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14 July 2026

Latest news from FE Week

Cash boost pushes 16-19 rate rise to 3%

Education funding for 16 to 19-year-olds will increase by 3 per cent in 2026-27 following a last-minute cash injection.

Ministers had faced criticism since March when they announced the national per-student funding rate for 16 and 17-year-olds would only rise by 0.5 per cent, breaking an earlier promise to increase funding at least in real terms.

New funding rates published this week reveal the maximum base rate will now increase from £5,105 to £5,256, up from the initial £5,133 first proposed in March.

Other study programme rates have also been boosted. Bands 4a and 4b will rise to £4,348, band 3 to £3,536 and band 2 to £2,796.

The updated rates follow last week’s announcement of a £485 million funding increase from the Department for Education, which was tied to part-funded pay rises for school teachers.

Last week’s funding top-up amounts to £120 million for financial year 2026-27 and £365 million in 2027-28. Unlike in schools, the DfE doesn’t set staff pay, but it has told colleges to spend the extra cash on “strategic priorities”, including staff recruitment and retention.

The DfE confirmed the added investment would be routed to colleges and other 16 to 19 providers through increases to the national funding rate, T Level rates, low prior attainment disadvantaged funding and the rate for students in care and care leavers.

It will also be used to increase parts of the post-16 national insurance grant, which means providers with non-16 to 19 delivery can benefit. The grant will be renamed the post-16 budget support grant from April 2027.

Revised 16 to 19 allocations and funding statements will be issued in September, with updated payments beginning from October.

The Association of Colleges, which negotiates with unions for an annual pay rise recommendation for FE colleges, now aims to make a pay recommendation in the autumn.

AoC chief executive David Hughes said: “It’s good to have the funding rates confirmed by the DfE today, as well as the approach to the new post-16 support grant. Colleges won’t receive revised allocations until September and therefore won’t be able to update their budgets until then.

“We have plans to meet with the national joint forum in the autumn and hope to make a pay recommendation then.”

James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “We are pleased with this funding boost and the fact it will mainly be applied by raising the 16 to 19 funding rate.

“The boost to disadvantage funding is also very welcome. Taken together, this additional investment will help colleges to fund a more appropriate pay award for staff.

“If schools receive additional funding to increase staff pay, this is now routinely extended to colleges, which is a welcome trend and will help sixth form colleges to maintain pay parity with schools.”

The amount paid for students in care or care leavers will rise from £609 to £624 per student. Low prior attainment funding will rise to £624 for bands 4 and 5 study programme students, £380 for bands 2 and 3, and £846 for T Levels.

T Level rates have also been boosted compared with the March guidance, although some courses will still receive less than they did last year following the removal of a 5 per cent uplift for older qualifications.

T Levels in band 9 will now be funded at £15,126 over the two-year programme, compared with £15,430 in 2025-26.

Non-uplifted T Levels in band 8 will receive £13,870, band 7 £12,612 and band 6 £10,936.

However, T Levels with technical qualifications introduced from 2022 to 2023 will retain an uplifted rate. These will be funded at £14,564 for band 8, £13,242 for band 7 and £11,484 for band 6.

The number’s up for unqualified college CFOs

Only qualified accountants can work as chief financial officers at large colleges from next year, the government has announced.

The 2026 college financial handbook, effective from August 1, requests that college’s CFO job adverts state applicants must be qualified members of a relevant accountancy body.

The rule will become statutory for colleges with more than 3,000 students in 12 months.

The Department for Education said any college wishing to recruit a CFO without an accountancy qualification would need official approval.

Association of Colleges deputy chief executive Julian Gravatt revealed the membership body consulted with the DfE on the change.

He said: “The vast majority of people in this role have relevant qualifications, but there are times when it’s necessary to use people with experience in related disciplines or to combine roles to save management costs.

“These are exceptional cases and we welcome the fact the DfE is taking a comply-or-explain approach in that there’s a standard to follow but an opportunity to set out reasons for doing something different. There will be 12 months to prepare for this rule change.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “It is only right that those entrusted to manage their finances are equipped with the skills, expertise and experience relevant to their college, including, where appropriate, a professional accountancy qualification.”

Electric car sacrifice schemes

The handbook, updated this week by the DfE, also confirmed electric vehicle salary-sacrifice schemes no longer need prior DfE approval, provided colleges have “comprehensive” mitigations to avoid losses if staff do not uphold their contractual obligations.

DfE approval will still, however, apply to colleges under intervention.

Gravatt said: “Across the country, college staff drive millions of miles a year for work and it will benefit everyone if a bigger proportion of that travel is electric powered.”

Severance threshold

Another handbook update brings rules around staff severance payments in line with HM Treasury guidance, which stipulates special exit payments are only made in “exceptional” circumstances.

Severance payments must be approved by the DfE where exit packages exceed £100,000, or are made to senior leaders earning over £174,000.

If legal advice determines a college has more than a 50 per cent chance of winning a claim at an employment tribunal or arbitration, they must seek approval before offering a “contentious” settlement award.

“Colleges would need to demonstrate why they are recommending a payment to the employee rather than defending the case. If the chance of losing the case is 50 per cent or more, a settlement may be justified,” the handbook says.

Previously, colleges were told only that a settlement should not be offered where legal advice suggested they had “a good chance” of successfully defending a claim. The DfE told colleges that payouts were justified when there was “significant prospect” of losing, especially if the defence costs were likely to be high.

Colleges suffered severance approval delays of several months during 2024 when government backing was needed for payments of £50,000 or more. The DfE admitted at the time that its assessment process needed to improve.

Held to ransom

Elsewhere, the handbook toughens rules on colleges paying ransom or extortion demands.

An existing blanket ban on paying any cyber ransom demand is widened to cover “any ransom or extortion demands”, explicitly including ransomware.

Colleges must also renew their cyber essentials certification annually, as per the college accountability agreement.

Gravatt said the AoC was not aware of any college paying a ransom.

Other changes include a new expectation on governors and finance and audit committee members to receive financial training, and a requirement to consult the DfE before introducing a pension scheme outside the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme.

Rushing qualification reform risks deepening NEET crisis

England’s post-16 qualification reforms are driven by the right ambition. Creating a clearer, more coherent technical education system is overdue; a stronger third route at level 3 alongside A Levels and T Levels, and structured pathways at level 2 should benefit learners and employers alike. Awarding organisations continue to support this intent.

But intent alone does not guarantee impact. As reform accelerates, there is a growing risk that parts of the current system will be dismantled faster than alternatives replace them.

If that happens, the number of young people not in education, employment or training could increase.

There is a new opportunity to ensure this is avoided.

Andy Burnham has consistently championed technical education, the link between skills and inclusive growth, and locally responsive systems.

His work in Greater Manchester to align skills provision to economic priorities and create clearer pathways into employment demonstrates the value of grounding reform in labour market reality.

Qualifications are the backbone of the education and skills system. Ultimately, they connect learners to labour markets and classrooms to careers.

Vocational and technical qualifications make a substantial contribution because they are flexible and so can reflect both sector needs and how learners progress into work.

That flexibility is now being reset.

The disappearing middle

At level 3, the emerging system increasingly offers only two options: small qualifications or large T Levels.

The middle is disappearing, removing the option that tens of thousands of learners currently take. These pathways are not marginal; they are central to how many young people succeed.

Learners do not automatically realign to policy design. We all have a responsibility to guide, but some are likely to disengage if they no longer see a route that works for them.

The link between qualification reform and disengagement is real. Practical and vocational subjects, such as sport, leisure and the creative arts, play a vital role in keeping young people engaged.

Recent impact analysis by the Federation has shown how narrowing these routes without credible alternatives increases the risk to potential learners.

The ambition for T Levels is rightly increasing; they are transformative. But this success does not mean they can scale to meet emerging expectations.

In sectors such as creative and performing arts, tens of thousands of learners currently take large level 3 qualifications each year.

The T Level model is evolving, but significant expansion is reliant on a step change in employer engagement – something even more challenging in sectors with freelance or fragmented employment.

Nor can apprenticeships act as a universal safety net. Apprenticeships are jobs, driven by employer demand rather than learner need.

Even with growth, they cannot absorb large volumes of displaced learners and are unlikely to be prioritised beyond key industrial sectors. In many contexts, opportunities remain limited and constrained.

Replacing existing qualification routes with apprenticeships would require significant investment, and access would remain uneven. More importantly, apprenticeships are a longer-term solution, while the NEET challenge is immediate.

More than a quarter of learners completing level 3 currently move directly into employment outside apprenticeships. Yet V Levels are geared towards progression to higher education. That route really matters, but balance is essential. A system that marginalises transition into work risks failing a substantial cohort of young people.

It is precisely this alignment, between skills, employers and growth, that leaders like Burnham have prioritised.

Greater Manchester’s approach shows the value of embedding technical education within a broader economic strategy. National reform should build on that principle, not narrow the system in ways that reduce flexibility or responsiveness as a creed.

Refine, not reset

There is much to welcome in the ongoing reforms, and policymakers are commendably co-creative. But as we approach the next phase of reform and a change in prime minister, we can take stock.

We are on the right path. The task is to refine, not reset.

Policymakers and regulators need time to assess how reforms are working in practice, particularly the interaction between qualifications, apprenticeships and labour market demand.

Reform timelines should not be driven by political cycles when this endangers the reforms themselves.

There is also a strong case for preserving more flexibility at level 3 and doing more to support young people into work.

Young people get one chance at post-16 education. The system must meet them where they are; we should not be experimenting unnecessarily on any cohort.

With careful adjustments, we can strengthen the ongoing reforms and improve their longevity.

If we do not, we risk repeating a familiar cycle of reform, disruption and under-delivery, and leaving more young people behind.

Minister eyes bursary to tackle apprenticeship benefits penalty

Ministers are considering topping up low-income household benefits to close a loophole that penalises families when a young person starts an apprenticeship.

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has asked officials to scope out a targeted bursary for a “small number” of universal credit-claiming households who can end up worse off under the current benefits rules.

It follows warnings that some disadvantaged families can lose between £17 and £339 a week in child benefit, the universal credit child element and work allowance if a 16-year-old household member becomes an apprentice instead of remaining in full-time education.

An April report by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) found that the financial impact is discouraging some parents from supporting their children to take up apprenticeships.

When questioned on the SSAC report in the House of Commons earlier this year, McFadden rejected MPs’ requests for the government to step in because “a young person taking up an apprenticeship will be earning money that contributes to the family income”.

Speaking at a Good Growth Foundation event today, McFadden said the government was now exploring targeted bursaries for the families who are financially worse off after a young person starts an apprenticeship.

He said: “I want to make sure that no young person is disincentivised for taking up an apprenticeship. When you start one at a young age, the wages you earn almost always mean that your family is better off, but for a small number of universal credit, they can be financially worse off, even after apprenticeship wages are taken into account.

“So, I want to look at what we can do to support that group of young people, for example, through a targeted bursary.”

McFadden added that he had asked officials to examine what such a scheme would cost.

“What I’m trying to do, I can’t completely promise this today, but I’ve asked the department to look up and work up is: what would it cost us to give in those defined and targeted circumstances a bursary to help make that more of a positive decision to get into work?

“What I’m trying to do on these cliff edges and disincentives is to go through them and try to make them pay at every stage of the process.”

The work and pensions secretary described what has become known as the “apprenticeship penalty” as one of the welfare system’s “quirks and cliff edges” that can influence family decision-making.

However, he argued that in most cases families are still financially better off when a young person becomes an apprentice because apprenticeships are paid.

According to the independent advisory body, households that include disabled family members are among those hit hardest by the current rules.

The SSAC found some young people are choosing to remain in full-time education so they continue to be treated as dependants and their families retain access to benefits.

Researchers also heard multiple examples of single-parent households discouraging children from starting apprenticeships because of concerns about losing child maintenance payments. In one case, a parent asked their child to quit their apprenticeship or leave the family home.

McFadden said universal credit should be a bridge into work rather than “a trap that people cannot escape”.

It follows the recent publication of former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn’s interim report from his review of Britain’s youth unemployment and inactivity crisis.

Milburn estimates the annual economic cost of around one million young people being not in education, employment or training (NEET) to be about £125 billion.

A full report that includes recommendations is expected to be published later this year.

In the last year, the government has announced incentives to get more young NEET people into work, including an employer bonus of £3,000 for hiring a young person who has been on universal credit for six months or more.

Construction secures rethink on apprenticeship assessment reforms after industry backlash

Construction apprenticeship assessment reforms have been overhauled after Skills England agreed to a sector-specific, risk-based approach designed to protect competence in safety-critical jobs.

The agreement comes almost a year after the government’s original reforms sparked opposition from a coalition of 35 construction and built environment organisations that warned assessment changes risked “dumbing down” apprenticeships and allowing unqualified learners to pass.

Following that backlash, Skills England paused the reforms for construction and established a dedicated Construction Taskforce involving industry bodies, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and the Building Safety Regulator.

The taskforce has now agreed a new methodology that uses “risk profiling” to tailor assessment requirements according to the level of occupational risk rather than applying a single model across all construction standards.

Instead of prescribing the same level of assessment detail for every apprenticeship, occupational groups will now be able to mandate assessment methods, reduce the use of “sampling” for higher-risk skills, set tolerance levels and align assessment plans with industry competence standards and card schemes where appropriate.

Risk-based approach agreed

Last year Skills England, which now sits in the Department for Work and Pensions, announced plans to ditch the end-point assessment model introduced in 2017 as a flagship reform to raise the quality of apprenticeships.

It has tested new “principles” since February 2025 to slim-down and simplify assessment plans in a bid to cut bureaucracy and improve completion rates while maintaining rigour.

But employers argued the changes could weaken assessment, particularly in safety-critical trades covered by the Building Safety Act.

One of the most controversial reforms is the proposed use of “sampling”. Instead of proving every knowledge, skills and behaviour requirement, apprentices are now to be assessed on a smaller selection of the criteria, with overall competence inferred. Critics warned this could create inconsistent standards and encourage lighter-touch assessments.

A spokesperson for the Construction Taskforce said it has worked with officials and occupational groups to develop new assessment plans that “satisfied industry concerns and secured the benefits of the reforms”.

Eight apprenticeship standards have since been used to test the new model.

Examples include level 2 painter and decorator, where limited additional prescription has been added with “defined tolerance levels in certain areas”; level 4 construction site supervisor, which will retain the standard Skills England assessment structure but include a mandatory professional discussion; and level 2 carpentry and joinery, where safety-critical skills will require mandatory observation or simulation, reduced sampling and tighter assessment tolerances aligned with blue CSCS card requirements.

Three revised assessment plans are now out for consultation until August 2: level 2 carpentry and joinery, level 2 general builder and level 4 building services engineering senior technician.

Helen Hewitt, chief executive of the British Woodworking Federation and founder of the Construction Coalition, said the new approach represented a major improvement on the original proposals.

“From the outset, the construction industry was clear that the proposed reforms could undermine the apprenticeship assessment quality and individual competence in safety-critical roles,” she said.

“The introduction of a new risk-based approach means each occupation can now be assessed on its own merits and aligned with the competence requirements expected by industry. As occupational lead for the level 2 carpentry and joinery apprenticeship, I am pleased that this has resulted in an assessment plan that both industry and Skills England can support.”

Jonathan Mitchell, Skills England’s deputy director, said the revised model would deliver a more streamlined assessment system while maintaining employer confidence.

“Together, we have developed a more streamlined approach to apprenticeship assessment that manages risks, maintains employer confidence and reflects the realities of the regulatory landscape.

“The close collaboration and constructive challenge from partners across industry, government and regulators has been critical in reaching this point.”

Second union to join AQA strikes as staff ‘struggling to afford basics’

Unite members at England’s largest exam board AQA are to strike in a dispute over pay, as Unison reveals plans for seven further days of walk-outs on the issue.

More than 100 Unite members at AQA are to walk out across 16 and 17 July, as the union says members are “struggling to afford basics”.

Meanwhile around 400 members of Unison will walk out from 13 to 19 July, as their pay dispute with AQA rumbles on.

Unite said a poll of its members employed by AQA found more than 10 per cent “regularly use or are considering using” food banks. Meanwhile half said their debts have increased in the last year.

The union said its lowest-paid member at AQA is earning £24,479 a year.

Unite members have rejected a pay offer from AQA, saying it doesn’t go far enough to redress years of “real-terms pay cuts”.

Meanwhile annual accounts for 2025 show AQA has free reserves of more than £88 million.

‘Completely unacceptable’ says general secretary

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is completely unacceptable that workers at a wealthy organisation have been left struggling to afford the basics. AQA can more than afford to fix this by paying its workforce properly.

“AQA must change tack and invest in its hardworking staff.”

Unite regional officer Jesika Parmar said: “Any strike action is the fault of AQA, who has refused to give its staff a meaningful pay rise.” She urged AQA to return to the table with an improved pay offer.

But an AQA spokesperson said: “In April, AQA awarded a generous pay increase above the rate of inflation to all AQA staff. Around 90 per cent of AQA staff received a pay rise of at least 4 per cent, and the overall pay increase averaged 5.2 per cent.

“AQA also adheres to the Real Living Wage and has done for several years. For this reason, AQA has not agreed to further talks about this year’s pay settlement.”

But AQA says settlement is ‘competitive’

The spokesperson said the pay settlement was “affordable, competitive and sustainable for AQA – bearing in mind the rate of inflation is 2.8 per cent, according to the Bank of England. The union’s claim is flatly wrong: our pay rises in recent years have consistently exceeded inflation.

“AQA is an education charity that doesn’t seek a profit and yet we have awarded a pay increase in excess of our fee increases, which is a generous approach by any standards.”

They also assured young people sitting AQA qualifications “that the summer exam series will be delivered smoothly. Exam results will be delivered on time.”

AQA has offices in Guildford, London, Harrogate, Manchester and Milton Keynes.

Unite members involved in the dispute are employed across roles including in communications and marketing, data analysis, and typesetting.

Striking staff are set to visit Parliament on 17 July, to lobby MPs “on the issue of low pay at AQA”.

The union is also calling for an independent equalities review of AQA’s pay structure, currently scheduled for 2028, to be brought forward, something AQA has now said it is doing.

They also want changes to the pay framework to address pay gaps and for apprenticeship pay increases to be backdated to 2024.

Unison announces ‘coordinated’ strike action

Meanwhile Unison – whose hundreds of members at the exam board staged a four-day walk-out over pay at AQA last month – has confirmed plans to strike for seven further days this month.

Members “have voted to approve a new round of strikes which will run from Monday 13 July until Sunday 19 July,” said a union spokesperson.

“Unison is working in coordination with Unite on its two strike dates on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 July.”

Members walked out last month as AQA leaders reportedly refused to meet to discuss allegations staff have faced a 10 per cent real-terms pay cut over the last five years.

The fresh strike follows what the union described as “minimal progress” during talks with AQA.

Around 400 Unison members are expected to take part, including assessors, exam paper authors and customer service staff.

Unison is calling for pay restoration, which it previously said would require a 7.3 per cent rise this year.

NCFE chief executive David Gallagher dies aged 45

NCFE chief executive David Gallagher died yesterday aged 45 following a cancer diagnosis.

Gallagher had led the education charity and awarding organisation since March 2019, having joined the Newcastle-based organisation in September 2018 as managing director of its end-point assessment business.

He also played a prominent role beyond NCFE, becoming vice chair and then chair of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB), and serving on a number of sector boards and advisory groups.

In a personal update shared in January this year, Gallagher revealed his cancer diagnosis and said he would step back from his responsibilities while undergoing treatment.

A statement from NCFE said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our chief executive, David Gallagher, following a short illness.

“David served as chief executive of NCFE for eight years and played a pivotal role in its development, helping to grow the charity while strengthening its focus on its founding purpose: to promote and advance learning.

“Throughout his career, David was a passionate champion of education and skills and was dedicated to improving opportunities for learners. His leadership, integrity and commitment to NCFE’s mission have left a lasting legacy across the organisation and the wider sector.”

A distinctive voice

Gallagher was among the further education and skills sector’s most visible and outspoken leaders, frequently challenging policymakers and the sector on social mobility, technical education and apprenticeships. He was a persistent advocate for disadvantaged learners on these pages and beyond, publicly arguing for learner-centric approaches to reforms, fair education funding, and access to high-quality training for all.

He was equally willing to challenge regulators on behalf of the awarding industry. At the Federation of Awarding Bodies’ 2023 conference, he described a “waterfall of mistrust” running through the sector, and argued that the toll of regulatory pressure on professionals’ health and wellbeing was something the sector should refuse to accept.

Gallagher often drew on his own unconventional educational journey. In a 2021 interview with FE Week, he spoke candidly about being disengaged at school, being suspended several times during his A Levels, and how family circumstances contributed to a difficult adolescence before he found direction through work and mentoring.

Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, said: “We’re deeply saddened to hear of David’s death. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.

“David was an extremely experienced and knowledgeable force in the vocational sector where his work will leave a lasting positive legacy.”

Rob Nitsch, CEO of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, said: “David Gallagher was deeply immersed in the federation and our industry.  He was absolutely committed and ambitious for the success of all awarding organisations – had had a bold vision and was tenacious in its pursuit; David was one of our most prominent advocates and was always ready to assist others.

“He supported individuals, helped awarding organisations and ensured that NCFE has contributed to the development and impact of the federation. He was known and well-regarded exceptionally widely – we have missed his presence and will continue to do so.”

A career across the sector

After college, Gallagher’s career began at BT before he moved into recruitment and then the welfare-to-work sector. He went on to work across the public, private and charitable sectors in employment and skills, including senior leadership positions at Working Links and Ingeus, and roles with independent training providers including Workpays and Babington.

In 2011, he founded the Institute of Employability Professionals, developing qualifications and an apprenticeship standard for frontline advisers and managers – an achievement he later described as the one he was proudest of.

He joined NCFE in September 2018 to head up the organisation’s apprenticeship end-point assessment business. In less than a year, he was promoted to chief executive. Since then, he backed a range of learner-focused initiatives, including the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence and a £1 million assessment innovation fund.

He was also a board member of the St Martin’s Group, a non-executive board member for Together for Children, a company overseeing Sunderland City Council’s children’s services, and a devoted Middlesbrough FC supporter.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Readers can add their messages of condolence in the comments, which FE Week will pass on to David’s family.

NCFE’s statement added: “NCFE remains committed to supporting its customers, partners and learners. The executive team will continue to assume additional leadership responsibilities and will be supported by Deborah Jenkins, chair of the board of trustees, who is acting as executive chair.

“At this difficult time, our thoughts and sincere condolences are with David’s wife and their two sons.”

Careers support for college students halves in two years

College learners are pleading for more careers support after activities halved in two years – leaving many feeling unprepared for their next steps, a student survey has found.

New census data shows careers lessons, face-to-face careers advice, mentoring and employer engagement have all fallen sharply since 2023 as college leaders struggle with funding pressures that limit their ability to provide tailored support.

The findings come weeks after Alan Milburn’s interim report on youth inactivity revealed that careers guidance, while improved in recent years, remains unequal and work experience is too often treated as an afterthought.

Researchers found college and sixth form students wanted more work experience, higher-quality placements and greater employer interaction to improve their routes into employment and career prospects.

Today’s report, commissioned by the Association of Colleges (AoC) and produced by Youth Employment UK, analysed responses from 2,174 college and sixth form students who took part in the 2025 Youth Voice Census, which collected more than 8,200 responses overall.

Just over half (51 per cent) of respondents said their college or sixth form supported them to develop the skills they will need for the future – unchanged from 2023, when careers support was delivered far more widely.

Six in 10 students said employer visits, trips to employer sites and careers lessons helped prepare them for the future.

However, delivery of careers activity declined considerably between 2023 and 2025.

Careers lessons saw the steepest fall, dropping from 80 per cent of students in 2023 to just 32 per cent in 2025.

Face-to-face careers advice fell from 75 per cent to 49 per cent over the same period, while mentoring more than halved from 45 per cent to 22 per cent.

Employer visits also declined, with one in three students saying an employer had visited their college in 2025, compared with 63 per cent in 2023.

Visits to employers also fell from 26 per cent to 12 per cent over the same period.

The report said students were clear that they wanted more employer interaction and tailored one-to-one careers support.

“They asked for clearer information about apprenticeships and employment routes, and stronger links between courses and careers,” the census said.

The report also found that more than two in five (43 per cent) students had completed work experience in the past year, with many relying on family connections to secure placements.

Lauren Mistry, deputy CEO at Youth Employment UK, said: “Young people are clear that work experience and connections to employers matter. If those opportunities depend too heavily on personal networks, the young people who need them most are at risk of missing out.”

1 in 4 absent from college for 10 or more days

The census also highlighted stark inequalities in attendance, with one in four students missing more than 10 days of education in the previous 12 months.

Just over a third (36 per cent) had missed between one and four days, while 18 per cent had missed between five and eight days.

Lack of motivation or interest was the leading cause of short-term absence, followed by financial and transport difficulties and mental health or stress.

Illness and health problems were also a common reason for absence, cited by nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of college and sixth form students.

The report said disadvantaged learners face additional barriers to attending college and are at greater risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).

A third of students with additional needs missed college because of mental health or stress, compared with 19 per cent of those without additional needs.

Disadvantaged students were also more likely to miss college because of caring responsibilities.

Catherine Sezen, director of education policy at AoC, said the findings on attendance and careers education needed “serious consideration”.

“It’s obvious that those who are disadvantaged, or those with additional needs, need extra support when at college,” she said.

“The findings on their absence, and around work experience opportunities, are deeply worrying and, when combined, clearly show that they are at greater risk of becoming NEET than their peers.

“Colleges do so much for their students, against all odds, but these findings underline the growing strain on the further education system, with funding pressures limiting colleges’ ability to provide tailored support, particularly for those who need it most.

“We are yet again calling for increased investment, better integration of support services and a stronger national strategy for employer engagement.”