The government is set to allow people on low wages to take multiple level 3 qualifications available through the prime minister’s lifetime skills guarantee for free.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi announced at the Association of Colleges conference the extension of the policy would be trialled from next April.
He said: “In a trial from next April any adult in England who earns a yearly salary below the national living wage will also have the chance to take these high-value level 3 qualifications for free.”
Since April 2021, any adult aged 19 and over who does not already have a level 3 qualification or higher has been allowed to access hundreds of fully funded level 3 courses.
The AoC has been calling on the government to allow people on low wages to take repeat level 3 qualifications, insisting that the current policy is too restrictive.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said further details about the eligibility expansion will be made available to the sector “in due course”.
Any news on extending the roll out of Level 3 qualifications to those that really need them is an excellent step forward,lets hope the Ministers agree?
Lets also hope that the government allow more Good and Outstanding I.T.P’s to deliver this offer, as many have not been fortunate enough to get A.E.B funding due to minimum contract thresholds at the procurement stage .