Step aside Eton: New trust joins ‘elite’ sixth form race

A Bradford-based academy trust has unveiled plans for an “elite” all-girls STEM sixth form college. But, the proposals have gathered a mixed response from local education chiefs.

Feversham Education Trust is consulting on its early proposals with a view to submitting a bid to wave 15 of the Department for Education’s free school application process.

Government ambitions for new “elite” sixth forms emerged earlier this year as part of its levelling up white paper, targeted at the 55 education investment areas (of which Bradford is one) where it aims to bolster opportunities for disadvantaged pupils.

To date, the most high-profile bids have been from renowned private school Eton College, which has teamed up with Star Academies to submit proposals for selective sixth forms in Dudley, Middlesbrough and Oldham.

The government’s plan proved divisive at the time of the announcement, with the response to Feversham’s bid similarly mixed.

Luminate Education Group, which runs schools and colleges in the proposed catchment, said it was “short-sighted” and “saw little value in the concept of elite sixth forms”.

Gemma Simmons-Blench, deputy chief executive for quality and curriculum, told FE Week: “In an educational context, the elitist model inevitably leads to fragmentation of provision and a ‘winner versus losers’ scenario – the opposite of the inclusive, collaborative approach we and other colleges have been successfully pursuing”.

She said elite sixth forms “will offer nothing for the many students who would benefit from a more technical or vocational approach, rather than a narrowly academic one.”

The group warned that “unnecessary competition” could put some institutions and their programmes at risk of closure.

The sixth form would have 250 students in each year group and admit girls aged 16 to 18 from Bradford and the neighbouring cities and districts.

But a Feversham Education Trust spokesperson defended its plans.

“Given the ongoing need to improve female representation in the STEM sector, and the clear demand from related businesses for jobs and talent both regionally and nationally, we are in the very early stages of considering the establishment of an all-girls STEM sixth form college, to provide a proactive and innovative solution to these challenges,” the spokesperson said.

As part of its consultation, Feversham is asking interested parties whether other specialisms should be considered, such as humanities, English, law or social sciences.

It is also asking for feedback on the types of courses it should offer, including A-levels, T Levels, BTECs and apprenticeships.

The trust already runs two girls secondary schools and a primary, meaning the sixth form would likely provide an avenue of progression for its current students.

The bid has been backed by Bradford Council. A spokesperson said Feversham has “a track record of delivering outstanding Ofsted-rated provision that is valued by the local community.

“We remain committed to working with all partners to deliver improved outcomes in the post 16 phase in the Bradford district.”

The spokesperson added that while there was “not a basic need for places in the district,” the proposal contributes to ambitions of improving post-16 education and “also the national challenge that not enough young women are pursuing STEM pathways into higher education or as a career choice”.

Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, also said he was delighted with Feversham’s plans in “opening new doors” for girls’ participation in STEM.

“With girls woefully underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and maths fields and careers, particularly computer science and engineering, the whole country is missing out on the potential that they can bring, and we need to be doing much more to break down the barriers that many women and girls face in taking up these subjects and seeing it as a viable future career.”

NCFE acquires health and leisure awarding organisation

An awarding and end-point assessment organisation specialising in health and physical activity qualifications has been acquired by NCFE.

Active IQ (previously owned by US-based firm Ascend Learning) brings with it over 30,000 learners on its vocational qualifications and 1,600 apprentices, extending NCFEs reach in areas such as personal training, fitness, and leisure management.

NCFE said Active IQ will continue to operate independently as a distinct brand owing to its “highly respected” position in the marketplace.

According to its latest accounts, Active IQ generated £4 million in income in its 2020/21 financial year and employed 42 staff. All current staff will be retained, NCFE said.

Jenny Patrickson, managing director of Active IQ, said: “I’m delighted and excited that Active IQ has joined the NCFE portfolio.

“There is much synergy between Active IQ and NCFE in our core purpose, vision and values and I am confident that joining the NCFE group will enable Active IQ to build on everything we have achieved since we were established in 2003.”

Jenny Patrickson

The amount NCFE paid to acquire Active IQ has not been disclosed. 

FE Week understands that Active IQ’s previous owners were seeking to exit the UK market. Ascend Learning, based in the United States, had another subsidiary company, Premier Global, which ceased trading in June.

NCFE confirmed to FE Week that it has no plans to make changes to Active IQ’s products or services.

The charity’s chief executive, David Gallagher, said acquiring Active IQ will allow NCFE to “better service a broader range of learners and fulfil current and future skills needs”.

He added: “We chose to make this acquisition given that policy direction and market forces are taking us towards consolidation in the market.

“We’re delighted to add Active IQ to the NCFE portfolio. Both organisations are aligned in vision and purpose – Active IQ, like NCFE, prides itself on exceptional customer service and high-quality, transformational learning experiences.”

This isn’t the first time NCFE has taken over another awarding organisation.

The former childcare and early years awarding body CACHE was bought by NCFE in 2015. Its name still features on some of NCFE’s education and childcare qualifications.

Temporary apprenticeship funding uplifts delayed

Temporary funding uplifts for apprenticeships where costs have significantly increased have been delayed.

Government chiefs promised more information on how to apply for the short-term boosts would be released by mid-November, with bids set to open by the end of the month.

However, the Department for Education and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education have been silent on this process since it was announced at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) conference on November 1.

The DfE has now told FE Week that its officials will “provide further information in December”. The department gave no indication as to whether the application process would launch at this point.

An IfATE spokesperson added: “We understand the challenge posed to the sector by the increase in the cost of living and we are working closely with the DfE on this issue. We expect to publish updated guidance as soon as possible.”

FE Week understands that the change in the DfE’s ministerial team and the chancellor’s autumn statement has slowed down development of the process.

Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Jane Hickie said her members will be frustrated by the delay in the face of spiralling inflation.

She told FE Week: “Unfortunately, the initial timelines announced at our autumn conference were too ambitious, and it looks like this important process will now take longer than originally planned.

“However, the intent is still there for some kind of intervention which is critically needed.”

The DfE’s director of apprenticeships, Peter Mucklow, told AELP’s autumn conference that the temporary funding uplifts would only be signed off for apprenticeship standards in the hardest hit sectors.

Mucklow said: “Our intention is that from later this month, employers and trailblazers will be able to apply for a temporary increase in funding for individual standards, where they can present conclusive evidence that costs of delivery have been substantially impacted.”

The AELP published research recently which showed funding for current apprenticeship standards was not meeting the true cost of delivery in sectors such as catering and hospitality, transport and logistics, care, construction, and engineering and manufacturing.

It is not yet clear what will constitute “substantial impact” or how much funding is being made available to deliver the uplift.

Mucklow said it was “more appropriate and better value for money for the taxpayer” to take an approach to supporting standards which will be more impacted rather than increasing funding for all standards across the board.

IfATE chief executive Jennifer Coupland told AELP’s conference that she hopes the temporary funding uplifts can be reviewed and approved within a month of the application being received when the process is up and running.

Ofsted to hit university-run college with grade 4

A troubled adult residential college that was forced into a last-minute merger with a university last year is set to be hit with an ‘inadequate’ rating from Ofsted, FE Week can reveal.

Ruskin College will be downgraded from ‘good’ in a report due to be published next week by the education watchdog.

FE Week understands leadership and management will bring the college’s grade tumbling down after inspectors found poor safeguarding processes, including incomplete disclosure and barring service checks on staff.

It will become the only “institute for adult learning” – as classified by Ofsted – to hold the lowest possible grade.

The Oxford-based college, originally founded in 1899, focuses on adult learners and its offer includes Access to HE diplomas, English for speakers of other languages courses, and trade union courses accredited by the TUC.

It has historic links to Oxford University and is renowned for educating working-class people, especially those in the trade union movement.

Ruskin College has gone through a period of turmoil in recent years. It has been subject to a financial notice to improve from the Department for Education since 2014.

The notice was reissued in November 2020 and the Department for Education placed the college in supervised status following a report by then-FE Commissioner Richard Atkins, published in October, which said the provider faced an “uncertain future”.

This was due to the “serious deterioration of its finances” cause by a sharp decline in higher education enrolments alongside a “substantial overclaiming” of adult education and bursary funding due to the misapplication of funding rules and poor record keeping.

The DfE’s Education and Skills Funding Agency clawed back more than £5 million, an issue which led to the firing of former principal Paul Di Felice, and was told to find a strong merger partner to secure its future.

The college was set to merge with Activate Learning, but switched to the University of West London (UWL) at the eleventh hour, joining in August 2021. UWL minutes from October 2021 stated how Ruskin College had been “poorly managed, and governance had been non-existent which had demoralised staff”.

There had been “no management and board accountability. Student recruitment had collapsed and so the college had presented as a clean sheet,” the minutes added.

UWL was unable to comment on Ofsted’s upcoming report ahead of its publication.

FE Week understands that the watchdog’s report will grade the college as ‘good’ in other areas apart from leadership and management.

Sources close to Ruskin College have also said the college received a recent visit from current FE Commissioner Shelagh Legrave, who said “the University of West London makes an excellent partner for Ruskin” and has “a clear educational vision for the college underpinned by strong finances and the capacity to invest”.

She went on to say that UWL has “made significant progress in addressing the unviable operating model you inherited” and concludes that “my team and I are very impressed with the way the University has implemented the acquisition of Ruskin College and the sound foundations you have laid to achieve your vision for the future of this treasured institution”, sources added.

It is also understood that the ESFA has given Ruskin College’s financial plan an assessment grade of ‘outstanding’ for 2021/22 and 2022/23.

We’re prioritising skills to extend the ladder of opportunity to all

Last week, the national finals of the WorldSkills competition were held at colleges across the UK, including Blackpool and The Fylde College and Barking and Dagenham College. These saw talented young people compete in a range of advanced skills – from mechatronics and automation to carpentry and bricklaying. Those who were outstanding will be selected to represent the UK at the next ‘Skills Olympics’ in France in 2024.

WorldSkills is an extraordinary way for participants to competitively hone their skill sets while gaining the confidence and experience they need to forge great careers. They are also inspiring the next generation of students by opening their eyes to the range of opportunities that technical education routes can offer.

Take Jack, who studied advanced manufacturing and engineering at Dudley College and secured a job as a boilersmith at Severn Valley Railway. Competitors such as Jack are all the proof you need that a traditional academic route is not the only path to success.

I would like to congratulate all the competitors: they have done an amazing job showcasing their exceptional talent. They are all winners in my eyes for choosing a pathway that will build their skills and career potential, allowing them to climb the skills ladder of opportunity.

WorldSkills has been running for 72 years, but like the technical and vocational education it showcases it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

I know I’m preaching to the converted here. But if we want this to change, we need more people to recognise the huge value of technical and vocational education – for career advancement, earning potential and the economy.

We have come a long way, buoyed by the government’s skills revolution, but there is still more to do to promote these routes to the point where they hold parity of esteem with academic courses.

I’m passionate about social justice and have for many years been a vocal advocate of apprenticeships and technical education.

We have come a long way, buoyed by the government’s skills revolution

Most of you will have heard me talk about the ‘ladder of opportunity’ before. Now that I am back at the department for education, as minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education, you will hear me speak about it a lot more. It is the sequence through which young people and adults can progress to attain good jobs and career progression, beginning with the social justice required to access and achieve good educational outcomes and get on the first rung of the ladder of opportunity.

The government has an ambitious skills agenda, backed by a £3.8 billion investment over this parliament. We’re using this to expand and strengthen higher and further education, ensuring skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive.

This includes supporting more people to earn while they learn with an apprenticeship, rolling out more T levels, establishing our network of 21 institutes of technology and expanding our popular skills bootcamps and free courses for jobs programmes.

We are also simplifying and strengthening qualifications at level 3 and below. This will allow all leaners to be confident that their chosen course will set them on a path to success and give employers confidence that employees will have the skills needed to grow their business.

The fourth rung of the ladder is lifelong learning, giving adults the chance to upskill or retrain at any stage of life. From 2025, our lifelong loan entitlement will transform access to further and higher education, allowing everyone access to the equivalent of four years’ worth of student loans to use flexibly over their lifetime.

My driving mission is to provide this ‘ladder’ to good employment to everyone, which will help build the skilled workforce businesses are crying out for, boost our economy and drive growth. It’s not rocket science. It’s mechatronics. And concrete construction, cloud computing and carpentry skills that will propel this country forward.

8 interesting things we learned from today’s FE data drop

The Department for Education released multiple data sets this morning that show the take up of apprenticeships, traineeships and adult education in 2021/22.

Here’s what you need to know…

First full year of free courses for jobs

After a slow start, the government’s ‘free courses for jobs’ offer of fully funded level 3 courses for certain adults had just under 25,000 enrolments.

When the £95 million policy was introduced in April 2021, adults could only access funded courses if they didn’t already hold a level 3 qualification. That rule was changed in April 2022 when unemployed learners, and those earning below the national living wage, become eligible even if they already held a level 3 qualification.

There have been 24,470 enrolments through the scheme from when it launched in April 2021 up to July 2022.

Statisticians have estimated that enrolments on eligible courses were 70 per cent higher in 2021/22 than in 2018/19 as a result of the policy.

Record low loans

Advanced learner loans received the lowest number of applications in 2021/22 since they were introduced in 2016.

Applications have been in steady decline every year, however the drop from 62,870 applications in 2020/21 to just 49,210 is the largest year-on-year drop.

As a result, the total amount of loan funding in 2021/22 was £130.4 million. That figure was £236.2 million in 2016/17.

The introduction of the free courses for jobs policy has meant that potentially thousands of learners that would previously have taken out an advanced learner loan would have been eligible for full funding.

Public sector apprenticeship target missed… again

Public sector bodies in England with 250 or more staff were set a target by government to employ an average of at least 2.3 per cent of their staff as new apprentice starts over the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2021. Figures published last November showed this had been missed as an average of 1.7 per cent of employees started an apprenticeship over that period.

The target was repeated for the period April 2021 to March 2022, as a single-year stand-alone target. Figures published for the first time today show an average of 1.8 per cent of employees started an apprenticeship over that period.

During this one-year target, the armed forces were by far the largest employer of apprentices with an average of 7.1 per cent of employees starting an apprenticeship since April 2021.

The police were next at 2.4 per cent, followed by fire authorities at 2.1 per cent and the civil service, at 1.9 per cent.

Schools have the lowest rate of apprenticeship recruitment averaging at 1.1 per cent since April 2021.

Colleges fail to increase apprenticeship market share

Multiple education secretaries have pleaded with colleges to increase their delivery of apprenticeships in recent years – but the data suggests their calls have fallen on deaf ears.

Of the 349,200 apprenticeship starts in the 2021/22 academic year, private providers were responsible for 65.2 per cent (227,600).

General FE colleges accounted for just 18.7 per cent (65,300) – the same proportion as 2020/21.

Apprenticeship starts increase most for the young

As FE Week reported last month, apprenticeship starts for the whole of the 2021/22 grew 9 per cent on the previous academic year – and it was young people who saw the biggest increase.

Today’s data provides slightly updated figures but the proportions have stayed the same.

A total of 349,200 starts were reported for 2021/22 compared to 321,400 in 2020/21. Last year’s figures are still 11 per cent lower than the 393,400 recorded for 2018/19 – the year before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of the 349,200 starts, higher apprenticeship (level 4+) reached their highest volume and now represent almost a third of all starts. They accounted for just 4 per cent of starts in 2014/15.

Encouragingly, the share of starts for under 19s increased to 22.2 per cent in 2021/22 from 20.3 per cent in 2020/21. Starts for 19 to 24s and those aged 25 and older saw their proportion of starts drop overall and now account for 30 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.

Another traineeships flop

The government missed its target of 43,000 traineeships by almost two thirds last year.

Just 15,500 starts were recorded in 2021/22 – 36 per cent of the goal. It comes despite the Treasury investing £126 million in traineeships in 2021/22.

This was on top of a £111 million being pumped into the pre-employment programme in 2020/21, when 17,400 starts were recorded against a target of 36,700.

Read our full story on the traineeships data here.

Overall adult numbers struggling to recover post Covid 

Participation in adult education increased by 80,000 learners in 2021/22 compared to the previous year, the first increase in nearly ten years.

Statistics released today reveal that there were 1.72 million adults participating in apprenticeships, community learning and government funded education and training in academic year 2021/22. There were 1.64 million in adult education the year before. There hasn’t been in increase in overall adult education participation since 2012/13.

While this represents a 4.8 per cent increase on the 2020/21 year, when Covid restrictions were still blighting the sector, it’s 25 per cent, or 380,000 learners, short on pre-pandemic levels in 2018/19.

Community learning sees largest rise  

Compared to 2020/21, numbers of adults on apprenticeships increased 3.3 per cent and on funded education and training courses 1 per cent. But participation in community learning increased by 24.9 per cent from 243,700 to 304,400.

The bulk of that increase came from participation in “personal and community development learning”, up 43,100 on the previous year. However, the community learning sector is 186,000 learners short on where it was pre-pandemic is 2018/19.

Huge T Level employer cash incentive underspend revealed

Just £500,000 of a £7 million budget earmarked to entice employers to take on early T Level students for industry placements was spent.

An evaluation report of the “employer support fund” pilot, which offered businesses £750 to cover their tangible placement costs in four regions in England between 2019 and 2021, found the grants supported 843 placements against a target of 32,466.

Just 8 per cent of the total budget was used.

The incentives were upped to £1,000 per placement for the 2021/22 academic year as they were rolled out across the country, and ministers have indicated they could be extended to future years amid calls for support from employer representative bodies.

But today’s findings, which do not examine take up of the bigger incentives in 2021/22, could discourage ministers from extending the grants.

Officials in the Department for Education and sector leaders have been concerned with convincing businesses to host students for the mandatory 315-hour, or 45-day, placements for T Levels – a flagship new qualification designed to be the technical equivalent to A-levels.

The T Level employer incentives were introduced to help overcome this concern. The pilot was rolled out in the South West and West Midlands in 2019/20 to help businesses prepare for the first T Level students in 2020. It was extended in 2020/21 to the East of England and Yorkshire and Humber.

Researchers noted that the majority of the programme delivery was during a period of social distancing requirements brought about by Covid-19, adding that it is “difficult to fully understand how the programme would work in an environment when these restrictions were not in place”.

However, even accounting for the impact of the pandemic, the targets set for placements and spend “seemed to have overestimated employer need”, the report said.

It added: “In practice, providers felt that most of the employers they engage do not regard cost as a barrier to providing placements and therefore did not have a need for the grant.”

Researchers found examples of T Level providers being “hesitant” to use the £750 grants because of the “risk that some of the funding could be claimed back, and also because of a lack of awareness of how the programme could be used”.

As expected, it was mostly smaller businesses that made use of the incentives. The report said over half of the employers were micro businesses (those with fewer than 10 staff) and a further quarter were small businesses (between 10 and 49 staff).

The funding limit of £750 per placement was “broadly suitable”. Researchers found the only time the placements exceeded £750 was when it was used to purchase expensive IT equipment such as laptops and even in these cases, employers were “generally willing to cover the additional costs, particularly as they mostly kept the equipment afterwards”.

Most employers found the funding “helpful in alleviating resource barriers to providing placements and in ensuring they could provide a meaningful learning experience for learners”, and a few also felt that it helped employer staff “justify providing placements to senior managers”.

But some stated they would have provided placements had they not received the funding.

The impact assessment of the programme did not find conclusive proof that the programme had increased the number of placements provided by providers, the report concluded.

It resonates with research from earlier this year that found just 7 per cent of employers who were not interested in offering T Level industry placements would change their mind with the offer of a £1,000 incentive payment.

Traineeships flop… AGAIN: Starts target missed by two thirds in 2021/22

The government missed its target of 43,000 traineeships by almost two thirds last year, new data has revealed.

Just 15,500 starts were recorded in 2021/22 – 36 per cent of the goal.

The figures, published by the Department for Education this morning, show that uptake on the pre-employment programme has even begun to decline despite huge investment from the Treasury.

The number of starts achieved last year was 11 per cent down on the 17,400 recorded in 2020/21.

Across both years then-chancellor Rishi Sunak pumped an additional £237 million into traineeships. This was made up of £111 million to “triple” the number of starts in 2020/21 – a target that was missed by half – and an extra £126 million in 2021/22.

Officials offered employers a £1,000 incentive in both years for each trainee they took on, and also ran a procurement to expand the traineeship provider market in an effort to ramp up starts.

Earlier this year FE Week revealed that more than half – £65 million – of the 2020/21 traineeships budget had to be handed back to the Treasury. A bigger underspend is now expected for 2021/22.

Introduced as a flagship pre-employability programme in 2013, traineeships are eligible for 16 to 24-year-olds and training providers are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to deliver pre-employment training and arrange unpaid work placements from six weeks to one year, although most last for less than six months.

But traineeship starts have been on a rapid decline, from a high of 24,100 in 2015/16 down to just 12,100 in 2019/20.

Ministers saw traineeships as a good route to help get young people back into training and work after the Covid-19 pandemic and decided to back the programme with more funding.

Officials have made numerous pleas with traineeship providers to rapidly boost their recruitment over the past two years.

But providers have often warned that the lack of learner incentive means that traineeships are currently limited to those willing and able to take on a placement without getting paid.

Others have other government programmes that do offer payment, like Kickstart and apprenticeships, displaced traineeships.

Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Jane Hickie said: “It’s important to recognise that the additional financial support for traineeships was provided against a backdrop of an expected surge in pandemic related unemployment, which thankfully was not bad as expected. There is no doubt though that Kickstart – with its financial incentive for the young person – made traineeships considerably less attractive for the individual. 

“Whilst demand for traineeships from employers remains strong, the lack of financial support for trainees themselves remains critical – AELP believe that the traineeship underspend should be used to support individual through a training allowance on what is still a very effective programme.”

Today’s data shows that of the 17,400 traineeships started in the 2020/21 academic year, three quarters completed their programme and a fifth moved onto an apprenticeship.

Four priorities to tackle green industry’s diversity problem

With the COP27 climate summit finishing last Friday and the new Prime Minister’s first economic statement reaffirming the UK’s commitment to tackling climate change, this is the perfect time for us all to consider role in building a greener future. Unfortunately, the environmental sector’s diversity is currently one of the worst in the economy. If this doesn’t change, many of the young people who could play a leading role in tackling the climate crisis will be shut out of opportunities in the green sector.

Many parts of the nature sector have a rapidly ageing workforce, with almost half of parks staff aged over 50, so young people are desperately needed. And young people from ethnic minorities, those who are disabled and those from low-income backgrounds are all under-represented in these roles at the moment. Just 4.8 per cent of environment professionals identify as Black, Asian or minority ethnic, compared with 12.6 per cent across all professions. Meanwhile, 57 per cent of disabled people feel excluded from being able to reduce their environmental impact and disabled people are less likely to be employed than non-disabled people.

And our own research shows that young people from low-income backgrounds sometimes feel that green jobs aren’t for them or don’t know where to find them. Requirements for higher education qualifications can put people without degrees off from pursuing careers in the nature sector.

Positively, green employers are increasingly recognising the problem and taking steps to tackle it. But this isn’t a problem industry can solve alone, and further education and skills settings can play a crucial role in helping the sector diversify its workforce. Doing so will benefit learners as well as the planet and deliver on the ambitions of the department for education’s sustainability and climate change strategy.

Groundwork’s Growing Green Careers report set out four priorities and the further education and skills sector can play its part in each of them:

Making every job green

Achieving net zero will require changes across every sector, so knowledge about environmental issues is relevant to every learner no matter what course they are enrolled on. The further education sector should think of sustainability as the fourth functional skill, as essential as literacy, numeracy and digital. Green skills and knowledge should be embedded in the curriculum, operations and through carbon literacy qualifications for staff and learners.

Accessible pathways into entry-level green roles

Through high-quality careers advice, further education settings can share opportunities like the New to Nature programme with their learners, through which young people aged 18 to 25 are given new, full-time, temporary work placements in nature and landscape organisations across the UK.

Organisations like Groundwork are working to expand opportunities like this through a Youth Environmental Service. On a local level, colleges can work with green employers to create green apprenticeships.  

Increasing diversity in green careers

The learners who engage in further education are often exactly those who are under-represented in the environmental sector. Through their curriculum and careers advice, colleges can break down stereotypes and help people to grow their careers in green jobs.

It’s vital that we inspire and show that jobs in the environmental sector are both worthwhile and achievable, ending the misconception that green jobs are only reserved for a particular demographic.

Helping places to thrive

Colleges and other further education settings can show local leadership when it comes to sustainable practices. Working with local green employers to grow the skills base in their area could have a huge impact on combatting the current skills shortages across the environmental sector and ‘levelling up’ local places.

If the further education and environmental sectors work together on each of these priorities, we will forge a greener and more prosperous future for individuals, communities, and the planet. Let’s not miss the opportunity.