Latest news from FE Week

Adult literacy must be top of the new PM’s despatch box

Changes in government policy and funding in the last decade have reversed previous positive trends, writes Robert Glick

We should acknowledge the chronic low levels of adult literacy, which ranks the UK below average in the OECD – especially since Friday was international literacy day.

Resolving this challenge offers the new prime minister a way to address one of the UK’s deep rooted problems – its chronically low productivity.

In our increasingly complex and challenging world, a skilled and well-educated workforce is a precondition for success.

For that we really need every adult to be able to read, write and understand maths at a level that allows them to participate effectively in the workforce and in the community.

But the fact is, as many as nine million working-age adults in Britain have low basic skills in literacy or numeracy.

That figure includes some five million who are already in work.

In other words, up to 25 percent of the workforce is underprepared for the challenges of the modern economy.

And more than 20 per cent of adults lack the “life” skills needed to participate in a digital world.

Basic public services, shopping, managing personal finances, news services and entertainment are increasingly moving online.

It means that the more than a fifth of Britons who lack the skills and confidence to use an app or fill in a web form will become increasingly marginalised.

Not only are non-readers less likely to be able to contribute fully at work, they are effectively made to feel like second-class citizens by their inability to access services or relevant state support.

Their health can suffer too, from anxiety and stress at being excluded, and from the stigma of not being a full participant in society.

We have long known what the solutions are, but they need investment in the right places. And they need it now.

Changes in government policy and falling funding in the last decade have reversed previous positive trends.

Adult participation in English, maths, and ESOL (English as a Second Language) learning has fallen 60 per cent over the last decade.

And where there are adult education courses available, fewer than two in five adults know that they exist, and that figure is likely lower for those who might benefit most from free English and maths provision.

How can we turn the tide?

The Adult Literacy Trust is a new volunteer-led initiative to support adult learners, helping them find the confidence and determination to learn.

But this and the work of other charities is a drop in the ocean compared to the need.

What is required is a properly funded adult education programme.

It should be one that is at least equivalent to Multiply, the government’s much-lauded £560 million adult numeracy programme that is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

We need a properly funded adult literacy programme like Multiply

Some of that support should flow through formal further education services.

But more imaginative approaches are also required.

Partnerships with employers and employer’s associations should provide work-based learning.

More community-based programmes are needed, including family learning and partnerships with schools, providing opportunities for accessible learning locally and supporting parents to help with their children’s education.

Literacy learning support should be integrated into the work JobCentre Plus does to prepare candidates for interviews and work placements.

There are roles for volunteers to help, but they require a clear framework and plan to operate within. That is currently lacking.

Improving adult literacy education needs is the far-sighted intervention that can help solve the UK’s long-standing productivity problem, and put the country back on the pathway to growth and prosperity.

Even with relatively low levels of investment in adult skills, the government can make great progress in achieving the skilled workforce required to improve national productivity.

This will help us to get out of the trap of perennially low growth that has seen the UK fall down the economic league tables.

And while quick, emergency fixes are needed for the country’s immediate challenges, longer-term action is needed to restore international competitiveness.

Addressing deep-seated problems is something only governments can do.

FE settings should close on September 19 for Queen’s funeral, says DfE

Schools, colleges and training providers should close on Monday September 19 for the Queen’s funeral which will be a bank holiday, the government announced this evening.

King Charles III approved an order for the funeral to be a bank holiday today at St James’s Palace in London as he was formally declared head of state.

In an email to schools and FE settings, the Department for Education said: “The official date of the State Funeral is 19 September 2022.

“This day will be a bank holiday and settings that are normally closed on a bank holiday should close on this day as a mark of respect. This will include schools and colleges.”

The DfE added that for schools and further education settings normal attendance is expected throughout the national mourning period, other than the bank holiday. The bank holiday will mark the end of the mourning period.

But education leaders “continue to have the power to authorise leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances”. Any requests for leave of absence should be “considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account individual circumstances”.

FE providers based in London should contact their local authority or police service for information on local disruptions during the national mourning period.

Students with work placements during the national period of mourning should continue as planned, guidance states.

Employers that do not usually close for bank holidays are not expected to do so.

The DfE also confirmed that Ofsted inspections will continue as normal through the mourning period, but no inspections will be scheduled on the bank holiday.

FE providers should “discuss any concerns with Ofsted, including whether they are facing exceptional circumstances that might warrant deferral of their inspection”.

Ofsted did however tell FE Week yesterday that it will pause publishing reports during the mourning period.

What’s in the Kit bag? Education leaders’ top asks of the new education secretary

Soaring energy bills, a staff recruitment crisis, and long-running funding headaches should be at the top of the new education secretary’s in-tray, industry chiefs have told FE Week.

Kit Malthouse, now at the helm of the education department faces a “daunting” to-do list for the FE sector, according to the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB).

At the top of that pile is the ongoing cost pressures headlined by escalating energy bills. The Association of Colleges (AoC) warned that energy bills for colleges are at risk of quadrupling, and have left colleges having to spread their already-squeezed budgets even thinner.

Funding rates for both young people and adults in further education have historically been a concern for the sector. The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) and the AoC have both called for an in-year uplift to 16 to 19 funding to help address rocketing costs – including wider cost of living pressures – while a reform and increase of bursary and free college meal funding will aid students.

In a letter to then-education secretary James Cleverly over the summer with a series of priorities, the AoC said capital projects beginning with soon supported government grants had soared in costs because of inflation, and needed an inflation adjustment to enable them to go ahead.

It also said boosting the pay of college teachers – whose salaries can be up to £9,000 behind those of school teachers – would prevent staffing issues from hampering the rollout of T Levels and higher technical qualifications.

In addition, a 10 per cent uplift in T Level funding enabled through the 16 to 19 budget underspend would address the “cost pressures on delivery and incentivise colleges to grow their T Level provision,” it said.

Holex, the industry body for adult and community education providers, has called for the government to inject £5.2 billion into basic and level 2 adult education, with a 10-year budget that “breaks the cycle of low skills, which in turn will pay for itself through a boost in productivity”.

Sue Pember from the organisation said measures such as the Multiply programme – a national scheme aimed at boosting adult numeracy skills – should be mirrored with versions for literacy and language too.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) over the summer outlined a series of key asks from the new prime minister and education secretary.

It included refreshed calls to temporarily re-introduce the £3,000 apprenticeship new hire incentive for employers, which it said could be funded from the underspend in the apprenticeship programme budget for new apprentices aged 16 to 24.

Elsewhere, the future role of applied general qualifications like BTECs has been raised. The SFCA’s deputy chief executive, James Kewin, urged the government to “listen to calls from the #ProtectStudentChoice campaign and abandon plans to scrap the majority of BTECs,” and “end the ongoing uncertainty surrounding these qualifications by shelving plans to run yet another bureaucratic reapproval process”.

FAB also cited bureaucratic barriers. Tom Bewick, chief executive, said: “More effective skills policies – implemented by government and employers – are the main way of equipping workers and businesses with the tools to succeed. The stark reality is that despite over a decade of hyperactive Whitehall driven reforms, the skills and productivity dashboard is flashing red. Adult skills participation has plummeted. Apprenticeships have lost their way. Achievement rates on government funded programmes are in the doldrums.”

FAB said it would like to see reform to the apprenticeship levy in order to boost starts numbers, and improve the overall national achievement rate – which for 2020/21 was 57.7 per cent.

AELP said that fully funded 16 to 18 apprenticeship training and assessment should be extended to all employers that do not pay the levy, not just those who have 50 employees or less, while an underspend in the traineeship budget could fund the introduction of a training allowance to boost the number of young people enrolling.

In the adult education sphere, the AELP said the new government must address learner numbers, and should consider doubling the current £1.3 billion investment in the adult education budget. “This would bring funding back to the level of investment a decade ago,” said AELP chief executive Jane Hickie.

Holex said it wanted to see a plan to address shortages in level 2 qualifications for subject areas such as health and care, the service sector and transport, as well as preparatory work for emerging areas like green skills.

Other broader asks from the sector included a request from FAB to streamline the complicated network of quangos, a national promotional campaign outlining the adult education offer put forward by Holex, and the AoC pressing for a VAT exemption for colleges in a similar way to schools.

Ofsted reports paused during Queen mourning, but inspections continue

Ofsted will pause publishing reports during the mourning of Queen Elizabeth II, but has said inspections will continue.

Senior officials at the inspectorate met this morning. A statement from the inspectorate read: “In line with government guidance that public services should continue and schools and FE settings should remain open during the period of mourning, our inspections will carry on.”

A spokesperson said they will be “understanding of any arrangements or activities education settings have planned or are planning during this period, and our inspectors will work flexibly around them”.

However they will be “pausing the routine publication of inspection reports until the mourning period concludes”.

The FE community has paid tribute to the Queen’s “dedication to public service”. She died aged 96 at Balmoral yesterday afternoon.

A period of national mourning has begun, which will last until the end of the day of the state funeral. Royal mourning will continue seven days after the funeral.

Many events – including music performances and football matches – have been cancelled.

Inspections were suspended during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. A full programme of routine inspections was not brought back until September last year.

Schools and FE settings have been told to remain open following the Queen’s death.

Details of the Queen’s funeral are yet to be confirmed but her son, King Charles III, will decide whether it is designated a bank holiday.

If it is, it’s thought likely that schools would close for the day. Further guidance is expected when a decision is made.

Mental health worries dominate 2022 youth voice census

A survey of over 4,000 11- to 30-year-olds has reported that anxiety and poor mental health are holding back more than half of young people. 

The youth voice census, conducted by the charity Youth Employment UK, is now in its sixth year.

Careers education, experience of assessment and access to work experience were all topics covered, with fewer young people than ever before saying they feel prepared for the world of work. 

Mental health issues accounted for two of the top five barriers reported to finding a job and half of respondents said that exams and assessments impact their mental health negatively. 

Throughout the report, the impact of Covid 19 lockdowns is laid bare, with sizable proportions of young people discussing loneliness and low self-esteem in their responses.

“The numbers reveal the extent of the emergency,” said LJ Rawlings, chief executive and founder of Youth Employment UK.

“51 per cent of young people looking for work thought their anxiety was the biggest barrier to accessing work. 31.2 per cent of young people in work struggle with their wellbeing. Nearly a third (28.5 per cent) of young people said they are experiencing ‘social, emotional and mental health challenges’. 

“The numbers are horrific, and behind each statistic is a young person needing support.”

Over 80% had apprenticeships discussed once or more in secondary school

Most young people were never taught about T Levels, starting their own business or Traineeships, according to the survey. Findings report that 72 per cent hadn’t discussed T Levels, 59 per cent hadn’t discussed starting a business and Traineeships weren’t part of discussions for 66 per cent on young people surveyed. Young people on free school meals were 6 per cent more likely to have heard about T Levels once or more.

Last year, the number of young people reporting that they had discussion A levels and apprenticeship options was almost equal, at 87 per cent and 86 per cent respectively. This year’s results show the gap widened slightly, with 87 per cent saying they had discussed A levels more than once and 84 per cent discussed apprenticeships at least once.

1 in 4 young people rated their secondary school careers education as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’

Only 2 per cent of the young people surveyed said that they visited a training provider as part of their careers education at secondary school. Just shy of 17 per cent said they had visited a college. The most common form of careers education reported were face to face advice (39 per cent) and careers lessons (38 per cent). 

Overall, most young people – 45 per cent – said that the quality of their careers education was ‘average’ and 25 per cent said it was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. Of those, young people with additional needs were 4 per cent more likely to rate their careers education as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

Boys were twice as likely to be ‘very likely’ and young people on free school meals were five per cent more likely to apply for an apprenticeship.

Over two-thirds of college and sixth form students work or want to work alongside studying

Working while studying is likely to become even more prevalent as household bills continue to rise. At the time of this survey, 39 per cent of college and sixth form students were working alongside studying, and a further 30 per cent were looking for jobs alongside their course. 

Students from low-income backgrounds were much more likely to be looking for work. Those eligible for free school meals were twice as likely to be looking for work.

Mental health concerns top barriers finding jobs

When asked about entering the world of work, two of the top five barriers reported by young people related to mental health. 

‘Lack of work experience’ was the top barrier selected, with 55 per cent, however ‘anxiety’ and ‘mental health challenges’ were selected by 51 per cent and 32 per cent respectively. 

Similarly, young people that were already in work reported.

Only 1 in 4 young apprentices feel ‘prepared’ or ‘very prepared’ for their end-point assessment.

The vast majority – nearly 75 per cent – of apprentices that completed the survey said their apprenticeships was either ‘helpful’ or ‘very helpful’ in preparing them for their next steps. 

However only 24 per cent said that they felt ‘prepared’ or ‘very prepared’ for their End Point Assessment, with written responses calling for better communication about EPAs from training providers and employers. 

Two in five college and sixth form students don’t know what they’ll do next

According to the survey, a majority of young people think the quality of education at college or sixth form is good, but a sizable number don’t know what they want to do next. 

The survey found that 42 per cent of college and sixth form students said they either didn’t know or were unsure about their next steps. This is a four percentage-point increase on the same figure from last year’s survey.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 397

Karen Campbell

Principal, Bedford College (part of the Bedford College Group)

Start date: August 2022

Previous job: Vice principal, Employer Engagement, STEM & Construction, The Bedford College Group

Interesting fact: Many years ago Karen was a county darts player and a brown belt in judo.

Andrew Cochrane

Chair, Derby College Group

Start date: August 2022

Previous job: Chairman and senior partner, Flint Bishop Solicitors

Interesting fact: As a licensing lawyer and to ensure that he understands first-hand the process involved in becoming a licence holder, Andrew has undertaken the training himself and holds a personal licence. His other claim to ‘fame’ was that he played Frederick in the Matlock and District Operatic Society’s production of ‘The Sound of Music’.

City & Guilds leaves flagship free digital skills scheme

Another awarding body has pulled out of a flagship government programme to help adults develop key digital skills.

City & Guilds has confirmed it has stopped pursuing work to deliver entry level and level 1 essential digital skills qualifications (EDSQs) – fully-funded qualifications for adults with no or low-level digital skills.

That is despite having completed most of the work needed – it reached stage four of five, which is resubmission to Ofqual for technical evaluation – in November last year.

The organisation confirmed it has now switched focus to developing the revamped digital functional skills qualification, from 2023 onwards.

A spokesperson said: “This decision was based on the announcement from the Department for Education and Ofqual that the reform of functional skills ICT qualifications has commenced.

“City & Guilds will be focusing on the new digital functional skills qualifications [DFSQs], to be launched in August 2023.” The spokesperson refused to say why digital functional skills were more preferable.

However, a number accredited for EDSQs have confirmed they plan to deliver both qualifications, including BCS, Gateway Qualifications, OCN London and NOCN.

EDSQs endured a difficult birth because of Covid-19 disruption and delays in awarding organisations securing the green light from Ofqual. In fact, several awarding bodies opted to walk away from the process or failed to gain approval for accreditation, while others faced delays.

Despite the slow start, awarding bodies which did secure accreditation have said take-up is improving.

Ofqual data indicated there had been just under 6,000 certificates issued in the 12 months to the end of quarter one in 2022.

Gateway Qualifications launched EDSQs in September 2020. A spokesperson said: “We had an understandably slow start, with just 270 registrations in 2020/21. But, in 2021/22 we had substantially increased the number to more than 10,000 registrations.

“Based on the feedback we’ve had from our centres, we’d say a resounding ‘yes’ they have been positively received. The growth in centre take-up speaks volumes – there are now 146 centres across the country that have registered EDSQ learners with Gateway Qualifications.”

OCN London said it has had 5,435 students registered since August 2021, with chief executive Carlos Cubillo-Barsi saying that “interest in the qualification appears to be growing”.

But NOCN said it had seen relatively low numbers, likely due to centres struggling to recruit learners. It also warned that there is a danger DFSQs will displace learners undertaking EDSQs.

“The major issue with EDSQ and digital FSQs is that they are both derived from the same standards so they will actually be relatively similar qualifications,” a spokesperson said.

“We originally intended to offer a much more flexible qualification in EDSQs but the DfE and Ofqual requirements prevented this.”

Association of Colleges conference goes veggie

The Association of Colleges (AoC) will provide a meat-free only menu at its annual conference this year as it attempts to reduce its carbon footprint.

Delegates attending the two-day event in Birmingham in November will also be charged a carbon offset fee alongside registration costs.

The move to a vegetarian-only menu for meals during the conference and its flagship gala dinner – believed to be a first in the sector – has received mixed reactions from college principals.

“There’s a good chance someone on my board is going to ask what we’re being asked to spend £75 + VAT [the fee to attend the gala dinner] on to be honest” one principal told FE Week. Other sector figures are planning events at nearby restaurants, FE Week understands.

However, another principal said: “If we really believe what we say about the seriousness of the climate crisis, then we have to do things differently, including how big events like conferences are run.”

According to the AoC, last year’s annual conference generated 125 tonnes of CO2, and the veggie-only menu is one of several ways the association is looking at cutting the event’s carbon footprint.

A £2.50 “carbon offset fee” is charged alongside the conference’s £475-plus VAT registration fee (for member colleges), and exhibitors are being asked to avoid the use of single-use plastics.

Rachel Almeida, head of events at AoC, said: “Like other organisations, AoC is looking at its impact on the environment and we are finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

“One small way to reduce the carbon footprint of annual conference further is to provide a meat-free menu.

“We are also asking exhibitors to avoid single-use plastics and we have appointed a contractor to gather leftover materials from the exhibition hall and give them a second lease of life.

Community educators want FE accountability consultation axed

Community education providers have called for the government to scrap its FE funding and accountability consultation, as they fear its plans could displace over 300,000 vulnerable learners.

Leaders from across the sector – including local authorities – have raised concerns over “hidden” proposals within the Department for Education’s latest skills funding consultation, which prioritises employment-related outcomes and removes outcomes related to health and communities.

The consultation, titled ‘Skills for jobs: implementing a new further education funding and accountability system’, states that reforms to the sector’s accountability regime “provide an opportunity to review non-qualification-based provision”, including non-regulated and community learning.

It goes on to say: “We believe we need to re-orientate the vision for non-qualification provision and hold providers to account for the outcomes they deliver…We are proposing that in future all non-qualification provision should meet at least one of the following objectives:

•            achieving employment outcomes for all learners

•            achieving progression to further learning that moves individuals closer to the labour market, for all learners

•            helping those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to support their personal development and access to independent living.”

Adult education body, Holex, has already warned the department that going ahead with this proposal will have a “devastating” impact on learning opportunities for the most vulnerable adults, and has raised a formal complaint about the lack of prior engagement and impact assessment.

In a letter addressed to the minister for skills, Pat Carrington, the chair of Holex, said: “Limiting outcomes to just a job or further study for the whole skills budget without keeping back an amount for the wider benefits of learning would lead to a loss of a vast number of critical adult education courses for those who need adult education to help them with other life issues.”

The letter goes on to demand that the department either withdraws the consultation or provides more detail on why there is a case to change existing policy.

The current funding guidance allows for a broader range of community learning outcomes than is being proposed, including improving learners’ health and well-being, their mental health and developing stronger communities.

But, the government has defended its approach. A DfE spokesperson told FE Week: “Non-qualification provision continues to play an important role in our skills offer. We want to ensure it aligns with the vision for the new Skills Fund and meets wider skills and employment needs – which is why we are seeking views from the sector through an open consultation.”

Excluding outcomes that aren’t about getting into work couldn’t have come at a worse time, according to Arinola Edeh, principal of Westminster Adult Education Service, who believes now is the time to be expanding community learning, rather that reducing it.

“We can’t afford to limit access to community learning at the best of times. But heading into a recession makes our community learning programmes even more vital,” Edeh told FE Week.

Examples of programmes at risk include their managing personal finances courses and their ‘every day English for parents’ family learning course, which aims to boost children’s attainment. Neither of those programmes would be covered by the new outcomes, Edeh said.

Neither would courses that reach those furthest away from work where outcomes are more about building resilience, confidence and social networks, which often then lead on to more work-focussed learning.

According to Sidra Hill-Reid, head of adult learning at Lewisham Council, courses with more social outcomes – like being able to access digital council service, benefits, self-advocacy and civic rights – wouldn’t be eligible for funding under DfE’s plans. Excluding learners would be “loosing access to a talent pool” Hill-Reid argues.

Jane Taylor, head of service (employment, skills and learning) at Bristol City Council, described how community learning can be “the first step in a pipeline towards work” but also delivers outcomes which are good for individuals, families and society in their own right.

Local authority providers, such as Bristol, have decades of experience of outreach and progression with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities which would be at risk, according to Taylor.

The consultation closes on October 12, 2022.