Adult education participation hits record high

Adult participation in education has grown to its highest ever recorded level – but stark social class and geographical divides persist, according to a new survey.

Data shows that adults in lower socio-economic groups remain twice as likely to not have participated in learning since leaving full-time education compared to those in higher socio-economic groups and the gap has increased in the last year.

Learning and Work Institute (L&W) revealed the findings through its annual adult participation in learning survey for 2023, which was published today to mark the start of Lifelong Learning Week.

The report caveated the findings that the change in survey method from face-to-face to online means that comparisons to surveys pre-2021 should be treated with caution.

“However, survey results over the last three years appear to indicate a sustained interest in learning post-pandemic,” it said.

Here are the key findings:

Adult education participation a highest-ever level

The 2023 report found nearly half of all adults in the UK (49 per cent) have taken part in learning in the last three years, an all-time high.

That number has significantly increased since 2022, rising eight percentage points and the highest recorded since the survey began in 1996.

L&W points out that the survey deliberately adopts a broad definition of learning, including a “wide range of formal, non-formal and informal learning, far beyond the limits of publicly offered educational opportunities for adults”.

For example, learning can mean “practising, studying, or reading about something…It can also mean being taught, instructed or coached”.

Nearly three in ten adults (28 per cent) say they are currently learning, with a further one in five (21 per cent) saying they have done some learning within the last three years.

“The increase in adult participation in learning is good news, and the survey indicates that this is driven by adults being motivated to learn for leisure post-pandemic,” said Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute.

Adults from lower social backgrounds less likely to access education

Despite the rise in overall learning participation rates, it is not evenly distributed across different social grades.

Three in five adults (60 per cent) in the AB social grade, who are in managerial and professional occupations are current or recent learners.

This is much higher than the 46 per cent in the C1 social grade (supervisory, administrative and junior managerial occupations), 55 per cent in the C2 grade (skilled manual occupations) and 38 per cent in the DE grade, who are semi-skilled, in unskilled manual occupations.

Adults in the DE socio-economic group remain twice as unlikely to have participated in learning since leaving full-time education compared to those in AB grade (35 per cent compared to 14 per cent).

Last year, the gap between the two social grades were respectively 37 per cent compared to 19 per cent respectively.

Geographical divides remain

A higher proportion of adults in England (51 per cent) say they are current or recent learners in 2023, an increase of nine percentage points on last year’s survey.

Only England has shown a substantial increase in participation rates since 2022 – a nine percentage point rise – an observation that was not evident in last year’s survey, the report said.

Among English regions, London continues to have the highest participation rate at 64 per cent, explained in part because of its younger and more highly qualified population. There remains a 22-percentage point gap between London and the lowest-performing region (the North East), the same as last year.

Age gaps in adult participation closing

Compared to 2022, there has been a sizeable increase in participation for adults aged 35-44 (16 percentage points) and a 10-percentage point increase in adults aged 55 to 64.

The report said there has been a “welcome decline” in the gaps in participation in learning between the oldest and youngest age groups and suggests that older learners are utilising online learning opportunities.

“It’s good to see some narrowing in inequalities in learning, particularly by age. But the gaps remain stark and persistent and if anything, geographical differences have widened,” Evans added. “This is where Government policy needs to step in to help level up opportunity so everyone can access learning.”

“The Government and employers need to reverse their reductions in investment in learning to tap into this interest and ensure people’s opportunities to learn aren’t capped and cut off.”

Two-thirds of learners record at least one barrier to learning

The survey found a “statistically significant increase” of current or recent learners (68 per cent) reporting at least one challenge while learning compared to 2022 (65 per cent).

Data also shows an increase of learners recording challenges to their learning but authors pointed out that the pattern of reported challenges has seen little variation compared to previous surveys.

Learners are most likely to identify work and time pressures (24 per cent), the cost of learning (16 per cent), lacking confidence to learn (13 per cent), being put off by tests and exams (12 per cent) or feeling too old (12 per cent).

Ofqual drops first ever apprenticeship assessment stats

Official statistics revealing the numbers of Ofqual-regulated apprenticeship end-point assessments (EPA) and pass rates have been published for the first time.

The exams regulator admitted though that the stats don’t yet provide a “full picture” as there is “still a good degree of churn” in the EPA market.

The data covers EPAs where Ofqual acts as the external quality assurance (EQA) body between March 2022 and February 2023, so excludes integrated degree apprenticeships where final external assessments are regulated by the Office for Students.

A handful of other EPAs are quality-assured by other organisations, but most are now regulated by Ofqual.

Ofqual had announced they would finally be publishing some EPA data at the Annual Apprenticeships Conference earlier this year.

Speaking at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ autumn conference earlier this week, Lucy Sydney, Ofqual’s director of strategic relationships, said: “Given there was still a good degree of churn in the EPA market during that time with EPAs transitioning into Ofqual regulation, this isn’t a full or steady state picture yet.

Lucy Sydney

“But, it’s the first time we’ve published outcomes data. We think it’s a good start and we intend to publish this data set on an annual basis,” she added. 

Here’s what we learned…

Business route thrives

Between March 2022 and February 2023, Ofqual regulated EPAs for 388 apprenticeship standards delivered by 121 end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs). A total of 124,750 EPAs were taken and of those, 110,575 were completed.

By far most EPAs were delivered in the business and administration subject route, taking up 27 per cent of all EPAs passed between March 2022 and February 2023, 30,005 in total. 

The level 3 business administrator standard had the most completed EPAs, followed by the level 3 team leader or supervisor standard. Education and childcare was the next most popular apprenticeship route, with 11,320 regulated assessments followed by sales, marketing and procurement which had 10,255.

At the other end, the creative and design route had 665 completed EPA, protective services with 1,290 and catering and hospitality with 2,770.

Ofqual’s figures show that 42 apprenticeship standards had fewer than five completed EPAs over that period. Among them were the level 4 cyber intrusion analyst, level 2 wall and floor tiler and the level 7 creative industries production manager.

City and Guilds dominate

City and Guilds of London Institute delivered the most Ofqual-regulated apprenticeship assessments. Between March 2022 and February 2023, they delivered just over 1 in 10 of all in-scope EPAs (10.5 per cent).

The Chartered Management Institute delivered the next highest volume, 10,010, followed by Innovate Awarding with 8,445.

According to Ofqual, there were 121 awarding organisations delivering Ofqual-regulated EPAs over the period. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation delivered the fewest completed EPAs, with 15 and 20 respectively.

EPA table - top 10 by volume

Level 3 apprentices least likely to pass first time

Overall, the average first time pass rate for Ofqual-regulated EPAs in 2022/23 across levels 2 to 7 was 91 per cent. However, there was an 8.4 percentage point difference between the highest and lowest first-time pass rates.

Assessments on level 5 standards had a first-time pass rate of 87.9 per cent, whereas non-degree apprenticeships at level 6 had a first-time pass rate of 96.3 per cent.

The vast majority of in-scope EPAs were at level 3, which had a first-time pass rate of 88 per cent, followed by level 2 which had a first-time pass rate of 90.6 per cent.

EPA table - first-attempt pass rates by apprenticeship level

Senior leaders most likely to pass first time

Apprentices on the level 7 senior leader standard had the highest first-time pass rate – 99.4 per cent of 2,760 completed EPAs were passed the first time. This was followed by a 96.9 per cent first-time pass rate for adult care worker apprenticeships, and 95.4 per cent on the operations or departmental manager apprenticeship.

Ofqual’s figures only list first-time pass rates for ten popular apprenticeships. 

Ranked ninth and tenth were the early years practitioner and early years educator apprenticeships, with first-time pass rates of 82.6 per cent and 80.2 per cent respectively. This means one in five early years educator apprentices do not pass their EPA first time.

EPA table - first-attempt pass rates by standard

UCU general secretary launches re-election bid

The general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) has announced that she is standing for re-election.

In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jo Grady confirmed she will stand again for the role. Nominations close on Thursday, November 9, at 5pm.

Grady, who was first elected to the job in May 2019, pledged to release her manifesto “in due course” for the role, which is advertised with an annual salary of between £111,723 and £125,745, plus £5,058 of London weighting. 

“I will set out my vision for the next five years, and I will campaign on the basis of being the best candidate possible to lead our union,” she said.

But Grady warned that there are currently “far more important things for me to be doing than electioneering”.

UCU announced in October that staff at 30 colleges in England will strike for three consecutive days later this month unless their employers offer a significant pay rise.

The strike will run from Tuesday, November 14 to Thursday, November 16 – which is just after the GCSE resits series but during the Association of Colleges annual conference.

In her video, Grady said she “need[s] to be on picket lines with our further education members”, and that “our members need, and they deserve my full attention”.

But she also referred to a brewing conflict between the union and government after the UK’s national funding agency for science and technology research –UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – suspended its equality, diversity and inclusion advisory board earlier this week.

That was in response to a letter from secretary of state for science, innovation and technology Michelle Donelan, who said some members of the advisory board had “shared some extremist views on social media” following the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7.

The UCU said Donelan had “seriously misrepresent[ed] the views” expressed by the board members “in a transparently political attack”, and called on the UKRI to reinstate the advisory board.

“What is happening with the UKRI is the start of something very sinister,” Grady said in her video on X. The UCU threatened that it would call on its members to resign from any voluntary positions with the UKRI if it does not reinstate the advisory board, and carried through with that threat on Friday.

Academics have since resigned from the UKRI in protest.

Grady’s first term in office has not been without controversy. Earlier this year it was reported that Grady paid around £20,000 in damages and costs following a libel hearing over a row on social media with Fire Brigades Union activist Paul Embery.

No other candidates have openly announced they will run against Grady. 

The general secretary will “lead UCU and ensure its strategic and operational aims and objectives are met; to maximise UCU’s potential within and outside the post-compulsory education sector nationally and internationally”, the job advert states. The term of office lasts five years.

As well as a general secretary, the union will be electing its vice president for further education, a trustee and members of the National Executive Committee.

Ballots for all roles will open on January 25 and will then close on March 1.

Delivering Diverse Tech Talent at Scale While Delivering the Quality and Outcomes Employers Need

Today’s business landscape makes the need for diversity more urgent than ever. Employers have been warning for years that a lack of digital talent is holding back growth and putting the UK and other European economies on the backfoot compared to North America and Asia. McKinsey estimated a shortfall in the EU of between 1.4 million and 3.9 million “career-ready” people by 2027.

As any Google search for “software jobs” will tell you – the opportunities are there, whether you live in Lincoln or London. So why has it been so challenging to close the digital gap and equip people with skills to kickstart a career in tech?

There are two main reasons. For decades, the path to delivering those skills has been a degree in computer science, which is costly, involves travelling to campus, and takes three years to complete (by which time a lot you have been taught is outdated). The second barrier to closing the digital skills gap is the prejudice that tech is a profession for young, able-bodied, white men – and that women, ethnic minorities, or disabled groups have no place in the industry.

It certainly looks that way. In the UK, just a quarter of tech workers belong to an ethnic minority group, while gender minorities represent only 28%, less than a third. While we lack specific figures for disabled groups in tech, we know they are poorly represented in the workforce and a third less likely to move into work than non-disabled people.

This is not what employers want. 

Employers’ Perspective

As part of this white paper, we talked to a handful of UK&I tech employers—SMEs and global organisations, including diversity leaders from the BBC, AXA, and tech giant Red Hat. They tell us with one voice that they are desperate to hire talent from these under-represented groups because it is morally right and builds more rounded and innovative teams.

How to Deliver Diverse Tech Talent at Scale

The courses supported by Code Institute are inherently more diverse than the traditional BSc in Computer Science. They are shorter–usually no more than a year–and are taught online, making them accessible to a large number of people excluded by the face-to-face, timetabled model of traditional Further and Higher Education.

The Government is urging institutions of Further and Higher Education to pave the way for a more diverse pool of talent in technology and other areas by moving from the rigidity of the classroom to a more flexible delivery model.

Most FE and HE colleges lack the resources to develop, teach, or scale courses in software development that combines a rigorous and relevant syllabus with a well-organised support framework that has safety nets built in for students who may be struggling.

The colleges in England that have started offering courses supported by Code Institute find they can hardly keep up with demand and are hiring additional staff to launch more or larger cohorts. 

Code Institute, Gateway Qualifications and four colleges of Further and Higher Education – Westminster Adult Education Service, University Centre Peterborough, City of Bristol College and South Staffordshire College have collaborated on this white paper. Join us as we take a forensic look at how they used technology in the shape of platform, curriculum content and support to deliver diverse tech talent at scale while delivering the quality and outcomes employers need.

Learn from FE & HE Colleges Leading the Way

Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) is currently the only Further Education provider in England to use three Code Institute products to support their delivery of three courses: the two Gateway Qualifications Diplomas at Level 3 and Level 5, and a Full-Stack Software Developer: Skills Bootcamp.

Alison Muggridge, Assistant Principal Curriculum and Quality at WAES partnered with Code Institute to create a 16-week bootcamp as a response to GLA’s [Greater London Authority] bootcamp funding for software developers. The Bootcamp enables WAES to attract local or at least regional students from black and ethnic minorities, females, single parents, carers, anyone with a disability and/or the under-24s and over-50s. Alison says that “all our Bootcamp learners have at least one, and mostly two of those characteristics.” 

Her colleague Waqas Ahmed, Head of English, Maths, Digital, and Inclusion, is tasked directly with the delivery of the Code Institute products and speaks of the ways they are scaling up across the board. “The second Bootcamp cohort started at the beginning of October with 23 students. It was heavily over-subscribed. We also started another Level 5 cohort in March; a further two are planned between now and the end of the academic year. We launched our first Level 3 cohort in April with 17 learners. A larger group of 22 started at the end of October, and another cohort is scheduled for spring 2024. So this is really taking off”, he says.

In January 2023, University Centre Peterborough (UCP) added a new qualification to its mix of tech courses—the Gateway Qualifications Level 5 Diploma in Web Application Development as a way to get people skilled or re-skilled for a future in tech relatively quickly.

Peter Wright, HE Manager of Science, Technology and Resources at UCP, shares that “the course seems to be hitting parts of the workforce that traditional computer science degrees cannot reach – as was our intention. The gender balance in UCP’s cohorts is better than the average in tech. At the moment, around 35% of our students are female, and in the next cohort, that percentage is higher, but of course, we want to get closer to that 50:50 split,” he adds.

With the success of the Level 5 Diploma, Liz Knight, UCP Academic Director, says “adding Bootcamp and the Level 3 Diploma in Software Development to the mix would create a diverse and inclusive pathway within the Inspire Education Group. Definitely a great plan for the future.”

Pasquale Fasulo, Director of Further and Higher Education at City of Bristol College, has offered the Gateway Qualifications Level 5 Diploma in Web Application Development since October 2021. He has since hired a graduate of the course to help run it. In tandem with scaling up Level 5 delivery, City of Bristol College intends to launch its first cohort for the Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Diploma in Software Development and pave the way to a new career and a new future for an even wider group of people.

Chris Hopkins, Faculty Director (Creative Arts, Digital & IT) at South Staffordshire College (SSC), “we wanted SSC to build a portfolio of qualifications for 19+ learners looking for a change in direction. The Gateway Qualifications Level 5 Diploma in Web Application Development gives that opportunity to people from diverse backgrounds with different skill sets.”

His colleague Adam Cross, Curriculum manager for Computing and Digital, is delighted with the 50:50 gender split in the latest cohort that started in September 2023. “Code Institute has stepped into the breach to fill that skills gap, and so people are switching over to do this. This is why SSC and other colleges are getting the numbers,” he says.

Funding 

Both qualifications allow learners to access funding via the Advanced Learner Loan for Level 5 learners and the Adult Education Budget/ National Skills Fund for Level 3 learners. The Level 3 qualification is also funded via Free Courses for Jobs. On the other hand, the Full-Stack Software Developer: Skills Bootcamp funding varies depending on the opportunity.

Software is about much more than code; it’s about how we do our finances, how we travel, how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves. This is a future that belongs to all of us – and must be as diverse as we are.

Read the whitepaper now

Funding officials unconcerned over training providers’ financial health

Top Education and Skills Funding Agency officials have suggested they are not concerned about the financial health of the independent training provider sector, despite several high-profile closures and market exits.

Senior agency directors told the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) autumn conference this week that data they have gathered shows the sector’s finances are looking positive.

The comments followed multiple interventions from provider leaders attending the conference highlighting significant financial challenges, specifically around poor apprenticeship funding rates and increasing costs.

AELP’s director of policy, Simon Ashworth, said ITP financial health “has never been as bad as it is now, from what I see”.

However, Andrew Thomas, director of finance and provider market oversight at the ESFA, said this didn’t tally with the financial data he was getting from providers themselves. “It does feel like the tone of the conversation this morning hasn’t quite been in line with what you’re saying to us in terms of financial health,” Thomas said.

He explained that the agency uses a “rolling programme” of monitoring financial statements and an annual review of “around 60” training providers’ financial forecasts to determine the financial health of the sector. 

Both are returning positive results, Thomas said. 

According to the agency’s review of financial statements for the most recent financial year, 60 per cent of ITPs are rated good or outstanding for their financial health, down from 66 per cent six months ago.

The number of ITPs scoring inadequate for their financial health remains “very low” Thomas said, with seven per cent currently judged inadequate, up from 6.5 per cent six months ago.

Early analysis of the “around 60” sampled training provider financial forecasts painted an even more positive picture.

Thomas said that, of those sampled, 61 per cent of training providers were forecasting good or outstanding financial health this year, rising to 65 per cent next and 91 per cent the year after.

Provider bosses were left aghast at the remarks and were critical of the agency’s methodology for forecasting the financial health of the training sector.

Paul Warner

Ashworth pointed out that financial forecasts will always be “optimistic” because providers want to avoid agency intervention.

One provider boss, whose company was sampled this year, described that the financial information he was asked to provide was “very basic” and didn’t look at the finances of groups that providers could be subsidiaries of.

And Paul Warner, AELP’s director of strategy, said he was “shocked” that sudden policy changes, like the abolition of traineeships, and procurement outcomes, which can cause ITPs to “suddenly go bust”, didn’t factor in the agency’s evaluations.

Kirsty Evans, director of post-16 regions and FE provider oversight at the Department for Education, encouraged training providers to be “as open as they can be” about their financial challenges in strategic conversations with officials.  

Why colleges should train more to become mental health first aiders  

The worst accident I ever had at work was when I bent down too quickly and ripped my suit trousers from waistline to gusset. My dignity was severely bruised. That was my lowest work moment. And yet, over the past two years I have become a first aider and a mental health first aider at work.

I started the process post-lockdowns. It seemed timely. We were all still wearing masks, so nobody could attempt the give the dummy the kiss of life, but otherwise I’m pretty confident that I’m prepared for whatever comes. So far, the worst disaster I have been called on to attend was a student who had a very slight nosebleed.

But the thing I remember most vividly from that first aid course is the story of the mannequin affectionately known as Resusci-Anne. Its face, we are told, is based on the death mask of a real young woman who was found drowned in the Seine in the 1880s at the age of about 16. Now the most kissed mouth in the world, nobody knows for sure who she was, but the most repeated of the thousands of backstories imagined for her is that she died by suicide.

This cast my second course run by the Mental Health First Aid charity (MHFA) in a very different light. MHFA’s aim is to have as many mental health first aiders in the country as there are physical first aiders. The courses began in Australia in 2000 and have now been delivered in 24 countries to over 5 million people. The two-day course I attended at work was of a type launched only in September 2022.  

One golden rule ran like a thread through that course: listen. Listening is not something we always find easy. More often than not, we do not listen so much as wait to get our words out. But when someone is in crisis, sometimes you simply need to say less and listen more. Create space and give time. Don’t judge. Don’t advise. Empathise. Just let the person know they are safe and heard. They are the centre of their world, as we all are, but their world is not always so secure. Your presence can be scaffolding until the expert has a chance to help them rebuild. So listen to them.  

Swingeing cuts to CAMHS have left scars on my students’s arms

No physical first aider is expected to act as a trauma doctor or surgeon. They only need to fill the gap until an expert arrives. The same is true with mental health first aid. Do not worry about your lack of expertise. You don’t need to be a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist. You’re simply called on to be a person helping a person who is finding being a person hard. Anyone can do that. Anyone can listen.  

And yet, in January it was reported that 20 per cent of calls to national NHS suicide crisis helplines went unanswered due to understaffing. This, after a decade of swingeing cuts to CAMHS funding that have left scars on the arms of my students.

Bluntly, I sometimes think we are not the caring nation we like to think we are, at least when it comes to our children. We make them wait for a referral. We make them wait again for an appointment. And we let the phone ring out when they call for desperate help. We are not listening.  

Colleges are often doing the best they can to cling on to the slipping grip of teenagers who are starting to sink. But we must do better. And an easy way we can do that is to make sure we are all equipped to help any young person who feels the cloud descending over their lives.

Resusci-Anne didn’t get the help she needed. Her story carries on nonetheless, speaking to us as much about the 21st Century as the 19th. How many Annes and Andrews, Anans and Anjus are in our classrooms today? And what difference might it make to them, their current and future families, and to us as a society if more of us were simply equipped to listen?

Mental health first aid courses are available from MHFA and St John Ambulance for individuals and organisations. Some provision is available for free or subsidised.

Integrating digital skills into qualifications is no longer a ‘nice to have’

As technology continues to reshape industries and job requirements, a workforce equipped with digital skills is essential for economic and individual career success.

Since the pandemic, the speed of digital adoption has increased but so has the divide between those with and those without access to and understanding of digital technologies. This divide only worsens existing socio-economic inequalities. However, by embedding digital skills into all education and training routes we can ensure individuals from every background can gain these essential competencies – reducing disparities and increasing access to opportunities.

Our recent Digital Sector Spotlight report highlighted this as an area of opportunity, as those who lack digital literacy face significant barriers in accessing job opportunities.

Today’s employers increasingly require a diverse and integrated skillset, including digital skills as a truly functional skill, no matter the sector or industry. With this, there will also be an increased demand to show the demonstrable benefit of these underpinning skills for learners.

In simple terms, integration democratises the digital world, fosters inclusivity, and broadens career horizons for everyone.

The changing landscape of work is undeniable and digital skills are at its core. With the fourth industrial revolution in full swing, technology is now integral to nearly every profession.

From social care and travel to retail and finance, the ability to navigate digital tools and platforms has become a prerequisite for success. Integrating digital skills acknowledges the realities of the modern workplace, giving individuals the tools they need to stay competitive and relevant in their chosen fields.

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and technology-driven, traditional qualifications alone are insufficient. By infusing digital skills into educational programs, we empower students to tackle real-world challenges more effectively.

These skills not only enhance learning but also allow learners to apply them in different situations throughout their lives. This practical knowledge broadens the scope of education, making it an enriching experience that equips students with a lifelong advantage.

In simple terms, integration democratises the digital world

As we nurture a tech-savvy workforce, we encourage creative thinking and problem-solving – uniquely human skills. Outlined in NCFE’s Transforming Skills report, every person deserves the opportunity to develop these skills but being born in the wrong postcode means you might not have the same opportunities as others.

That’s why mainstream education should place both right at the core. With essential, human skills working alongside digital proficiency, we can empower individuals to develop innovative solutions, experiment with new ideas and contribute to economic growth. We want learners to be able to create, build, and shape their own futures and careers.

Separating digital skills from qualifications can reinforce the misconception that they are an optional add-on when, in reality, they are integral to modern living and working. Integrating digital know-how into qualifications provides context, relevance, and immediate application for these skills. It enables learners to recognise the value of digital literacy across all aspects of their lives.

Addressing the rapid pace of technological change is another concern. In an environment where today’s innovation is often replaced by tomorrow’s, teaching specific tools is less effective than cultivating adaptable skills. It’s not about software proficiency; it’s about teaching individuals how to learn, adapt, and thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

For the successful integration of digital skills, education and training institutions need to be flexible and responsive. Collaboration with industry leaders, continuous monitoring of emerging technologies and the willingness to update curriculum are essential. Keeping pace with technology ensures the skills we teach remain relevant and aligned with the demands of the job market.

Integration should not merely be seen as an option; it’s a vital step to empower individuals and societies for the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. It promotes inclusivity, relevance, innovation, and adaptability while addressing the digital divide.

In a world where technology is embedded into every facet of life, education and training should prepare individuals to thrive and get the most out of the digital tools at their disposal. By integrating digital skills into qualifications, we can foster a workforce that’s not only equipped for the needs of their industry, but that drives technological innovation as well.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 440

Airam Neesa

Finance Director, Woodspeen Training

Start date: October 2023

Previous Job: Head of Finance UK, Cognition Education UK Limited

Interesting fact: Airam is passionate about the power of education and her career in education, spanning over 15 years, has taken her around the world


Susanne Davies

Director, Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology & Partnerships, Dudley College of Technology

Start date: September 2023

Previous Job: Director of Engagement, National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure

Interesting fact: Susanne is now a keen open water swimmer, having recently faced her fears of fish and the cold!

Combined authority ponders double college build to tackle FE ‘cold spots’

A combined authority has set aside almost £5 million to explore whether two new college campuses need to be built to tackle further education “cold spots”.

The lack of FE provision could otherwise force youngsters out of St Neots and East Cambridgeshire with the population set to swell, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority warned.

The authority is searching for a consultant to deliver a feasibility study, which it hopes will show if the plans are “financially viable [and whether] the educational case is robust”. It earmarked £4.8 million for the project over the next three years, subject to approval by the board.

“Initial conversations” have also taken place with multiple FE colleges over whether they would consider opening new campuses in the areas – but with mixed reception.

The authority said it started analysing its FE provision after adult education was devolved in 2019. It receives around £11.9 million of adult education budget funding to spend in its area each year.

It classed St Neots and East Cambridgeshire as FE “cold spots”, meaning the proportion of the local population in further education is lower than the authority average. Neither area has their own FE college, and there are “no adult education and skills providers” in East Cambridgeshire at all.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority warned there is not enough provision to meet the population increases. In St Neots, a council’s “masterplan” includes four new schools and more than 4,200 homes and will see the population surge – but without colleges to meet the demand for FE.

“An aspirational local further education offer” is also needed in East Cambridgeshire to keep more of its young people in the area, the combined authority said, adding this is a “strategic priority”. Currently, young people travel miles to Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds for FE.

An authority spokesperson said the planned feasibility study will establish the “evidence base and potential range of strategic options”. 

“This could include the expansion of FE provision in the market towns, to bring provision closer to learners, but only if it is financially viable to do so and the educational case is robust.”

Authority documents suggest each campus would cost between £25 million and £40 million – though the spokesperson stressed those are “very outline estimates”.

“Initial conversations” have also taken place with multiple FE colleges over their support for the project, plus one secondary school and a group representing manufacturers.

The authority has discussed expanding FE in St Neots with: Cambridge Regional College, Bedford College Group, North Hertfordshire College and MAKE UK. It has also consulted with the College of West Anglia, Ely College and West Suffolk College over FE in East Cambridgeshire.

Ian Pryce, chief executive of Bedford College Group, said the college “agrees that these high growth areas are an FE cold spot”. He said students from St Neots currently travel to Bedford College or Cambridge Regional College for FE. 

While he acknowledged the population of St Neots “would not [currently] support a major FE presence” he said this would “change over time”.

“We would obviously want to avoid creating anything that is not sustainable or viable, so we would like to work with Cambridge Regional College to agree a strategy for how best to serve the community and the extent to which new FE facilities could advance that aim.”

Not all local principals were as enthusiastic. David Pomfret, principal at the College of West Anglia, said “evidence of need has yet to be established” with only one meeting so far on the plans, back in November 2022.

“Alternative solutions such as improved transport access should be fully assessed by any feasibility study,” he said.

A spokesperson for Cambridge Regional College acknowledged that it is “part of the consultation group for both sites”. But they added that it is too “early in the consultation process” to comment further.

A spokesperson for the Eastern Education Group, to which West Suffolk College belongs, said it is “committed to growing our educational offer and supporting the [authority] in line with the findings of their study”.

The combined authority spokesperson said it will “continue to seek [colleges’] insights on the project” and will reconvene the advisory groups once it has appointed consultants.