English and maths functional skills rules will be relaxed for adult apprentices, FE Week understands.
The government is expected to soften controversial exit requirements following years of lobbying from the sector.
Under current rules, apprentices must achieve level 1 English and maths functional skills qualifications if they are on a level 2 apprenticeship and did not pass the subjects at GCSE. Similarly, if a learner is on a level 3 or higher apprenticeship, they must achieve functional skills at level 2 to complete their training.
Following the shake-up – expected imminently – it is understood the rules will become optional for apprentices aged 19 and older. Adults without an English or maths GCSE pass can still opt to take the tests but will be able to do so without needing to pass as an exit requirement.
The rules are unlikely to change for 16 to 18 year olds.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We recognise that employers want more flexibility on apprenticeships, and we are looking into what improvements can be made to break down barriers to opportunity and help more skilled workers drive growth.”
Full details are expected to be published shortly.
Reformed functional skills qualifications were launched in 2019 with revised content and assessment requirements. The aim was to give the qualifications greater credibility with employers.
Functional skills pass rates currently sit at around 75 per cent, down from 84 per cent before the pandemic and before the reformed qualifications were introduced.
No other qualification, such as A-levels and T Levels, have English and maths as an exit requirement. However, 16 to 18-year-old students without a pass in the subjects must work towards them as a condition of their place being funded.
Only around half of apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeship each year and functional skills qualifications exit requirements are constantly flagged among the biggest barriers for apprentice dropouts.
In December, research by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers found three-quarters of apprenticeship vacancy adverts blocked applicants who had not already achieved a grade 4 pass in GCSE English and maths.
Former Labour shadow skills minister Toby Perkins committed to reviewing functional skills exit requirements while in opposition in March 2023.
Labour’s current DfE ministerial team has hinted it would reform functional skills since last year’s election victory.
This could be the greatest thing to ever happen in vocational education! The amount of adult learners I have lost over the years is huge! All citing functional skills as their barrier. They are fantastic learners who are competent in their roles and who deserve to achieve their apprenticeship. This will attract more people into apprenticeships I’m sure!
This is a shocking change and a backwards step in improving skills ..
How much detailed consultation with employers has actually occurred .?
This could be much more to do with balancing the UKs budget … than improving apprenticeship pass rates ..
This should go to consultation first!
Great news for learners but bad news for me as a FS tutor in an apprenticeship company who doesn’t have any learners under 19. I have done this job for 10 years and I am fearful for my future.
I thought they might say they should still be working towards Level 2 and give it a meaningful attempt. I never expected them to totally remove it.
“No other qualification, such as A-levels and T Levels, have English and maths as an exit requirement…” No, but you do need them as an entry requirement.
This is a “quick fix” solution, great for a learner who knows they will be in a role or sector for life, but what about if they want to change careers in the future?
They don’t need to remove FS, they just need to reform the exams, but that’s too much like hard work for them. Also from experience, English isn’t usually the problem, Maths is!
EXACTLY THIS!!!
When are we likely to hear more about this?
If you think of this in factory terms… It might be not a pleasant way of looking at peoples’ lives, but it can help in seeing the situation for what it is.
In a factory, you have stuff going in and stuff coming out. With a bunch of processes in the middle.
Changing exit requirements means accepting potentially lower quality output (i.e. quality not tested or verified at the end of the production line). This is the proposed change.
Changing the entry requirements would mean putting in better quality materials. But would likely be perceived as flying in the face of inclusivity (when it might be better described as being a more responsible and controlled method of managing progress).
Not changing the entry requirements, but ensuring high quality outputs requires additional refining of the raw materials, within the production line – but that comes at a cost.
Out of those three, I’d say their are three distinct types of option:
Lazy (and reliant on packaging to fool the consumer)
Responsible
Costly (inclusive, but likely to bankrupt the factory)
Some extra clarity needed for the age based differential.
16-18 stays the same, but…
Is that aged 16-18 at the start of the programme, or aged 16-18 at the end?
Will this change lead to employers or providers ‘selecting’ apprentices based on their age as it could impact their chance of ‘achievement’?
It looks like a birthdate lottery either way.
Is it not the failure of the schools that should be looked into
13 years and not achieving anything
Then an apprentice provider has the equivalent of just over a week in GLH to sort out the problem
If a school can’t get a learner to a Functioning skill of at least L1 by the time they complete GCSE then they should have their funding removed.
They have no responsibilities with the learners future and just pass them on to FE to carry the “can” where funding is lower and yet they’re expected to complete the course in 5 days.
Stop learners from leaving school until they have achieved this.
This news is amazing as I’m currently studying a apprenticeship whilst working full time with young children in tow. Adults learners have extra pressure of low income, childcare, relationship pressures and health concerns from the burn out of trying to succeed. I could have been an unemployed mum but I wanted better, so great news