths that supports the needs of learners”. The students also use “some poor language” which undermines a “considerate culture” found in the wider college.

SCCB told FE Week the viability of the academy has been under consideration for “some time” due to staffing resource challenges. It has now decided to shut the academy for new applicants as of September 2024.

SCCB has eight campuses across Birmingham, with the majority of its 10,000 students being adults.

The college was judged to be ‘good’ by Ofsted for its delivery of adult education and apprenticeships but was downgraded overall due to the quality of education for young people and leadership and management.

Ofsted reported that most learners and apprentices “greatly value the relationships they have with their teachers” and become “respectful and active citizens”.

But inspectors found that “many” learners do not routinely attend lessons and therefore miss “valuable learning opportunities”.

Leaders were criticised for being “too slow to resolve the significant underperformance in the quality of education”.

SCCB leaders told inspectors that in the previous few years, they have been “greatly affected” by Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis, a cyber-attack and a failure in their data systems.

Ofsted reported that there are poor levels of retention and pass rates across all age groups and provision types. The watchdog’s report said: “Consequently, too few learners and apprentices achieved the qualifications they had trained for.”

Inspectors noted that leaders have recently taken action to improve the quality of education by restructuring management posts and invested in new management data systems.

They also refocused staff on attendance, assessments and improving teaching.

Principal Mike Hopkins said: “Whilst the outcome of the recent inspection wasn’t as we’d hoped it would be, we’re confident that the improvements we’d started to implement in advance of Ofsted’s recent visit, are already paying dividends.

“The past three years have been amongst the most challenging that the college has experienced and the impact that Covid had on our learners cannot be underestimated, but we must learn from this and look to the future.

“I have every confidence that we will deliver a tangible turnaround by the time we’re monitored and then fully re-inspected.”

College awards ‘incredible’ pay rise of up to 12.8%

Staff at a Lancashire college have won an pay rise of up to 12.8 per cent – the highest awarded to an FE college this year.

Myerscough College reached the deal following strike action and talks with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

It marks the highest pay deal reached by any college in England this year, and higher than the University and College Union’s (UCU) pay demand of 10 per cent for FE staff in 2024/25.

Union members at the college took to the picket line for three days in November and called off four days of strikes in February to enter negotiations with college bosses.

The full pay deal is as follows:

A 6.5 per cent pay rise, backdated from January 1, 2024
An additional 1 per cent pay rise, from July 1, 2024
A commitment to award all eligible staff with an incremental pay rise worth £1,277 on average from August 1, 2024
An uplift of over £3,750 to the college lecturer starting salary

Latest college pay deals revealed

UCU regional support official Daniel Maguire said: “This incredible win is the best pay award at Myerscough in years. It is down to the incredible solidarity of our members and shows what can be achieved when workers unionise and stand together. College employers in the North West and across England now need to look to Myerscough and see what can be achieved when you engage meaningfully with your workforce.”

A Myerscough college spokesperson said: “This collaborative agreement brings an end to our on-going pay dispute and paves the way for the implementation of the proposed pay adjustments for all affected colleagues.

“We recognise that this resolution has taken longer than we all hoped but wish to reassure you that resolving the dispute with UCU has always remained a priority.

“We believe that these proposals demonstrate the college’s long-term commitment to enhancing our pay framework as much as possible within a sustainable model.”

A total of 63 colleges have now reached a pay agreement since September.

The remaining four colleges involved in disputes yet to reach a pay deal are Craven College, Croydon College, Farnborough College of Technology and Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group.

The last deal agreed was by staff at Capital City College Group, who most recently undertook three days of striking in January. They called off four further days of picketing after a deal was reached on staff workload.

Delayed: Lifelong learning entitlement pushed back to 2026

The Department for Education has quietly delayed the introduction of the lifelong learning entitlement.

Students won’t be able to apply for LLE funding until September 2025, seven months after the planned February launch of the first LLE applications.

Teaching of courses funded through the LEE will now not start until at least January 2026, rather than September 2025.

In a letter sent to providers today, seen by FE Week, new skills minister Luke Hall said the Student Loans Company (SLC) needed more time to develop its systems.

“Having worked closely with the SLC on the delivery of its new LLE application and payments system, the government understands the great challenge of changing finance systems whilst at all costs ensuring a seamless transition for learners and providers,” Hall said.

It follows a prolonged full roll-out of the flagship scheme, which won’t be fully in place until at least 2027.

On its current timetable, full years of study of level 4 to 6 HE courses and higher technical qualifications will be available through the LLE from January 2026.

But its main selling point is the ability to access loan funding for shorter courses and modules.

Funding for some smaller courses currently funded through advanced learner loans will be available from January 2026, but the government plans for the bulk of modular courses to be available to learners in the 2027/28 academic year.

The Department for Education’s chief civil servant, permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood, warned of “significant delivery challenges” to the LLE’s planned 2025 launch back in August.

Acland-Hood specifically highlighted SLC systems among possible delivery challenges at the time, stating: “The programme depends on good partnership with the Student Loans Company and the OfS [Office for Students] and their delivery of new systems and processes.”

Alex Proudfoot, chief executive of membership body Independent Higher Education, said: “The LLE represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the ways in which students learn and access financial support for learning. No-one likes to see delays, but it is essential that we get this right, and that students and providers experience a smooth transition to a new funding system, which commands confidence from day one.

“IHE has called for a system of funding by credit since 2015, so that more students across the country and from every background can access the high-quality short and modular courses that independent providers offer to industry in different specialist disciplines. A decade on, we can wait a few more months for the future to arrive.”

Hall plays it safe

Pushing back the initial LLE roll-out means the SLC can test its new application and funding systems with a smaller volume of students. Fewer people apply for courses starting in January than in September.

Hall said: “This phased approach allows SCL to test their systems with smaller volumes of applications in January 2026, so that we can more safely introduce the system and ensure its reliability ahead of the full academic year volumes in September 2026, and full modular roll out in September 2027.”

The delay also gives providers more to prepare, the new minister said.

Hall promised a “provider preparation guide” in the coming weeks.

The LLE is a new system of student finance, covering tuition and maintenance, for courses at levels 4 to 6 for students up to the age of 60.

The government has pinned its hopes on reversing the decade-plus-long decline in part-time learning and higher-level technical training on the policy.

Potential lifelong learners will now have to wait until September 2025 before accessing their online account which will show them how much loan funding they are entitled to, and which courses and modules they can spend it on.

The loan entitlement will be worth the equivalent of four years of undergraduate tuition fees – currently £37,000 – minus the amount of any past student loans.

Providers in the dark

Providers hoping to deliver LLE-funded courses are still in the dark about who can deliver precisely what, when, and how much they can charge.

For example, training providers currently delivering courses that are advanced learner loan funded, but will become LLE funded, are still waiting for details on how they can register with the Office for Students’ so-called “third category”. This isn’t expected until the summer of this year.

For independent training providers, the delay could mean more time for them to finally gain OfS approval and deliver LLE provision from day one.

Simon Ashworth, director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning providers, told FE Week: “In a roundabout way, this delay should lead to a slightly more level playing field for all types of providers by reducing the period from the start of LLE to when ITPs will be able to join. AELP will continue to push for those providers who are ready to become [OfS] approved and join the LLE sooner rather than having to wait unnecessarily.”

Hall’s letter promises “further details on maintenance” despite the government announcing maintenance loans for LLE learners over a year ago.

Providers can expect details of an “additional entitlement for priority subjects and courses” in the coming months, Hall said today.

And a long-awaited technical consultation on funding for modular courses isn’t likely to take place until this summer.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We remain committed to rolling out the Lifelong Learning Entitlement in academic year 2025/26 and we believe that this phased approach is the best way to deliver for learners, providers and the existing student-finance system.

“The journey towards the LLE’s introduction is ambitious and we want the Student Loans Company and providers to have the preparation time they need to adapt their systems to be ready for launch.”