Mike Hopkins, principal, Middlesbrough College

The smiling principal of Middlesbrough College seems like an unlikely sea captain. Just look at him in this week’s Campus Round-up where he’s showing off the soles of his feet painted blue and green.

But, last year, Mike Hopkins found himself in his element in a Force 8 gale when out sailing at night with two friends.

“We were sailing up from London to Hartlepool and suddenly got a gale warning,” he says.

“We were 30 miles out and I said ‘we’re staying out here now, guys — we’re going to ride this out’. My friends weren’t happy and asked why and I said ‘because we’re safer out here than we are near a coast, particularly a coast we don’t know and at night’.

“I knew it was right. But it was a big moment because at the back of my mind I was thinking that my life was one thing, but I also had other people’s lives in my hands.

“We had two or three minutes argument and then I said ‘stop now, that’s it. That’s what we’re doing.’

“I’ve always wondered about that moment because I didn’t have pips on my shoulder. I was just a guy with two mates. But looking back at it, I enjoyed it as well. I checked my books when I got back and I was right to stay out there, but it wasn’t an easy decision.”

“The mix of intellect and practical skills that sailing demands is something Hopkins seeks professionally, too.

“You’ve got to get it right if you’re out on the water,” he says.

“I like responsibility, I like making decisions and I like being accountable for them.  At sea you are.”

The 55-year-old admits that this kind of pressure is also what appeals to him about the choppy waters of FE. It’s why he left his role as deputy chief executive of the Welsh funding agency in 2012 to return to leadership.

The sense of making a real difference to people’s lives was something I picked up on, even as a young man”

“Although I was a senior civil servant, I wasn’t the head of the show. I loved being principal and I like taking responsibility. Even when it goes badly I like being the one who steps up and takes things on . . . and when it goes well, I love sharing it,” explains Hopkins.

“I never stopped missing the cut-and-thrust of FE life.”

He took up sailing to help him to recover after his mother, Kathleen, died five years ago.

“I was privileged to look after my mum for six months before she died, and oddly it was the best six months’ relationship I’d had with her. It was a profound and moving life experience. When she did die I was impacted by it in a way that I just would not have predicted,” he says.

Hopkins may not be an Army officer, but he acknowledges that the armed forces has, in many ways, helped to shape him. His father, David, served in the Royal Navy during the war, and was in the army throughout Hopkins’ childhood.

An only child, he was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, but the family moved frequently.

“I didn’t have time to foster friendships, so I learned to go up to different groups of people and ask to be involved,” he says.

“While it might seem a little sad for a child, it’s equipped me really well for adult life because I’m comfortable with different people in different settings. It’s also given me a restlessness. Part of me wishes I could feel settled, but that restlessness is also a drive to constantly want to improve, to help others, to change things.”

But life changed dramatically when his father was severely injured in a car accident. He lost one leg; the other was badly injured.

“He should have died, really,”  says Hopkins. “It changed my life, though, and it certainly changed his — one day I had a fit and healthy dad who loved sport, the next day he was, in an old-fashioned way of putting it, crippled. That was a big thing for all of us — me, my mum, and my dad.

“It changed him. He became a bit fierce at times, frustrated, and physically it was never easy for him.”

His father left the Army and became the manager of a Goodyear tyre factory in Bolton — and the young Hopkins became a Bolton Wanderers fan.

He says his parents were “quietly proud” when he got into Cardiff University. “I came from a very ordinary background and when my mum and dad saw me wearing a suit I’m sure that they must have thought occasionally ‘he’s getting above himself’,” says Hopkins.

“While my dad never got the opportunity, he had a strong sense for education… he was quietly political, not active, but I remember as a little boy he’d ask me questions every Sunday like who’s the Foreign Secretary and who’s the Prime Minister?”

It was at Cardiff that Hopkins met future wife Amanda, and discovered his other life-long love, FE.

“I met mature students from the mines and the steelworks who’d come through the FE route. They were into politics and had trade union backgrounds. That stayed with me all my life,” explains Hopkins.

His experiences at university inspired him to take up his first job as a general and communications studies teacher, helping a wide range of students to add to their vocational skills. He says he enjoyed allowing them to come into contact with politics, both the content and the process.

“FE colleges are transformational places of liberation, potentially,” says Hopkins.

“The sense of making a real difference to people’s lives was something I picked up on, even as a young man, and it’s something I believe in as a principal.”

This mission continued throughout his varied career in FE, as a teacher, as a principal, as a civil servant and into his current role.

“I’ve moved around and bobbed and weaved but I’m having the best time of my career now,” he says.

“The setting really drives me and there’s a real sense of moral purpose. The college has it too. Middlesbrough does have some areas of affluence, but there is too much poverty and the college has a major role to play in engaging with that and helping people move from that to living good, prosperous lives. That’s a real drive for me. I love it.”

It’s a personal thing

What’s your favourite book? 

Satish Kumar’s No Destination

What did you want to be when you were younger?

A doctor, but I failed my 11-plus. My dad had a serious car accident when I was young and I spent a lot of time seeing him in hospital . . . I guess I wanted to help him by being a doctor

What do you do to switch off from work?

Cycling, a bit of gardening, reading, sailing

If you could invite anyone to a dinner party, living or dead, who would it be?

Buddha, Harold Wilson — he’s something of a childhood hero — and Nelson Mandela

What would your super power be? 

To travel across time

It’s the quality that counts

Colleges and schools can work together to provide the impartial advice and guidance that young people need to decide their futures, says Dawn Ward

A damning Education Select Committee report on the quality of careers guidance in schools recently prompted FE Week editor Nick Linford to issue a rallying call for colleges to up their game in promoting FE.

David Walrond, the principal of Truro and Penwith College, who addressed the committee, responded, explaining why he thought the emphasis should remain on improving the advice given by schools.

However at Burton and South Derbyshire College we take a different view – colleges and schools can work together to provide quality careers advice and guidance.

Colleges can work collaboratively with local schools to ensure that young people have access to the impartial advice and guidance that they need to decide their next steps.

It’s all about working in partnership to do the right thing for our young people.

Burton and South Derbyshire College has successfully created a co-operative relationship with local schools, ensuring that they see the college as a significant part of the education system.

We have worked together on a countywide Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) group, which includes organising careers events at external venues that allow school pupils to access advice and guidance from the college, sixth forms and a range of other organisations.

In addition to the countywide group, a member of the college’s senior leadership team chairs a South Derbyshire focused IAG group with secondary and private sector colleagues.

Burton and South Derbyshire College was also the first college in the UK to provide learners with Career Coach, a website that provides local employment information, advice and guidance, forming a link between college curriculum and occupational opportunities.

The tool has been developed in partnership with American-based Economic Modelling Specialists Inc to support local, regional and national economic development, ensuring that college learners are equipped with the vital skills that they need for today’s demanding workplace.

Career Coach ensures that learners are equipped with the vital skills that they need for today’s workplace”

Learners can use the system, which has received excellent feedback from IAG partners, throughout their college journey, from enquiry to exit interview

Career Coach allows young people to learn about the number of jobs available and salary ranges in their chosen industry, along with how their course relates to sectors and roles.

It also includes a CV builder, while a sector-based search function gives learners an insight into what employers are looking for.

The college is now rolling the system out to South Derbyshire schools to ensure that pupils aged under 16 can make informed decisions about their futures.

About half the schools have now taken up this offer.

I truly believe that schools and colleges can work together to create an open environment in which young people can access the full range of information available before they embark on their careers, choosing the route that is right for them.

At Burton and South Derbyshire College, we are achieving our vision of effective partnership in an IAG and are encouraging colleges to share best practice in providing innovative and effective careers advice alongside schools.

Dawn Ward OBE, chief executive and principal of Burton and South Derbyshire College

EXCLUSIVE: Leading college falls from outstanding to inadequate

One of England’s biggest colleges has fallen from outstanding to the lowest Ofsted grade of inadequate.

City of Liverpool College, which achieved the highest grade almost across the board at previous inspection in early 2009, has been hit with a grade four result.

It was revisited in early February and has been graded inadequate in every one of the headline Ofsted departments.

The report said the college, formerly Liverpool Community College, had too many students turning up late for lessons — if at all — and leave without achieving their qualifications.

“Too many lessons are not good enough as they do not engage students in relevant and interesting activities and there are insufficient checks on their learning,” said the report.

“The new curriculum leadership is not yet effective in bringing about sustained improvements across the college.”

It said there were improvements in leadership, but governors had “not monitored the significant deterioration in student performance.”

However, principal Elaine Bowker and her new senior team “share a clear view of the college’s current weak position and have communicated the urgent need for improvement,” added the report.

Mrs Bowker, who took up post mid-2011, said she accepted the result.

“We accept the report and are working hard to ensure that the areas highlighted as inadequate are improved,” she said.

“We have met with all of our internal teams, from governors to teaching staff, and we are certain that there is a strong commitment to tackle any weaknesses.”

The 17,000-learner college had a turnover of £47.5m for the year ending July 31, 2011, according to Skills Funding Agency figures.

The agency accounts listed the college as England’s 24th largest general further education or tertiary college out of 225, by total income.

The grading blow means it has becomes the biggest grade four college based on turnover.

It comes around seven months after it teamed up with Derbyshire-based provider 3AAA to save more than 500 jobs after First4Skills went into administration.

The joint venture agreement meant the college became responsible for the training of around 10,000 apprentices – becoming one of the country’s biggest providers of apprentice training.

At the same time, the college opened a new £35m Learning Exchange in the city centre to act as a hub for its five main centres.

And last month it announced talks to set up a new English language school in Libya — and possibly a fully-fledged further education college there within five years.

It was not clear whether the grade four inspection blow would hit college plans, but the report made no mention of expansion projects or overseas plans.

“All of our team is completely committed to improving every aspect of college life for our students and this includes improving our Ofsted rating,” said Mrs Bowker.

She added: “While the overall rating is disappointing to us, we would like to stress that there are numerous positive elements within it.

“The report highlights that the college is providing outstanding opportunities for students in other work-based learning which is a key part of the provision we provide.

“It also highlights how safe our college environment is for our students, and this is hugely important to us.”

Other than Liverpool Community College, the most recent grade one to grade four fall happened at Macclesfield College in February 2012.

Click here to download the Ofsted report.

AELP fears for skills funding

UPDATE: The government today left the door open for the introduction of a single funding pot, containing the adult skills budget, for local enterprise partnerships.

Its response to Lord Heseltine’s No Stone Unturned report, published here, pointed to Wednesday’s Budget on the devolution of skills funding (see page 60, point 81).

 

Government money for skills could be spent on “building bridges or community centres” if proposals for local enterprise partnerships are approved, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has warned.

Lord Heseltine’s recommendation for partnerships to bid from a central pot of government cash, including the adult skills budget, came under fire ahead of an expected announcement on his plans in this week’s Budget.

The association has submitted its views to the all-party parliamentary group on local growth, local enterprise partnerships and enterprise zones.

“We believe partnerships have a role to play in skills, but this should be advisory only and not as part of the mechanism through which funding is routed,” the association told the group.

It added: “The proposal to move adult skills budgets under partnership control is . . . mistargeted.

Without ring-fencing there would be no guarantee that skills money would be spent on skills.”

“As the adult skills budget diminishes, the arrangements for deploying it need to be made simpler rather than more complicated so that the overhead cost as a proportion of the budget is reduced.

“If partnerships were given these budgets without ring-fencing there would be no guarantee that skills money would be spent on skills.

“It would be a backward step to move to a regime where 16 to 18-year-olds did not have apprenticeships as an option as a LEP had decided to invest the funding, for example, into building bridges or community centres.”

Lord Heseltine’s proposals, set out in his 228-page No Stone Unturned report launched last October, made the case for a major rebalancing of responsibilities for economic development between central and local government, and between government and the private sector.

The former Deputy Prime Minister told MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee last month that the government had already “accepted the principle” of his single pot.

His report was released just over a month after the Association of Colleges warned that partnerships were failing to take advantage of the “fantastic” education resources offered by colleges.

Its report said there was “patchy” engagement between the two, with a lack of college representation on partnership boards and a lack of understanding of the role that FE played in economic growth.

A spokesperson said its governors’ council was writing to chairs following talks with BIS officials to encourage governing bodies to drive closer engagement with partnerships.

But David Frost, chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership National Network, said: “Unquestionably, the relationship with skills is right at the top of partnerships’ agenda. They understand the need to engage with FE and higher education — they are central to the work partnerships are doing.”

Richard’s tax proposals ‘fudged’

The government’s response to the Richard Review has been branded a “fudge” that fails to address the need for “reform of funding incentives”.

Shadow FE Minister Gordon Marsden spoke out as the government published its response to the review, The Future of Apprenticeships in England: Next Steps from the Richard Review.

The government’s response, which includes a 24-question consultation, comes four months after Doug Richard’s independent review of apprenticeships.

Business Secretary Vince Cable described the response and its plans to “empower employers”, as “radically changing” the way apprenticeships were delivered.

But Mr Marsden questioned ministerial commitment to employer ownership, saying: “Ministers appear to have comprehensively ducked Richard’s recommendations over ways of incentivising employers to take on apprentices via reforming funding schemes.”

Former Dragons’ Den investor Mr Richard, has insisted that tax incentives for employers through National Insurance or a tax credit system were central to his views on apprenticeship reform.

In November he told FE Week: “I feel strongly about this point and I think it’s the heart of the review.”

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers, which has rejected his tax breaks argument, said it was pleased the government had held back from “any firm commitment” to the idea. The group said it had “warned the government” that any adoption of Mr Richard’s tax credits proposal was “fraught with danger”.

But when pressed on the matter during a webinar hosted by FE Week, FE minister Matthew Hancock appeared not to have ruled out the idea.

“We are looking at all the options,” he said.

And the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, which championed tax incentives in its new report Employer Ownership of Skills Building the Momentum, further hinted the government was working towards the measure.

Michael Davis, chief executive of the commission, which has run employer ownership pilots for the government, said he didn’t believe ministers had “gone cold” on the proposal but that the tax incentives scheme required “a lot more work”.

“I see this as a work in progress,” he told FE Week.

“The minister has been very supportive . . . and the government has said as much on it at this point as it can.

“You have to take this forward in manageable pieces, and tax and direct payments take a lot of thinking. The commission’s view is that tax is a long-term proposition to hard wire vocational training into the labour market.

Maternity pay just happens in the labour market — and it works — but it took a lot of hard work first.”

He said the commission’s preferred way to fund apprenticeships would be to use National Insurance, a model that worked for all businesses, organisations and charities.

Mr Richard tweeted shortly after the response was published (see below) and told FE Week: “I continue to hope that the government will ensure that the reform takes into account the need for a change in the approach to funding. I am pleased to see that it continues to explore new approaches.”

The consultation ends on May 22.

 

 

 

 

 

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Editorial: Heart of the matter

In November last year, Doug Richard said he felt strongly about apprenticeship funding reform, and his preferred option was through the national insurance system or as a tax credit.

In fact he said it was “at the heart” of his “all-or-nothing” review.

Then, in December, the FE Minister Matthew Hancock announced he would be excluding apprenticeships from the Skills Funding Agency reform of adult funding for 2013/14, so he could consider Mr Richard’s proposals.

Fast-forward to March, and the government response contains neither a critique of funding apprenticeships this way, nor even any related questions in the consultation.

So an obvious question is, putting it anatomically, what’s happened to the heart?

The minister made it clear in an FE Week webinar that funding apprenticeships in the future via the tax system remained an option.

Yet, to repeat the point, the government consultation makes no proposals and asks no questions relating to the chapter on employer purchasing power.

Of course, the decision to reform apprenticeship funding in this way probably now rests with the Treasury, but would it not want to know if the sector, and more importantly employers, thought it would be a better system?

But there may be a work-around, so let me make a recommendation.

Use the ‘any further comments’ final consultation question — number 24 — to make your voice heard.

Nick Linford, FE Week editor

Top college grade expected

The first college to get a top grade from Ofsted under its new common inspection framework is expected to be revealed soon.

The news came out in the House of Lords, although the college — understood to have been inspected in the past six weeks — has not been identified and its Ofsted report is still not public.

During a short debate on vocational reform just over a fortnight ago, Conservative peer Lord Lucas said: “It has been widely acknowledged that we have a problem as a nation with the quality of the teaching of vocational subjects in further education.

“The most recent example and proof of that has been Ofsted’s refusal to grant outstanding status to any FE college, although I believe there is one going through the process now.”

The last outstanding result was achieved by Hampshire’s Eastleigh College last July, under the old framework.

The new framework, introduced from September, followed Ofsted’s Good Education For All consultation that ended in May.

It includes a reduced inspection notice period from three weeks to two days and a potential re-inspection of providers ‘requiring improvement’ within 12 to 18 months. Providers who get the grade twice in a row can be judged inadequate on their third inspection if they haven’t improved.

The first good grading under the new framework went to City College Plymouth after an inspection in October.

It followed chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw’s annual report in which he called on the government to “shine a spotlight” on the FE sector with 13 colleges having been graded as inadequate in 2011/12, compared with four the previous year.

However, FE leaders have defended the sector.

Lynne Sedgmore, 157 Group executive director, said: “Lord Lucas quoted the Ofsted annual report, adding again to the perception that all FE is of poor quality.

“The inspection framework takes something of a narrow view of a college’s work, but I am confident that, even under the current arrangements, there is much genuinely exceptional practice.

“We will all be able to celebrate that fact when a college is awarded an outstanding grade.”

Joy Mercer, Association of Colleges policy director, said: “Ofsted has said it is looking to raise the bar with the new inspection framework.

“We have expressed concerns that the particular strengths of vocational teaching across a wide range of subjects, qualifications and student starting points, was a complexity with which Ofsted struggled.

“However, we hope we are seeing a growing understanding of how colleges are preparing students for work in a very challenging economic climate, and are pleased that colleges have been recognised for their outstanding work.”

She said that “a significant number” had been rated as good in the past year, under a different framework.

“Our joint aim is to further improve the quality of vocational education in colleges that are working with the most demanding students,” added Ms Mercer.

“We have a sound basis for further work as 64 per cent of colleges are already deemed good or outstanding by Ofsted from last year’s inspections.”

Ofsted report criticises colleges for jobs ‘failure’

Ofsted has criticised colleges for missing skills targets and failing to prepare learners for local job opportunities.

The education watchdog found that of the 17 colleges it visited for a survey on local accountability and autonomy, just three were offering a curriculum tailored to their areas.

It conducted its survey to find out how the sector was responding to the government’s New Challenges, New Chances document, introduced just over a year ago to give colleges more freedom to tailor their curricula to local needs.

But Ofsted’s research uncovered little change in the colleges it looked at.

It also criticised local enterprise partnerships for not being “fully effective in working with the colleges to ensure high-quality, coherent local planning for further education and skills in their respective areas”.

Ofsted national director of learning and skills Matthew Coffey said that only three colleges had revised their curricula to prepare learners better for local opportunities, and to meet local, regional and national skills gaps.

“More worryingly, over a third of those visited did not have sufficient labour market intelligence to help them to plan their provision,” he said.

This report indicates there is much to be done.”

“Many colleges were able to clearly identify common priorities within their local region, such as poverty and deprivation, rising unemployment and a mismatch of skills. However, there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate how successful they were in supporting progression to further training or employment.”

The report challenged college governors to hold their institutions to account for the quality of provision and outcomes for learners. It also urged them to provide comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of their college’s response to changing local economic and social priorities.

Joy Mercer, the Association of Colleges director of policy, said: “This report indicates there is much to be done. These efforts are to be made across the board — in partnerships by including colleges at the highest levels, in colleges to learn from the best, in government to support the challenges of raising the participation age. All parties also must agree data that would help governors and leaders judge their impact on growth and unemployment

“We are pleased therefore that Ofsted recognises and commends the progress in many colleges and the exceptional practice in some.

“There are many recommendations with which we agree. For example, it encourages partnership between schools and colleges to make sure young people are directed to the most appropriate provision.

“Currently this is difficult to achieve, as competition for students with school sixth forms means colleges are routinely prevented from advising pupils on their curriculum range.”

She said it did not “hurt” for a critical eye to be cast over partnerships and the inconsistency in their relationships with colleges.

“Colleges are making determined efforts to engage with their local enterprise partnerships. These efforts need to be reciprocated if the full potential of colleges acting in support of their local communities and businesses is to be realised,” added Ms Mercer.

Cash-strapped college faces being split up

The new principal of a debt-ridden college has admitted that a merger three years ago has failed — and that FE minister Matthew Hancock has approved plans for it to break up.

West Kent College and South Kent College became K College after a KPMG report in 2008 recommended merger.

The colleges won approval from the Learning and Skills Council, predecessor to the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), after they carried out due diligence, including a consultation with stakeholders and the local community.

But crippling debts of more than £6m have since resulted in job losses and a SFA notice of concern.

Phil Frier, who became K College principal in January following the resignation of Bill Fearon, has now conceded that the merger, which drew together five campuses, had not been a success.

His proposal to split the college into two separate geographical areas — Dover and Folkestone, and Ashford, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells — has got the green light.

Mr Frier said: “The merger has not worked. FE colleges should be responsive to the needs of local employers and learners, and the corporation believes the proposal going forward to the minister is the best way forward.

“Preparations are underway for an open and competitive process to secure new college structures by September 2014.”

The break-up plan follows an independent review that identified and appraised the specific needs of the geographic regions that K College serves.

Mr Hancock has agreed that the SFA will run a competitive tender exercise.”

In Ashford, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, the corporation proposes either a new provider or a new governance team for a ‘standalone’ college.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “Along with the SFA and the Education Funding Agency (EFA), we have reviewed K College’s structure and prospects appraisal.

“Mr Hancock has agreed that the SFA will run a competitive tender exercise for its provision and the EFA’s provision currently delivered by the college.

“Proposals submitted through the competitive tender exercise will need to demonstrate how they will meet the needs of local people and businesses. More information will be available — including how providers can express their interest — on the SFA website in the next few weeks.

“The college will now concentrate on ensuring that continuity of learning is maintained. We expect to have secured the delivery of replacement provision . . .by early 2014.”

K College, which was given a grade three by Ofsted last year, will continue to recruit for the next academic year, starting in September. Courses offered will remain in line with the college plan until July next year, subject to learner numbers.

“We will continue the excellent work completed over the last year,” said Mr Frier.

“Securing an above-benchmark figure for long [full-time] programmes in 2011/12 was a fantastic achievement. We must build on this for 2012/13.

“Last term we congratulated nearly 100 members of staff who achieved a grade one for their teaching, and we look forward to many more throughout the year.

“Students can know that their future education is secure and improving throughout this difficult time for staff and managers.”

Employers looking for loans loophole, claims TUC

Bosses are looking for a loophole in the new FE loans system to make apprentices pay part of their employers’ share of training costs, a TUC official has claimed.

With just a month until applications for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans open, Tom Wilson, director of TUC learning and skills branch Unionlearn, warned that apprentices were in for “the worst of all possible worlds”.

“Some employers are talking about making their employees take out an FE loan to offload the cost the employer previously carried, even for apprentices,” he said at a seminar during the Education Innovation conference in Manchester.

“So if we have a system where apprentices are being made to take out a loan for their own apprenticeship training that was previously paid for by their employer, that seems to me the worst of all possible worlds.”

Also on the seminar panel was National Apprenticeship Service chief executive David Way, who said employers should pay towards apprentice training under the new system.

“The employer is expected to make a contribution — it’s a partnership between the employer and the individual, as opposed to the employer and the government.”

The panel, chaired by FE Week editor Nick Linford, was completed by National Institute of Adult Continuing Education chief executive David Hughes, Association of Teachers and Lecturers education policy adviser Jill Stokoe and Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel.

Mr Doel said: “From my previous life in the armed forces, I find it a bit perverse that a soldier who would be trained to use military equipment … would be paying for his own training on that equipment as a 25-plus apprentice. There seem to be manifest illogicalities around this.”

The government currently pays 50 per cent of tuition fees for most FE students aged 25 and over who want to study at level three (or above), but from August anyone aged 24 or more will lose this financial contribution.The National Union of Students has been among the system’s fiercest critics. Its vice president and spokesperson on FE, Toni Pearce, said: “It is apprentices who will get the worst deal . . . those aged over 24 will be taking out a loan of up to several thousand pounds to effectively work.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “Market research shows that the terms and conditions of 24+ Advanced Learning Loans are positively received. It also shows that the quality of the course and the future benefits to the individual are the most important factors when deciding to invest in training.”