Ofqual raises concerns over DfE reforms to BTECs and other level 3 qualifications

Government plans to remove funding for thousands of courses, such as BTECs, that compete with T Levels and A-levels risk destabilising the qualifications market and adversely narrowing learner choice, Ofqual has warned.

The exams regulator has today raised a number of concerns in response to the Department for Education’s level 3 qualifications review.

The DfE claims there is currently a “confusing landscape” of over 12,000 courses on offer to young people at level 3 and below, with multiple qualifications in the same subject areas available – many of which are “poor quality and offer little value to students or employers”.

Ofqual says it recognises the “potential benefits” of creating a “clearer landscape and “greater confidence in the currency of the qualification they achieve”, but warned of the scale of disruption this could cause under current recommendations.

“The DfE estimates that the qualifications that may no longer be funded could account for around 62 per cent of current non-A level 16 to 19-year-old enrolments at level 3 – and yet we know that the number of learners using qualifications other than A-levels to access higher education is growing, in particular the use of a combination of academic with smaller vocational and technical qualifications,” the response said.

“We can see from UCAS data about 2019 undergraduate admissions that the number of applicants accepted to higher education with A levels alone has fallen from 63 per cent in 2017 to around 60 per cent in 2019.

“While this accounts for more than 145,000 learners, nearly 22,000 learners were accepted with BTECs only in 2019 along with almost 18,000 learners who combined A levels with BTECs.”

Ofqual says this is “not an insignificant number” and “we should consider the impact on learners who may not be able to benefit in such a way when the reforms introduce an apparently more binary choice around qualification purpose and content”.

One key intention of the DfE’s proposed reforms is to establish two clearer pathways of study with A-levels and T Levels as the “programmes of choice” for 16 to 19-year old learners.

The exams regulator said they see a “potential risk” in relation to T Levels in that “some of the design features may appear to learners as barriers to accessing the programme of study, in particular the size and structure of the T Level programme”.

While providers and awarding organisations are “required to ensure qualifications are accessible”, some learners, including those with SEND or caring responsibilities, “may find T Levels less well-suited, too big or not sufficiently flexible for their individual study needs,” Ofqual warned.

The exams regulator added that the qualifications that appear more likely to be removed from funding currently have a higher proportion of learners with “particular protected characteristics”, such as disability, ethnicity or gender, or who are disadvantaged.

It is therefore “important to consider how the qualifications funded in future can be designed to continue to allow a diverse range of learners to access level 3 qualifications effectively and successfully”.

Ofqual goes on to predict that defunding existing qualifications will lead to “some market instability in the years after the reforms as a number of centres will choose to change the qualifications they offer, particularly if they are reliant on public funding”.

The response reminds the DfE that government has a “responsibility” to identify where there are risks to learners if, for example, an awarding organisation becomes “financially fragile or market instability causes a fall in confidence in regulated qualifications”.

It concludes by calling on the DfE to consider delaying the proposed reforms as 2021 will be an “exceptionally demanding year for awarding organisations because of the pandemic”, including the new arrangements that now need to be implemented following the cancellation of exams.

“We would ask the department to consider whether there are aspects of the proposed reforms for which implementation could be delayed by a year, in recognition of these exceptional circumstances,” Ofqual said.

Under the DfE’s plans, funding for the “majority” of qualifications that “overlap” with A-levels and T Levels would be removed by autumn 2023.

The deadline for the consultation was extended last week and is now 31 January. You can read it in full here.

Ofqual publishes summer 2021 exams plan

The exams regulator Ofqual has finally revealed its plans for replacing exams this summer.

Two consultation documents have gone live this afternoon: one for GCSEs and A-levels; and one for vocational and technical qualifications including BTECs and functional skills.

Both have a two week deadline for submissions of 29 January 2021.

 

GCSEs and A-levels

For GCSEs and A-levels, the consultation document proposes that students’ grades in each subject “will be based on their teachers’ assessment of the standard at which the student is performing”.

Final assessments will be made “towards the end of the academic year, at about the time students would have taken their exams”.

Ofqual has also said that to help teachers make “objective decisions”, it is proposing that exam boards provide “guidance and training”, and make available sets of papers for teachers to use with with students “as part of their assessment”.

The consultation is seeking views on “whether such papers should be provided and, if so, what form they should take”.

One question being considered is whether the papers could use materials from past papers. The consultation also asks when the papers should be made available and whether their use should be mandated.

The use of such papers “would support consistency within and between schools and colleges”, Ofqual said.

“The teacher, through the marking of the papers, could consider the evidence of the student’s work and use that to inform their assessment of the grade deserved. The exam boards could also sample teachers’ marking as part of the external quality assurance arrangements and to seek to ensure this was comparable across different types of school and college, wherever students are studying. The use of exam board papers could also help with appeals.”

Ofqual is also proposing that teachers should draw on a “range of broader evidence of a student’s work in making their final assessment”, and that all students should be able to appeal their grades.

Under the proposed plan, students would be assessed by their teachers in a period beginning in May into early June. Teachers would then submit grades to the exam boards by the middle of June.

External quality assurance by the exam boards would be “ongoing” throughout June and results would be issued to students once that process is complete – most likely in early July. Students could then appeal immediately following the issue of results, and appeals would first be considered by schools and colleges.

 

Vocational and technical qualifications

Ofqual says that where practical exams and assessments which are “required to demonstrate occupational competence for employment and apprenticeships” should “continue to take place throughout the academic year where they can be delivered in line with public health guidelines, including remotely”.

Where these assessment cannot be delivered safely, they should be delayed.

The consultation then states that VTQs which received calculated results in summer 2020 should “fall in scope” of the proposed policy for replacing GCSE and A-level exams this summer.

Under Ofqual’s existing regulatory arrangements – The Extended Extraordinary Regulatory Framework (Extended ERF) which it introduced in October 2020 – awarding organisations have the flexibility to adapt their assessments and qualifications to mitigate against the disruption the pandemic has caused.

Ofqual is now proposing to issue a revised version of the Extended ERF. This would allow awarding organisations to “continue to offer adapted assessments for those qualifications in scope, and award qualifications where exams have not taken place and learners have not been able to complete all other assessments”.

The consultation document suggests that calculated results could be used where assessments cannot be sat, including for functional skills. FE Week is seeking clarity from Ofqual on this point.

 

The government made BTEC students like me feel we didn’t matter

BTEC students have been put on an exams rollercoaster since the start of this term, writes Fatma Shami

Just days after the national lockdown was announced, I was told my exams were set to go ahead on January 12 and 13. I was very fortunate at my college to have my exams cancelled in the end, but I never want to repeat the experience. 

I am studying BTEC Level 3 Applied Science and the exams I was going to take this month were for unit 1.

On one side I was told by my teachers “you still need to revise, your exams most likely won’t be cancelled”, and then several days later I found out that the decision was being passed on to individual colleges and schools, and it was up to them.  

To say it was one of the most uncomfortable situations that I have been in is an understatement. I genuinely thought that I was going to be forced to sit in an exam hall just because my college cared more about the results we needed rather than our safety. 

My mental health has struggled severely during lockdown and remote learning in the first lockdown. This lack of a decision around the BTEC exams, completely disregarding them and just passing on the decision to colleges, has affected me in ways that I didn’t realise were possible.  

I wasn’t motivated to attend any of my lessons even though they are remote, or to leave my bedroom, and I gradually became less motivated to talk to my family and friends or even watch TV, just because I thought that the government cared more about A-levels and GCSEs. 

It left me with a feeling that just because I do a BTEC that I don’t matter, or that I am not enough, and that universities won’t accept me solely on that reason.  

And with how stressed I’d become, I couldn’t sleep for a couple of days and was crying every so often, until I was told by my college “you will not be sitting your exams”. 

It was at that point I felt relieved because I knew that if I were to sit in that exam hall, my mind and focus would be on “what if this invigilator stands too close to me and they might have Covid?”.

What if this invigilator stands too close to me and they might have Covid?

When I first received the email, which was during my lesson, to say that my exam was cancelled, I had screamed and I was crying. Whether that was tears of happiness or anxiousness, I have no idea.  

I remember calling one of my friends who was with me in my class and saying to them, “Is this real? Are you sure that it’s not a joke?”.

My friends have also joined me as members of this emotional rollercoaster. We felt like we had been placed in a box and we were trapped ̶ our voices were silenced and there was nothing that we could do, until we had been told we weren’t sitting the exams.  

When we found out, we felt as though we had finally become important and ultimately that we mattered and we were equal to A-levels and GCSEs. 

This one is for the colleges across the nation. As a student I’d like you to thank you for all the hard work and the immense support that you are giving your students and for prioritising the students’ wellbeing and safety over the results that you receive every year. 

You are the heroes in many students’ eyes because of the lack of leadership in the government. The decision on BTECs was passed on like a parcel, but you decided that you weren’t going to risk your students.   

The government needs to listen to our voices as further education students. If they address A-level and GCSE students, they should also address BTEC students, because all students matter, whatever the qualification they take.   

Every qualification and every educational institution is equal. So before you in the government decide to address any issues or questions in the House of Commons that concern education, make sure you have addressed ALL national exams, not just the “common” ones.

Reflecting on the changes of teaching in 2020

The year of 2020 has changed the face of learning and development, with training providers all over the world forced to move classrooms online to teach, access and collaborate. However, as we move into 2021, and almost a year on from our first lockdown, why are we still faced with the same challenges?

Limited progress through lockdown

The issue with lockdown 1.0 was how unprepared many learning providers were when they had to transform their offering to become fully digital. Hasty decisions were made to pivot quickly; and whilst there have been some successful transitions amongst many providers, many have also rushed into an unplanned solution, which offered no training nor a long-term solution to e-learning, merely just a quick fix.

Similar issues arose with lockdown 2.0 when once again learning was forced to go online. There were solutions and provisions made to the classroom environment meaning many providers didn’t close their doors – another quick fix.

Removing the barriers to online learning

During the midst of lockdown 3.0, many providers are looking for online and blended approaches to help deliver key areas of the curriculum. With the barrier to online learning being removed, more people are becoming accepting of e-learning systems as a longer-term solution. However, selecting the right partner to digitally transform education and training is paramount to the future success of virtual learning.
Whilst this may seem simple, the transition towards online teaching is something that has been overlooked by some. At The Skills Network, we support training providers by embedding high-quality online learning into curriculums, allowing educators to have a smooth transition between classroom-based delivery to online learning.
With access to high quality learning support advisors and expert tutors who provide responsive learning support, training providers can benefit from an accessible, market leading ‘Learning Management System’ (LMS). This system allows individuals to engage in their learning at any time and in any environment, which is so important in today’s setting.

Developing online diagnostic tools to develop individualised plans

Up until recently, many training providers have been diagnosing learners by manually assessing them and using appropriately qualified staff to create an individualised curriculum plan, which can be time consuming for educators. However, at The Skills Network, we have developed an innovative online diagnostic tool, which assesses a learner’s strengths and capabilities to create a unique learning journey, tailored to their exact needs – helping them focus on learning, and not just passing a qualification. When you combine the diagnostic with our new resources to support all levels of functional skills and digital essentials, along with our online tutorial pack (Essentials) it is possible to see how online learning will help during this crisis and beyond

The e-learning solutions available at The Skills Network, which support teaching practitioners concentrate on adding value (rather than having to build the foundations of knowledge) and have been designed following a thorough analysis of the job market and the current skills gap. Whether it’s through adult learning, CPD or apprenticeships, individuals are supported to develop the essential skills for current and future employment opportunities, and to apply their learning straight away.
Finding the right online learning partner

In 2021, organisations should be considering their online strategies in place to support their staff and facilitate processes. Partnering with companies who have been providing online learning for several years, with tried and tested systems, as well as tailored online content and assessment procedures is key.

There are valid and reliable assessment options now open to us through technology; it’s just a question of finding your right online learning partner.

Click here to visit The Skills Network

Rishi Sunak said to be ‘annoyed’ with DfE delays to traineeship expansion

The chancellor Rishi Sunak was personally “annoyed” at how long the Department for Education traineeships tender took to get off the ground, FE Week has learnt.

The Treasury did not deny this when approached for comment.

This latest revelation comes on the day that the DfE commercial team has further delayed the outcomes of the procurement, which throws into doubt the start date for new contracts.

Sunak announced way back on 8 July that he would make funds available to triple the number of traineeships this academic year – a key policy in his ‘Plan for Jobs’ for economic recovery from the pandemic.

The DfE later set out plans for a tender to expand the 19 to 24 traineeship market, with £65 million made available to fund around 20,000 new starts between February and July 2021.

The procurement was supposed to run over the summer but was delayed owing to a “significant amount of due diligence” that needed to be taken, the DfE previously said.

It finally launched four months later on 8 October.

Last Friday afternoon the DfE commercial team told bidders to the tender that the “high volume of tenders received” has “necessitated having to inform you that notifications of award will be delayed slightly”.

The DfE had planned to notify bidders of outcomes on 11 January, but said it would now aim to publish a revised timetable this week.

The agency updated bidders again this afternoon to say they will now not release the revised timetable until next Wednesday.

“The agency is continuing the process to evaluate and make award decisions of the responses received for this tender and will update the market by 20th January 2021,” the update said.

FE Week asked the agency multiple times throughout this week if the delay in outcomes would mean that the planned contract start date of 1 February would also be delayed, but we received no answer.

Stephen Evans, the chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, tweeted his disappointed about today’s latest delay.

“This is the expansion of traineeships announced by the Chancellor in JULY. Not only should they’ve been underway by now in my view, it should be better joined up with DWP. We’re failing young people hit hard by the pandemic,” he said.

The £65 million tender will be split across nine regions in England – ranging from £20.8 million for London providers to just £2.6 million for the south-west.

A further £315 million was made available to support continued delivery through to July 2023.

The DfE confirmed to FE Week that only independent training providers with a new traineeship contract for service, who have been successful in the recent traineeship procurement, will be able to deliver traineeships beyond 31 July 2021.

This does not apply to grant funded providers, such as colleges, whose grants do not expire.

For 16 to 18 traineeships, the DfE previously said was planning to launch a “market entry exercise” for other 16 to 18 study programme providers to start delivering traineeships.

Asked for an update on this, a spokesperson for the agency this week said: “There is already significant provider capacity to deliver traineeships to 16 to 18 year olds.

“We will keep the issue of provider capacity under review, as per the market entry guidance, and will update the sector should a decision be taken to expand capacity.”

Employer cash incentives of £1,000 have also been made available in the government’s effort to triple the number of traineeships, as has growth funding for providers that already deliver the programme for 16-to-18s.

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

 

 

Ofqual must urgently allow teacher assessed grades for apprentices

All the stops on teacher assessed grades are being pulled out for GCSEs and A-levels, but yet again apprentices appear to be forgotten, writes Jane Hickie

Lockdown three means that the focus must again be on protecting learners and apprentices from losing their livelihoods or not completing their programmes. 

But the government’s current measures around apprenticeship opportunities risk looking futile when it won’t allow existing apprentices to achieve and progress in their jobs. Meanwhile, all the stops are being pulled out for GCSEs and A-levels. What happened to levelling up? 

Allow me to explain. This lockdown is a monumental challenge for training providers. In normal times, most delivery of work-based learning takes place by definition in the workplace, often underpinned by very high-quality provision. 

Most workplaces are closed and last week’s government guidance decreed that all training and assessment must take place remotely wherever possible.  

But face-to-face training and assessment have been allowed to continue in some employers’ Covid-secure settings and end-point assessment and functional skills assessments for maths and English can continue on premises where it cannot be conducted remotely.

But these exceptions don’t get to the heart of the problem. The problem is that most workplaces are closed. 

The other major obstacle to apprenticeship programme completion is the task of conducting assessments and functional skills tests remotely. Despite the strenuous efforts of providers and awarding organisations, we are still some way off being able to do this in mass volumes.   

Remember that in a normal year, three quarters of a million apprentices are on a programme spread all over the country. Half of them work for small, now many struggling, businesses and many of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds.  

Therefore when I watch television reports of free or second-hand laptops being handed over to grateful parents of schoolchildren, naturally I am pleased, but my thoughts instantly jump to disadvantaged apprentices who aren’t receiving any support at all.   

Subsequent lockdowns have resulted in a massive logjam of untaken tests

Without a laptop or high-speed internet, they cannot sit their functional skills qualification test remotely and if they cannot pass their test, they cannot go on and complete their apprenticeship. 

In lockdown one, the government and Ofqual allowed apprentices to be teacher assessed for their functional skills. This was permitted until the end of July, and since then the continued tier restrictions and the subsequent lockdowns have resulted in a massive logjam of untaken tests. 

AELP estimates that more than 40,000 apprentices are unable to progress on to their end-point assessments but the government won’t tell us the actual figure ̶ even though it should have the number from providers’ submitted individual learning returns.

Instead, it informed shadow education secretary Kate Green this week, “We do not currently hold the data in the format requested.”

Therefore when Gavin Williamson announced last week that GCSE and A-level exams were being cancelled, we wondered for a moment whether the logjam for apprentices might finally be broken.   

But no, the new Ofqual boss quickly quelled such hopes by saying the regulator would recommend different solutions for different types of qualifications. We fear that one rule applies for academic students and another for apprentices. Meanwhile as the Ofqual consultation takes place, the problem grows larger. 

And despite being 32 pages, last Friday’s DfE lockdown guidance for apprenticeships didn’t bring any glad tidings to training providers. There was no suggestion of any renewed financial support for providers; just another signposting to the Treasury’s loan schemes for businesses.   

Every DfE and regulator missive refers to the maintenance of high-quality provision for apprentices ̶ but guess what? That costs money.

Moreover, with programme starts at half their pre-Covid levels and provider income squeezed, the prime minister’s promise of an apprenticeship guarantee looks as realistic as a wall along the entire Mexican border. 

So, since the chief medical officer is stressing safety as the utmost priority, the government must urgently mandate teacher-assessed grades for functional skills where apprentices cannot travel to a test centre.

Otherwise, these young people among the 50 per cent who don’t go to university will find that, once again, they have been forgotten.

Fourth interim CEO takes the reins at Hull College Group

A high profile college leader has taken the reins at the Hull College Group as a short-term interim chief executive.

Staff were informed today that Lowell Williams, a former national leader of further education who retired as the boss of Dudley College last year, will lead the group until its new permanent chief executive, Chris Malish, takes over in May.

Williams has worked in colleges for over 30 years and set up his own consultancy firm shortly after leaving Dudley College, which he led to an Ofsted grade one in 2017.

He is the latest in a string of short-term interim bosses at Hull College Group since its former permanent leader, Michelle Swithenbank, resigned in 2019.

Vice principal for finance Darryn Hedges was first to take up the temporary position before Derek O’Toole, a former deputy principal of Hull and then principal of Hopwood Hall College came in. Tony Lewin, principal at Newcastle College, was then appointed to the position in July 2020.

Malish will join from Bradford College, where he was director of finance and corporate services and then deputy chief executive.

Hull College Group declined to comment when FE Week asked why Lewin had stepped away from the interim post just months before Malish takes over.

The college has been through a period of turmoil in recent years which included a £42 million government bailout, and independent investigation into allegations of nepotism and financial wrongdoing, and ongoing FE Commissioner intervention.

A statement from the college on the latest appointments said: “We are pleased to announce that Chris Malish, current deputy chief executive of Bradford College has been appointed as the permanent chief executive of the college.

“We look forward to welcoming Chris to the college from the beginning of May.

“To support the college in the meantime, the corporation have appointed Lowell Williams to step in as interim chief executive and accountable officer. Lowell is an experienced and respected leader in the FE sector and will be working with Chris to ensure a smooth transition over to his leadership.”

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 339

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving.

Pat Carvalho, Principal, BMet

Start date: June 2021

Previous job: Principal, Harrow College; Deputy chief executive, HCUC

Interesting fact: She enjoys thrillers, and grew up in Birmingham, so is returning to her home city to lead BMet

Jeff Greenidge, Director for diversity, Education and Training Foundation and Association of Colleges

Start date: January 2021

Concurrent roles: Chair of the board of directors, Groundwork Wales; Chairperson, Learning and Work Institute Wales

Interesting fact: He taught Latin to the Manic Street Preachers, whom he describes as “good lads” who made him guest of honour at their last concert in Cardiff

Helen Smith, Principal, The Bedford Sixth Form

Start date: January 2021

Previous job: Social science teacher, Melton Vale Sixth Form

Interesting fact: She chooses a new hobby every year, which this year was walking

Christina McAnea, General secretary, UNISON

Start date: January 2021

Previous job: Assistant general secretary, UNISON

Interesting fact: She is “fascinated” by genealogy and has spent time tracing her family back 250 years to the hamlet of Roag on the Isle of Skye

The highlights from our webcast on post-Covid FE

It’s tough for many of us out there at the moment, but some are starting to plan for life after Covid.

Earlier this week, a group of sector representatives and political leaders expounded their views on the theme “The FE Sector Post-Covid: Supporting individuals to access learning and make progress in their lives,” during an FE Week webcast, in partnership with Pearson. (Watch the recording at the end of the article)

Hosted by TV presenter Steph McGovern, the event featured apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan, Labour’s shadow apprenticeships and lifelong learning minister Toby Perkins, Pearson’s senior vice president for BTEC and apprenticeships Cindy Rampersaud and Learning and Work Institute chief executive Stephen Evans.

Giving a grassroots view were Barking and Dagenham College principal Yvonne Kelly, WorldSkills UK gold medallist and former BTEC learner Haydn Jakes and BTEC adult learner Feven Zeray.

Here is our run-through of what they had to say to the 1,400-strong online audience: 

Gillian Keegan

Keegan gave the audience an update on the much-anticipated FE white paper, admitting the legislation had been delayed but will be published “very soon”. She explained that employers would be “key” to it and that the paper is: “Really going to be looking at all the reforms we need to make sure the system is organic and works very well.”

Gillian Keegan

This is after she has spent 30 years “pulling my hair out in many countries about the lack of the skills that you need for a modern workplace”.

So what needed to be done was to ensure every education leaver has “the right skills to make sure they have a fabulous career, and the white paper focuses on that”.

Toby Perkins

Perkins restated his party’s support for apprenticeships, saying, “From the perspective of the front benches, there’s a lot of support in theory for apprenticeships and I think that many employers recognise the value of them”.

Toby Perkins

But he said some policies had been delivered “with the best of intentions, but maybe haven’t actually delivered in policy terms”, citing the apprenticeship levy, where Perkins says a lot has been spent on “managerial” training.

He used his speaking slot to push Labour’s new apprentice subsidy policy, which would pay the full wages of 85,000 such learners for the first three months of a course, tapering down to 50 then 25 per cent for the remaining nine months of a year.

Haydn Jakes and Feven Zeray

The BTEC learners told the audience how the qualifications had opened up the world to them.

Jakes, who won a gold medal for aircraft maintenance at the WorldSkills competition in Kazan in 2019, leading to an MBE, said he chose to do a level 3 BTEC in engineering as he knew it was the “best route for me” to get on to an apprenticeship.

Zeray said BTECs were mentioned to her when she came to the UK as she was looking to get into aerospace engineering. She researched her options and found BTEC “was the best option to do for me. And it has proven to be right for me, to be honest.”

She has achieved up to BTEC level 3 in electrical engineering, but “didn’t even think I would be having the variety of options of sectors. It wasn’t just one engineering sector – I could get into construction and the automobile industry, and many types of engineering companies were willing to take me on.”

Cindy Rampersaud

Rampersaud felt this discussion was “still really relevant for thinking about and planning ahead for that post-Covid environment”, despite the new lockdown and the sector’s everyday routine still being dominated by the virus.

She flagged the importance to the discussion of topics such as participation in the “broad church” of FE, and the importance of choice in the sector so learners could opt to take A-levels, applied generals such as BTECs, apprenticeships or technical qualifications like T Levels. “Maintaining that access and choice I think is going to be crucial going forward,” Rampersaud said.

Yvonne Kelly

“It’s quite difficult here at the minute,” admitted the college leader from London, where high Covid-19 cases triggered the mayor Sadiq Khan to declare a major incident last week.

But she said college staff were working “incredibly hard”, having learned the lessons from previous lockdowns.

In a borough with “very significant deprivation, where money is very, very difficult”, Kelly said, “there is an issue about immediacy, about the speed of response that’s needed to ensure that the resources [such as digital devices or WiFi] get where they are needed very quickly to ensure that we don’t get that loss of learning”.

Stephen Evans

The chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute boldly threw his hat into the discussion of which courses and qualifications to prioritise with: “We need more people to go into higher education. But it needs to be through growing degree apprenticeships and higher technical qualifications.”

Stephen Evans

Evans expanded his view to say that as “so many” young people and adults are looking to improve skills “we need loads of different options, because life’s complicated”.

His issue with the new Lifetime Skills Guarantee, including its offer to a first, full, level 3 course, was that the Department for Education is deciding centrally what courses to offer, which, Evans says, “gives less opportunity to tailor it to what’s growing in Manchester, or in Newcastle or in Exeter”. Instead, he said, “we need to match the skills we’re providing with the job opportunities locally”.