Profile: Gerard Garvey, principle of Newcastle Sixth Form College

FE Week meets a sixth form college principal who has known what he wanted to do since year 12

“I remember getting to sixth form and thinking vividly, ‘this is what I want to work in. This is the environment for me.’” It may seem quite incredible that as a 17-year-old, Gerard Garvey, now principal of Newcastle Sixth Form College, got to the last two years of his education and fell in lifelong love with sixth form provision. But it makes sense when you hear about his feeling as a younger man of not always quite fitting in, and the purpose his qualifications and university degree provided. Garvey is an utterly committed advocate for the power of year 12 and 13, and the A-levels he rather movingly calls “your passport qualifications”.

Garvey was brought up in Knowsley in Liverpool, one of the most deprived areas in England. His father died when he was just five years old and his mother brought him and his baby brother up. “I think my mum did a cracking job of holding it all together, but when you’re 26 and you’ve got to do it alone, that’s tough.” He headed to Knowsley Hey comprehensive school, which at the time he didn’t realise was in a struggling area. “You look back and look at the statistics, and you think ‘blimey’. I’ve thought a lot about other people in my class who were bright but didn’t end up with qualifications that would allow them to move on. I’ve done alright for myself and that was because of qualifications. There was just a handful of people from my year who went to university.”

University wasn’t quite what Garvey’s family expected him to do. His mum’s family were “hard-working” people in the trade professions, and there “wasn’t really a culture of academic aspiration at home, so sometimes I did feel a little different”. The sense of standing out slightly was heightened by Garvey coming to terms with his sexuality. “I didn’t come out until I was 24, and I think prior to that in my teens and early 20s, I didn’t know it but I had depression and was struggling.” Not following other family members down the same routes did not altogether surprise them, admits Garvey. “I think they almost expected me to go to university in the end, because I was a bit novel!” He recalls with delight new conversations and ideas encountered during his Film Studies degree at Liverpool John Moore University.

My family almost expected me to go to university because I was a bit novel!

But Garvey is clear it was the sixth form at Knowsley Community College that changed his fortunes, and he’s never forgotten it. He recalls being encouraged by “charismatic teachers” to pursue film and media (the subject he has taught in sixth form colleges ever since). “Doing A-levels for me set in motion a series of events that has brought me to where I am now. That’s why I’ve been so committed to sixth forms in particular, because I just understand the power and real transformation of those qualifications. My GCSEs were modest, but actually A levels really opened up those opportunities.” His self-awareness as a teenager about the possibilities of sixth form now makes sense. The setting had provided freedom and enjoyment. Rather wonderfully, his mother later re-trained as a hair and beauty teacher at his old college too.

As a graduate Garvey was far from ready to settle, and he attributes his career “wanderlust” to the fact he’d not ventured out of Liverpool for his degree. He was also ambitious, and moved to New College Telford to complete his PGCE. One day, a staff member came to talk from Winstanley sixth form college in Wigan. “They were saying how wonderful their college was, the best in the country, and I thought, ‘right, I want to work there’.” But it was a more academically selective college which took in “really well-qualified 16-year-olds”, and Garvey discovered it was not quite what he wanted.

“I do remember thinking, ‘do you know what, I’m not sure they need me’. It didn’t feel like the kind of college I would have gone to myself – in fact, because of my GCSEs I wouldn’t have got in.” He left to become head of media at Joseph Chamberlain College in Birmingham under its inspiring principal, Lynn Morris. He stayed for five years until 2010, and to this day, Garvey calls Morris for advice on leadership problems. Her ethos was that no one – either staff or students – would be allowed to “opt out”: everybody should be striving for brilliant outcomes. “That ethos has really stuck with me. That is the kind of college I want to run now.”

It’s not one mega college; it’s about seven colleges working together

After senior leadership roles at Rochdale Sixth Form College and then Barnsley College’s sixth form, Garvey is now enacting that high-standards ethos out at Newcastle Sixth Form College. He is the college’s only second principal since it opened in 2014 under one of the country’s largest college groups, NCG. He admits the large geographical spread of the group has sometimes been “misunderstood”: NCG includes Newcastle college, Carlisle College, West Lancashire College, Kidderminister College, Lewisham College and Southwark College, which seem impossibly far apart. But there are upsides, says Garvey.

“It’s not one mega college stretching all across the country; it’s about seven colleges working together. We collaborate and share ideas.” One significant positive is the financial clout, with £25 million poured into Newcastle Sixth Form College out of NCG’s cash reserves (no loan needed). “We could never have got that as a standalone college.” These could be by-gone days, since in January it emerged the Education and Skills Funding Agency may be clawing back funding from the group, following “data anomalies”. However, the point about collaboration still stands.

But there is a downside. Garvey has introduced what he calls “cultural change and contract change” to make improvements, yet he struggles to demonstrate this to parents. He’s driving a high expectations culture of excellence and has changed the college’s contracts so he can recruit staff more quickly and set higher salaries. At the same time, he’s made the college more inclusive by expanding an access programme that allows students without the necessary grades to take a one-year GCSE programme, to ensure they can begin their desired A-levels the following year.

You’re trying to persuade parents, but in league tables we’re down as NCG

Yet there is a frustrating catch. To see Newcastle Sixth Form College’s results, you have to look at NCG’s overall data and find their A-level provision (now an impressive 0.18 progress score). Although this will refer to Newcastle Sixth Form College, that’s unclear to a parent. Similarly, the college has no individual Ofsted report and instead is lumped under NCG, which was graded ‘requires improvement’ at its last full inspection. In November, Ofsted suggested it could move to “campus level” inspection reports for college groups, but little has been confirmed since. “It’s a big challenge for us,” says Garvey. “You’re trying to persuade parents, but in league tables we’re down as NCG. The competition can use that to their advantage.”

Garvey strikes one as deeply optimistic, energetic and self-reflective. He is admirably frank about what he calls “not a high point” in his career – when he was appointed chair of governors at Discovery School in Newcastle, which closed within four years in 2018 after failing to recruit enough pupils and being graded ‘inadequate’. “I look back on it with a lot of sadness really. I learned an awful lot but you don’t necessarily want to learn from a school being closed. You’re not in charge as chair, but you are carrying a lot of responsibility for it.” There are no plans for NCG to venture back into pre-16 provision, he adds. However, Garvey would like more sixth form colleges to join NCG, to share best practice.

After 19 years in the sector, Garvey is a positive voice for the power of A-levels and, indeed, university. “We’re talking about university from day one. A-levels are a passport qualification. Sometimes, when students are put on a mixed programme of A-levels and technical qualifications, it’s because staff are worried they won’t succeed. We don’t offer a mix: we believe, if you’ve got the best teacher and learner, you can turn A-levels into a success.” With university degrees still linked to higher earnings outcomes for students, such a voice is important.

Meanwhile, for Garvey this post will soon be his longest held in FE. “I think I’m doing the job I always wanted to do. You need to enjoy what you’re doing, rather than move on to the next thing. I can still take it further here.” It sounds like he has arrived at his destination! Let’s hope the accountability measures are changed soon to reflect his and his team’s hard work.

 

Switching off frameworks before standard ready is ‘right decision’, says IfATE boss

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education fully backed the ministerial decision to stick with the switch-off date for starts on frameworks, even in sectors where there is no viable replacement standard ready.

Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the apprenticeship quango, told an FE Week webcast today that ruling out an extension to the July 31 date was the “right decision” and insisted there “isn’t really any excuse for being surprised by the fact that this is going to be kept”.

Conversations between the education secretary Gavin Williamson, the skills minister Gillian Keegan and the IfATE about a possible delay had been taking place in light of sector-wide concerns about the cut-off date.

Numerous training providers and college leaders warned they would have to pause recruitment of apprentices in some areas, such as stonemasonry, if there was no extension as there is no new apprenticeship standard that would be ready for delivery in August. Covid-19 has also disrupted the switchover.

But the Department for Education confirmed last month that no extension would be granted.

Quizzed on the decision today, Coupland said: “This [switching off frameworks] has been seven years in the making. This is not something we have done overnight.

“There is always going to be a couple of things bringing up the rear but we are working really closely with employers in areas, like the stonemasonry standard, where they are not going to be ready for July 31 but they will be ready later this year. We are working closely with those employer groups to make sure we get the standards approved for delivery as quickly as possible.”

The IfATE boss said the institute supplied the DfE with “lots of information” about how many standards have been approved, as well as their level of coverage across all parts of the economy to aid the education secretary’s formal decision-making.

“In terms of our advice of the switch-off decision, I think we’ve got really good coverage now of the economy with standards so the 550 standards covers 90 per cent or more of existing frameworks and so on that basis I think that he’s made the right decision to proceed with the timetable that was previously set,” she added.

“We had a long run-up to this though, there isn’t really any excuse for being surprised by the fact that this July 31 date is going to be kept.”

Pressed on whether it would have been fairer to extend the switch-off date, Coupland added: “Well I think the secretary of state looked at all angles of the problem including how much pressure was being brought to bear on the sector and weighing up all of those considerations.

“I think we’ve all established that standards are more rigorous and better quality, that they are employer led. They’re going to give apprentices the knowledge, the skills, the behaviours that employers want so if you delay moving to that system wholesale you are delaying that opportunity for all of those apprentices who would otherwise benefit.

“The fact that we’ve got this better system coming into play is a big consideration here. I think the other thing is as we’ve mentioned before – moving to a more virtual way of working has proved that actually you can still do things. It isn’t necessary to park all the plans you previously had because we’re operating in a slightly different way.”

First college to delay reopening after coronavirus R rate rise

A college in Tameside is delaying its wider reopening after being “strongly advised” to do so by its local authority in light of new Covid-19 infection rate data.

Tameside College told FE Week today it is planning to follow recommendations from Tameside Metropolitan Borough to postpone face-to-face contact with more students until at least June 22.

Pressure has been put on the college to revisit the government-recommended reopening date of June 15 after Public Health England found that the regional R (reproduction number) rate for the north west has risen above the “critical” threshold of 1 – after which the number of cases is said to increase exponentially – as well as “local information that infection rates remain higher and health services are stretched”.

After receiving this data on Friday, Tameside Council director of public health, Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, wrote to all schools and colleges in the area urging them to delay their wider reopening until at least June 22.

Tameside College is understood to be the first general FE college in the country to announce it will not begin its wider reopening on June 15 in line with government guidance, following a rise in the R rating.

Neighbouring Ashton Sixth Form College announced on its website on Friday that it will also delay reopening until at least June 22.

Jackie Moores, principal of both Tameside College and Clarendon Sixth Form College, told FE Week: “Tameside College is following all the required guidance and the senior leadership team are currently assessing the best and safest options for wider opening. 

“We will now be recommending to the college’s governing body that the safest option will be to delay wider opening until the June 22, subject to further public health advice.”

She added the college had been ready to open on June 15 as originally planned but senior leaders are “working closely” with public health colleagues in the local authority and have considered their advice.

Its board are meeting on Friday to review the latest Covid-19 data for the region and make a final decision.

A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said decisions relating to colleges in the city-region should be taken at the discretion of principals, chief executives and boards.

He added that throughout the coronavirus crisis the mayor “has repeatedly called for flexibility in the dates set for the wider re-opening of schools and colleges to reflect the shifting nature of the pandemic”.

Steve Rotheram, metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, told FE Week his view is that the loosening of the lockdown “came too soon for the north west” and he has “asked government to consult on the reopening of schools and colleges”.

He added that the decision on whether or not to open should be taken by councils, in consultation with head teachers and college principals.

“We have asked government to publish more extensive localised information at a local authority level to inform those decisions. We are still in a very fragile position and protecting public health should always be paramount.”  

De Gruchy’s correspondence to schools and colleges in Tameside, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, said: “Members of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) and the Association of Directors of Public Health advised caution and concern about the too rapid easing of lockdown and the increased risk of a second pandemic wave.

“Balancing this concern, the national R number being between 0.7 to 1.0 and estimated at 0.73 in the North West and the importance of having our children back at school, I supported the limited increase in the number of children attending planned in the Borough from Monday 8 June.

“However information released at 2pm today estimates the R value is now above the critical value of 1 for the North West, at 1.01.

“Because of this change in R, and despite the excellent work undertaken, I am therefore strongly advising all schools and childcare settings to delay wider opening until at least 22 June for us to be more assured that the rate of infection is reducing and R is firmly below 1.

“All settings should continue to remain open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers as they have been since the start of the national lockdown.”

The situation will be monitored and reviewed on a weekly basis, with plans for the director of public health to write to all education settings again this Friday with a further update and advice on wider opening.

All colleges across the country are currently still being advised by the government to begin their wider reopening to 16 to 19 students on the first year of a study programme, as well as apprentices and adult learners in some cases, from June 15.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said face-to-face contact for year 12 and equivalent students could begin after this date when he announced that the government’s “five tests” for easing lockdown were all being met on May 28.

ETF discounts cost and reduces eligibility criteria for Advanced Teacher Status qualification

The Education and Training Foundation is handing out 100 discounts worth £500 each to boost the number of FE lecturers with Advanced Teacher Status (ATS), whilst also softening the scheme’s eligibility criteria.

It currently costs participants £750 to undertake ATS, meaning those that receive the discount will only have to pay £250.

The qualification was first launched in 2017 and recognises lecturers who can demonstrate “mastery” of the profession. It is described as the “gold standard practitioner status in the FE sector” by the ETF.

Around 100 individuals have attained it so far. Those who are awarded ATS are additionally granted with Chartered Teacher Status by the Chartered College of Teaching – the recognised professional body for teachers in England.

Martin Reid, director of the Society for Education and Training (SET), part of the ETF, said the “bursaries” have been made available to make ATS “accessible to a wider group of highly-skilled and experienced practitioners for whom financial barriers may be issues”.

Up to 100 are on offer and preference will be given to those applicants who “present a strong case for requiring a bursary”, which they will have to do by “making a statement explaining how a funded place will support both themselves and their organisation, focusing on three key areas of the ETF professional standards: values and attributes; knowledge and understanding; and skills”.

The eligibility criteria for ATS have also been changed, with the requirement for applicants to already hold Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status or Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) “no longer a prerequisite”.

Instead, “advanced” teachers and trainers who have “held their initial teaching qualification at level five or above for at least five years – rather than the four required of QTLS and QTS holders – and who meet all of the other eligibility criteria relating to access to teaching and coaching, can also apply”.

All applicants must be members of the SET, which oversees ATS.

The discounts will be available to those joining the next cohort to work towards ATS, which will begin in October 2020.

The ETF said although the eligibility criteria have been updated, the ATS programme “has not been changed in any way” and participants will “carry out the same tasks and portfolios will be assessed with the same rigour they always have been”.

Reid added: “We know from listening to our members that ATS is seen as a highly-valued badge of professionalism that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of teaching and learning. It is also an important aspect of the work we are doing to drive up the professionalism of the whole sector, with those who achieve ATS telling us that its positive impacts are not just on them personally, but also on colleagues and their institutions.

“These ETF-funded bursaries, alongside changes to the eligibility criteria, will make ATS accessible to a wider group of highly-skilled and experienced practitioners for whom financial barriers or a lack of opportunity to undertake QTLS early in their careers may be issues. 

“We hope that more people in the sector will now be able to embark on their journey to ATS and achieve Chartered Teacher status.” 

The window for applications for the next cohort of the ATS programme is open until 13 September 2020.

DfE seeks 16 senior policy advisers ahead of FE ‘revolution’

The Department for Education is drafting in a group of new policy experts as it gears up for “revolutionary” changes in FE.

Job adverts for 16 senior advisers to “craft a wide range of policies” within the department’s “higher and further education group” are currently live with annual salaries ranging from £49,000 to £60,000.

It comes as the DfE continues its work on a new White Paper for the FE sector, to be followed by legislation.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said in May that the reforms could be “revolutionary”, and FE Week previously reported that one key option being considered is to bring colleges in England back into public ownership.

Work on the White Paper is being led by Keith Smith, who was redeployed from the Education and Skills Funding Agency in April. He reports to Paul Kett, director general for higher and further education at the DfE.

The 16 policy adviser adverts include five “heads of policy” and 11 “policy leads”.

The successful candidates will be deployed to the DfE’s higher and further education group to work in directorates including careers and further education; further education reform; career learning, analysis, skills and student choice; international; higher education, STEM and tertiary providers; transformation and digital.

Responsibilities will include “leading the delivery of innovative policy reforms”.

“In the role you will quickly familiarize yourself with detailed knowledge to enable you confidently brief ministers and manage relationships with the educational sector,” the adverts add.

Sally Dicketts announced as AoC president-elect

The chief executive of one of England’s largest college groups has been announced as the next president of the Association of Colleges.

Sally Dicketts, who heads up Activate Learning, will take over the role from Steve Frampton on August 1 when his two-year tenure is up.

She said she was “delighted” to be appointed and pledged to “work hard to promote the FE sector and ensure our learners are given the best opportunities to succeed”.

“As we move into a post-Covid world, we will need to unite as a sector to ensure we have the funding and support we need to continue to help our communities and be the engines of social mobility that we have been for so long, and I recognise both the pitfall and benefits of the proposals set out in the government’s White Paper,” she added.

“The global pandemic has shone a light on a lot of the things we do as education providers, and I think there are lots of opportunities for us to change and adapt our approaches to meet our learners needs in the future.

“I want to create a united voice for the FE sector, where we collaborate with clear values of respect, empathy, and understanding of different communities we serve.”

Frampton said his two years in the role of AoC president have been “two of the best of my life”.

“It has been a genuine honour to represent the sector I love and I’ve had experiences and opportunities that I will never forget,” he added.

Steve Frampton

Each year a college principal is elected by AoC members to be president. Their term of office runs from 01 August to 31 July, with a maximum two-year tenure.

The AoC said the president “acts as an ambassador” for the membership organisation and the further education sector, “driving policy formation and raising the profile of colleges with ministers and external stakeholders”.

Dicketts has worked in further education since 1985. Since 2013, she has been chief executive of Activate Learning, bringing together in one group, three FE colleges, three university technical colleges, two 11 to 18 secondary schools, a studio school, an apprenticeships provider, and a specialist engineering training provider.

She is a board member of the Education and Training Foundation, Pearson’s board and deputy chair of the LEP skills board.

Dicketts was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Honours List in July 2013.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 319

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

Anne Vickers, Board member, Education Training Collective

Start date: May 2020

Concurrent job: Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust’s Schools Games Organiser for Middlesbrough

Interesting fact: Anne played for Redcar Ladies hockey team for 30 years, joining when she was at school

Matthew Smith, Director of Digital Skills Academy, North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College

Start date: May 2020

Previous job: Director of the National College of Education

Interesting fact: Matt was the principal dancer in the 2002-03 TV adaptation of The Forsyte Saga starring Damian Lewis

Janet Gardner, Principal, Waltham Forest College

Start date: July 2020

Previous job: Deputy Chief Executive, Newham College

Interesting fact: Janet has a keen interest in travelling and her most recent experience was a tour of the West Coast of America

‘A very different September’ debated by roundtable of experts

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a great deal of disruption across education, including cancelled exams and campus closures to most learners, the impact of which is expected to be felt into the next academic year and likely beyond.

Education leaders and policy experts discussed the anticipated ongoing impact on 16-to-24- year-olds, adult learners and apprenticeships at an FE Week roundtable debate on Tuesday, in partnership with NCFE.

Watch the roundtable here:

It followed the joint publication of a discussion paper by NCFE and Campaign for Learning, education policy consultant Mark Corney, and director of policy at Holex adult education network Susan Pember, which warns of a “very different September” to the one Whitehall had planned for.

One key area of concern is safe travel and social distancing on transport for younger learners as they move to and from their college or training provider.

Principal of New College Durham, John Widdowson, told the roundtable this is a particular problem for rural areas and he is considering a shortened college day, for example, between 10am and 3.30pm, to lessen pressure on public transport at peak times.

“We know that only half capacity will be allowed on each bus that comes in because of social distancing, we know that they are going to prioritise people coming to work, so we’re thinking about maybe a differently timed college day,” he explained.

Widdowson added that his college is also “thinking about potentially having – instead of trying to plan a curriculum on a linear basis, September through to June-July – to modularise it, so we’ll do complete units of learning, which is something we’ve not really done before, but that then gives them something in the bank”.

David Robinson from the Education Policy Unit touched on the topic of calculated grades being awarded to students this summer following the cancellation of exams. He warned that, as teacher assessment “tends to be biased” against disadvantaged learners, it could prove an additional challenge to post-16 institutions to match them to a programme of study, so there “may be more adjustments needed in those early stages”.

Corney tabled education select committee chair Robert Halfon’s idea of an “apprenticeships guarantee” (see here) after prime minister Boris Johnson said he would “look at the idea” last week and mentioned it again during his coronavirus briefing on Wednesday (see here).

Corney cautioned against this potential “overpromise” and instead recommended the expansion of funding for 19-to-24 full-time places at FE colleges, maintenance support to complete level 3 qualifications and a T-level “guarantee”.

Robinson challenged the latter, arguing the rollout of the new technical qualifications is already “relatively slow”, with capacity concerns within the sector, and that this could put it at further risk.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ chief policy officer Simon Ashworth suggested traineeships as an alternative established programme to help young people develop their skills to enter the jobs market, which he said could be a “useful vehicle” if flexibilities are introduced in the long term.

However, Brenda McLeish, chief executive of Learning Curve Group, said there are “big concerns” over the provision of work placements due to Covid-19 and staff redundancies, as well as the ability to recruit new apprentices during this period.

She added: “What we need is definitely a skills training programme, and a funding guarantee for these people.”

Turning to the needs of adults, Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, claimed: “We really need a much bigger scale of ambition and action and urgent action to get proper help and support to [furloughed workers] as well.”

McLeish talked about the success of her provider’s #EducateWhileYouIsolate campaign, which had received 28,000 expressions of interest in online courses within its first six weeks, but lamented that there was “no funding pot there to sustain it… [or] any increase in the adult education budget”.

She added that there will be a “fear factor” for adults returning to work or participating in groups, so believes it will be necessary to offer a “blended model” for the foreseeable future.

The final discussion point of the roundtable was the impact on apprenticeships. Corney proposed a single education and apprenticeship participation budget for 16-to-18-year-olds to switch between different types of provision.

Ashworth called the idea a “no-brainer” but said it should be funded by government rather than the levy.

Robinson questioned whether there was a need to “triage” sector demands to those which would make the most impact due to the number of industries asking for support, concluding it“needs to be simple and broad, rather than lots of small sector asks”.

In contrast to the view of Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, that apprenticeships were not “near the top of [universities’] concerns at this time”, Ashworth said some higher education institutions see them as an “opportunity to supplement or refill some of the income they might lose from other traditional streams”.

Pember, who “didn’t want to be doom and gloom”, concluded the roundtable was underestimating size of unemployment in autumn, and doubts that employers will offer apprenticeships to level 2 and 3 learners rather than existing employees at higher levels in the next 18 months.

FE has a pivotal role over the next two years (and there is no time to lose)

The sector must be allowed to respond to demands from existing and new students, many of them disadvantaged, says Justine Greening. It must also be ready to help hundreds of thousands of people to reskill

Education transformed my life – and my time in further education at Thomas Rotherham College in south Yorkshire was a crucial part of that.

I studied there for the A-levels that helped me to become the first person in my family to go to university. But it gave some of my friends the chance to take a more vocational route.

FE colleges are the backbone of the education system that helps many young people take the next steps after leaving school. They especially matter for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds and communities.

We already know that the education shutdown has most harmed those young people with the most restricted access to opportunity. They must be the priority for any education catch-up plan – which means that FE must also be a priority. It educates the young people with the least time left in the education system to regain lost time.

With recession looming, FE colleges could play a further crucial role. The steady digital shift of the economy meant there was already a need for the government to focus more on retraining and reskilling, but Covid-19 has turbocharged this shift.

FE has a pivotal role to play for this country over the next two years. It must be allowed to respond to demands from existing students and those arriving into the system – and it must be able to help hundreds of thousands of people to reskill.

“We cannot allow a new generation to have its talent wasted”

Now is the time for the government to truly recognise its importance. It will define how well we handle the challenge of keeping people on track with their careers in spite of everything the economy throws at them.

My father was out of work for a year after he lost his job in the steel industry in the 1980s. It was hard to reskill, especially with so little advice on what sort of role to retrain for. Facing what economic forecasters say may be another crisis of high unemployment, we cannot allow a new generation to have its talent wasted.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, said that he would do “whatever it takes” to help businesses and families get through the coronavirus crisis. He must now apply that same ethos to helping our young people, and those needing to reskill, to get their education and future careers back on track. This is no time for penny-pinching on investing in this country’s most important asset – its people.

Ministers must work creatively with the FE sector and business to look beyond simply resourcing, to how they can reshape policies to boost the capacity for reskilling.

The apprenticeship levy is long-known to be overly restrictive for employers to invest in skills. In a deep recession it would be unjustifiable and unacceptable for levy accounts to have millions of pounds of unused funding for skills that employers and colleges could not invest in because of bureaucratic rules long overdue for a reshake.

For example, why not allow employers to roll over and invest unused apprenticeship levy more widely in skills training? This could perhaps help existing staff to retrain to prevent unemployment, or support those being made redundant in refocusing their skills towards a new career.

Only by getting around the table with the sector, including training providers and employers, can the right approach be worked out. But there is no time to lose. Employers who are committed to the Social Mobility Pledge that I founded to spread more opportunity to young people and reach Britain’s much wider talent pool, are also keen to play their role. The government needs to work with them to find out how it can enable them to do so, or at least not get in the way.

We had a national effort to help our NHS as we were hit by the peak of the coronavirus crisis. We now need the same national effort to help our education system cope with its aftermath and the huge disruption to young people.