Bett UK 2026: Learning without limits

It is the mission that every learner, everywhere, will have the chance to discover their brilliance, shape their future, and make their mark on the world. A promise that knowledge will not be hoarded but shared. That opportunity will not be rationed but opened wide. That learning will not stop at any age, border, or barrier.

Education is the spark that ignites curiosity.

It is the bridge between cultures, the engine of innovation, and the compass that guides us through uncertain times. From the first crayon scribble to the final graduation cap, from apprenticeships to reinvention in mid-life, learning shapes who we are and who we dare to become.

Every day, in classrooms, workshops, homes and communities across the world, educators turn obstacles into opportunities, technology into tools, and lessons into life-changing moments. They prove that innovation is not just found in code or circuitry, but in creativity, compassion, and courage.

Learning without limits is more than a theme, it is a movement.

It is the will to tear down the walls that block learning walls of inequality, inaccessibility, and outdated thinking.

It is the vision to reach every learner, whether in a crowded city school, a rural village, or a refugee camp.

It is the power to unite human connection with the tools of tomorrow, AI, XR, and ideas not yet imagined, so education does not simply keep pace with the future but shapes it.

At Bett, we celebrate those who make this real:

The community-built learning centre on the edge of São Paulo, alive with music, science, and hope.

The rooftop school in Kuala Lumpur where pupils harvest rainwater to cool their lab, learning that science can solve problems they see from their own windows.

The community college in San Diego where veterans, artists, and engineers share the same workshop, each learning a new craft.

The adult learning centre in East London where parents study for degrees alongside their children’s homework hour.

Learning without limits means no learner left unseen, unheard, or underestimated.

It means the courage to combine the heart of teaching with the power of technology we have yet to invent. It means refusing to accept that where you are born determines how far you can go.

This January at Bett, we gather not just to showcase what’s new, but to ignite what’s next.

We are here to inspire, to challenge, and to commit to building a world where learning knows no boundaries.

You are part of this mission.

Whether you teach, design, lead, or spark curiosity at the kitchen table, you carry the promise forward every day.

Better education for all is not just our goal, it is our shared responsibility, our greatest opportunity, and our boldest promise. Because when everyone can learn without limits, there is no challenge we cannot meet, and no future we cannot build together.

This is our moment. This is our demand.

Let’s make learning limitless.

What’s on at Bett UK 2026?

Bett UK 2026 is gearing up to be our most ambitious edition yet. After a record-breaking 2025, with a 23% surge in educator attendance and the largest exhibitor showcase in our 40-year history, we’re raising the bar once again. From vibrant community spaces to future-shaping technologies and fresh, forward-looking content, Bett 2026 is set to be an unmissable celebration of progress, purpose and possibility.

World-class content: learning without limits

Our most exciting programme yet is here, packed with trailblazing thinkers and innovators exploring one powerful theme: learning without limits. Featuring Hannah Fry, Amol Rajan, Vivienne Stern MBE, Ofsted, and many more sector-leading voices, this year’s line-up will spark bold conversations on AI, digital strategy, skills, careers, esports and everything shaping the future of learning.

Across Higher Education, SEND, Teaching & Learning and every corner of the sector, you’ll discover fresh perspectives, practical tools and free CPD designed to transform your practice and inspire meaningful change across your institution. From the big debates that challenge the status quo to hands-on sessions offering actionable takeaways, Bett UK 2026 has been carefully curated to equip every visitor with the clarity, confidence and creativity needed for the future.

Community-led spaces: find your people, share your voice

Education thrives on community and Bett UK 2026 shines an even brighter spotlight on the peer-to-peer connections that make our sector special. Back by popular demand, the MSP Village and SEND Village return for 2026. These vibrant, community-led spaces were created to bring peers together around shared challenges and real-world opportunities. Curated with partners, educators and experts, these hubs offer networking, content, workshops and rich resources in an environment built on collaboration and shared purpose.

Tech User Labs now on the show floor

One of last year’s standout programmes, Tech User Labs, was oversubscribed by more than 400%. So, in 2026, we’re making them bigger, better and more accessible by moving them directly onto the show floor. These 45-minute, hands-on sessions are your chance to experience real solutions in real time from Intel, Kahoot, Microsoft, ASUS and many more. Learn how to get more from your existing tools, test new products, troubleshoot pain points and build your institution’s digital confidence. Slots for Tech User Labs fill fast, so get your ticket and sign up when programmes go live very soon.

Women in EdTech: celebrating leadership, championing change

Bett is committed to elevating diverse voices, and our Women in EdTech initiative returns refreshed and expanded for 2026. This influential space celebrates the women shaping the future of EdTech from founders and innovators to classroom leaders, researchers and policymakers.

The Women in EdTech Mentoring Circles return for 2026 after a hugely successful launch last year. Designed as a supportive, safe space for women across both education and EdTech, the circles bring peers together to share experiences, offer advice and build meaningful connections. Whether you’re a woman in the sector or an ally championing female leadership, the Mentoring Circles provide an invaluable opportunity to learn, connect and grow.

Introducing EdTech 10: the innovators to watch

New for 2026, we’re unveiling the EdTech 10 List, a celebration of the ten trailblazing females redefining the next era of education technology. This list goes beyond recognition; it’s a platform to highlight impactful work and success stories of women revolutionising the EdTech landscape. Being part of this initiative means inspiring others and connecting with fellow innovators. Join us as we recognise their achievements live at Bett UK 2026.

Brand new for 2026 – Operational Transformation Theatre

The Operational Transformation Theatre explores how innovation can reshape the way schools operate behind the scenes. It focuses on smarter use of people, money, data and digital tools to improve efficiency, reduce workload and strengthen long-term resilience. By showcasing practical strategies and technologies, it empowers school leaders to reimagine operational systems and create the conditions for educational excellence. Ultimately, it demonstrates how thoughtful operational change can unlock time and resources, motivate staff and drive better outcomes for students.

Hear from Stephen Morales on connecting people and systems for operational excellence, James Garnett on strengthening IT security, and James Browning on using AI to power smarter, more resilient trusts. With more expert-led sessions throughout the programme, this theatre is your go-to for practical insights that turn innovation into impact.

The HE Campus: a home for Higher Education futures

Higher Education is evolving at pace, and Bett’s HE Campus is the dedicated destination for leaders, academics and digital strategists navigating that change.

The HE Campus offers deep insight into digital transformation, academic innovation, AI adoption, student experience, micro-credentials and the changing business models of HE. It’s a rich, future-focused environment built for bold thinking and sector-wide collaboration. Expect to hear from Amol Rajan and Vivienne Stern, Prof. Doug Delpha, Marie-Aude Sourd and so many more.

School Absenteeism in 2025: What’s really going on behind the numbers?


Across the UK, schools are grappling with a sharp rise in pupil absenteeism yet the story behind those missed days is far more complex than a simple crisis of attendance. Our new report, School Absenteeism in 2025, takes a look at the forces reshaping how young people experience school, from shifting parental expectations to the growing emphasis on emotional wellbeing. Rather than pointing to a single cause, the findings reveal a system in transition, where engagement, mental health and the evolving purpose of schooling are deeply intertwined.

One of the most striking insights is the changing role of the modern parent. Families today allow an average of six “mental health days” per year, signalling a growing recognition that emotional resilience is just as important as academic progress. While parents still deeply value education, many feel empowered to question traditional norms around discipline and attendance, especially when they see their children under strain. This cultural shift, accelerated by the pandemic, suggests that many families now view school through a wellbeing-first lens.

At the same time, today’s learners are growing up in an entirely new educational landscape, one where autonomy, flexibility and personalised support aren’t seen as “nice-to-haves” but as essential for motivation and belonging. With hybrid learning models, adaptive technologies and differentiated pathways becoming more familiar, students are increasingly aware of what helps them thrive. The report highlights that disengagement rarely stems from disinterest alone; more often, it’s about whether young people feel safe, supported and connected – emotionally as much as academically.

As schools navigate these shifting expectations, the opportunity lies in re-imagining attendance not as a compliance metric, but as a barometer of connection. School Absenteeism in 2025 brings together data, practitioner insights and lived experience to help educators understand what’s changing and where meaningful solutions can take root.

Inside the report

  • 97% of parents now say mental health is just as important as academic success.
  • 3 IN 4 have allowed their child a ‘duvet day’ to rest or recharge.
  • 55% believe personalised learning could help improve attendance.
  • 1 IN 3 support a hybrid approach to schooling.

Download it today and keep the conversation going at Bett UK 2026 this January.

The countdown to January begins now

Whether you’re exploring solutions to immediate challenges, scouting what’s next in EdTech, or looking to sharpen your vision for long-term transformation, Bett UK 2026 is your chance to connect, learn and lead. Educators go free, join us 21–23 January 2026 at ExCeL, London!

Treasury is still skimming the levy while NEET numbers surge

The Chancellor’s skills announcement today – £820 million for a youth guarantee and a £725m apprenticeship budget uplift over three years – lands with an impressive thud, but nowhere near enough momentum. With almost one million young people adrift from education, employment or training, and a desperate need for more skills for the growth we need, it’s at least a recognition of the scale of the crisis. Yet it still feels more like a headline than a plan.

In 2017, employers agreed to a new tax – the apprenticeship levy – on the understanding that it would help them invest more in training and stop non-training employers freeloading. The government has since reneged on that deal. Levy receipts are now far exceeding what is returned to the apprenticeship budget.

During the next three years, the levy will raise around £3.34 billion more than it does today. The £725 million announced is therefore only 21 per cent of what employers reasonably expected to see flow back into training.

While Treasury officials may be quietly satisfied with this sleight of hand, AELP feels obliged to point out the consequence: government is effectively pressing the brakes by choking off levy-funded training while wondering why its accelerator – the youth guarantee – is failing to speed up growth or bring NEET numbers down.

Entry level jobs need to exist

Progress for young people ultimately depends on being offered that crucial first rung on the employment ladder. New initiatives can’t make a difference if entry-level jobs aren’t there. Employers are willing to play their part, but government policy is making that harder.

The underhand skimming off of the levy is just one part of how government is making this worse.  Last year’s Budget saw the introduction of increased National Insurance contributions for employers. This year we’ve seen above inflation increases to the minimum wage.

Ministers must not be surprised if in the coming months and years they find that employers’ priorities drift away from opening up opportunities for young people – especially as they’re being given less time to spend allocations without clarity on the other “aspects” of the growth and skills offering they can use the levy to fund. A credible NEET strategy starts by backing the employers who want to invest in young people and by unlocking the levy funds that already exist for that purpose.

Remove growth caps to unlock capacity where it’s needed

There are other vital changes government can make, notwithstanding what I have just said, that will make things better. Currently, the 16–19 funding model makes it harder for providers to respond to rising NEET levels, with rigid growth caps and slow, centrally controlled allocations preventing expansion. Demand can shift in weeks, yet the funding system moves at the pace of years. A review is on its way, but if the government wants a system that is genuinely agile and innovative, it must fund it to behave like one. Growth funding should track real-time need, allowing providers to scale quickly, adapt their models, and test new approaches without being penalised for taking sensible risks.

This matters because capacity is already stretched. The youth guarantee and automatic FE places will only succeed if the system has the space to absorb the larger secondary-school cohort coming through.

Parity of provider types will deliver that extra capacity

If the government wants to harness the full power of the organisations eager to help tackle this crisis, it must ensure ITPs have the same powers as FE colleges. When ITPs have equal visibility, equal access to national initiatives and a guaranteed place in policy design, the system can expand its ability to respond. That means ending their routine exclusion from key funding schemes and removing rules that stop ITPs and colleges working together.

This parity will give policymakers a richer set of solutions and increase frontline capacity overnight – delivering the additional capability the youth guarantee and wider reforms need.

Employers and providers (of all types) are already doing the hard work and want to expand; they just need the government to stop putting barriers in their way. If ministers back them with the right funding, flexibility and parity, then the country has a fighting chance of turning this around. Without that, we risk another year of drift while too many young people remain stuck on the sidelines.

Remit Training sale puts new owners in the driving seat

A large automobile apprenticeship provider has been sold to a private equity-backed training firm.

Sue Pittock and Rob Foulston handed over ownership of Remit Training to Inspiro Learning for an undisclosed sum on Tuesday.

Inspiro Learning, formerly Babcock Skills Development and Training Limited, was itself bought by Beech Tree Private Equity in September.

Remit employs over 250 staff and is the country’s largest automotive apprenticeship provider. It operates five academies in England and Scotland.

Chairman Rob Foulston bought the training provider in 2008 and appointed Pittock as CEO in 2013.

Remit scored Ofsted’s highest grade in 2023 when it was training over 2,250 apprentices nationally. Latest government statistics show that Remit recorded an overall apprenticeship achievement rate of 52 per cent in 2023-24.

Pittock said: “With Inspiro’s strong focus on outcomes for learners and high-quality delivery, we believe they will be an excellent home for Remit to continue its journey from here.” 

Sue Pittock and Rob Foulston, the duo with a remit for excellence

Inspiro was launched in 2023 after defence infrastructure giant Babcock International offloaded its training division.

The provider was previously known as Babcock Skills Development and Training Limited and has held a ‘good’ Ofsted rating since 2021. It operates in the automotive, rail, energy and service sectors. It had 2,270 apprenticeship leavers in 2023-24, according to latest government data, and holds an overall achievement rate of 74.1 per cent.

Stuart Wilson, chief executive of Inspiro Learning, said: “Remit has an excellent reputation for high-quality training delivery and building long-term relationships with an impressive customer base. 

“This clear strategic alignment with Inspiro makes for an exciting combination of the businesses to bring shared best practice to even more learners.”

Wilson told FE Week his first priority is “continuity of exceptional delivery” in both organisations before making any decisions about the structures of the companies.

Pittock added: “I would like to personally thank Remit’s previous majority shareholder and chairman, Rob Foulston, for his commitment and dedication to Remit over the last 17 years.

“It has been hugely rewarding sharing the Remit journey with him, and also of course with all our colleagues at Remit, who, together with Remit’s exceptional clients, have made Remit what it is today – an outstanding training provider.”

We need to build a more inclusive future for the trades

The electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades keep the UK running, powering our homes, businesses and essential infrastructure. Yet the sector faces a twin challenge: meeting growing demand for skilled tradespeople and ensuring the workforce better reflects the diversity of modern Britain.

Women currently make up just 2.4 per cent of the electrical and under two percent of the plumbing workforce. In the wider construction workforce, 15 per cent of professionals are women but fewer than 5 per cent are in on-site roles. Other groups, including ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, continue to encounter barriers. If we are to build a sustainable future, the trades must become more inclusive.

The diversity gap

Attracting a broader range of talent is not just about fairness. It is about the creativity, innovation and problem-solving that come from diverse teams. The challenges facing our sector, from net-zero targets to digitalisation and an expanding infrastructure pipeline, won’t be solved without new perspectives.

A lack of gender diversity limits the sector’s long-term resilience. Employers miss out on a huge pool of talent without women in these industries, at a time when demand for skilled labour is higher than ever. Broadening access is not optional; it is essential for growth.

Many of the obstacles appear long before starting an apprenticeship. Outdated stereotypes of ‘male-dominated’ trades still shape perceptions in schools. Young people who could excel in these roles are often discouraged before they even begin. Later, in the workplace, women and others who break through find themselves without visible role models or clear pathways for progression.

Representation and role models

At JTL, we have seen how powerful representation can be. When apprentices are taught and mentored by people who share similar experiences, it helps them imagine their future in the trades. Across our 16-strong network of specialist training centres, a growing number of female teaching staff are already helping to shift perceptions. One of JTL’s delivery team managers, Dulcie Sanders, is developing a female support network to bring apprentices and staff together. Through mentoring, guest speakers and networking events, the initiative aims to build confidence, create connections and strengthen retention.

Encouraging signs of progress

Although our apprentice gender balance still mirrors that of the wider industry, there are positive signs of change. Outcomes for women training with us are improving; our qualification achievement rates (QAR) for women are 2 per cent higher than the national female average. We also see improving female representation at industry competitions like SkillELECTRIC and SPARKS Learner of the Year. These initiatives challenge misconceptions, promote talent and increase confidence so we proudly put forward our apprentices year after year.

We’re proud of the progress being made at JTL. Our recent National Apprentice Awards saw a female Apprentice of the Year, Stephanie Hitch, take home one of the top accolades. We also saw female training staff recognised in our tutor and training officer categories, and employers with diverse teams taking home Employer of the Year across our five regions. But there is still work to do.

Providing tailored support and effective mentorship will be essential to sustain and strengthen these improvements, and small practical steps like inclusive recruitment materials and structured workplace mentoring can make a real difference.

Looking ahead

The case for a more inclusive workforce is compelling. A sector that welcomes people from all backgrounds is stronger, more innovative and better prepared for the future. It will help us attract and retain the skilled professionals we need to deliver the homes, workplaces and infrastructure of tomorrow.

By challenging outdated perceptions, celebrating role models and providing visible support, we can help every apprentice see a place for themselves in the trades. The industry has powered Britain for generations and now it has the opportunity to represent it too – diverse, skilled and ready for the future.

Interview: David Gallagher elected chair of FAB

A decade-long spree of assessment reform has taken its toll on awarding organisations which are battling through levels of uncertainty while bearing the financial and human cost, according to NCFE chief executive David Gallagher, the new chair of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB).

In his first interview since taking on the FAB role, Gallagher addresses the impact of skills’ shifting architecture on sector morale and market sustainability, and sets out how he wants to support the regulated community, particularly smaller and niche awarding bodies.

He also tells FE Week how he plans to utilise his own organisation’s experience of “brutal but necessary” regulation intervention. And he explains how FAB is making a tangible difference behind the scenes – asserting that apprenticeship assessment changes, for example, would have been “far worse” than what is now being proposed.

Weathering wave after wave of reform

Gallagher joined education charity and awarding giant NCFE in September 2018 as managing director of end-point assessment (EPA) before being quickly promoted to chief executive the following March.

Since that time the awarding sector has worked through the introduction of apprenticeship standards and EPA, T Levels, and topsy-turvy decisions on applied general qualifications to name a few policy changes.

The sector is now braced for even greater reform with the introduction of V Levels, the lifelong learning entitlement, higher technical qualifications, new level 2 pathways, the growth and skills levy and perhaps most controversially, the end of EPA.

“We’ve been in a state of major reform for a very long time,” Gallagher says.

“You recall this view that we were going to end up in a world with just T Levels and A Levels for 16 to 19-year-olds, and then obviously that was eroded over time. It doesn’t feel like that long since we introduced end-point assessments, and now that is being changed.”

Last month’s skills white paper, he adds, is “the most comprehensive basket of reform since I’ve been in the sector, around 22 years”.

Alongside V Levels and T Levels refinement, Gallagher reels off a list of regulatory and policy shifts reshaping the landscape simultaneously: apprenticeship units, functional skills adjustments, OfS regulating higher technical qualifications (HTQs), and the prospect of colleges getting their own awarding powers.

“It’s a huge programme of reform,” he says, “and what I’ve picked up on is a real mixed response from the sector”.

Many recognise that some elements – such as the bureaucracy and duplication in EPA – needed attention. But the speed and breadth of change comes at a heavy price.

AOs, he says, are being asked to “bear all of the uncertainty and the cost of another much bigger programme of reform,” without having seen the benefits of the last one.

Gallagher accepts that the motives behind much of the reform are “honourable”, as ministers or civil servants “have spotted problems and challenges and are looking to make improvements”.

But the disconnect between policy intent and practical delivery is widening.

“Underneath some of this, we’re talking about this being a simplification agenda,” he says. “I’m seeing a lot more complexity and confusion coming in.”

More than anything, organisations are struggling with the sheer lack of stability.

“Human beings don’t particularly like a lot of uncertainty a lot of the time. When everything’s uncertain, I think it’s really challenging in terms of the culture of the sector, the morale of the sector, even just the wellbeing of individuals.”

Policymaking ‘catch-up’

Labour’s new national skills body – Skills England – was billed as a chance to inject coherence into the system. But Gallagher warns it hasn’t yet had the stabilising effect many hoped for.

“We’ve gone from the Department for Education having the mandate working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and then IfATE abolished, and Skills England being established, and then half of skills being shifted across to the Department for Work and Pensions, all with devolution in the mix,” he says. “It’s really challenging.”

Labour’s intention to broaden engagement with employers and beyond – to include trade unions, providers and professional bodies – is a step forward in principle, Gallagher says. But he argues that genuine consensus-building in the qualifications ecosystem is slow and complex work.

“It’s very rare that you could sit in a room with an AO, a college, an employer, a civil servant, a professional body, and quickly reconcile on what the problem is and what the solution is,” he says. “Getting that alignment is incredibly challenging.”

Instead, political appetite for quick wins is leading to policy being announced first and designed later.

“There’s a political desire to get the things moving more quickly, without spending a very long time trying to figure out the complexity, understand the root cause of the problems, and really think and work through the solutions,” he says.

“We tend to be announcing policy, and then the planning is always catching up. I’m the first one to advocate for an agile and responsive system, but the planning and the execution are arguably even more important.”

Compounding this is a worry he says regulators themselves have raised: a significant minority of AOs are now loss-making.

“That’s a real worry in terms of market stability and sustainability,” Gallagher says.

FAB-ulous influence

Gallagher is clear that the sector is stronger as a collective and sees FAB’s job as co-ordinating the position of all members, large and small, to create a more coherent and sustainable market.

He says current apprenticeship assessment reform is one example where the influence of the federation has come into play.

Ministers are currently pushing through changes that will see the end of EPA, moving to a system where only around 40 per cent of an apprenticeship standard’s knowledge and skills are mandatorily assessed independently. The rest will be “sampled”, mandatory qualifications in some standards will become the sole method of assessment, and behaviours will be “verified” by employers.

The proposals have been met with backlash from businesses in multiple safety-critical industries that fear apprentices will be allowed to pass without proving they are competent, as an FE Week investigation revealed last week.

Gallagher says FAB saw earlier drafts of the policy proposals that, in their view, would have gone dangerously far.

“It would have been an even more diminished role for any type of independent assessment, to the extreme that they may not have had a role.”

He adds that he is “still nervous” that elements of the current reform might not be right, but he “very strongly” believes that “if we [FAB] hadn’t worked actively in the background, it would have been worse for all stakeholders”.

Three-year term goals

Gallagher has been on FAB’s board for around five years. He is now stepping up from vice chair and replacing Lifetime Training CEO Charlotte Bosworth as chair of the federation.

He says Bosworth set a “brilliant example” of how to challenge “some really contentious, quite politicised, quite polarising things” and helped bring “stability” to FAB with CEO Rob Nitsch. 

He now wants to follow Bosworth’s “calm” approach and has broad priorities for his three-year term.

The first is more professional recognition for people working in the sector – a nod to the federation’s work to deliver an “individual professional recognition” pathway. Gallagher says assessment design experts are “really difficult” to recruit and retain, but are more important than ever with reform “on steroids”, and he hopes this pathway will help.

He secondly wants to protect the specialist niche awarding bodies that “feel most threatened” by policy churn, recognising smaller AOs must have their “voice heard” and be “listened to, understood and supported”, just as much if not more than the larger awarding bodies in the sector.

Gallagher also sees an opportunity, with his commercial background experience, to help FAB members explore commercially resilient strategies, including international markets and new commissioning opportunities through the DWP.

Learning from ‘brutal’ intervention

Lastly, he wants FAB to be an “improvement partner,” helping the sector anticipate risk and not just react to it.

To this end, Gallagher reflects on recent years when NCFE was subject to significant Ofqual intervention in the wake of early T Level issues. He plans to use this difficult experience to help others across the sector. 

“We were the only organisation that really was subject to any sort of intervention or public scrutiny,” he says. “That was really difficult to swallow.”

He stresses that this was not “a criticism of Ofqual,” but rather a consequence of NCFE being positioned “in the middle of the policymakers and the contract holders and the regulators and the colleges”.

Once intervention was finalised, however, he says the “brutal” process ultimately strengthened the organisation.

“It was the least preferable way to get you fit to run a marathon, because it was brutal, but it was necessary,” he reflects. The scrutiny acted like “scaffolding” which at times “felt a bit too heavy” but ultimately it helped to “repair all of the different areas in the business”.

In hindsight, NCFE is “so much better for it” and it has shaped Gallagher’s thinking about FAB’s future role.

“What I would love is FAB to increasingly play a role in helping organisations to understand what intervention could look like,” he says. Not just “getting off the naughty step,” but strengthening AOs before problems arise.

FAB currently has a record number of members – 161, which is just over 85 per cent of the government technical qualifications in the UK.

“Wouldn’t it be great if every Ofqual regulated awarding organisation wanted to be part of FAB’s membership because they saw value in it,” Gallagher concludes.

“If our voice can really step in, we can start trying to depoliticise this a little bit.”

Let’s back T Levels to break the country’s skills deadlock

As we heard in the Prime Minister’s party conference speech, increasing the esteem of technical careers is deeply personal to him, particularly given his father’s story. The same goes for me.

In a previous job working as a lecturer in FE, I saw first-hand how access to high quality technical education can transform lives and open doors. Even today it’s an issue that’s literally close to home, with my wife about to begin her a career in midwifery but helped on the way to university by our local FE college.

That path: to a secure, well-paid job, in your own community, is one that many more young people want to tread. Yet tragically, many in communities such as mine in Bishop Auckland have previously felt that the only way they can get on is by moving out: first to university then to work in London or another big city.

High-quality technical education and apprenticeships, available nearby and supported by local businesses, are the key to breaking this cycle. By ensuring young people can train, qualify and thrive in the places they grew up, we strengthen our local economies and allow talent to stay rooted in communities right across the country.

That is why T Levels matter. Designed with employers and combining classroom study with real-world industry placements., they give young people the skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience needed for apprenticeships, further study or skilled jobs. Introduced in 2020, there are now 21 T Level courses being delivered by hundreds of providers.

Across the North East, T Levels are already powering the industries of the future. At Tyne Coast College, students on the building services engineering for construction T Level are gaining the skills needed to help meet the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes, with the greatest uplift required in the North.

At Gateshead College, the Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control T Level is preparing students to lead the region’s clean energy revolution, while at NCG Newcastle, the digital support services T Level is providing the expertise to help modernise and scale-up our nation’s defences.

I recently met with T Level students at Bishop Auckland College, whose passion and determination were truly inspiring. Their stories show what can be achieved when we give young people the chance to combine learning with hands-on industry experience. These are the future nurses, engineers, digital technicians, and educators who will power our economy and deliver excellent public services for decades to come.

I’m delighted that other Parliamentary colleagues are taking the opportunity to visit T Level providers in their see for themselves just how transformative these qualifications are.

It’s why I strongly welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent announcement setting out the clear ambition that two-thirds of young people will gain high-level qualifications by the age of 25, whether through university, FE or a gold standard apprenticeship. Backed by £800 million in additional funding for 16–19 education and a plan to establish new technical excellence colleges, this sends a clear signal that we are serious about backing the skills vital to our future prosperity.

T Levels are a success and I look forward with optimism to how they can continue to help deliver the skills revolution our country needs.

In the months ahead, my colleagues and I on the APPG will continue working closely with government, industry, and education providers to champion these qualifications, listen to the experiences of students and employers and help improve access.

We’re also keen to hear from parliamentary colleagues across party divides about how T Levels are being delivered in their areas, including any barriers and challenges which government still needs to address.

In a time where there’s so much talk of political division, let’s come together behind a shared commitment to ensuring all our young people can gain vital skills, and embark on well-paid and rewarding careers, wherever they come from. This is vital not only to young people’s individual futures, but to our collective future, because the truth is – and I here it every time I meet with business and industry leaders – Britain is being held back by a lack of skilled workforce. T Levels and work placements and are important part of the answer.

FE providers in scope for £925 international student levy

Further education colleges and providers will be in scope for a new tax on international higher education students that will cost £925 per learner, according to a consultation published today.

The levy will apply to any international student on a course at level 4 or above at a provider registered with the Office for Students. 

Published alongside the budget this afternoon under the title “international student levy technical detail”, consultation documents say the tax will be collected by the Office for Students, take effect from the 2028 academic year and increase in line with inflation.

Providers will not be charged on the first 220 students, equivalent to the first £200,000 of levy liabilities, in recognition of the “administrative burden” of paying it and the “disproportionate impact” the policy could have on smaller providers.

An impact assessment published alongside the consultation estimates that the overall revenue generated will start at £445 million in 2028-29 and rise to £480 million by 2030-31.

However, it estimates that this will be partially offset by increased income from tuition fees.

Emma Meredith director of skills policy and global engagement at the Association of Colleges said: “An exemption for the first 220 international students is a welcome step as AoC data indicates many colleges recruit smaller international cohorts.

“The government has had difficult financial decisions to make, and the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants will support the most disadvantaged students, including for the first time those taking courses at Levels 4 and 5: support that is critical to delivering the Prime Minister’s commitment for two-thirds of young people to undertake higher-level learning.”

The DfE’s college accounts data for 2023-24 academic year suggest that income from international students’ tuition fees across 46 English colleges was about £22 million.

Colleges with the highest levels of international student fee income include NCG, which earned £2.9 million, New City College, which brought in £2.6 million, and Chichester College Group, which had an income of £2.1 million.

‘Share the benefits’

Announced in the immigration white paper earlier this year, the government said the levy would “share the benefits” of the estimated £20.65 billion generated by overseas students at UK universities.

The government added that the income will be “fully reinvested into the higher education and skills system”, including by funding targeted maintenance grants, progression through the post-16 system, “and for wider skills”.

It argues that while the government “welcomes and values” overseas students’ contribution to UK society, it is “right” to ensure the financial benefits help the most disadvantaged students.

Details about how it is spent will be set out at the next spending review.

Questions in the DfE consultation are targeted at HE providers and tax professionals, and focus on its “proposed design and delivery”.

The consultation closes on February 18 next year.

University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said called the tax a “regressive levy” on a crisis hit university sector.

She added: “This new tax on education will do more harm than good and undermines the vital contribution international students make.

“Labour is echoing Reform by scapegoating migrants instead of addressing the real, deep-rooted challenges facing higher education.”

The politics behind the King of the North’s MBacc mission

Andy Burnham has staked his reputation on transforming Greater Manchester into the UK’s flagship region for technical education. His ‘MBacc’, billed as the country’s first employer-driven alternative to the EBacc, is a bold attempt to shift the hierarchy of school subjects and tilt a whole system towards skills.

It even now has its own accreditation – the ‘MBacc award’ – created with the Baker Dearing Trust.

But behind the high-profile launches and minister-baiting speeches, the rollout has been slower, messier, and more contested than the mayor lets on. Education leaders praise Burnham for elevating the status of vocational education. But privately some are questioning whether Burnham’s zeal for school-level reform is distracting from the adult learning policy he actually controls. 

MBacc lowdown

Burnham launched the MBacc in 2023 as a set of post-14 subjects aligned to Greater Manchester’s growth sectors. 

It was designed as a direct counterweight to the EBacc – a school accountability measure assessing how many pupils achieve a grade 5 or above in English, maths, science, a humanity and a language GCSE. Only 36 per cent of Greater Manchester’s 16-year-olds achieved the EBacc, far below the former Conservative government’s 90 per cent ambition.

The MBacc promises English, maths and science alongside specialist subjects aligned to the region’s key growth sectors: construction and the green economy, creative and cultural industries, digital, early years, engineering and manufacturing, financial services, and health and social care. 

But the MBacc has since broadened into a more vague promotion of technical education, with almost any new FE-related policy in the region brought under its banner.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham when he announced his Mbacc in 2023

Teething problems

Fourteen months after launch, the numbers remain modest. Only 53 schools – 17 per cent of the region’s secondaries – are engaged in the curriculum changes. The original deadline for every school, college and specialist provision to have an MBacc route “embedded into the curriculum” has quietly shifted from 2030 to 2035.

Sitting in a classroom at Laurus Ryecroft secondary school in Tameside on the day he announced the ‘MBacc award,’  Burnham admitted that the “backing from the centre” to his MBacc policy had been “slower than I’d hoped”.

His divergence from national policy, and a failed bid for control of 16-19 funding in the run-up to his 2023 trailblazer devolution deal, has occasionally put him at odds with the Department for Education. He said the “skewing effect of the EBacc” had lingered “too long”, which has been “a frustration”.

Reactions to the policy among local school leaders vary. One regional expert said they “generally ignore” the MBacc and questioned Burnham’s jurisdiction over them. But Glyn Potts, CEO of Greater Manchester Youth Federation and a former Oldham headteacher, said he had not met a school leader who was “dissatisfied” with the policy.

“Most of us are really relieved government are rethinking the EBacc. We want Greater Manchester to be a place where young people can go into skilled work without needing a university route.”

Potts attributes the slow MBacc uptake to schools waiting for multi-academy trust-level decisions and for the outcome of the curriculum and assessment review.

The government’s decision to scrap the EBacc and consult on an alternative accountability measure that “balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice”,  is, in some ways, vindication for Burnham’s mission.

Burnham believes “the pendulum is swinging back towards the technical side”, and that for previously reluctant schools, “the light is going green” for his MBacc.

Andy Burnham with Lord Baker at Laurus Ryecroft School

The MBacc award

The launch of the MBacc award at Laurus Ryecroft showcased the political theatre that now accompanies Burnham’s technical-education mission. “What can I say, Andy? You’re just the King of the North,” quipped Linda Magrath, CEO of the Laurus Trust, after Burnham swept in with his entourage.

Burnham was joined by 91-year-old former education secretary Lord Kenneth Baker, president of the Baker Dearing Trust which oversees England’s 44 university technical colleges (UTCs). A peculiarly warm front has formed between the Tory peer, who in 1988 introduced the national curriculum, and Burnham, who has probably done more than anyone outside government to override it.

Burnham praised Lord Baker for being “the voice in the wilderness at times saying ‘technical education matters’”. “Not enough people were listening, but we were listening,” he added.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) hopes to sign up over 100 “MBacc centres” – both schools and colleges – by the start of the next academic year, and to fully roll out the MBacc award to all those on technical pathways by 2029.

These learners will undertake a series of employer projects embedded into their curriculums, aligned to the MBacc subjects and built around the skills employers want.

They will receive a certificate of completion at an awards ceremony, bringing what GMCA describes as a “currency” to the MBacc pathway, recognised by employers.

Last year, a survey of young people in the region found only 10 per cent had heard of the MBacc. 

But Burnham told pupils how, in the future, “everyone” in Greater Manchester will “recognise” his award as being “really high quality”, and “as good, if not better, than the university route”.

Andy Burnham talking to pupils with Andrew Law behind him

UTC sleeves

Baker Dearing is also partnering with GMCA to bring its ‘UTC sleeves’ model into the region’s schools, including Laurus Ryecroft. 

The model involves UTCs providing alternative technical educational pathways for mainstream secondary school pupils, who would spend two days a week in classrooms converted into workshops or on placements with local employers.

Greater Manchester’s history with UTCs is chequered – both Oldham and Bolton saw closures after poor results and safeguarding concerns – though the two that remain, Aldridge UTC and Bolton University Collegiate School, are now rated ‘good’. Nationally, the UTC brand has regained some esteem.

On the day of FE Week’s visit, Policy Exchange recommended the government pilot 10 UTC sleeves in priority growth areas at a cost of £25 million, pointing to higher apprenticeship progression and lower NEET rates.  But the Budget failed to provide any Treasury backing for the proposal.

In Greater Manchester, the model has the financial backing of Laurus Trust sponsor Andrew Law, a Manchester-born hedge-fund billionaire, who hopes to open two sleeves by 2027. “Lots of things have been tried,” Law said. “But our belief is this is the one that’s going to work.”

A personal mission

Burnham’s passion for shaping an education system reflecting employer needs stems from his own experience. After graduating in English from Cambridge and looking for work back in his home region, he said: “I couldn’t find [a job] anywhere, because all the old industry had closed. To get on in life we had to go south.”

Now, “that’s not the case” with Greater Manchester’s economy growing faster than anywhere else in the UK. Hollywood superstar Robert De Niro has just visited Manchester as a key investor in the city’s soon-to-be tallest skyscraper, Nobu Manchester Building. 

The MBacc is a “path that leads you to those skyscrapers”, Burnham told pupils.

Andy Burnham with Andrew Law, Lord Baker, Baker Dearing CEO Kate Ambrosi and Laurus Ryecroft pupils

45-day placements for all

Another key aspect of the MBacc mission is creating work placements. By 2035, GMCA’s aim is for every young person by the age of 19 to have 45 days of “high-quality experiences of the workplace”.

For some stakeholders, Burnham’s target feels unrealistic. “If I’m a kid who needs to look at five different industries, the last thing I want is to be stuck somewhere for 45 days… it’s madness,” one source said.

GMCA’s own assessments show access to work experience is currently “unequal” across the region. The short-term goal is for half of schools to work towards 10 days.

Burnham denied his target is too ambitious.

“We’re building them up all the time,” he said. “There’ll be a 45-day work placement for everybody.” He argues the UK has never “got work experience right”, describing the government’s two-week placements pledge as “awkwardness in the corner, opening the post”. Longer placements, he says, “professionalise it”.

All hands on deck

As well as the “significant team” of around 20-30 people Burnham has working on his “core, flagship priority” of the MBacc, he also has GMCA’s business support team, the Greater Manchester Growth Hub, engaged in asking businesses to provide T Level placements. They are now close to meeting a target of 1,000. 

“The whole system through the business growth side is leaning into the [MBacc] reform,” he said.

GMCA is highly praised by college representatives for these efforts. But one questioned how much the mayor is spending on staff working on the MBacc “vanity project”, for which he has “no legal duties or responsibilities”, compared to adult education, a topic on which he is “too quiet”.

Laurus Ryecroft pupils with Lord Baker

Championing apprenticeships

Another representative said they were “desperately trying to get” the GMCA focused on lower-level apprenticeships, which are in relatively short supply, but Burnham’s interest lies more in degree apprenticeships.

The University of Manchester is about to expand its degree apprenticeships and Burnham is pushing for more of them across the region, telling Lord Baker: “We need to work together on this”.

The Baker Clause – named after Lord Baker himself, who proposed it in 2018 – is a duty on schools to provide year 8-13 pupils with access to a range of technical education and apprenticeship providers. Within Greater Manchester, some elements of the MBacc are helping to ensure compliance, but that is not the case everywhere.

Dale Walker, director of education at Apprentify, described compliance as “inconsistent and often tokenistic”. Meanwhile, Dan Thomas, CEO of The Learning Partnership MAT with 15 schools across Cheshire and Staffordshire, said the clause is “not being enforced”. It had taken his UTC in Crewe three years to get “any view into” local schools.

Adults sidelined  

Although Burnham failed to secure control of 16-18 funding, his trailblazer deal established a joint board for post-16 technical oversight. FE leaders, however, are concerned that adult learning is falling down the agenda. 

The Greater Manchester Colleges Group’s proposals to provide an adult education maintenance allowance did not reach Burnham’s election manifesto, and while GMCA papers reference an “all-age” MBacc, its practical focus remains on young people.

Burnham said the adults’ element “remains the ambition”, but is “harder to achieve” because of the need for “more control” over employment support from the Department for Work and Pensions.

“It’s just, we don’t yet have full control of those levers. A shrinking adult education budget hasn’t helped.”

This year GMCA’s adult skills fund streamlines core funds, free courses for jobs and skills bootcamps into a £108 million pot – a 3.58 per cent real-terms reduction, due to national cuts.

Burnham now has the power to move funding between policy areas based on local priorities, which poses an even greater threat to adult education and worries some college leaders.

Wigan & Leigh principal Anna Dawe earlier this year described it as a “great shame” that much of the dialogue is centred around young people’s education.

“The value in FE is all its component parts… we focus in on what seems to be flavour of the day, and that’s never changed,” she said. “I hope we don’t see further cuts to adult education, because it can’t take any more cuts”. 

Andy Burnham launching the Beeline platform last year

MBacc as all things

The MBacc brand has continued to absorb new initiatives. Beeline, a digital platform offering information on work placements, courses and jobs, launched last year. A Raspberry Pi Foundation applied computing certificate, a UNESCO-endorsed Skills 4 Living programme, and a mentoring scheme for young people in or at risk of the youth justice system have all appeared under the MBacc umbrella.

Plus, a long-running initiative providing school pupils with taster days in FE colleges has been tweaked and renamed the ‘festival of technical education’, under the MBacc banner.

Burnham is praised for using his convening power to draw impressive initiatives to the region. “People want a little bit of his stardust on their stuff”, said one source.

Others see the MBacc as a political catchphrase for anything related to technical education.

“It almost frustrates people that you’re doing something, then suddenly the MBacc badge appears on it,” another said. 

Burnham’s big ideas

One of the most eye-catching MBacc proposals is “Our House” – university-style living accommodation for apprentices. Burnham argues that “the ability to live independently at 18 should be available to all young people”. 

A Co-op Bank survey suggested the halls would boost apprenticeship uptake, but some local leaders remain sceptical. “Why can’t he accept an apprenticeship is just a different way? Not everything needs to mirror university,” said one.

Equally divisive is Burnham’s plan for a UCAS-style centralised technical admissions system by 2030. Under the proposal, every Year 11 pupil would apply online for technical courses, with an attached work placement. Colleges would specialise more, meaning some learners may travel further.

Critics say this undermines the principle of local provision. “A fundamental waste of time, money and energy,” said one college representative. Another warned that “a Level 1 bricklaying student isn’t travelling just because he has a free bus pass”.

With Greater Manchester’s 16-19 population set to rise sharply in the coming years, technical participation is likely to increase regardless of policy intervention. As one source put it: “The MBacc may be doomed to success – whatever its complexities.”

Whether that success is credited to Burnham’s leadership, demographic inevitability or institutions adapting around him may be a question for a future Labour leadership contest.

A youth guarantee that forgets SEND isn’t a guarantee at all

The government’s new ‘youth guarantee’ places FE at the heart of the national growth agenda and was included in this week’s Budget announcements. But is this policy focus undermined by a dangerous disconnect?

The youth guarantee’s cap at age 21 ensures there is no guarantee at all for young people with SEND. This, combined with the recent delay of the schools/SEND white paper until the spring and the lack of specific SEND commitment in the new skills white paper, creates a policy vacuum. This suggests an intention to weaken the statutory nature of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) until 25. This is a move that overlooks a fundamental truth: disabled children inexorably become disabled adults, with the same aspirations and dreams as anyone.

Failing to invest in specialist FE, the crucial mechanism for translating years of prior education into life-long impact, entrenches a policy failure that prioritises short-term cost over essential long-term investment. This systemic failure is irresponsible and socially unjust, rooted in a lack of aspiration for young people with additional needs.

The current system views support as a cost to be managed, not a crucial investment in futures.

The government’s Get Britain Working white paper aims for an 80 per cent employment rate. But this goal is impossible if it neglects young people with complex needs. The white paper’s complete failure to mention SEND or the EHCP system demonstrates a profound lack of co-ordination between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education.

The most damning evidence lies in the jobs market: employment rates for young people who had their disability diagnosed during childhood can be as low as 24 per cent. This statistic is the product of policy disconnect and failure, not just a fact of life.

Children and young people with SEND have been subject to substantial public investment in education, therapies and tailored support. Allowing this investment to vanish at the point of transition into adulthood is short-sighted, squandering years of public spending.

Failure to provide necessary specialist FE support at the point of transition pushes capable individuals onto a lifetime reliance on benefits, becoming a costly drain on public funds rather than contributing to their communities. Tackling the 24 per cent statistic is essential for meeting national growth targets.

With the youth guarantee ending at 21, a college leaver with SEND at 22 or 23 who needs more time to develop skills into adulthood will be ineligible for government support. This omission strongly suggests an intention to curtail the financial and statutory burden of the full zero-to-25 system, effectively drawing a line under the most costly cohort: those aged 21-25 with complex needs. ​

The solutions are not theoretical; they have been clearly laid out by experts and sector leaders. The government must use the upcoming policy white papers to formally adopt the unified framework recommended by the education select committee, which requires some immediate changes:

  1. Secure the statutory requirement for EHCPs to continue to 25 and mandate that this legal framework is fully integrated into DWP and DfE employment initiatives, including the youth guarantee.
  2. Create a dedicated ministerial brief for specialist FE, moving policy responsibility to the skills minister. This would embed specialist provision within the national skills strategy.
  3. Require collaboration between providers, local authorities and adult services to establish structured, long-term transitions, ending the ‘dropping off’ of responsibility once formal education ends.

The government is right to champion the youth guarantee. But a guarantee that excludes SEND young people is a moral failure. The cost of complacency far outweighs the necessary investment.

Investing in a young person’s agency and independence delivers a valuable societal multiplier effect, benefiting their wider communities. For some young people with SEND, paid employment will not be directly part of their own future. But supporting their independence broadens the scope for their immediate support network to return to the workplace.

The upcoming SEND white paper is a pivotal moment. By securing EHCPs to 25 and properly resourcing employment pathways, the government can transform a vulnerable cohort into independent, contributing members of society. We urge government to make the youth guarantee a promise that holds true for every young person.