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Smaller colleges cold-shouldered by energy capital funding

Leaders of smaller colleges have been left feeling out in the cold after the government released capital funding allocations for energy projects based on student numbers, rather than need.

Colleges are set to receive a £53 million chunk of a £500 million fund that was announced on Tuesday to help “futureproof” the estates of schools and colleges.

According to the Department for Education, this will work out, on average, as £42,000 per secondary school, £16,000 for a primary school, and £290,000 for a further education college.

But, because allocations were calculated based on ESFA revenue receipts for 2021/22, the range around that average is massive, from £10,000 to £1.3 million, and the efficiency of recipient colleges’ buildings hasn’t been taken into account.

FE Week understands that the funding isn’t new but instead comes from underspends across DfE’s other capital budgets.

NCG, Capital City College Group and New City College will each receive over £1 million. At the other end, colleges such as Northern College have only received £62,000.

Colleges have been given discretion to spend the funding on “other capital projects” if they deem efficiency projects to be “not appropriate based on local circumstances”.

Northern’s principal and chief executive, Yultan Mellor, told FE Week that the energy efficiency plans her college has developed will need much more than the £62,000 the institution has been allocated.

Mellor believes DfE should have taken on board the state of college buildings when putting the allocations together, rather than use student numbers as a baseline. This methodology allows for “some cash rich colleges and those with efficient building already” to receive larger allocations, she said.

“We’ve got a capital plan to make our buildings more efficient and projects waiting for the green light on our windows, on insulation, there’s loads we’d like to do … but it’s going to need more than the £62,000 we’ve been allocated,” Mellor told FE Week.

On a webinar organised by the Association of Colleges on Monday, DfE officials told college leaders that the same methodology – using student numbers as a baseline – was the current preferred option for the £150 million injection to the FE capital transformation fund in the spring.

‘Blunt tool’ for energy allocations

Another principal described this methodology as a “blunt tool” that won’t benefit the colleges that need the most help.

According to Luke Rake, principal and chief executive of Kingston Maurward College in Dorset, any capital investment from the government “is of course welcome” but the methodology “should consider the needs of colleges with large estates, especially in rural areas” which often come with higher energy costs.

FE Week contacted LANDEX, the representative body for land-based colleges, but they did not respond to requests for comment.

One suggestion for a fairer approach was for a “sensible, guaranteed minimum” for future capital funding allocations.

Paul Deane, principal and chief executive of Grantham College in Lincolnshire, told FE Week that receiving capital funding without complicated match-funding rules was welcome but suggested that there should be a “sensible minimum” in place in order to meet need.

“I’m pleased to get something without match, but the amount is disappointing. One idea is for a higher minimum, perhaps around £250,000. We also need some certainty on revenue funding for energy costs post-April,” he said.

Benefiting better off?

Several principals suggested that DfE should have taken into account previous capital grants so that better off colleges weren’t automatically entitled to more funding.

Since colleges were reclassified as public sector institutions last week, they must use proceeds from asset sales for their own capital investment.

The Department for Education said funding will be paid to colleges in January and can be spent over the next two financial years.

Improvements could include “installing better heating controls, insulation to reduce heat loss from pipes or switching to energy efficient lighting”, the government said.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan said: “We’re putting this cash in the hands of school and college leaders quickly, so they can decide what work is needed and so that our brilliant teachers can focus on teaching in a warm and safe environment.

“Education is rightly a top priority for this government, and we will continue to strive to provide every child with a world-class education.”

‘Frightening’ freedom of speech bill laws dropped

New legislation that would make registered higher education providers, including colleges, liable to civil claims under the government’s incoming freedom of speech rules has seemingly been ditched.

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which has been making its way through parliament since May 2021, had its report stage debate in the House of Lords on Wednesday night.

One intention behind the bill was to allow people to sue a registered higher education provider if they believed the provider has breached its freedom of speech duties.

Those duties, detailed within the bill, will mandate all providers registered with the Office for Students, and their students’ unions, to “take steps” to “secure the freedom of speech” of its staff, students, “members” and visiting speakers.

If any of those individuals felt that a provider had restricted their freedom of speech, the bill had provisions enabling them to take legal action against the provider or students’ union.

However, that provision was removed by an amendment tabled by Lord David Willetts, the former universities minister, who argued that the risk of getting sued could instead reduce freedom of speech in universities.

“We already face a very worrying trend of a decline in the number of external speakers going to universities because people think it is just more trouble, too risky and too dangerous. The risk with these provisions is that they make that trend worse,” he said during the debate.

Willetts’ amendment, opposed by the government, was the only one pushed to a formal vote that night. The government was defeated by 43 votes.

Provisions for legal action were in part introduced to address concerns that cancelled speakers would suffer financial losses, Willetts said in the debate. These concerns, he argued, should be satisfied by provisions elsewhere in the bill allowing HE regulators to impose fines in cases of freedom of speech breaches.

The need for legal redress

Other peers resisted Willetts’ efforts, albeit unsuccessfully. One of them, the non-affiliated peer Baroness Claire Fox, explained why she thought the ability to take legal action was necessary: “The very driver of the bill is that there are real-life, concrete trouble-makers, here and now, in universities, who are targeting closing down free speech and declaring that certain views are verboten… For me, I wanted this law to frighten university authorities – a little bit.”

Much like the bill itself, there was no mention in the debate of the impacts of its provisions on other types of higher education providers. It’s not clear whether the government with re-introduce the clause when the bill returns to the House of Commons.

Further education leaders have criticised the bill for “accidentally” including FE colleges, providers, and their students’ unions in the legislation, which is predominantly, if not exclusively, designed for universities.

Or, is it even needed?

Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said it was good news that the legal threat was gone, and reiterated his frustration that his member colleges are treated in the bill in the same way as universities.

In a blog for Wonkhe, Gravatt wrote: “The debate in Parliament on the need for the legislation has focused mainly on older universities, a few high-profile cases and issues relating to full-time residential degree-level students. Whatever your views on the need for these changes, I challenge you to find a single piece of evidence that it’s needed in colleges.”

Of the 409 institutions on the Office for Students’ register of higher education providers, 285 are not universities. Of those, 135 are further education colleges.

Another of the amendments passed, this time supported by the government, would outlaw providers’ use of non-disclosure agreements with people who have made complaints about bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct.

NDAs pledge

This follows high-profile campaigns from MPs and lobbying groups who have accused universities of using non-disclosure agreements to silence victims of sexual abuse and bullying.

The former further and higher education minister, Michelle Donelan, introduced a voluntary pledge for HE providers to commit to end the use of NDAs in sexual harassment cases.

However, the government’s education minister, Baroness Barran, said in the debate that it was “telling” that so few institutions had signed up, and so legislation became necessary.

“While the very existence of NDAs makes it difficult to understand the full extent of the practice, a 2020 BBC investigation found that nearly one-third of universities had used NDAs to resolve student complaints,” she said.

“It has been encouraging to see that many institutions have signed up to a voluntary pledge rejecting the use of NDAs in such circumstances. However, it is telling that many institutions have not done so, despite strong encouragement from the government. I am pleased to support this amendment on behalf of the government.”

London’s City Lit halts online lessons until new year after ‘IT disruption’

England’s largest community education college City Lit has cancelled online lessons until the new year due to serious “IT disruption”.

London’s City Lit is also currently unable to process enrolments online or by phone.

Investigators have been drafted in by the college to assess what happened and bring systems back online in time for an anticipated post-Christmas rush of enrolments as adults plan their new year’s resolutions.

The college’s website has been down now for a week. It’s been replaced by a holding page which states: “We are experiencing some disruption to our IT services. As a result, face-to-face classes are continuing as scheduled wherever possible, while online classes are temporarily suspended. At the moment, we are not able to process enrolments online or over the phone.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.”

Mark Malcomson, City Lit’s principal and chief executive, told FE Week that until an investigation is complete, he can’t confirm the cause of the disruption, such as a cyber-attack, for example.

The college had initially hoped to be able to resume online classes from last Sunday, three days after the systems went down, but has now decided to cancel online classes for the rest of the term.

“Luckily, the majority of them are at the end of term anyway, but we’ll make sure that students can finish their classes in the new year,” Malcomson said.

He was first alerted to the problem last Thursday morning when staff and students had lost access to systems.

During the pandemic, when all learning had to be delivered online, the college had worked to fully integrate its systems. Since then, the majority of students, between two-thirds and 70 per cent according to Malcomson, learn face-to-face in classrooms. For the rest, their courses have been paused until the new year.

Malcomson said: “The overwhelming majority of in-person courses were minimally affected, if at all. What was affected, because the [IT] systems are quite interlinked, was our ability to deliver online classes.”

The college is yet to release any further information on the cause of the disruption while a team of experts investigate, and can’t yet say when systems will be back online.

Cyber security experts JISC said “various parts” of DfE and the college’s “very good” tech staff are part of the college’s recovery team, Malcomson confirmed.

“We’ve got a very good team that was recommended to us. They are looking at two things; they’re looking at what happened, and sustainably bringing it all back to normal operating function.”

Until those investigations have concluded, Malcomson can’t say what damage has been done or whether any data has been compromised.

Another priority for the college is to re-establish online enrolment as quickly as possible in the run up to an expected rush of interest in courses after Christmas. This was “absolutely critical for us” Malcomson said, adding: “Last year we saw it [enrolments] really pick up around the 28th and 29th December as people focus on coming back after the holiday period.”

A significant proportion of City Lit’s income comes from its course fees.

The college saw a 27 per cent drop due to pandemic lockdowns which resulted in a financial ‘notice to improve’ from the Education and Skills Funding Agency. A FE Commissioner report praised the college’s recovery efforts at the time.

Ofsted pulls provider’s ‘inadequate’ report in unprecedented move

Ofsted has taken the unprecedented step of unpublishing an ‘inadequate’ report for a training provider – and now plans to carry out a reinspection following an appeal.

UK Training & Development Limited (UKTD), based in Hemel Hampstead, was handed the lowest possible judgement in a report published in October. The outcome opened up the provider to contract termination from the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The company’s owner threatened the inspectorate with legal action after saying she was “shocked” with the damaging report, which failed to consider the impact of Covid-19 on the hairdressing industry that her provider delivers apprenticeships to.

UKTD had its original appeal rejected and Ofsted proceeded to publish the grade four report.

But, in an extraordinary move, the watchdog has removed the report more than a month after its publication.

Ofsted told FE Week that UKTD has continued to appeal against the judgement “through the complaints process and we have upheld aspects of their appeal”.

“We have removed the report from our website and will reinspect UKTD in due course,” a spokesperson added.

It is unclear what UKTD argued in its appeal to force Ofsted to remove the report and decide that a reinspection was required.

UKTD’s managing director, Theresa Wisniewski, said she could not comment on the case at this stage other than to say: “We welcome Ofsted’s decision.”

Training providers and colleges have been successful in getting their judgements upgraded prior to inspection reports being published in the past, but it is unheard of for Ofsted to remove a report after publication and decide to carry out a reinspection.

Several other providers have complained this year that Ofsted is handing out grade fours without considering the part the pandemic has played on apprenticeship delivery – and in some cases followed it up with legal action.

Two providers launched high court bids to get their grades overturned in recent months, but both were unsuccessful.

This isn’t the first time UKTD has battled ‘inadequate’ Ofsted grades. The provider was given the judgement twice in 2017.

The two inspections were based on safeguarding failings. It is not clear why the Education and Skills Funding Agency did not terminate the provider’s contracts following the previous grade four judgements, as is usual practice for independent training providers. The agency can, however, decide not to terminate contracts in exceptional circumstances. UKTD, which was set up in 1998, was also judged ‘inadequate’ in 2006 by the Adult Learning Inspectorate – Ofsted’s predecessor.

Ofsted’s latest inspection of UKTD took place in July when the provider had almost 200 apprentices.

Wisniewski previously told FE Week it was “very frustrating for any provider when outcomes lack consistency and seem to be dependent on which inspection team arrives on the day”.

The managing director instructed Angela Sandhal of Duncan Lewis Solicitors to assist the provider with their appeal.

At the time of the publication of the grade four report Sandhal said: “My client is concerned that the current inspection findings are part of a pattern of grade four inspections at a time when providers are still in the Covid recovery phase.

“We have asked Ofsted to provide us with the raw data gathered during the inspection process.”

UKTD is still listed on the government’s register of apprenticeship training providers and is not listed as having a suspension on new starts.

First bootcamps-only inspection results in glowing report

The first inspection of a training provider that solely delivers skills bootcamps has resulted in a glowing report.

Birmingham-based School of Code received two ‘significant’ and one ‘reasonable’ progress score in an early monitoring visit of its provision in a report published today.

Inspectors hailed the provider for implementing a “highly effective curriculum” for computing coding skills that “encourages the development of knowledge and skills in a creative and controlled online environment”.

The provider was one of the inspirations behind skill bootcamps, having offered the model for years before the government decided to fund them nationally from 2020.

Skills bootcamps have been out of Ofsted’s remit since their launch, but the watchdog was given powers to inspect them last month after a thematic review of their provision raised quality concerns. These inspections are not supposed to get underway until April 2023, however.

Ofsted told FE Week that it inspected School of Code ahead of this because its skills bootcamps are funded through the West Midlands Combined Authority’s adult education budget.

A spokesperson confirmed that skills bootcamps funded through the DfE’s national skills fund, which includes the vast majority of skills bootcamps, will be inspected from April 2023.

Skills bootcamps are flexible courses designed for adults to train in careers in areas of national skills shortage, such as construction, manufacturing and digital. The bootcamps, based around levels 3 to 5, also guarantee an interview with an employer.

School of Code was teaching 122 learners at the time of Ofsted’s inspection.

The inspectorate said the company’s leaders are “highly ambitious for their learners” having designed and implemented a course that aims to take learners with no prior coding experience to becoming work ready within 20 weeks.

Through biannual partnership boards, leaders work with employers to “identify current industry needs and to reflect on and improve activities such as ‘Demo Days’ where employers interact with learners”.

The “strong” relationships they nurture with employers result in learners having opportunities to apply for jobs in the sector.

Leaders also “support coaches to maintain and develop their coding skills well” and there is a board of governance that offers a “range of expertise, including education experience in coding, corporate training and finance”.

Chris Meah, chief executive of the School of Code, said: “We’re not your traditional FE provider. We’re an entrepreneurial, transformational, intensive course that started to help more and different types of people learn tech skills and launch great careers.

“The fact that Ofsted have given such an excellent review of what we’re doing is fantastic and shows we’re not only reinventing skills training with our free, 16-week bootcamp but also keeping and pushing standards higher as we go.”

DfE eyes early release of apprenticeship funding rules from next year

The Department for Education is eyeing an earlier release of next year’s apprenticeship funding rules as part of efforts to help providers and employers meet their obligations.

The DfE’s head of apprenticeship funding policy, John Myers (far left seated in main image), told Thursday’s Streamlining the System conference in Birmingham that the department would release the rules before May.

While not wishing to put a firm date on that, Myers said the department is currently working on a schedule roughly four weeks earlier than this year’s.

Conference delegates said that July – when the rules have been released in some previous years – was too late to implement all of the requirements needed.

Funding rules go live on August 1 each year.

Myers said: “We want to be ahead of the game this year, we want to publish rules earlier. We started earlier.”

He added: “We need to pitch it where it is just right where we get the rules out more quickly, but we allow the policies to settle. It will be out before May this year, but I don’t want to put a date on it just yet until we know clearly the policy changes we want to make.”

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers, which ran Thursday’s conference in partnership with the DfE, has put forward a host of other changes to simplify the funding rules, which the department is currently considering.

However, Myers said it is already backing some of the ideas, such as an online eligibility checker to help employers and individuals see if they meet the criteria for programme funding, and reducing duplication. He said the team had already found around 50 rules which are duplicated that can be stripped out.

In addition, AELP feedback said the funding rules for employers was too long and smaller employers did not have the time or resources to go through them thoroughly. It has called for the DfE to consider amalgamating provider and employer rules and provide a shorter synopsis to help smaller businesses understand the rules quickly.

Simon Ashworth (speaking at the podium in the main image), AELP policy director said: “We’re really pleased that the skills minister and officials at the DfE confirmed plans at our conference today to publish the apprenticeship funding rules for 2023/24 as early as possible.

“Getting funding rules in place earlier in the year will be a great help to providers. We also welcome the department’s commitment to reduce burdens on providers and employers taking on apprentices, and hope to see detailed plans soon.”

‘Middle-class grab’ of degree-level apprenticeships intensifies

Ministers have been urged to get a grip on access to degree-level apprenticeships after new research found the ‘middle-class grab’ on the courses is getting worse.

Social mobility charity the Sutton Trust released a report today that showed only five per cent of those starting a degree apprenticeship in 2020/21 were from lower income areas, compared with 6.7 per cent of those going to university.

Young apprentices from deprived areas made up six per cent of degree-level apprentices in 2018/19.

Sutton Trust said its research suggests that these apprenticeships are, in fact, not a more accessible pathway than the university route for those from low-income backgrounds, rhetoric that the government often pushes.

The charity called for measures to rebalance apprenticeships back towards disadvantaged young people after seeing soaring numbers of higher-level apprenticeships for older people since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017.

Then-skills minister Anne Milton was first to warn of a middle-class grab on apprenticeships in 2018. Her concerns have since been echoed by current skills minister Robert Halfon, albeit while he was chair of the education select committee, and current education secretary Gillian Keegan.

FE Week asked the DfE what action it has taken to address the issue in recent years, but Halfon has appeared to pass the buck to universities.

He told FE Week: “We’ve seen the popularity of degree apprenticeships grow and grow with over 148,000 starts since their introduction in 2014/15, but universities and higher education providers must do more to increase take-up and achieve parity of esteem with the traditional university route, encouraging people to feel that this is an option open to them, whatever their background.”

The Sutton Trust’s research, conducted by the London School of Economics and the University of Surrey, found the share of apprenticeships across all levels in the most deprived areas of the country has decreased from 26 per cent in 2015 to 20 per cent in 2020, compared to an increase in the most affluent areas from 14 per cent to 18 per cent.

Rebecca Montacute, senior research and policy manager at the Sutton Trust, said: “Our research has consistently highlighted that the apprenticeship programme isn’t delivering on its social mobility potential.

“Apprenticeships are at the heart of the government’s skills agenda, but we are still seeing the same issues year after year. It is vital that this government takes the action needed to boost apprenticeship opportunities for disadvantaged young people.”

She said the government could implement measures to “stop levy funds being used to train senior staff members, and target more opportunities towards young people” to make them more accessible.

Sandra McNally of University of Surrey and Centre for Economic Performance LSE, added: “The questions for policy makers arising from our report include whether there ought to be more explicit targeting of firm-level incentives towards younger people and how opportunities may be made more widely available for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Ministers have repeatedly declared their desire for all universities to offer degree apprenticeships.

Learning and Work Institute chief executive Stephen Evans said higher apprenticeships are a “really great opportunity to boost social justice and social mobility”, but “only if we make sure that we widen access to them”.

He said part of this was higher education institutions and employers’ responsibilities, but it is the “government’s responsibility to coordinate”.

Evans added that it was “worrying” that no progress has been made on widening participation for degree-level apprenticeships as they’ve expanded, and that government appears to have “no overall strategy” to tackle this.

“It feels like there is a real gap in action and in knowledge here,” he told FE Week. “The fact that the stats haven’t moved on suggests that we need to increase our urgency or increase our action.”

John Blake, director for fair access and participation at the Office for Students, said earlier this year the higher education regulator asked all universities and colleges with an access and participation plan to “review and where appropriate expand their offering of degree apprenticeship and other non-traditional routes”.

“We will continue to encourage universities and colleges to continue to monitor and review their degree apprenticeship courses to ensure they are meeting our regulatory requirements and are providing students with positive outcomes,” he added.

Apprenticeships: The ticket to your dream career

“You have the ability to allow people to express themselves and showcase who they are.”

At VTCT, we’re passionate about Apprenticeships as a step towards your dream career. But what is being an Apprentice really like? And what skills do you need to get there? We spoke to Jody Jones, VTCT’S Business Development Manager for Apprenticeships, to discover how she got to where she is today and what tips she has for current or future apprentices.

Jody, tell us about your background and how you got to where you are today?

I was always inspired by my Mum who to this day is still hairdressing, so I started working in a hair salon at 14 as a Saturday girl whilst still in school and studying my GCSE’s, in my local village salon at the weekends. The team were so wonderful and after 2 years they asked me if I wanted to do an apprenticeship there. I then went on to do my apprenticeship in Kent. Having this team behind me still keeps me motivated for our industry to this day.

After working in different salons I worked abroad and on cruise and private ships and on my return to the UK I wanted to give back to the industry. I felt so lucky to have seen so much of the world as “just” a hairdresser and wanted to inspire the next generation.

Working in the Soho branch of Headmasters salons I began teaching apprentices and doing my teaching qualifications; I then went to work for Wella Professionals as a technical educator. By this point I realised that I wanted to go to the root of our hairdressing education to have the biggest impact – and this is why I now work for VTCT the awarding body.

Why should young people should consider an apprenticeship over other career paths?

Different types of learning environments suit different learners. The unique part of an apprenticeship is immediately having a job; you are getting paid and are in the industry from day one. An inspirational hairdresser once told me “in hairdressing we steal with our eyes”, that could not be truer in apprenticeships. You are exposed to so much and are learning without even realising.

As a Hairdresser, what do you see as the key skills that are needed in the profession?

Aside from the skill of being a hairdresser, you also master people skills, managing an environment effectively, managing your time effectively, science related to colour, cut and haircare, lip reading (!) – There will always be towels to wash and dry and making a good cuppa will forever be your party trick! But on a more serious note, you have the greatest gift as a hairdresser. You have the ability to allow people to express themselves and showcase who they are – that is a truly the most amazing thing you can do for someone.

What do you see as the key ‘skills for life’ for young people today?

The key skills of this generation are much the same as what I learnt above, but we now have names and accredited courses for them. Mental Health Awareness, Sustainability and LGBTQ+ are areas in which VTCT and Skillsfirst have proudly developed qualifications.

These are what wrap up and put a ribbon on hairdressing these days. Show up with these in tow and there will be no stopping you. By showing you have not only got passion for the hairdressing industry but also how you influence the people and the planet around you makes going to work much more satisfying.

If you’ve been inspired by Jody’s story and are keen to develop, or support someone else on their journey towards their dream career, visit our website https://www.vtct.org.uk/apprenticeships/

DfE exceeds 16k skills bootcamps starts target in 2021-22

The government exceeded its target for skills bootcamps starts last year – including for HGV drivers, according to new data.

Department for Education figures published this morning shows 16,120 people started one of the free, 12-to-16-week courses between April 2021 and March 2022 against a target of 16,000.

Of those starts, 4,740 were on HGV driving bootcamps. The DfE had aimed to train 3,000 new HGV drivers through skills bootcamps to tackle the national shortage of haulage drivers.

However, today’s release has no data on how many of the starters completed their programme or what their outcomes were.

There is also no information on skills bootcamp learners’ characteristics, such as their gender. Previous FE Week analysis found that the flagship skills bootcamps policy was only funding sectors heavily dominated by men.

Today’s data release said further statistics for learner completions and outcomes by participants will be published “in due course, once the data is available from providers”.

Previous early research reports for the first wave of skills bootcamps, which covered the period September 2020 to March 2021, flagged poor outcomes and data collection issues.

There are also issues with the reliability of today’s data.

Data is collected from provider’s own records and compiled by DfE from individual provider submissions.

The DfE admitted a “number of errors and inconsistences in the way in which starts data had been reported between providers were identified”.

To address this the data was subject to a “number of quality checks”, including removing duplicate records and “cleaning” to “ensure consistent formatting for key variables, including National Insurance Number, postcode, name, and all start and payment dates”.

The DfE said: “The methodology used to determine starts means that the reported figure is conservative. A valid start required the presence of data for a valid start date and the first payment date. It is possible providers did not record this data for some starts which may mean the estimate is lower than the true figure.”

It was announced in January that all new skills bootcamp providers will be required to submit information about their courses through the individualised learner record (ILR) to overcome these issues – but this was not made mandatory until wave three of the rollout in 2022-23.

Responding to today’s data, minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education Robert Halfon said: “Skills bootcamps are part of our skills and apprenticeships revolution and have already given thousands of people the chance to step up the ladder of opportunity.

“We’ve exceeded our target of 16,000 starts in the last year, showing that these courses are not only popular but plugging skills gaps. From taking up accelerated apprenticeships or going on to further study in key sectors like digital, engineering and HGV driving, these courses are enabling people to climb the ladder by moving into a new job.”

They were first announced in September 2020 as a key pillar of the government’s national skills fund.

Almost £50 million has already been spent on the scheme and the DfE’s target for both starts and completion in 2021-22 was 16,000.

Over half a billion pounds has been committed for skills bootcamps from 2022 to 2025.

Ofsted has been asked to inspect skills bootcamp provision from April 2023 after quality concerns about the delivery of the training were raised earlier this month.