Colleges celebrate alumni in England Women’s Euro 2022 squad ahead of final

Colleges which taught players in the England women’s football team have hailed the achievements of their former students ahead of the Euro 2022 final on Sunday.

The Lionesses defeated Sweden 4-0 in the semi-finals earlier this week to secure a place in the final at Wembley this weekend against Germany.

Among the 23-strong team are a handful of college graduates.

Jill Scott at Gateshead College

Jill Scott and Demi Stokes both studied at Gateshead College – with Scott going on to help in a coaching capacity.

Scott studied at the college’s academy for sport from 2003 to 2005 for a level 3 BTEC in sports science, going on to complete a foundation degree in sport in 2006 in partnership with the University of Sunderland.

Between 2008 and 2013, when she was part of Everton’s line-up and the international squad, Scott returned to the college to help head coach Melanie Reay with coaching and mentoring.

Stokes (main image) meanwhile attended the college’s sport academy from 2008 to 2010 to achieve a level 3 BTEC in development coaching and fitness, and a level 4 diploma in sport and recreation.

David Alexander, principal and CEO of Gateshead College said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to reach the final and we’re all immensely proud to have two Gateshead College alumni, Jill Scott and Demi Stokes, in the squad, they are a real inspiration to all our students. 

“Along with the whole country, everyone at Gateshead College will be cheering on the Lionesses this Sunday and it would be great to welcome Jill and Demi back for a visit with the trophy.”

Ella Toone at Wigan & Leigh College

Midfielder Ella Toone, who scored in the team’s 2-1 quarter final win over Spain, studied at Wigan & Leigh College for a level 3 national extended diploma in sports science from 2018.

Gareth Hayes, head of sport at the college, said: “Since she left college, we have continued to watch Ella’s football career flourish. We are extremely proud of what she has achieved.

“From making her first team debut for Manchester United, to scoring a crucial goal for England in the Women’s Euros 2022, her performance has been nothing short of exceptional.

“As a Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) accredited college, we are extremely proud of how we support our athletes with a dual career, offering a flexible approach to their studies to support academic performance, alongside their professional sport commitments.

“Ella is a true inspiration to the next generation of athletes and we look forward to seeing what she will accomplish in the future.”

Striker Bethany England attended Barnsley College, where she is understood to have studied A-levels in citizenship, health and social care, law and sociology.

Luke Forgione, performance and athlete development co-ordinator at the college, said: “Beth is an inspiration for all. A woman that comes from our town and represents the Barnsley values so well.

“Like many girls, Beth fought against all odds to play the game of football and is part of an England women’s team that is reaching new heights. Here at Barnsley College, we are immensely proud of her achievements,  and she is an inspiration for many.

Bethany England playing for England

“Beth’s story shows what can be achieved with hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. Beth has shown football is for all, she is a hero on and off the pitch. This girl definitely can.”

Deputy principal for culture, place and communities, Liz Leek, added that the college is “rightly proud” of Beth and those who helped her realise her talent, adding: “Our sports academy provides opportunities for young people to shine and Beth is one of the shiniest! We are all delighted that Beth is one of our alumni and everyone will be cheering her on this Sunday.”

The squad secured a 1-0 win over Austria before trouncing Norway 8-0 and breezing 5-0 over Northern Ireland in the group stages. A 2-1 win over Spain in the quarter finals was followed by a 4-0 crushing of Sweden in the semis to reach the Wembley final.

Kick-off for Sunday’s final is at 5pm.

DfE opens £32m injection fund bids for higher technical qualifications

Bids have opened for an eight-figure pot of government cash to boost delivery of level 4 and 5 higher technical qualifications.

The Department for Education today opened the applications for the £32 million Higher Technical Education Skills Injection Fund, which is to be used for investing in equipment and resources for providers delivering approved higher technical courses.

But bidders must predict the number of learners they expect in their applications for the cash, and risk clawbacks if they don’t hit 80 per cent of those numbers.

The DfE said the aim of the fund is to “create additional capacity to grow and deliver high quality level 4/5 provision and HTQs”.

The funding will be used for newly approved occupational routes in digital; construction; and health and science for September 2023 or January 2024 delivery.

An ‘early adopter’ opportunity to apply for funding to support higher technical qualification routes in business and administration; education and childcare; engineering and manufacturing; and legal, finance and accounting, which are earmarked for September 2024 or January 2025 delivery, is also available.

The pot is made up of £22 million for capital costs such as specialist equipment, perpetual software licenses and refurbishing existing facilities. The cash cannot be used for constructing new buildings though.

The remaining £10 million of the fund is for resources such as upskilling technician staff, curriculum planning, or learner recruitment events.

The DfE said the fund is open to further and higher education establishments, independent training providers and existing Institutes of Technology.

Providers with an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating and those not registered with the Office for Students will not be able to make a bid.

The formula for grants will be based on predicated learner numbers, with funding capped at £5,000 per learner, but the DfE stressed the final amounts will be based on the number of successful applications.

It said there were no minimum learner numbers, but did expect a “viable cohort”, and warned that funding clawbacks could be used where providers failed to reach 80 per cent of their predicted numbers.

In addition, Institutes of Technology can benefit from a 10 per cent uplift in funding, while some providers in designated Local Skills Areas – places where skills-based interventions are taking place as part of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda – can secure a 5 per cent uplift.

Applications must be submitted by the end of October 5 and include details of predicted learner numbers and spending plans. Funding allocations are set to be confirmed in late November or December.

Monitoring and evaluation returns are also among the conditions of funding.

The DfE said: “The government is committed to growing high quality Level 4/5 provision to help raise productivity and unlock potential. This is a key part of the post-18 skills system reforms given the skills shortages and employer demand. Growing high quality Level 4/5 provision includes increasing uptake of higher technical qualifications.

“In the government response to the higher technical education consultation (July 2020), the Department for Education set out the government’s plans to make higher technical education a more popular and prestigious choice that provides the skills employers need. The reforms include a new national approval scheme to identify HTQs that meet employers’ skills needs, improving the quality of higher technical education, and encouraging more people to take higher technical education courses.”

It added that it wants to “ensure that, over time, HTQs are established as a flagship offer at Level 4/5”.

The full conditions of the pot are available on the government website here.

The PM-hopefuls need a plan for missed traineeship targets

Instead of taking back unspent cash, the DfE and Treasury should look at reallocating this underspend as a new training allowance, writes Ian Ross

It is hard to escape the media frenzy and coverage of the Conservative Party leadership contest. 

Most of us have probably thought about what the next Tory government will have in store for the FE sector. 

While politicians and ministers have short shelf lives, the imminent change in leadership gives us the opportunity to influence the FE agenda. 

Undoubtedly the next prime minister will want to differentiate their premiership after Downing Street has been rocked by months of scandals. 

One quick fix to addressing youth unemployed is to tweak traineeships.

In Wales, where skills funding is devolved to the Welsh government, young people on a traineeships programme receive a weekly training allowance, paid dependent on learner attendance. That is now part of the Jobs Growth Wales+ initiative.

For example, young people on the Jobs Growth Wales+ engagement strand receive a weekly training allowance of £35 per week.

Meanwhile those young people on the advancement strand receive £55 per week. 

It is worth highlighting that in Wales this does not affect their universal credit entitlement. 

This means those receiving universal credit who are in the intensive work search group can take advantage of more sector-specific training while still receiving financial support. This training can range from digital skills to social care and engineering.

As it currently stands, in England jobseekers can also take part full-time in the free Department for Education skills bootcamps for up to 16 weeks.

Ministers in England had hoped to achieve 43,000 starts on the traineeships scheme in 2021-22 after investing an additional £126 million through the Chancellor’s budget last year. 

This was on top of a £111 million investment to achieve 36,700 traineeships in 2020-21.

But the target was missed by more than half, with only 17,400 starts.

It resulted in the Department for Education handing £65 million of the funding back to the Treasury. 

It’s a travesty so much traineeship cash is returning to the Treasury

The Chancellor’s goal was to triple the number of starts on the pre-employment programme after 14,900 were achieved in 2019-20. 

A similar underspend is looking likely for this year as figures show just 8,900 traineeship starts in the first half of 2021-22 between August to January.

In February to April 2022, 455,000 young people aged 16-24 were unemployed. The number who are economically inactive stands at 2.61 million. 

Meanwhile 61,000 more young people have become economically inactive compared to pre-pandemic levels, an increase of two per cent.

Paying young people a training allowance in England will incentivise young people to sign up to a traineeship. 

With the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, providing a £35 to £55 per week training allowance will make traineeships more accessible for young people.

As inflation continues to rise young people who claim universal credit will find the real value of their benefits decline.

As young people spend more on essentials like rent or bills, this is a serious problem that we must solve. It’s crucial so that young people are not excluded from participating in a full-time skills programme.

And although the former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is to be congratulated for investing in traineeships, in my opinion it is a travesty that so much of this funding is being returned to the Treasury. 

From our own experience we find that many young people think short-term and opt for whatever pays more, often opting for a minimum wage part-time job over a Traineeship. 

Part-time employment may provide short-term income. But a traineeship is a longer-term investment in their skills and qualifications, enabling learners to widen their future opportunities including moving into apprenticeships with better career prospects and pay. 

My preferred option is for the DfE and Treasury to look at reallocating this underspend as a new training allowance.

I believe this will greatly help towards achieving the government’s ambition of tripling traineeships. 

Another option is giving traineeships providers the flexibility to use their existing funding allocations to pay discretionary training allowances. 

If Conservative Party leadership candidates are serious about addressing youth employment, now is a good time to announce their position.

Strike threat cancelled after Merseyside college ups staff pay offer from 1% to 9.8%

Staff at the Hugh Baird College in Merseyside have secured a pay deal up to 9.8 per cent plus additional leave, according to the University and College Union.

The UCU said the pay deal struck at Hugh Baird College, which bests the current 9.1 per cent inflation rate, included a £2,668 uplift to the starting salary of lower paid staff.

In addition, all staff will get a £500 non-consolidated payment, and an additional three days of annual leave per year.

The union said the total offer amounted to a rise of up to 9.8 per cent.

The deal comes after UCU members voted to strike last month unless the college’s original offer of 1 per cent was significantly improved.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: “We welcome this agreement and management’s recognition that pay must improve to mitigate the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.

“This deal shows what can be achieved when union members stand together and demand better. It is a testament to the will of our members and their determination to bargain for a fairer deal, and shows there is no excuse for other colleges across the country to offer real-terms pay cuts, whilst ignoring the severity of the cost-of-living crisis facing staff.”

The news comes after ballots across a host of English colleges resulted in 39 voting in favour of strike action this autumn.

The UCU rejected a 2.5 per cent offer from the Association of Colleges in June, describing it as “totally unacceptable”. That had been increased from first 1 per cent and then 2.25 per cent.

Earlier this month Capital City College Group agreed to a 9 per cent rise for staff on £30,000 or under, with 5 per cent for those on £30,001 and £45,000.

A UCU report in July said that seven in 10 respondents to its survey would seek new employment in other sectors unless pay and conditions improved.

A spokesperson from Hugh Baird College said: “In September 2021, the college launched a bold five-year strategic plan. Attracting and retaining high quality teaching staff who share our vision and our values is central to our people strategy, and has heavily influenced the shape of the pay agreement reached.

“We want our staff to feel valued and rewarded for the work they do in delivering the best possible experience for our students.

“In service of our strategy and following productive discussions with the UCU, we have reached an agreement on a two year pay settlement, backdated to August 1 2021.”

DfE’s latest consultation puts adult community education at risk

The suggested new outcomes are limited and do not relate to the wider benefits of adult learning, writes Sue Pember

Hidden in the recent technical consultation document on FE funding and accountability there are a few proposals which, if implemented, could fundamentally change the adult education offer for many millions of learners who have poor skills.

It will also impact on the Department for Education’s contribution to the “levelling up” agenda for those adults who are furthest away from formal education, work and society.

DfE are proposing to move away from this government’s established and successful policy for community learning which, in the past ten years, has been effective in supporting 400,000 adults annually improve their skills and lead more fulfilling lives.

(Adult community learning has also been described by the chair of the education select committee as the “jewel in the crown” of the FE sector).

That’s because the funding and accountability consultation document seems to have missed the point that many adult learners don’t sign up for their first course because they think it might lead to a better job or set them on a pathway to a brand-new suite of qualifications.

Most turn up to adult community education because they want a fresh start, they’re hoping to find a sense of community and to improve their wellbeing.

Adults who start off on community learning courses will often get hooked on adult community education and find themselves progressing onto other courses that are great for employability, but this often wasn’t their intention when they first turned up.

The need to get adults through the door of adult community education is fundamental if the government wishes to deliver on its promise to level up.

Currently, levels of economic inactivity are soaring and long-term illness is the main driver of record level vacancies.

Adult community education can provide a win-win, it is shown to boost adult mental health and can give the hardest to reach adults a path back to employment.

The need for adult education from entry to level 2 has become even more clear this week as the government published the evaluation of its “Free Courses for Jobs” scheme.

Over half of all providers said that some of their applicants did not hold the requisite level 1 or level 2 qualification to benefit from the level 3 course on offer.

The evaluation recommends that the government target support in making level 1 and Level 2 courses available for learners.

This demonstrates we need to create a pipeline of talent which is built from the foundations of adult community education.

The existing policy states the purpose of community learning is to develop adults to progress into formal learning or employment, improve their health and wellbeing and develop stronger communities.

This policy has provided stability and direction for the last 10 years and has helped millions of adults improve their lives.

Although the overall budget was capped and has not grown since 2010, the adult education sector has been proactive and played their part in building communities and delivering the “levelling up” agenda.

It has been building back since Covid and working with new cohorts of migrants from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan, in addition to those adults over 50 who have not returned to work since Covid. 

Therefore, it came as a bit of a shock that in the consultation on FE funding and accountability the DfE want to limit the scope of community education and duplicate activity already funded through the adult skills budget.

DfE want to limit the scope of community education

The proposed new remit is to use the adult community learning funding allocation to deliver courses that just lead to higher level jobs or further education (of course that’s important but that is the purpose of the main adult education budget).

It also proposes to drop the wider benefit of learning and the requirement to use the funds to develop stronger communities.

Programmes such as family learning, social prescribing, health and wellbeing and first steps ESOL would be lost.

These suggested new outcomes are limited and do not relate the wider benefits of adult learning.

They are restrictive and do not address the broader skills people require now and for the future, and they will undermine local decision making.

These changes will impact adversely on learners from the lowest economic groups, on women and those with health issues.

They will undermine the government’s “levelling up” agenda and put more strain on other services such as the NHS, Department for Work and Pensions and Home Office.

These proposed changes will impact adversely on learners from the lowest economic groups, on women and those with health issues.

It will close the pre-entry ladder to level 2 and 3 skills.

Removing building communities would also limit community engagement and weaken joint work with the NHS.

It would curtail the partnership subcontracting between community providers and the voluntary sector.

We need to ensure, through responding to the consultation that government is aware of what they could lose and stop the unintended consequences of such a change.

Unions threaten results day disruption as AQA staff plan three-day strike

Staff at the country’s largest exam board AQA will go on strike for three days later this month, with a union warning it could disrupt GCSE and A-level exam results.

Unison said today strike action in a row over pay will go ahead, with plans for a walkout between Friday 29 and Sunday 31 July.

The union says it has 180 members, including some staff involved in the awarding of grades, and that the action “could affect the delivery of thousands of GCSE and A-level results”.

But an AQA spokesperson said it had “robust plans in place” to ensure any industrial action did not stop students getting their results on time. 

“It’s a shame that Unison is claiming otherwise, as this is wrong and only serves needlessly to alarm students and teachers.”

Lizanne Devonport, regional organiser for the union in the north-west, said staff had been left with “no other option” than the walkout, plans of which were first revealed by FE Week’s sister publication, Schools Week.

She said a three per cent pay offer “isn’t a wage rise, it’s a pay cut with costs spiralling”.

“Workers only strike as a last resort. They’d rather be doing the job they’re proud of. They don’t want to disrupt students and know how important exam results are to them.”

Workers were given just days to accept the offer, or face a “fire and rehire” scenario, Unison claimed.

But an AQA spokesperson said it was offering an “affordable” pay rise higher than many other organisations, with the average pay increase standing at 5.6 per cent – as staff will also receive a pro rata £500 payment. Those below the top of their bands will see incremental increases.

The lowest-paid staff will receive higher pay offers, he added. He also noted the ballot only included around 160 members, when AQA had around 1,200 staff overall.

He claimed most staff did not support the action, adding: “Nearly nine out of ten of our staff have already opted in to our new pay framework and agreed to the pay rise, including many Unison members, so it’s hard to see what this strike is trying to achieve.” 

Unison said 71 per cent of voters backed industrial action and minimum turnout rules were reached. But AQA said “well under half of Unison’s own members” did not back the action overall, as only 56 per cent voted at all.

Let’s get more FE learners into the research sector

Roles previously considered ‘for uni graduates’ should be inundated with applications from college-leavers. Why aren’t they? asks Victoria Boelman

Covid has had an interesting impact on employment for FE leavers.

Within a few months of the virus hitting the UK, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – fearing, and seeking to fend off, a post-pandemic a wave of youth unemployment -launched the Kickstart scheme.

This was designed to create new jobs for 16- to 24-year-olds on universal credit, who were considered at risk of long-term unemployment.  

Smashing the ivory tower 

Where I work we were quick to sign up, hoping to support young people into careers in social research.

If you’re drawing a blank here, don’t worry – you’re not alone.

Asked what a career in social research might look like (or whether to recommend it to someone in further education) many don’t know what to say.

All too often, it’s seen as an opaque, ivory-tower profession, preserved for those with PhDs.

It certainly does not represent many of those whose voices it seeks to elevate. 

The truth is, social research is a vast profession that covers a range of skills, from data analysis to arts-based storytelling.

Social researchers can be found everywhere – from government to major companies that are household names, charities, and academia.

Yet, despite this breadth, it’s hard to make a social research career seem tangible or accessible to a young person.

Some core skills do not rely on any specific qualification – particularly communication, creativity and teamwork. But the sad reality is the profession is not as diverse as it should be.

We saw kickstart as our chance to challenge this and set out to recruit a cohort of young people from FE, rather than from traditional HE backgrounds.

Between May 2021 and July this year, 22 young people took up this opportunity and discovered that, despite often having only the vaguest of ideas about what a social researcher might do all day, they could build the skills necessary for success.

Together, they designed and delivered research on issues as diverse as fatphobia, financial literacy and being a young person with ADHD in the workplace.

And we, as an organisation, have grown so much from their input, while also seeing many of our kickstarters grown their skills and confidence immeasurably.  

Greater ambition 

We now publish our evaluation of this work – which, sadly, has shown just how hard it is to attract young people from less traditional, non-university backgrounds into this kind of role.

Our aim was specifically to provide opportunities to school – and college-leavers.

Yet fewer than a third of those that applied to our programme had not attended HE, and we had to work hard with local job centres to raise the necessary understanding for them to put the opportunity to young people. 

There were many flaws in the way the programme was implemented by DWP, and The Young Foundation, as an organisation, has also learned much along the way.

What we most want to see in the future for such schemes is a greater ambition and belief in what young people from FE can achieve.

Ambition about the types of careers available to young people leaving FE.

Ambition about the types of organisations who can deliver valuable and meaningful opportunities.

And ambition about breaking down barriers across geography, socio-economic divides, and cultural backgrounds. 

In a (post)-pandemic world, where hybrid and remote work are increasingly possible, greater opportunity should be blossoming for FE leavers, regardless of their location or circumstance.

But these opportunities are worthless if young people don’t know about them. That’s the missing link, and greater support for advisers working in colleges and job centres is vital in bridging it.  

The social research profession desperately needs to diversify, and our experience shows that young people from further education have both the talent and the ambition to drive exciting work in this field – if only they’re given the chance. 

Anglia Ruskin University apprenticeships ‘require improvement’, Ofsted says

Anglia Ruskin University, which trains more than 2,000 apprentices, has been handed a ‘requires improvement’ rating by Ofsted, after concerns were found in curriculum planning and progress for those with learning difficulties.

The university, which runs campuses in Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough, has just over 2,000 apprentices across 22 different higher-level programmes, largely in the healthcare, construction, digital and business management sectors.

Ofsted rated the university ‘requires improvement’ overall following a visit in May. Personal development and behaviour and attitude were rated ‘good’.

Ofsted said apprentices’ experiences varied too much between programmes, highlighting that “too many healthcare assistant apprentices struggle to keep up with the workload,” while “too few chartered surveyor apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeship programme”.

Elsewhere, planning issues were highlighted by the education watchdog, which said planning was “poor on a minority of courses” and “did not always consider the study requirements of the professional body when planning”.

The report said that existing skills and knowledge were not considered enough in planning the curriculum, while “too few apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability receive effective support to enable them to make progress in line with their peers”.

The report praised the collaborative environment and found that apprentices felt valued and respected, but said that while most who reach the end of their programme achieve their qualification, too many take breaks in learning or withdraw from their programme.

Registered nurse apprentices were found to be working above their contracted hours, while progress reviews were infrequent, inspectors said.

The university says action on specific points has already begun.

A spokesperson from Anglia Ruskin University said: “ARU’s apprenticeship programmes play a key role in addressing skills shortages, supporting local economies and transforming the lives of the students. The qualifications that our students go on to achieve are as important and valued as ever. 

 “We were encouraged to see Ofsted’s report highlight our good practices in many areas, and we will make sure that these are implemented across all of our apprenticeship courses. 

“We have already put in place measures to address specific points raised in this report, and we look forward to demonstrating our progress.” 

Free courses for jobs: seven findings from early analysis of the scheme

Three quarters of learners on the government’s free courses for jobs (FCFJ) scheme would not have studied had it not been free, early analysis has found – with plenty of learners retraining for new careers.

The FCFJ scheme was established last year for learners aged 19 and upwards without a level 3 qualification or higher to achieve a recognised qualification for free.

It was extended to those who already hold a level 3 but earned below the national living wage, and those who are unemployed.

This week, the Department for Education published an early study carried out by Pye Tait Consulting, which analysed the performance of the scheme between its launch in April 2021 and November 2021.

Here are some of the main findings.

Uptake has increased

Compared to the 2018/19 baseline, Pye Tait reports that starts of funded learners on eligible courses have increased by 54 per cent, from 7,123 to 11,042 between April and November 2021.

It said that starts are up in all nine English regions, and around three quarters of applicants said they would not have done their course had it not been free.

The report acknowledged that its study only covered the first eight months, but said that enrolments have continued to increase.

“The evidence gathered through this evaluation indicates that full funding level 3 qualifications via Free Courses for Jobs is making a difference to uptake for learners from all backgrounds, and particularly for those on low income, who are unemployed, or have other living costs (such as childcare),” the document said.

Learners are opting for new careers

Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of surveyed learners said their course was in a sector they had no involvement in before.

Pye Tait said it suggests the scheme is “enabling labour market transitions to some extent”.

The most popular sector was health and social care, with courses in building and construction also popular.

Providers are offering more courses

The research said that just over three quarters of providers participating in the study were offering a wider range of courses than before FCFJ.

Nearly two thirds reported offering more remote live classes, and 63 per cent employing more staff to deliver adult education courses.

Around 400 courses are eligible under the scheme.

Funding for providers

Two in five of the surveyed providers said the funding is adequate for them to increase the number of learners, but one in five said it wasn’t enough to provide additional support, such as employing additional staff, marketing, or developing the course.

Those providers suggest more flexibility in the cash so that it remains ringfenced to deliver level 3 adult education but allow them to better suit the needs of their local area market.

Prior skills a concern

Providers say they have noticed applicants holding no prior level 1 or 2 qualifications, insufficient maths or English skills, or other necessary requirements.

The study found 53 per cent of providers reported some of their applicants holding no prior level 1 qualification, rising to 67 per cent saying some had no level 2 either.

71 per cent of providers surveyed said some learners had insufficient English skills, while 69 per cent said some applicants were not at the standard for maths or other prerequisite skills.

While most have been signposting to the necessary level 1 or 2s – and some have provided tailored support or put learners on transition courses (including a quarter of providers utilising funding from the scheme to set up transition courses) – others report that they do not have the resources or finance to do so.

Some have suggested funding Level 1 or 2 courses, or English and maths, may be more beneficial.

Barriers to learning remain…

The scheme was designed to remove one of the key barriers to learning for those without a level 3 qualification – the cost of doing a course.

Accordingly, two in five surveyed said they no longer had any barrier to their study, but for others some challenges still remain.

More than one in four said caring responsibilities made access to learning a problem, while one in five said other financial considerations such as travel costs or costs of equipment remained an impediment.

One in 10 reported a lack of support from their employer or not having a computer at home as barriers to learning.

Some were choosing more remote-based courses as a result.

…prompting recommendations for more support

Pye Tait has recommended the Department for Education gives “careful thought” to providing greater financial support for low-income learners, to ensure learning remains accessible.

It recommends looking at targeted support in two key areas – financial costs such as travel or equipment, and covering costs of related level 1 or 2 courses to enable transition.

Other recommendations are around case studies for minority backgrounds to boost take-up there, and ongoing communication and marketing nationally to raise awareness for the offer.