Official figures reveal take up of adult education courses halved during lockdown

The number of enrolments onto adult education courses in the months following lockdown dropped by half compared to the same period last year.

Figures published this morning by the Department for Education shows there were 208,790 starts on adult programmes between 23 March and 31 July 2020 compared to 420,910 in that period in 2018/19 – a 50.4 per cent fall.

Stats for the whole of 2019/20 shows there were 1,042,000 adult education budget enrolments – a 20 per cent drop on the 1,302,700 achieved the previous year.

Under performance against AEB contracts will be of concern to individual colleges and training providers following an Education and Skills Funding Agency warning that they will clawback funds if less than 68 per cent of their allocation has been delivered in 2019/20 despite the pandemic.

The agency first told the sector in March that they would not force repayment of AEB funds this year owing to Covid-19 but has since changed its mind.

Speaking at a Public Accounts Committee hearing this morning on the financial sustainability of colleges, ESFA chief executive Eileen Milner revealed that when the agency proposed to not take clawback they had “quite a lot of correspondence from colleges who felt it was unfair and a disincentive in fact to not take money back for underperformance”.

“We are walking a tight line between understanding the particular circumstances and at the same time being able to fulfil that reasonable test of spending public money,” she said.

Milner told the committee that the agency is currently looking “carefully” at a “very small number of colleges” that have so far flagged they want to put a business case in to keep their full allocation despite underperformance, and it is “only then that we will consider taking money back”.

She added that the agency is doing this through “conversation and opportunity, not by bureaucratic approach to seizing money from people”.

After the agency announced in March it would not clawback unspent AEB funds for the last academic year, it changed its mind in July and announced that providers would retain their full 2019/20 allocation only if they attempted to continue delivering during lockdown and they delivered 80 per cent of activity in the whole year.

Following a sector backlash, the ESFA withdrew these plans one week later. But then, in September, the agency backtracked again and said it would “consider reconciling any under delivery up to 68 per cent” unless the provider can justify why they shouldn’t by submitting a business case.

It means that, for example, if a provider’s performance was 60 per cent then the agency will consider recovering 8 per cent of the allocation.

Winners of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2020 announced

“Outstanding” employers and individuals have been recognised at this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards – including a Great Ormond Street Hospital apprentice who has been on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19.

The ten winners and 18 highly commended finalists (see table below) were named at the awards, which are in their 17th year and took place this evening as an online ceremony, hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker. 

Education secretary Gavin Williamson gave his congratulations to the winners, saying: “The National Apprenticeships Awards are a brilliant opportunity to showcase the power of apprenticeships to transform lives and businesses, while helping people of all ages and backgrounds to get ahead. 

“It’s fantastic to see so many excellent examples of employers of all sizes continuing to embrace the benefits apprenticeships have to offer, and all the apprentices who have gone above and beyond.” 

The awards are organised by the government and decided upon by a panel of judges, which this year included Health Education England’s national programme manager for apprenticeships Lucy Hunte and BAME apprenticeships advocate Isa Mutlib.

The winners of the individual awards, which cover the different levels of programme such as intermediate or higher, include apprentices from the Ministry of Defence, a local council, leading technology company IBM, and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. 

While the winners of the employer awards, which cover different sizes of employers such as small-to-medium enterprises and large employers, include operators of the new Crossrail network MTR Elizabeth Line, defence company BAE Systems, and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service. 

The fire and rescue service’s head of people and organisational development Katherine Metcalfe said they were “absolutely delighted” to have been recognised “for our commitment to apprenticeships across our organisations”. 

They were the first fire and rescue service in the country to offer firefighter apprenticeships, and are about to start their fourth cohort of apprentices. 

Katherine added: “To see our programme be successful make us feel extremely proud.” 

In addition to the individual and employer awards, the efforts of apprentices to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic were also recognised with a special recognition award, which was run in association with the armed forces.  

Employers could submit nominations for the award, which eventually went to Great Ormond Street Hospital apprentice healthcare support worker Amber James, who the Department for Education said had worked on the frontline as a clinical support worker at London’s Nightingale Hospital at the city’s Excel centre. 

She is now due to start a degree apprenticeship in registered nursing. 

The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s director of apprenticeships Peter Mucklow called her “a wonderful example of how apprentices have contributed during the pandemic and she thoroughly deserves her special recognition award”.  

He continued: “The number and quality of entries this year was outstanding, demonstrating the importance of apprenticeships for employers and individuals alike.” 

Mucklow thanked all of the over 1,100 entrants for “taking time to share their apprenticeship journey”. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “With such strong competition in businesses right across the country, the winners of this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards should hold their heads up high.” 

Employer categories

The BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Award for SME Employer of the Year
Winner
Troup Bywaters + Anders
 
Highly Commended
Snow-Camp Charity
&
Crimson Limited
The British Army Award for Large Employer of the Year
Winner
WEC Group Ltd
 
Highly Commended
MTR Elizabeth Line
&
Home Group Ltd
The QA Award for Macro Employer of the Year
Winner
BAE Systems plc
 
Highly Commended
Royal Air Force
&
United Utilities
The Accenture Award for Recruitment Excellence
Winner
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
 
Highly Commended
Mitchells & Butlers
&
MTR Elizabeth Line

 

Individual categories

The AstraZeneca Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year
Winner
Maisey Hammond
Stroud District Council
 
Highly Commended
Aron Marshall
COOP
Joshua Foord
Sunbelt Rentals
The BT Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year
Winner
Chris Jones
J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited
 
Highly Commended
Scott Murton
Ministry of Defence – Submarine Delivery Agency
Emma Sisman
Niftylift
The Royal Navy Award for Higher or Degree Apprentice of the Year
Winner
Laurie Weatherall
GlaxoSmithKline
 
Highly Commended
Harriet Willsher
IBM UK Ltd
Manoj Vadher
Royal Mail
The Lloyds Banking Group Award for Rising Star of the Year
Winner
Howard Jackson
IBM UK Ltd
 
Highly Commended
Nihal Dhillon
J C Bamford Excavators Limited
Jordan Brosnan
Coca-Cola European Partners
The Royal Air Force Award for Apprentice Champion of the Year
Winner
Jenny Taylor
IBM UK Ltd
 
Highly Commended
Paula McMahon
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
Alison Galvin
Invotra
  • Special recognition award – Amber James, Great Ormond Street Hospital

A fundamental change in England’s approach to skills devolution is needed

Devolution needs to be re-configured to nurture thriving local skills systems and confident and capable communities, writes Charlotte Morgan

Yesterday’s spending review saw what seemed like significant sums handed to employment and skills initiatives, with the Restart Programme, Plan for Jobs, Lifetime Skills Guarantee and even an employer-led bootcamp all getting investment.

But as well as their snappy names, what all these schemes have in common is that they are devised and led by national government, rather than by the places and communities they are meant to benefit.

It was the chancellor himself who in September promised “creative” and “bold” solutions to protect jobs during the Covid-19 crisis, while the prime minister announced that there would be “radical change” in national skills policy.

But there is nothing creative, bold or radical about change if skills policy continues to be dictated by the centre.

No two places in England have the same make-up of sectors, available job opportunities and current and future skills needs. In the face of immense challenges, such as the Covid-19 crisis, workplace automation, a new post-Brexit immigration policy and climate change, the best way to address changing labour market requirements is to align autonomy over skills decision-making, commissioning and delivery as closely as possible to place-level variation.

In our conversations with people working in England’s post-16 skills sector over the last three years, we at New Local have heard very similar messages about the problems caused by over-centralisation of skills policy-making and resources.

Whether they work for local authorities, colleges or business groups, people highlight that:

  • Skills policy volatility in central government causes confusion for local delivery organisations.
  • Policy and financial frameworks incentivise competition rather than collaboration between skills partners at place level.
  • Local skills systems are too complex and fragmented for learners and employers to navigate with confidence and contribute to decision-making.

In short, the skills sector is piecemeal, institutionalised and bureaucratic. And this is holding it back from offering the best outcomes for either learners or employers.

A fundamental change in England’s approach to skills devolution is needed to change this for the better. Not a few tweaks to the existing model of English devolution, not an extra devolved budget or two – but an overhaul.

In New Local’s new report, No Strings Attached: How community-led devolution would transform England’s skills sector, we propose further skills devolution under a different modus operandi: community-led skills devolution.

One of the core principles of this is that the transfer of powers and budgets should be determined by subsidiarity – the principle that decisions should only be made centrally when they cannot be made locally. That would mean comprehensive skills devolution of powers and resources affecting 16 to 19 education, careers advice, retraining, and employment and skills support for people with complex needs. Meanwhile, central government would retain some oversight over areas like forming and enforcing national policy frameworks and baseline standards.

Under the community-led approach, decisions would be made ‘horizontally’ across a place through local partnerships including local authorities, LEPs, colleges and universities.

We are calling for local partnerships for three reasons. First, they ensure that further skills devolution does not create new ‘local centres’ where power is held by the local authority rather than shared across the local skills system. Second, it is a more flexible governance model that enables places outside large city regions to access skills devolution. Third, it provides a platform for policy and financial frameworks that incentivise collaboration rather than competition.

One such financial framework would be place-based skills budgets. Pooling funding streams for devolved responsibilities into a ‘single pot’ place-based budget would incentivise whole-systems and preventative approaches as the risks of investment and the rewards of savings are contained within one budget. Some locally agreed ringfencing would give partners confidence that the money they need to deliver programmes will not be redirected to competing priorities, but a significant tranche of the single pot would be non-ringfenced. If partners across a place achieve outcomes in one stream, they would be able to keep and reinvest the extra funding in their area rather than watch it trickle upwards towards the Treasury.

Power is not about control, but strength. Devolving power distributes strength across the system. With immense challenges coming at us from all angles, local skills systems need the strength to stand firm and resilient. We can overcome these challenges, and lay the foundations for future prosperity, if devolution is re-configured to nurture thriving local skills systems and confident and capable communities. 

New Local is an independent think tank but is owned by its members of around 60 councils. Its report No Strings Attached report was supported by Further Education Trust in Learning (FELT) and is available here.

Spending review speed read: What is in it for FE and skills?

The chancellor Rishi Sunak today unveiled his one-year spending review for 2021-22.

Here is what it includes for FE and skills.

 

£83m for surge in 16-19 college places

The chancellor’s spending review document said that £83 million will be provided in 2021-22 to “ensure that post-16 providers can accommodate the expected demographic increase in 16 to 19-year-olds”.

Earlier this month, the Association of Colleges warned that around 20,000 “unfunded” 16 to 18-year-old students are studying in colleges this year following a surge in enrolments due to Covid-19.

 

Apprenticeship levy flexibilities

Following longstanding sector-wide concerns that the levy is too restrictive on employers, Sunak announced how the government plans to “improve the way the system works”.

From August 2021, employers who pay the levy will be able to transfer unspent levy funds “in bulk to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a new pledge function”.

Unspent levy funds will still expire after 24 months but the government will also introduce, from the same month, a “new online service to match levy payers with SMEs that share their business priorities”.

From April 2021, employers in construction, followed by health and social care, will be allowed to “front-load training for certain apprenticeship standards”.

And during 2021-22, the government will “test approaches to supporting apprenticeships in industries with more flexible working patterns, including consideration of how best to support apprenticeship training agencies”.

 

Apprentice incentives extended and minimum wage increased

In the chancellor’s summer statement, he revealed that from August to January, any firm that hires a new young apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive £2,000 – on top of the existing £1,000 incentive for 16 to 18s – while those that hire new apprentices aged 25 and over will be paid £1,500.

Sunak has now extended this incentive scheme to 31 March 2021.

He also announced that the national minimum wage for apprentices will increase in April 2021 from £4.15 to £4.30 per hour.

 

Chunk of the National Skills Fund to be released

The government’s national skills fund totals £2.5 billion over five years and £375 million of it will be used in 2021-22.

Of that, £138 million will be used to fund “in-demand technical courses for adults”, equivalent to A-level, as part of the prime minister’s level 3 entitlement in his ‘lifetime skills guarantee’, and to expand the employer-led boot camp training model.

Elsewhere, £127 million will be used to continue the chancellor’s summer Plan for Jobs, including funding for traineeships, sector-based work academy placements and the National Careers Service.

Then, £110 million, including £50 million of capital investment, will be used to “drive up higher technical provision in support of the future rollout of a Flexible Loan Entitlement to test and develop innovative models for local collaboration between skills providers and employers”.

 

FE base rate to be maintained

A total of £291 million is included in today’s spending review to “ensure that core funding for 16 to 19-year-olds is maintained in real terms per learner” in 2021-22.

The FE base rate increased in August 2020 for first time since 2013 to £4,188.

 

Capital promises followed through

The chancellor confirmed that the government will provide £1.5 billion over six years to deliver their commitment to bring all FE college estates in England up to a “good” condition.

More than 180 colleges are sharing a slice of £200 million from the pot this year, and a further £100 million will be released in 2021-22.

 

T Level and Institutes of Technology cash confirmed

As previously announced, £162 million will be provided in 2021-22 to support the rollout of T Levels wave 2 and 3, while £72 million will be released next year to support the commitment to build 20 Institutes of Technology.

Apprentice minimum wage to rise again in April 2021

The national minimum wage for apprentices will increase next April from £4.15 to £4.30 per hour, the Treasury has announced today. 

The 15p increase equates to a 3.6 per cent rise, and is in line with a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission. 

It comes shortly after prime minister Boris Johnson announced in January that the apprentice minimum wage would rise to £4.15 in 2020. Before then, the rate last rose, from £3.70 to £3.90, at the 2018 Budget.

Aside from the apprentice rate increase, the minimum wage for 18 to 20-year-olds will go from £6.45 per hour to £6.56; and the rate for 16 to 17-year-olds will rise from £4.55 to £4.62. 

The rate for 21 to 22-year-olds will increase from £8.20 to £8.36. 

The national living wage for individuals aged 23 and over has been increased by 2.2 per cent, the government has announced, from £8.72 to £8.91. 

Chancellor Rishi Sunak also confirmed today in his spending review statement that the government will “improve the way the apprenticeship system works for business,” partly by applying a two-month extension to its scheme of cash bonuses for hiring apprentices until 31 March 2021. 

BTEC Awards 2021 | CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF THE BTEC AWARDS!

This year marks ten years of the BTEC Awards. That’s ten years of celebrating individuals exceeding in vocational pursuits. Ten years of glamorous award ceremonies, even though 2020’s took place virtually. And ten years of the BTEC Awards promoting the sector with a highly competitive contest, not just between excellent learners, but excellent educators and providers too.

The awards come after over 30 years of Pearson running the BTEC qualifications, which are vocational qualifications aimed at making learners “career-ready” by emphasising a hands-on approach and developing the knowledge and practical skills which employers want. Students get to work on a series of assignments in real-life scenarios throughout the course.

As Pearson’s UK president Rod Bristow said at last year’s awards:

“What employers value isn’t just what you know; it’s also what you can do. 

“That is why BTEC courses are tough and it’s why employers and universities love BTEC. It’s also why BTEC is the world’s career-focused learning pathway”. It’s also why they received 460 nominations from 21 countries last year.

On page four, we go further into what makes BTECs so important by speaking to senior vice president for BTEC and apprenticeships Cindy Rampersaud.

Then, between pages six and ten, we meet some of the past winners of the awards, to get

a first-hand account of what it’s like to win, and also find out where their BTEC and their award has taken them, including university and employment. We even speak to one of the original winners from 2011!

Then on page 12 comes the part you are all waiting for: the list of award categories and how you can enter. Nominations close on April 2 next year, so there’s plenty of time to get your nominations in. The awards themselves will take place on June 24, and it’s sure to be a day to remember.

FE Week is proud to support the BTEC Awards. Download the supplement here.

Crumbs: Spending review extends apprenticeship employer incentives by just two months

A two-month extension is set to be applied to the government’s cash bonus scheme for hiring apprentices in tomorrow’s spending review.

The Treasury has tonight trailed a series of announcements that chancellor Rishi Sunak will pledge for the 2021-22 financial year to create and support “hundreds of thousands” of jobs post-Covid-19, but no other new policies for the FE and skills sector are included.

In the chancellor’s summer statement, he revealed that from August to January, any firm that hires a new young apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive £2,000 – on top of the existing £1,000 incentive for 16 to 18s – while those that hire new apprentices aged 25 and over will be paid £1,500.

Sunak will extend this apprenticeship incentive scheme to 31 March 2021.

He will also confirm that £1.6 billion is being set aside to continue the “landmark” Kickstart scheme next year, which is predicted to see the creation of “up to 250,000 government-subsidised jobs for young people”.

Sunak will reiterate the government’s commitment to deliver the prime minister’s lifetime skills guarantee, which includes £138 million to pay for extending full funding for a first level 3 qualification to adults over the age of 23, as well as developing the employer-led boot camp training model.

And £127 million has been confirmed to continue the chancellor’s Plan for Jobs skills measures, including traineeships and sector-based work academies.

Sunak said: “My number one priority is to protect jobs and livelihoods across the UK.

“This spending review will ensure hundreds of thousands of jobs are supported and protected in the acute phase of this crisis and beyond with a multi-billion package of investment to ensure that no one is left without hope or opportunity”.

Association of Employment and Learning Providers managing director Jane Hickie said the extension of the apprenticeship hiring incentive “could be an important boost to the recovery efforts, especially among smaller businesses where the first set of incentives has proved particularly attractive”.

Association of Colleges chief executive David Hughes said: “The steps set out are the right things to do given the effects of the pandemic look set to be with us for longer than most people expected. Extending the apprenticeship incentive scheme, Kickstart and traineeships are certainly helpful in the short term and will help to support the increasing numbers of young people that need opportunities. 

“The lifetime skills guarantee will open up qualifications to people who need to access training and reskilling opportunities. While colleges stand ready to support more young people and adults, they are eager to see the details so they can plan their offer.”

 

Highbury College agrees merger partner

A crisis-hit college has agreed to merge with a neighbouring sixth form college as it continues its road to recovery.

Highbury College, which has been led by interim leadership since its principal quit last year following an expenses scandal and government intervention, is set to amalgamate with Portsmouth College following an FE Commissioner-led structure and prospects appraisal.

In a joint statement, the colleges said that subject to ministerial approval, plans will move to the next stage of consultation with stakeholders including current staff, students, parents, local employers, universities and secondary schools.

A date for completion of the merger has not been set and while the new-look leadership of the group is not yet known, it would likely involve Highbury’s interim principal Penny Wycherley stepping down.

Wycherley, who took over from former principal Stella Mbubaegbu in December 2019, is currently contracted to continue leading Highbury until August 2021.

Commenting on the potential merger, Wycherley said: “We are delighted to be developing our partnership with Portsmouth College and moving to combining further our strengths.

“The next stage includes all the detailed checks and discussions that are necessary in bringing together two organisations who are so important to the City.”

New chair of Highbury, Paul Quigley, added that the move is an “opportunity to build a stronger, more sustainable college”.

Quigley became the college’s permanent chair earlier this month, replacing ex-chief executive of the Association of Colleges Martin Doel who was also parachuted into help the college last December.

Highbury’s former chair Tim Mason and principal Mbubaegbu stepped down after FE Week revealed how £150,000 was spent on Mbubaegbu’s corporate college card in four years, including extravagant items such as numerous first-class flights, stays in five-star hotels, a boozy lobster dinner and a £434 pair of designer headphones.

Around the same time the college had to make redundancies, scrap its A-level provision and dropped from Ofsted ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’. Highbury has also been stuck in a legal battle with a Nigerian state following a failed technical education project.

Just a month after Doel and Wycherley took over a Highbury, the pair discovered the college was running out of cash and had to secure a £1.5 million emergency bailout to keep it running.

Nick Wynne, chair of Portsmouth College, said the merger with Highbury is a “wonderful opportunity to bring together two great complementary colleges that will enhance the quality and choice of courses for the learners in and around our city”.

Simon Barrable, principal at Portsmouth College, added: “These are inspiring times for post-16 education and training in Portsmouth and we now have the chance to realise a ‘one city, one college’ vision.”

As revealed by FE Week earlier this month, Highbury is paying back its government bailout and has made its first staff pay award in years after receiving a £3.5 million exit dividend from an international venture in Saudi Arabia.

Portsmouth College is currently rated ‘good’ by Ofsted and posted a surplus of £69,000 in its latest accounts for the year-ended 31 July 2019.

Spending review: £291m to ‘maintain’ FE base rate and £83m for growing number of 16-19s

The funding base rate for 16 to 19-year-olds is set to remain at £4,188 in 2021-22 following a £291 million boost announced at today’s spending review.

There will also be an additional £83 million next year to “ensure that post-16 providers can accommodate the expected demographic increase in 16 to 19-year-olds”.

Addressing the House of Commons, chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “We are committed to boosting skills with £291 million to pay for more young people to go into further education.”

In his spending review document, published by the Treasury, he added that the pledge will “support the government’s commitment to improve skills in the economy and level up productivity across England by providing £291 million for further education in 2021-22, to ensure that core funding for 16 to 19-year-olds is maintained in real terms per learner.

“This is in addition to the £400 million that the government provided at spending review 2019.”

The FE base rate increased in August 2020 for first time since 2013 to £4,188.

The rate for 16 and 17-year-olds was introduced at £4,000 per year, per student in 2013, and £3,300 for 18-year-olds since 2014.

The funding announced for last year’s rate boost totalled £190 million and was part of a £400 million package for use in the 2020-21 financial year.

The £83 million to accommodate greater 16 to 19 learner numbers in colleges will be welcomed by the sector, after the Association of Colleges warned that around 20,000 “unfunded” 16 to 18-year-old students are studying in colleges this year following a surge in enrolments due to Covid-19.

Responding to the base rate and expansion announcements, Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “We are delighted that the chancellor has earmarked £83 million for expansion funding, this will benefit providers of 16 to 19 education that are currently oversubscribed and is an important first step to accommodating the 260,000 additional 16 to 19 year olds that will participate in education in the coming years.

“Given the enormous pressure on the public finances, doing anything more than maintaining the higher rate of revenue funding announced last year was always going to be a challenge. Maintaining the rate in real terms at least gives sixth form colleges a clear basis on which to plan for the 2021 academic year.”

Sunak also used today’s spending review speech to confirm the government’s commitment to “rebuild colleges” with £1.1 billion, while £375 million will be used to deliver the prime minister’s lifetime skills guarantee and extend traineeships, sector-work based academies, and the National Careers Service.

Government is also “improving the way the apprenticeship system works for business”, in part by applying a two-month extension, until 31 March 2021, to its cash bonus scheme for hiring apprentices.