Sector leaders have reacted positively after Chancellor George Osborne fleshed out how the new apprenticeship levy on large firms would raise £3bn a-year.
Mr Osborne confirmed that from April 2017 employers would have to pay 0.5 per cent of their pay roll costs towards the levy — offset by a £15,000 allowance meaning that most employers would not have to pay.
“I am setting the rate at 0.5 per cent of an employer’s paybill. Every employer will receive a £15,000 allowance to offset against the levy — which means over 98 per cent of all employers — and all businesses with paybills of less than £3m, will pay no levy at all.”
The levy, due to be introduced in April 2017, will fund £900m of apprenticeship spending and comes with a new employer-led Institute for Apprenticeships, which will set standards and quality and be fully operational in time for the levy launch, according to a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokesperson.
Stewart Segal (pictured right), Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive, said “large employers will be encouraged to increase their apprenticeship programmes to make the most of their levy fee.”
“The levy will also apply to more businesses than we expected,” he added.
John Allan (pictured left), national chairman for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “We support the decision to use payroll as a measure to determine which businesses pay the levy, as opposed to headcount. It recognises that not all businesses will be able to afford to pay.”
Confederation of British Industry director general Carolyn Fairbairn (main picture above) said the levy would be a “significant extra payroll tax on business”.
However, she added: “We welcome the creation of a levy board to give business a voice on how the money is spent.”
The government response to its levy consultation came out the same day as the Budget and addressed the issue of existing levies operated by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).
“We understand employers in sectors where a levy is already in place want clarity,” it said.
“We are working with the relevant industry training boards to consult with their members ahead of the introduction of the levy on how existing arrangements will be affected and whether any changes are required.”
Chris Claydon (pictured right), ECITB chief executive, said: “There is still a great deal more detail our members require on how the sector will operate with two levies.”
Steve Radley, director of policy at CITB, said his organisation had asked members “whether the existing levies are still needed and employers will be prepared to pay them” and “most answered yes on both counts”.
Click here for an expert piece by Mr Radley covering the Budget’s levy announcements.
With retirement beckoning, it’s a time of reflection for Tribal business development manager Al Coates.
But despite 41 colourful years in FE, the humble grandfather-of-two was a difficult subject to tie down for a profile interview.
York-based Coates had been unsure whether his story was an interesting one, before others — not least his equally personable Tribal colleague Sandra Furby, director of learning and development, specialist learning solutions — persuaded him otherwise.
Coates’s staff ID when he worked at York
College of Arts and Technology
And, with the first hour of his interview passing in the blink of an eye as the anecdotes come thick and fast (and, unhelpfully, not in any particular chronological order), it’s clear those colleagues were right as the hours then ticked by with 67-year-old Coates holding court.
‘You can call me Al,’ had been his earlier warm introduction, and something anyone who has met Coates will most likely also have heard.
He was born in Leeds in 1948 and grew up in the dockland town of Goole in Yorkshire, where he left the local grammar school in 1966 with a handful of O-levels and two A-levels.
“Doing A-levels meant I avoided having to stay in Goole and do what everyone who went to the secondary modern school did, which was to work on the docks,” recalls Coates.
“Which wasn’t a bad thing to do, but it would have taken me in a very different direction in life than the one I went.”
After finishing his studies, an 18-year-old Coates had to decide what career path to follow.
He laughs and says: “I think the school PE teacher was the careers adviser in his spare time to fill his timetable — so careers guidance was poor.”
Coates chose to study business at Hatfield Polytechnic (now the University of Hertfordshire) and then as he says “drifted into accountancy for being good with numbers”.
He then made the bold decision to walk out on accountancy as he thought he might be better off helping others learn.
Coates explains that some of his friends who went to the local secondary modern school struggled with their exams and he saw this as the motivation to get involved in teaching.
Coates (centre with black tie) aged five in 1963
He smiles as he remembers how he “walked into Hertfordshire Education Authority in 1973 and asked to do some work for them”.
“They said: ‘You can’t go into a secondary school because you’re not qualified, but you can go into a junior school’,” says Coates.
So he secured a job as a year six teacher at Wormley Junior School where he taught for several months.
“That’s where I met Ray Davies of The Kinks, because his two kids went there — and it kind of became quite a nice story to tell people.”
It was an enjoyable initiation into the world of delivering education, but the possibilities of FE were clear to Coates even then.
“I’d never been involved personally in FE, but it was where I thought my idea of being able to contribute in terms of widening participation and opening up opportunities for people would be,” he says.
Coates studied for his PGCE in his midtwenties and went on to work in a secondary modern in York working with todays ‘Neets’ (young people not in education, employment or training).
“Getting into FE wasn’t easy, and the way I had chosen to get into it was through teaching in a secondary school and for the city council,” explains Coates.
Who then worked for York Council’s Job Creation Scheme for young people out of work where he taught maths and English.
“My priority was to enable people to try to develop their confidence — because lots of people can do things if their confidence is right,” he says.
From left: Sandra Furby, Tribal director of
learning and development, Coates and Lady
Helena Kennedy, president of the Helena
Kennedy Foundation which this month gave
the Tribal duo Ambassador’s Awards for
special service to FE
“So I had that kind of liberalist approach to things, but I had a strong side to me as well as you’ve got to put your foot down occasionally.”
And he winces with recollection of a time when his “strong side” didn’t quite work out as he had hoped and 27 students walked out of his classroom in the middle of a lesson.
“So the second week when I turned up I thought: ‘I’ve got to change this behaviour’,” he says.
“I actually put my chair under the door and sat there, effectively locking them in — and I was silly enough to think that that gave me control.
“Probably less than 20 minutes later, about three students disappeared out of a window, down a drainpipe from the first floor.
“I rushed across to the window, so they threw the door open and the rest of them disappeared through the door.”
A funny anecdote from a bygone era it may be, but it also proved a tough lesson for Coates, whose next role was as a liberal and general studies teacher at York College in 1974.
“Liberal studies had a set national philosophy, which was to ‘broaden the horizons’ of young people who otherwise aren’t getting any broadening in their educational experience,” explains Coates.
“So I taught apprentices on day release and this is where probably some of the most challenging work of my working life came in.”
The challenge was getting the apprentices engaged with liberal studies when enthusiasm was in short supply.
“I had gone in with a reputation, and the boss decided that: ‘This guy from Goole can deal with the most difficult blokes’, and I’m afraid I got lumbered with the ‘ability’ to do that,” says Coates.
He taught day release apprentices general studies on a Friday of all days, from 7pm until 9pm of all times — which he says was not an easy task.
“The truth is, they didn’t want to do it, and you really needed to try and be as imaginative and as responsive as you possibly could,” says Coates.
“We didn’t always win, but we did win on occasions, and it was quite rewarding.”
Coates (centre) with friends in his “hippy phase”
as a student in 1968
He also taught some of the morning groups, and is open about going to the pub with them at lunch time if they showed progress.
“You wouldn’t be able to do this now,” he says and even recalls a student climbing up a wall to join Coates’s first floor classroom so he could have a general studies lesson and join the pub group.
Coates adds: “With nearly everything I’ve ever done, it has been in the main hands on.
“And I don’t say that people should be like that but I am quite proud of that, and it worked for me.” During his time at the college, he also taught general studies, GCSEs and A-levels to adults and became head of health and social care.
He says: “For about a year before I left York College, I’d set up distance learning in health and social care for the first time in the college, and it proved to be pretty popular.”
Coates left the college at the age of 53 having decided to work with an ex-colleague on distance learning courses as part of Tribal Learning and Publishing in 2002 where he became managing director of its publishing division.
He remembers “one or two organisations doing distance learning in popular areas” like health and safety, but he wanted to do health and social care courses as well.
And during his time at Tribal, the number of distance learning courses has grown from just two to 60, covering a range of subjects from business and admin to hair and beauty.
But at some, as yet undecided, point in the new year Coates will be retiring to, he says, spend more time with his grandchildren, watching Yorkshire play cricket and visiting other sporting venues.
“In the last 14 years with Tribal I have had the great pleasure and privilege to have worked with over 150 colleges, numerous training providers, awarding bodies and other partners in the sector
Coates (back, third from left) with Goole Wanderers Football Club in 1966
and have always been welcomed,” he says.
“Tribal has given me the opportunity to work with an amazing team at York and to create a very successful business — I will always be grateful to Tribal for supporting me.”
It’s a personal thing
What’s your favourite book and why?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, because it is about authority verses free spirit. I used to show it in my old liberal studies classes
What do you do to switch off from work?
I like to spend time with my grandkids, Edie, aged three, and Mara who is just a year old. I also like to drink wine and watch sports — but not all at the same time
What’s your biggest pet hate?
Unnecessary bureaucracy and political correctness to an excess
If you could invite anyone to a dinner party, living or dead, who would it be?
Coates’s grandchildren, Mara, aged one and
Edie, three
I would have a sports dinner with former English test cricketer Ian Botham, champion jockey Frankie Dettori and former Leeds United player Norman Hunter
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a footballer or a cricketer, but I had to revise that choice early on. I then became reliant on the PE teacher’s careers advice
Our last inspection was in January 2010 so we thought we might get the call before the new inspection methodologies and common inspection framework (Cif) came in.
It was mixed emotions for us when we passed September 1. There was obvious delight at the prospect of a short inspection, but also fear that this may result in two inspections — one short and one full — in the space of 15 working days.
Two inspections in that short time frame could be detrimental to a small business, not to mention the mental strain it could put our staff under. The new Cif was also a concern as we had no past reports to read to obtain a better understanding.
As we approached the end of the contract year, we did start to self-assess against the new Cif and the first draft of the self-assessment report (SAR) was produced.
In August, the two owners of HBTC simulated an inspection to test the validity of the new SAR. It was also good experience for our staff that hadn’t been part of an inspection before, as it reduced some of the fear associated with inspection.
The initial call with the lead took on a very similar format to previous inspections. The only real difference was that the lead inspector informed us of their key lines of enquiry, which were based upon our last inspection (both areas for improvement and strengths), areas identified from our most recently uploaded SAR and other areas such as Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE) requirements.
The biggest surprise was how much the inspectors actually achieved in two days
This was our first short notice inspection so there seemed a lot to do in a very small timeframe — we had to collate all of the required information such as timetables, documentation etc. We also had to plan who from our organisation would be best to speak to the inspectors about each line of enquiry, which was difficult for us. As we are a small provider, this mainly involved two people which across only a two-day window was very difficult to fit in. This was made worse as the lead was keen for the inspectors to have the majority of these discussions on the first day so that they could start to formulate their thoughts and explore further the next day, plus anything else that might be emerging.
We prepared some notes that could be used for reference during these discussions — which after jumping from one line of enquiry straight to another through the day, proved invaluable.
I think the biggest surprise was how much the inspectors actually achieved in the two days. They visited a number of workplaces, spoke to a good number of learners and employers, held focus groups with a range of our staff and learners, observed a range of lessons and workbased activity, reviewed a variety of documentation and evidence — and that was on top of the in-depth discussions on the lines of enquiry with key staff.
It definitely felt that they didn’t really gain any less evidence within the two days, than they would’ve done in four days. This did take its toll on our staff, including myself, and I would imagine that it also took its toll on the inspectors too.
Despite this, as the interruption was contained to just two days it was easier for everyone to mentally deal with, and for the business to recover from the disruption afterwards. Also because it was so thorough, we did feel confident that they got to learn enough about us to make informed judgements.
However, after feeling very fortunate to have had a short inspection, this did turn into a vague sense of surprising disappointment. The inspectors identified some excellent practice during the inspection, and we are left wondering what a full report might have looked like for us against the new Cif, as opposed to the letter you get after a short inspection.
A new subcontractor has helped grade-four distance learning provider Marine Society College of the Sea (MSCS) win Ofsted approval while FE Commissioner Dr David Collins has drawn a line under his involvement.
Dr Collins visited Lambeth-based MSCS in December last year and called for a new subcontractor after education watchdog inspectors had branded it inadequate the previous month.
Cartoon from edition 129 of FE Week, dated March 2, 2015
Both Ofsted and the commissioner criticised the relationship the college — which has a current Skills Funding Agency (SFA) allocation of around £150k, but is otherwise learner-funded — with its distance learning subcontractor of 35 years, the National Extension College (NEC).
Dr Collins said MSCS, previously rated as good in 2009, had an “over-reliance” on NEC and had “not monitored subcontracted provision effectively”, while NEC had “not met the standards required in its provision”.
But Ofsted inspectors who carried out a fourth monitoring visit last month at MSCS, which offers courses including GCSEs and A-levels to professional seafarers, saw improvements since new provider Oxford Open Learning was introduced in September.
Mark Windsor
The monitoring visit focused on six areas, and identified “reasonable progress” in each and, according to the report, “those who have enrolled recently are making significant progress.”
Mark Windsor, MSSC director of lifelong learning, said: “We are delighted the Skills Minister has confirmed that the charity has made sufficient progress and therefore FE Commissioner-led intervention is no longer needed.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “The college was removed from formal FE Commissioner intervention in October as both the FE Commissioner and officials were satisfied MSCS had made sufficient progress against Dr Collins’ recommendations since the initial assessment.”
The progress areas in the monitoring report included, increasing the number of learners who complete programmes, ensuring that all teaching, learning and assessment is good or better, and ensuring all learners make good progress in their studies.
Ros Morpeth
However, learners enrolled before September have stayed with NEC, which came in for renewed criticism from inspectors.
“College managers have tried to work with the previous subcontractor’s managers to improve the support and help for those learners making slow progress, but actions taken have not been effective,” inspectors reported.
Ros Morpeth, NEC chief executive, said: “There needs to be more research to understand what a ‘good outcome’ means for students and especially for students who are studying independently at a distance and like the students who enrol through MSCS, working in very difficult circumstances with interrupted schedules.”
Mr Windsor said the MSSC was working with both providers “focusing on the best possible outcomes for our learners and remain mindful of the significant challenge of providing distance learning to seafarers serving at sea.”
Dr Nick Smith, Oxford Open Learning courses director, said: “We look forward to a long and successful relationship with MSCS.”
His report published in July called for careful implementation of a “well thought out recovery plan,” to be overseen by Dr Collins as NCN worked towards merging with 20,000-learner Central College Nottingham (CCN).
Dawn Whitemore (pictured right), NCN principal who has written an exclusive expert piece for FE Week on how the college achieved the improvements, told FE Week she was delighted the college’s progress had been recognised by Dr Collins.
She said: “We’re on track to achieve our planned £1m surplus in 2015/2016.”
Dr Collins launched an area review of FE provision for Nottingham in May, following grade three Ofsted inspection results for NCN and CCN, which prompted the merger announcement.
Both colleges confirmed that a project manager had been appointed to help oversee the merger process.
Click here for Ms Whitemore’s expert piece outlining NCN’s road to recovery
Sixth Form College (SFC) leaders were today in the dark about whether Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement they could become academies to escape VAT would also allow them to escape post-16 area reviews.
Mr Osborne announced during his Budget speech that the government would allow SFCs to become academies “so they no longer have to pay VAT”.
It was welcomed by the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA), which recently led a campaign backed by more than 18,000 people who signed a petition calling for an end to the anomaly of SFCs having to pay VAT, while schools and academies get a refund on the 20 per cent tax.
However, the Department for Education (DfE) declined to confirm to FE Week whether SFCs that gained academy status would be exempt from post-16 education and training area reviews.
A DfE spokesperson would only say that “further details will be clarified in due course”.
James Kewin (pictured above), deputy chief executive of the SFCA, said: “We understand the area review process will be the means by which applications for academy status will be considered.”
He added this would introduce “a degree of urgency to the process, as some SFCs are already half-way through their area review.
“Many SFCs are interested in academy status and we welcome the decision,” he added.
The first wave of area reviews launched since September for Sussex Coast, West Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Sheffield City, Solent, Birmingham and Solihull, and Greater Manchester, involve 33 SFCs and 50 general FE colleges — but no schools.
David Igoe (pictured right), SFCA chief executive, who will be standing down early next year and has written an exclusive expert piece reflecting on the academies announcement for FE Week, said he did not think there would be a danger of SFCs losing their identities as part of academy chains.
“I think that in many cases SFCs will be the lead instigators with local schools, so they will, for example, keep their names.”
He added: “If the Chancellor wanted to give us a Christmas present then he succeeded. These concessions were
on my personal wish list to achieve before I hang up my boots at the end of March.”
The DfE spokesperson said allowing SFCs to join existing or start new academy chains would “help drive up standards and improve efficiency of 16 to 19 education institutions”.
By the time FE Commissioner Dr David Collins had identified the historic “deterioration in New College Nottingham’s (NCN’s) financial position,” actions to rectify the situation were already in place and working. Dawn Whitemore explains how the college has successfully continued with efforts to balance the books.
A year ago, I found myself in the unenviable position of being three months into my new role as principal, facing a £2.7m underlying budget deficit.
As a college we had already begun to tackle this head on, but decided that it was important to request support early and took the unusual step of highlighting our position to the FE Commissioner Dr David Collins, pre-empting a notice of concern from the Skills Funding Agency.
Dr Collins and his team joined us in February, by which time we were already implementing our robust financial recovery plan, and following his ratification of our approach, we continued our course to take us back into the black.
I feel it is important to highlight that although Dr Collin’s team were extremely challenging, their support was invaluable in helping us chart the course to recovery.
What a difference a year makes. The turnaround we’ve made has been remarkable — we exceeded our planned surplus in 2014/15 by delivering a £0.6m underlying surplus and, despite further government funding cuts of £3.8m, we’re on track to achieve our planned £1m surplus this academic year.
One of the most difficult challenges that any college has when faced with implementing a financial recovery programme is ensuring that quality and the learner experience is not compromised.
What is most pleasing is that we have been able to turn around our financial difficulties while still investing in teaching and learning, which has resulted in a further increase in success rates.
We exceeded our planned surplus in 2014/15 by delivering a £0.6m underlying surplus and, despite further government funding cuts of £3.8m, we’re on track to achieve our planned £1m surplus this academic year
We have achieved an 86 per cent overall success rate — a 2 per cent improvement on last year — and a 14 per cent increase in our apprenticeship success rate. Our English and maths results are also something we can be incredibly proud of.
We achieved what we set out to because we had a strict focus on our core business. We have continued to ask ourselves at every stage: what’s in it for the learner? We did not allow ourselves to be distracted or diverted from our goal to deliver first class education and skills.
This approach has been embraced by the wider college, with staff appreciating the clarity and consistency. I have to say my team has gone the extra mile to deliver what we set out to do.
As a principal, you can’t ask for a better endorsement than that of your learners, and this year’s college learner survey has proven that this revitalised focus has paid off. My learners have told me they love college and are proud to be part of NCN and I can’t ask for more than that.
However, it has also been heartening to have support from the sector and our stakeholders. This month I received letters from Dr Collins and Skills Minister Nick Boles congratulating us on our hard work and confirming we’re no longer subject to intervention by the FE Commissioner’s office, alongside a letter from our bank describing our financial recovery as ‘first class’.
But this is not the time to sit back and rest on our laurels. Like most, if not all, FE Week readers, I followed the Chancellor’s Spending Review with interest, bracing myself for dire consequences for the sector. Early indications are that the overall picture will not be as detrimental to FE as first thought, however, the devil is always in the detail.
It is our responsibility to ensure that our sector is financially sustainable and continues to prioritise learning and skills development. We must focus on running our businesses like businesses so we can stay agile and resilient to whatever changes may come in the future.
Those changes are already on the horizon here in Nottingham and many other cities across the country. In Nottingham we have committed to a single FE proposition, and the work we have done on delivering a positive financial outlook will give the new college the best possible start.
We’ve all got ambitions — ambitions for our institutions, and bold ambitions from our government for our sector and I’m 100 per cent committed to achieving them.
However, my ambitions are, and have always been, to help each and every one of my learners achieve theirs.
Four FE colleges, handpicked on the advice of Prime Minister David Cameron, have shared the honour of winning Queen’s Anniversary Prizes, writes Rebecca Jones.
Four FE colleges were among 21 educational organisations to be awarded Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for higher and further education excellence in the 2014-16 round.
The prize-winning colleges were announced at St James’ Palace on Thursday, November 19, and included, Abingdon and Witney College, Blackpool and The Fylde College, Westminster Kingsway College and Bridgwater College (pictured above).
A glittering ceremony will be held at Buckingham Palace in February for the winners to receive a golden medallion and certificate signed by the Queen.
The awards, now in their eleventh round, recognised the four colleges and 17 universities for a wide range of innovative work across a spectrum of courses.
Since they were launched in 1994, a total of 211 prizes have been given to 71 universities and 40 FE colleges.
Abingdon and Witney College was recognised this year for its unique training programme for the equine industry combined with commercial breeding of thoroughbreds.
Abingdon and Witney College level three horse management students Naomi Flint, 17, and Alicia Plaistow, 16, holding a thoroughbred foal
Principal Teresa Kelly said: “We are absolutely delighted to be awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize.
“It is such an honour to be recognised in this way and truly represents the hard work, dedication and innovation of all our staff, students and employer partners in the equine industry.”
Blackpool and The Fylde College earned the prize for project management in engineering to build capacity in local industries.
Principal Bev Robinson said: “We are both privileged and delighted that our partnership work with industry in the field of project management has been recognised so prestigiously.”
She added that the “dedication shown by all teams in ensuring that the discipline of project management, which is essential to the success of very many businesses, has become increasingly valuable”.
Westminster Kingsway College was honoured for delivering practical excellence in culinary and hospitality skills.
Principal Andy Wilson said: “The award of the prize to Westminster Kingsway College is one of the greatest moments in the college’s long history.”
He said the prize was “recognition of many staff, students and employers who have been involved with the college over the years”.
“I would like to congratulate and thank them all for their contributions in creating something of which we can be so proud,” he added.
Bridgwater College received its prize for skills training for regional business and new energy investment.
Principal Mike Robbins said the prize was “the ultimate accolade in the education sector”.
Project management staff and learners from Blackpool and The Fylde College
“The prize also recognises the commitment and resolve of our industry and community partners, who have entrusted us with their most valuable resource — their current and future workforce,” he added.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are given out every two years to universities and colleges who submit work judged to show excellence in their course, which are chosen on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Main image: Bridgwater College performing engineering operations learners and staff holding the Queens Anniversary Prizes plaque
Shadow Skills Minister Gordon Marsden was a key speaker in an Opposition Day debate last week as he aired FE funding concerns, and Wednesday’s Budget did nothing to ease those concerns, as he explains.
On Wednesday we saw the broad campaign I and others have put on government on FE funding, not least in our Opposition Day debate last week, forcing Chancellor George Osborne to pause on accelerating further cuts on those already suffered.
But ministers are still leaving FE without the proper, strategic support it needs to fulfil the aspirations of young and older learners.
Freezing 16 to 19 funding for four years, at a time when colleges are facing huge upheaval and instability from area reviews is a recipe for continuing crises.
The Treasury’s Blue Book accompanying the Spending Review says there will be further savings here if young people have two-year courses reduced to one-year. The net effect is less money and more barriers to opportunities for our young people.
And what of the darker corners in Osborne’s statement? The Treasury’s Blue Book tries to claim the core adult skills budget is protected at £1.5bn. What’s this made up of? Is it counting the new loans scheme for 19 to 23-year-olds which may not be taken up? The experience with 24+ loans suggests potential real problems in using them.
Freezing 16 to 19 funding for four years, at a time when colleges are facing huge upheaval and instability from area reviews is a recipe for continuing crises
Neither the Chancellor nor BIS’s own press release explained the change. What will it mean for 19 to 23-year-olds being able to access free level three training?
The Treasury document referred to 40,000 learners affected by loans but currently 217,000 19 to 24-year-olds are taking these courses.
We urgently need to know who is affected and the status of free level three training. Restricting or abolishing grants will be a huge disincentive to young people in this vulnerable age group.
The Chancellor’s announcement on the apprenticeship levy leaves huge questions. Is this a potential ‘big bang’ fiasco? It needs to go forward carefully with measured agreement from the various sectors.
It must protect SMEs and also current investment in apprenticeships, making sure great existing schemes run by companies don’t get crowded out. It must be genuine extra money, not simply a further disguised BIS funding cut, and one where companies and their employees are reassured and incentivised.
Allowing sixth corm colleges VAT relief by becoming academies would benefit them financially. But it’s critical their success and innovation isn’t curbed by micromanagement from the Department for Education or meddling with the accountability and standards they currently deliver.
As I said during our Opposition Day debate on FE last week in the House of Commons, the government’s rhetoric on skills and training is simply not matched by its actions.
It talks the talk on energising technical and professional skills, then fails to deliver a strong mechanism for level four work experience in schools. It claims to be focused on productivity, but then undermines those key drivers of growth — colleges and providers — by rushed area reviews.
It pontificates about social mobility opportunities and equalities, but then roll out a series of cuts in Esol and adult skills, for example, often leaving the disadvantaged even further removed from good jobs and training, while colleges and schools are left struggling to fund the infrastructure for disabled young learners and other groups.
Ministers have failed to learn the negative cumulative effect of such cuts — as we saw with EMA — in stifling opportunities and social mobility.
I told Skills Minister Nick Boles in our Commons debate: ‘If the government will the ends, they must will the means. Otherwise, meanness and lack of focus will leave thousands of young people at risk of having their life chances shredded by the ignorance or incompetence of this government.’
For now they’ve been forced to row back on some of this. But they need to be watched like hawks – so learners, younger and older, and the FE sector, don’t fall off the cliff.
