The author of a 2012 government-commissioned report aimed at boosting apprentice uptake among businesses is one of four FE and skills figures to have received a CBE in the New Year Honours list.

Jason Holt (pictured), chief executive of jewellery firm Holts Group, wrote Making Apprenticeships More Accessible to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and was honoured in the 2015 awards for services to the jewellery sector and apprenticeships.

His review, commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE), contained 15 recommendations across three main areas relating to communication and raising awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships; empowerment and helping SMEs to get the best from their training providers; and, simplification of ownership and responsibility for the apprenticeships programme.

Mr Holt, an apprenticeship ambassador for the government and founder of Holts Academy, said: “This is an extraordinary honour and something I never thought would come my way. I have always felt as a business owner I needed to act — to do something about the skills gap in our sector.

“I’m always willing to help if I know that I can make a valuable contribution, and to be recognised for that in this way is very humbling.”

Former Skills Funding Agency interim chief executive Barbara Spicer (pictured above right), who completed her nine-month contract last month and is currently chief executive of Liverpool-based housing agency Plus Dane Group, also got a CBE, for services to education, learning and skills.

Ex-Bradford College principal and Association of Colleges 2013/14 president Michele Sutton OBE (pictured left) and Burton and South Derbyshire College principal Dawn Ward OBE (pictured below right) complete the sector’s CBE recipients with honours for services to FE [see full list of New Year Honours to people related to the FE and skills sector below].

Ms Ward told FE Week: “I feel deeply humbled by this award but recognise that this is a shared honour. It is shared with everyone that I have worked with and for those people over the years whose lives have touched mine.

“I’m extremely fortunate to lead an amazing college with highly dedicated, skilled and professional staff. A college full of talented and vibrant students who will help shape and create our future.

“I’m passionate about the impact further education has on so many peoples lives and very proud of the contribution FE plays in helping shape UKPLC. I’m  immensely proud to be part of this amazing sector.

“I’m indebted to the staff in FE who, when I started my studies, believed in me and my dreams and to my family, friends and colleagues who have encouraged and supported me over the years.”

Simon Rainer, chief executive of the British Jewellers’ Association said: “This honour is a fitting recognition of the enormous contribution that Jason has made to advancing the jewellery industry, both through his determination to ensure the sector had skills for the future and his determination to put apprenticeships on the maps.”

Services to skills development and to the food and drink industry earned Nestlé UK and Ireland chair and chief executive Fiona Marie Kendrick a damehood, while 10 OBEs were handed out to people related to the FE and skills sector, with half going to principals including the leader of the first general FE college to be rated as outstanding under Ofsted’s current Common Inspection Framework — Walsall College principal Jatinder Sharma (pictured left).

Among those from outside the college sector to have received the award was Sue Crowley (pictured below right), who was chair of the Institute for Learning from 2006 until its closure this year.

She was honoured for services to FE and teaching and told FE Week: “I’m really, really pleased. It is a lovely way to end my career [following the closure of IfL].

“I think the award recognised my long-term involvement with FE. I taught in the sector for 45 years before my time at IfL, so suppose that kind of justifies it.

“I see it as recognition for all the wonderful people I’ve worked with over the years and the amazing work that our sector does transforming lives through training.”

Rodney Bennion (pictured below left) also got an OBE, for services to construction training and the community in the South East in recognition of his work with the Construction Youth Trust (CYT).

He was chair of trustees for the charity, which helps young people to access training, education and employment opportunities in the construction industry, for a decade before standing down six months ago.

Christine Townley, executive director of CYT, said: “I’m delighted that Rodney has been recognised. He showed great dedication to the Trust over many years and really understands the needs of young people and the wider sector — in particular that training needs to be demand-led and prepare young people for roles that are actually required in construction. We’re really pleased for him.”

There were a dozen MBEs for the sector. Among the recipients was Celia Romain, whose public administration work as a higher executive officer at the DfE/BIS joint apprenticeships unit, was credited by a government spokesperson as having been “instrumental in the reform programme”.

“We are delighted that Celia has been awarded this well-deserved honour in recognition of her work on apprenticeships,” she added.

Beyond Standards director Nicky Perry (pictured right), who also got an MBE, for services to FE and training, said: “I’m surprised and very pleased by this honour — especially as it seems some good friends and clients went out of their way to put my name forward.”

Sheila Selwood, from the Association of Colleges (AoC) governors’ council and lately director of governance at West Hertfordshire College, is set to receive the MBE for services to FE.

Susan Pember, AoC governance adviser, said: “Sheila is an AoC national subject specialist in governance and has been an excellent clerk for many years and is now supporting several colleges to improve their governance arrangements.”

The honours were rounded off with BEMs, of which seven were related to FE and skills.

 

Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire

For services to skills development and to the food and drink industry

Fiona Marie Kendrick (Tadworth, Surrey), chair and chief executive, Nestlé UK and Ireland

 

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

For services to education, learning and skills

Barbara Spicer (St Helens, Merseyside), lately interim chief executive, Skills Funding Agency

For services to FE

Michele Sutton OBE (Didsbury, Greater Manchester), lately principal and chief executive, Bradford College, and former president, Association of Colleges

Dawn Patricia Ward OBE (Birmingham, West Midlands), principal and chief executive, Burton and South Derbyshire College

For services to the jewellery sector and apprenticeships

Jason Holt (London), chief executive, Holts Group, and founder, Holts Academy

 

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

For services to FE

Colin Booth (Newton Aycliffe, Durham), principal, Barnsley College

Ian Clinton (Kendal, Cumbria), principal, Stockport College, and lately principal, Blackburn College

Jatinder Kumar Sharma (Wolverhampton, West Midlands), principal and chief executive, Walsall College

Frank Leslie Smith (Sheffield, South Yorkshire), chair of governing body, Chesterfield College

For services to FE and teaching

Sue Crowley (London), lately chair, Institute for Learning

For services to education

Maura Regan (Sedgefield, Durham), principal, Carmel College, and chief executive, Carmel Education Trust

For services to training and improvements

David Timothy Marsh (Neilston, Renfrewshire), offender outcomes unit manager, HM Prison Barlinnie

For services to construction training and the community in the South East

Rodney John Bennion (Ashtead, Surrey), lately chair of trustees, Construction Youth Trust

For services to agri-food education

Dr John Damien Fay (Downpatrick, Down), director, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Northern Ireland Executive

For services to FE in North East Wales

David Baden Jones (Ruthin, Clwyd), principal and chief executive, Coleg Cambria, and lately principal and chief executive, Deeside College

 

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

For services to FE

Sheila Selwood (Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire), lately director of governance, West Herts College, and member, Association of Colleges governors’ council

For services to FE and training

Nicky Perry (Banwell, North Somerset), director, Beyond Standards

For services to FE for adults with learning difficulties

Maryanne Hodgkinson (Buckley, Clwyd), head of arts, media and business administration, Derwen College

For services to skills training

Jean Duprez (London), senior manager, K&M McLoughlin Decorating Ltd, and Ambassador, London Chamber of Commerce

For services to education

Susan Jane Kirkham (Lymington, Hampshire), lately curriculum and assessment specialist, Association of School and College Leaders

Julie Ann McLean (Plymouth, Devon), director, work-based learning and school partnerships, City College Plymouth

For services to young people through the ICT apprentice scheme

Gail Ramsden (Lancing, West Sussex), senior officer, IT skills and capability manager, Valuation Office Agency

For services to apprenticeships in the chemical and process industries

George Ritchie (Peterlee, Durham), lately senior vice president, Sembcorp UK

For services to the hairdressing industry

Shirley Rose Davis-Fox (Mid Glamorgan), chair, ISA Training, Bridgend

For services to public administration

Celia Romain (London), higher executive officer, joint apprenticeships unit, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Department for Education

For services to FE in Northern Ireland

Celine McCartan (Omagh, Tyrone), deputy director, head of corporate and support services, South West College

For services to education in Northern Ireland

William James Greer (Banbridge, Down), Head, Training Organisation, South Eastern Regional College

British Empire Medal (BEM)

For services to education

James Jackson (London), head caretaker, Woodhouse College, London Borough of Barnet

For services to FE and to the community in Leicestershire

Anne Williams (Loughborough, Leicestershire), lately community development officer, Loughborough College, and borough councillor, Charnwood

For services to further and higher education and to the community in Cornwall

Alan Lemin (Millbrook, Cornwall), head of student recruitment, Plymouth College of Art

For services to prison education

Wendy Ann Sherlock (Watford, Hertfordshire), curriculum co-ordinator for further and higher learning, HM Prison The Mount

For services to horticulture and land-based education

Christopher James Willder (Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire), groundsperson, Brooksby Melton College

For services to adult education

Sharon Tinn (Ellesmere Port, Cheshire), learning in the community worker, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

For services to education and training in the construction sector in Wales

Ann-Marie Smale (Ponthir, Gwent), director, Powell Dobson Architects

 

Are you in FE and skills sector and on the list for 2015? Send your comments to news@feweek.co.uk

Younger apprentices are being hit hardest by minimum wage non-compliance with nearly a quarter not getting the right pay levels last year, a government report has revealed.

The Apprenticeship Pay Survey 2014 indicates that 24 per cent of apprentices aged 16 to 18 and learning at levels two and three were paid less than the apprentice minimum wage, which was £2.68 an-hour at the time of the survey, but rose 5p from October.

The report says: “Younger apprentices were more likely to be earning less than the national minimum wage (NMW), with nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of level two and level three 16 to 18-year-olds having non-compliant pay levels, compared with 20 per cent of 19 to 20-year-olds, 17 per cent of those aged 21 to 24, and 8 per cent of those aged 25 or older.”

Overall, 14 per cent of apprentices of all ages and at all levels were paid less than the minimum wage, down from 29 per cent last year. It also showed that, while 94 per cent of apprentices had heard of the minimum wage and three fifths were aware there was a specific one for apprentices, just 26 per cent said they knew what the rate actually was.

The report also says: “Reducing non-compliance with the is a priority for the government. There are campaigns in place to increase awareness, for example in England the apprentices minister writes to all new apprentices informing them of their NMW entitlement.

“There are resources dedicated to dealing with cases of underpayment, notably the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. More information about the action being taking to reduce levels of non-compliance can be found on the gov.uk website.”

The report, based on 10,000 interviews with level two and three apprentices and 850 level four and five apprentices across England, Scotland and Wales, shows that earnings varied “widely” by framework, with the mean total weekly pay highest among level two and level three apprentices on the management framework (£393) and lowest (at £152) in the hairdressing framework.

It shows that 15 per cent of all level two and three apprentices were paid below the NMW. Non-compliant pay was more common among apprentices in hairdressing (42 per cent), children’s care (26 per cent) and construction (26 per cent).

It also showed that just 26 per cent knew or claimed to know the actual minimum wage rate for apprentices.

Of those surveyed, 36 per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds already worked for their employer before their apprenticeship, increasing to 42 per cent of 19-20 year olds, 64 per cent of 21 to 24 year olds and 93 per cent of those aged 25 or older.

It says 18 per cent of level two and three apprentices who worked overtime were not paid for any of their overtime hours, equivalent to 11 per cent of all those at level two, and the mean number of unpaid overtime hours was 4.6, up from 4.4 in 2012.

In a separate document, the Apprenticeships Evaluation: Learners report, it was also revealed that as many as 30,000 apprentices (4 per cent) had not  had not received any formal or informal on or off-the-job training during their contracted working hours.

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Live reaction

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Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)

National Chairman John Allan said: “We would like to see apprentices earning more, and we support increases to the apprentice minimum wage  to narrow the gap with the youth rate. However, we recognise that this change must happen gradually to minimise the impact on employers. Any sudden rise may leave small firms in particular unable to afford the rate and prevent them from hiring apprentices.

“Over a third of small businesses find the apprenticeship and minimum wage system confusing and the government should do more to improve their understanding. To support businesses and ensure compliance, we would like to see clearer and more accessible guidance that is promoted widely across the business community.”

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Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

Rob Wall, head of education and employment policy, said: “Apprenticeships are an important way to help young people build the knowledge and practical experience they need to be successful in work and life as well as delivering the skills business needs to be competitive.

“The rules setting out the National Minimum Wage apprentices are entitled to are clear. Where this is deliberately ignored businesses should feel the full force of the law.”

 

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Labour Party

Liam Byrne, shadow minister for skills, said: “These figures show the cold facts behind the government’s warm words on apprenticeships.

“Almost a quarter of young apprentices are paid less than the minimum wage.

“This Tory-led coalition lacks a proper plan to build real earn-while-you-learn routes that lead to to decent jobs.”

 

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National Hairdressers’ Federation (NHF)

Chief executive Hilary Hall said: “The NHF is dismayed by these findings and the poor light it throws onto hairdressing as an industry.

“We have worked very hard to raise awareness of the NMW rate for all ages, including apprentices, with members and throughout the industry as a whole.

“While the statistics are still unacceptably high, they have improved since the 2012 survey where non-compliance within hairdressing was a staggering 69 per cent.

“In our experience, if salon owners are not paying the NMW, it’s nearly always related to apprenticeships because of age differences.

“The problem for salon owners is that there are not only different rates for under 18s, 18 to 20-year-olds and 21 and over, but different rates again for apprentices which vary depending on whether the learner is under 19 or in their second year of an apprenticeship programme.

“It’s a ‘perfect storm’ for salon owners because they typically take on young people aged 16 or 17, and often they’re doing an apprenticeship as well.

“It means salon owners have to know when their workers have birthdays, especially the birthdays which trigger a change in their payment in rates, and keep track of when apprenticeships are completed.

“And as micro-businesses, salon owners don’t have HR and payroll support in the way that larger businesses do.

“We will continue to warn our members and the wider industry that hairdressing businesses will be specifically targeted by BIS. Paying the NMW is a legal requirement and the consequences of breaking the law will be much tougher with big fines for non-compliance.”

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Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP)

Chief executive Stewart Segal said: “AELP has always condemned the payment of wages lower than the apprentice minimum wage but a lot of identified cases can have arisen due to the complexities of the minimum wage framework and issues surrounding the collecting of accurate data. All AELP members work closely with employers to try and ensure that businesses meet the legal requirements.

“We would welcome an increase in the minimum apprentice wage but we would understand if a small differential was maintained between the apprentice rate and the national minimum wage.

“The publication by BIS of this latest data is welcome following its encouraging research findings last week on the labour market returns from gaining an apprenticeship.

“Given that the average hourly wage paid to a level two or three apprentice is nearly £4 above the minimum apprentice rate in the first year and that the first year average is higher than the overall national minimum wage, these figures expose as a myth that apprentices are being exploited.

“It’s interesting to note too in the context of perceived low pay professions that apprentices at levels two and three in the hospitality and retail sectors are earning on average above £6.85 an hour which is higher than the NMW.

“And overall, the average pay for apprentices aged under 21 compares very reasonably with the national minimum wage rates for the younger age groups while apprentices are also benefiting from a high quality training programme that can significantly enhance their career prospects.

“Today’s data doesn’t show separate figures for levels two and two, but last week’s BIS research showed a 11.5 per cent employment premium return for level two apprentices and in our view, opinion-formers should think twice when they see both sets of findings before advocating that apprenticeships should be only at level three and above, especially when level two apprenticeships are providing sustainable employment for many young people.

“Opinion-formers should bear in mind as well that CBI is a backer of intermediate apprenticeships.”

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Trades Union Congress (TUC)

General secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The report exposes some shocking abuse, with many apprentices being paid less than the legal minimum. It’s particularly bad in sectors where more women work, such as hairdressing where more than a third of apprentices are underpaid, and childcare where a quarter are underpaid.

“Younger apprentices are the most likely to be treated badly, with nearly a quarter of them paid below the minimum wage.

“Some employers may be making genuine mistakes, but there are worrying signs that some apprentices are simply being exploited as cheap labour. Apprentices are a real asset to employers and deserve to be properly valued.

“The TUC strongly supports quality apprenticeships and is concerned that such widespread abuse of minimum wage rules might put young people off from fear of exploitation.

“The government must make apprenticeships a priority for minimum wage enforcement action and should withdraw training funding from employers caught cheating their apprentices out of pay.

“Enforcement would be made easier to achieve if the rules for apprenticeship minimum wages were simplified and increased to the same level as for other young workers.”

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Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (with Q&A)

A spokesperson said: “Apprenticeships offer people the chance to get the skills they need to make a success of their careers and participate productively in the country’s workforce. The government announced the two millionth apprenticeship start in this Parliament just last week.

“With the economy on the road to recovery, all workers – including apprentices – should be able to share in the proceeds of growth. The Business Secretary Vince Cable has written to the Low Pay Commission outlining proposals to simplify and boost the national minimum wage for apprentices. Based on the current national minimum wage rates for 16 to 17-year-olds, the proposal would give around 31,000 apprentices in the first year of their programme a pay rise of more than £1 an hour, rising from £2.73 to £3.79 per hour.

“The government is cracking down on employers who break the law by not paying the minimum wage. We are naming and shaming offenders and increasing penalties. Any apprentice who believes they are not getting the minimum wage that they are legally entitled to should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368 to get free confidential advice.”

Q&A

Why does BIS not currently name and shame apprentice minimum wage non-compliers, and does it plan to change that policy?

“We have named employers who have failed to comply with the apprentice minimum wage – but we are not able to specify where that non-compliance relates to an apprentice.

“The Notice of Underpayment issued to an employer by HMRC following the identification of underpayments of the NMW does not differentiate between underpayments to workers and apprentices.

“It is therefore not possible to provide information on the number of employers who have faced a penalty for non-payment of the apprentice NMW since March 2014, as HMRC do not hold this information.”

How does BIS respond to the fact non-compliance is higher than average in hairdressing (42 per cent), and children’s care (26 per cent)?

“We have asked the Low Pay Commission to simplify the apprentice NMW rates, the current complexity is one of the key factors we believe causes non-compliance

“HMRC are about to begin a campaign solely focusing on hairdressing, which will include guidance and enforcement.

“We will be using the results of this survey to inform our sector-specific work at BIS– ensuring that we focus on those sectors where compliance is most problematic. This proactive work will range from awareness raising and promoting compliance, to targeted enforcement work.”

Can you respond on the fact younger apprentices were more likely to be earning less than the NMW?

“We know that there are a number of reasons for non-compliance with the NMW in relation to apprentices – including mistakes made by employers in relation to how the apprentice NMW rate applies and employers not paying the minimum wage for time the apprentice spends training.

“We are taking steps to improve compliance and will use the evidence provided in this report to build on our understanding.”

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National Union of Students (NUS)

An NUS spokesperson said: “These figures are unacceptable. We’ve long known that apprenticeships are fantastic for businesses, personal careers and creating opportunities for both employers and apprentices, but unfortunately the fact is that vocational study and apprenticeships still aren’t viewed with the same esteem as other routes of education.

“These figures also confirm what we have been saying all along about the gendering of poverty pay – traditionally male apprenticeships such as engineering have better wages, more classroom time, and more on the job training than traditionally female apprenticeships, such as hairdressing and childcare positions. The very best apprenticeships are doing what they can to combat this, but this kind of quality should be standard practice, not a luxury for the lucky ones.

“The low wages paid to apprentices stack up problems in other areas of their lives too. They have little disposable income and let’s not forget that many have to pay to travel to work or training. Apprentices pay an average of £24 on travel, with many paying significantly more. We’ve heard stories where apprentices are only paid for the four days they are in work but not for their off the job training. How can anyone expect to live a decent life on such a low income?

“We need more than just naming and shaming. We need a clampdown on those who are choosing to exploit hardworking young people trying to get their foot on the career ladder.”

 

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National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace)

Chief executive David Hughes said: “These figures are a cause for concern, especially as the government is now putting more power into the hands of employers. It’s wrong that apprentices aren’t even being paid the minimum apprentice wage.

“While there is cross-party agreement that apprenticeships are the answer to youth unemployment, today’s figures clearly show that for many apprentices, the quality of the Apprenticeship is clearly not what it should be.

“This is why, in our manifesto, we have called for the introduction of an apprentice charter.

“This will be a clear commitment from employers that their apprentices are given the best possible experience, providing them with a solid foundation – not just for their current role – but for the rest of their career.”

 

 

 

 

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The Association of Colleges declined to comment.

The University and College Union (UCU) has ruled out further strikes over this year’s pay offer for FE, but claims industrial action remains “part of its armoury” for next year’s bargaining.

Delegates at a special FE sector conference on Saturday voted against further action over the offer of a 1 per cent pay rise.

It comes after a planned strike on October 14 was banned by the High Court and after the Association of Colleges (AoC) announced plans to proceed with its pay offer, which includes removal of the lowest pay grade, a 2 per cent rise to £7.65-an-hour for staff on the lowest remaining grade and a 1 per cent rise for all other grades, without the UCU’s consent.

In a letter to members, UCU national head of bargaining and negotiations Michael MacNeil, said: “Delegates discussed developments in the dispute over the 2014/15 pay offer and decided that ‘for tactical reasons’ we should not call industrial action on the 2014/15 claim but should instead focus on implementing an effective strategy for the 2015/16 bargaining round (due to start in February).

“Conference agreed that UCU must retain industrial action as part of its armoury to fight for better pay and improved terms and conditions for its members but the majority of those present questioned whether the current approach and ballot made tactical sense.

“Delegates voted for a new approach to support meaningful national bargaining in England. The outline of a targeted and strategic method had been presented to the FE committee and to branch officers at regional briefings held around the country in the last month.

“This approach includes submission of a joint trades union national cost of living claim together with a claim that addresses workload matters. This claim will be submitted to the AoC by the end of February.

“At the same time a template of the national claim will be made available to branches via their regional office for parallel local submission, with branches able to involve their members in the selection of local issues which are important to them which can be the subject of additional points to a local claim. As examples, a branch may choose to include issues such as lesson observations, zero-hours contracts or tackling the misuse of associate lecturers.

“To be clear — there will still be a national claim presented to the AoC with the other unions and national campaigning on pay will continue but there will also be a nationally co-ordinated approach to parallel local negotiations with an acceptance that these could provide a different way of providing members with overall financial benefit and/or an improvement on other conditions of employment.”

Martin Doel, chief executive of the AoC, said: “Strikes are very disruptive for colleges and more importantly for students, so we are pleased that UCU has decided against any further strike action. We look forward to productive discussions around the national pay offer next year.”

The government’s response to a House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee inquiry into adult literacy and numeracy has been welcomed as recognising the “urgency of the situation”.

David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace), was among the first comment on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’s (BIS) report and video (below) response to the committee, which called for a “high-profile campaign to tackle the alarmingly low levels of adult literacy and numeracy in England,” among other things.

The committee, which issued its findings in September, also wanted to see greater co-operation across several government departments, a review of funding and a high profile national campaign. Further, its MP members rejected GCSEs as the only qualification by which attainment in numeracy and literacy should be judged.

The BIS response accepts many of the committee’s recommendations, and claims the government has responded to the skills gap in a number of ways. It refers to the establishment of the Behavioural Research Centre for Adult Skills and Knowledge (ASK) and to planned BIS-led research over the next two years, coupled with the establishment of the Vocational Skills Research Centre.

But it rejected national awareness-raising campaign. “We do not consider that these, on their own, were of sufficient value to warrant what would be a very significant Government investment,” the response report said.

It added: “At this time any commitment of Government funding in communications and marketing activity over £100,000 would still be subject to agreement by the Cabinet Office.”

It also said the government would “consider” a cross-government strategy for raising adult literacy and numeracy levels.

David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, said: “I’m pleased the government shares the committee’s appreciation of the urgency of the situation.”

He added: “We have been saying for some time that there needs to be a more concerted cross-government (and cross-party) approach to address the longstanding and persistent literacy and numeracy skills of the nation.

“It is therefore very encouraging to see the acknowledgement for developing a cross-government strategy for raising adult literacy and numeracy levels. I would like to see a new strategy led by BIS and supported by the departments for education, work and pensions, communities and local government, and health.”

The response report focuses in part on improvements and reforms to qualifications such as GCSEs and Functional Skills, and to a review by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) commissioned by the government last month. It also agrees with the committee’s view that “no learner should be let down by poor quality provision”, and claims to be combating this with “significant reforms”.

Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Stewart Segal said: “It is encouraging that the government now accepts that the goal is to ensure that we ‘create a culture of aspiration and expectation that achievement of English and maths at level two is the norm’.

“The response also recognises the need to retain flexibility of delivery and we pleased that the inclusion of English and maths is an important part of the apprenticeship and traineeship programmes using functional skills qualifications.”

Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel said: “We are pleased that adult numeracy and literacy continue to be high on the Government’s agenda and that they are supportive of local-level campaigns to ensure that more people know how to seek out training.

“Colleges already have close links in their local communities and are well-placed to support as many adults and unemployed people as possible in improving their maths and English skills.

“The government is right to point out that GCSE level and style of study is not always appropriate for everyone. That’s why our manifesto calls for new English and maths qualifications to be developed to allow 16 to 19-year-olds and adults to gain the skills that businesses need.”

Responding to the committee’s concerns about numeracy being seen as a “poor relation” to numeracy, the government report draws attention to the introduction of the new national curriculum in schools from 2014 which “sets expectations matching those in the highest-performing education jurisdictions in the world”.

But it rejected a recommendation that the government reverse its decision to cut £2.5m from the Unionlearn budget, claiming the savings are “appropriate”, and another which called for prison libraries to be open at weekends.

The report concludes: “Support for English and maths continues to be a high priority for the government. We will continue to invest in this area and to work with the FE sector and others to identify how our investment can make the greatest difference for the individuals it is designed to serve.”

Dr Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, said: “The government response emphasises yet again the importance placed on literacy and numeracy skills, and it is especially pleasing to see the ASK team from the Behavioural Insights Unit turning to the excellent practice in Colleges, among them 157 Group members Stoke and Leicester, to find out what really works. This is a truly practice-led approach to policy formulation and we hope to see much more of it in the future.”

Committee chair Adrian Bailey said: “We are pleased that many of our recommendations have been accepted by the government, and that there is a genuine move towards improving adult literacy numeracy levels.

“While we are disappointed that some of our recommendations have not been accepted, such as ensuring that prison libraries are open over the weekends, we are pleased with the general positive response, and look forward to overseeing the government’s work on improving adult literacy and numeracy, over the coming months.”

The past year was a dramatic one for FE Week which saw a change of editor and a major re-design with publication of our 100th edition. Reporter Paul Offord looks back at the highlights of 2014, the 16 FE Week supplements and 35 newspapers published.

Click here to view the spread