Digital skills are as important as English and maths – and we must treat them accordingly

As I write this, I’m on my way home from Liverpool. Every part of my trip has been digital, from train tickets to card payment-only hotels to booking taxi journeys around the city. So when we hear that digital skills are lacking, it is hard not to be sceptical. And yet.

Despite our pervasive familiarity with devices, there remain millions of people across the UK who don’t have the skills to get by. From older people who long for when they could visit their bank branch to those who struggle to navigate online forms, people are increasingly being disadvantaged by the modern world.

Our third core skill

Being digitally savvy allows us to access the best deals for shopping and utility bills. It opens the door to more lucrative jobs. It brings us greater awareness on health matters and it even broadens our social circles. And not being digitally savvy increasingly means missing out on all of that.

This is why digital skills are becoming the third core skill alongside English and maths. Indeed, way back in 2015 the House of Lords Select Committee on Digital Skills stated children should be taught “digital literacy” as a core skill.

The report also highlighted that universities should ensure all graduates are “digitally competent” and apprenticeships should have greater emphasis on digital skills. It was written pre-lockdown, and with many routes now having a significant online element, it’s even more vital.

Rightly, English and maths are held up as crucial to social mobility. Increasingly, the same can be said of digital skills. Every learner simply must have a grasp of more than the basics.

The new normal

As digital becomes normalised, colleges and apprenticeship providers are adapting by assessing the skills needs of their learners at the beginning of their journey. This ensures they can be supported and able to access their course and resources.

However, the misconception persists that digital skills are an older person’s need, that younger people – on their phone all the time and online 24/7 – are ‘digital natives’. This not the case at all. Younger people may be more advanced in certain areas of digital devices, but this doesn’t mean they have the full skills to operate safely and effectively in the digital world.

When the Department for Education brought in the new basic digital skills standards, they created two qualifications: essential digital skills and digital functional skills. One is focused on digital skills for life, and the other for education and work. Though they both cover similar content, the key is in the detail.

More and more learning encompasses digital tools or platforms. But while this increases personalised learning and accessibility, it can also paradoxically create barriers for those without the required skills or tools.

I frequently hear about learners not engaging with resources or doing poorly in online assessments. Often, lack of subject knowledge is not the cause but poor digital skills blocking learners’ ability to engage with these platforms.

In fact, Ofqual recently highlighted in their functional skills review that learners being forced to take online assessments rather than paper-based ones was one of the reasons some were unsuccessful in their attempts to achieve their qualification.

No one left offline

In life, education and work, digital skills are the key to an improved way of living. However, we must resist the temptation to jump to artificial intelligence or augmented reality as the solution for all the world’s ills.

First and foremost, we must consider end users and whether they’re actually skilled enough to use them.

Digital skills are on every Local Skills Improvement Plan as a high need. If we’re going to meet those needs, then – in the same way as we must overcome ‘maths anxiety’ and ‘anti-maths attitudes’ – we must be brave enough to admit our digital skills are not where we need them to be as a nation.

And that means doing everything we can to bring everyone on board.

To learn more about NCFE’s No One Left Offline campaign, click here

Tackling the sexism and misogyny infiltrating our classrooms

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has declared violence against women a national emergency in England and Wales, describing it as an “epidemic” and a “national threat to public safety”.  This comes as online and offline misogyny increasingly infiltrate our classrooms. So what can we do about it?

The matter is clearly urgent. The first-ever Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) national policing statement reveals the staggering reality that an estimated 2 million women have fallen victim to offences such as stalking, harassment, sexual assault and domestic abuse.

Meanwhile, an estimated 10 per cent of all violence against women and girls occurs online. (It is likely much more, due to current recording practices).

Sexism behind the screen

FE Week readers will no doubt be familiar with Andrew Tate, who affirms that he is “absolutely a misogynist”, calls women “intrinsically lazy” and claims there is “no such thing as an independent female”.

UK authorities have singled him out for his role in spreading misogyny among boys and young men, but ‘influencers’ like him are just one of the causes of this online radicalisation of men.

The rise of the incel subculture has become an echo chamber where individuals blame their problems on women, promote hateful ideology and even encourage violence and terrorism. A small but growing number of violent attacks are attributed to this group.

Infiltrating classrooms

As smartphone usage rises, young people are exposed to damaging beliefs and behaviours earlier than ever. These formative experiences can have a lasting effect on their later adolescence and – if unchallenged – their adulthood.

Educators are already observing a shift. According to research from Feminista, 64 per cent of teachers hear misogynistic language weekly, and the issue extends beyond verbal harassment. Almost one in three teachers witness sexual harassment on at least a weekly basis.

While the research focuses on secondary schools, this alarming trend continues to further and higher education. Government inquiries reveal that sexist and misogynistic behaviours tend to intensify and manifest in more severe forms later, resulting in an increase in incidents of sexual harassment, assault and gender-based discrimination at colleges (and universities).

For all these reasons, we must address these issues early. School age would be best, but further education institutions can and must prevent the normalisation of such behaviours.

Newcastle College has received national attention for its efforts to combat sexism and misogyny among young people, appearing on BBC radio to explain the specialist training our staff receive on these issues and how we work collaboratively to tackle them. Here’s what every college should be doing.

Safe learning environments

Schools and colleges should be safe spaces where all students can learn and thrive without fear of harassment or discrimination.

We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour, creating an environment where those who are targeted feel safe to come forward and report perpetrators. Then, we intervene.

Teacher training and support

Providing teachers with the necessary training and support to recognise and challenge sexism and misogyny can have a significant impact.

We have enlisted the support of external organisations including Beyond Equality to tutor students and staff alike about the dangers of sexism and misogyny, and many of our staff members have completed ‘active bystander’ training.

Comprehensive sex education

Conversations about consent, respect and healthy relationships happen in primary and secondary schools, so these are not new topics to our learners. But we cannot afford to cede ground in FE, at an age when they are gaining more access to external influences and are more likely to act.

We do this largely through tutorials exploring these issues as hot topics that allow our trained tutors to encourage debate and critical thinking.

Parental and community involvement

Addressing misogyny in education settings requires a collaborative effort involving parents, educators, and the wider community. Encouraging open conversations about gender equality at home and within the community can reinforce the values we aim to impart.

Misogyny may be on the rise online, but our most influential relationships remain those we have offline. By equipping educators and parents with the tools they need, we can mitigate the spread of this harmful ideology and ensure gender equality remains the aspiration of future generations.

Apprenticeship and Training Awards 2025 officially launched

A new chapter in recognising the best in the UK’s apprenticeship sector is set to begin as the Apprenticeship and Training Awards (ATAs) 2025 has officially launched.

The event, formerly known as the AAC Apprenticeship Awards, is a prestigious celebration of excellence of both apprenticeship employers and training providers across the country.

Nominations for the awards opened today, and the panel expects to review hundreds of applications before the November submissions deadline.

Since their inception in 2018, the awards have attracted thousands of nominations from leading employer and training providers, with twenty one winners recognised last year.

Judging panel chair and EducationScape CEO Shane Mann: “The inaugural event in 2018 saw over 350 nominations – since then the awards have continued to grow in size, scope, and significance.

“Each year, the awards have shone a spotlight on the employers, training providers, and individuals who are making a tangible impact on the sector.”

“Alongside our repositioning of the conference, the Annual Apprenticeship Conference to the Apprenticeships and Training Conference, I am excited that the ATAs will provide an opportunity to celebrate outstanding provision across apprenticeships and training”.

This year’s awards promise to be the most competitive yet, with the introduction of new categories and the ever-increasing quality of apprenticeship programmes across the country.

From 2025 the awards will include a fresh set of categories that reflect the broader needs of the workforce, including recognition for excellence in English and Maths skills development, sustainability in training, and partnerships with employers.

They will also feature an open nomination process for the special recognition award, which will honour an individual who has made a lasting contribution to the apprenticeship and training sector at a national level.

While continuing to celebrate those who are shaping the future of apprenticeships, the revamped categories will showcase the sector’s growing focus on sustainability, diversity, and innovation.

The ATAs form part of the Apprenticeships and Training Conference (ATC), formerly the Annual Apprenticeship Conference, first launched by FE Week’s publisher EducationScape six years ago.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) continues to be a conference partner alongside FE Week, while City & Guilds has renewed its partnership of the awards for another three years.

AELP CEO Ben Rowland said the association is “really excited” about the evolution of the awards and conference.

He added: “It is really important that as a sector we put more of a spotlight on the amazing work that AELP members and others in the sector to above and beyond apprenticeships, central as they are to the skills agenda.

“While apprenticeships often grab the headlines, the work that is done by all sorts of providers – not just colleges – on 16-19 study programmes, bootcamps, adult skills programmes, multiply and many others, is often the thing that makes all the difference to individuals and their employers.

“I’m looking forward to seeing as many people as possible in Liverpool in just six month’s time!”

Nominations open today, and the closing date for submissions is 23:59 on November  14, 2024.

The judging panel, chaired by Shane Mann and Ben Rowland, will review hundreds of applications from employers and training providers that lead the way in skills development. 

Winners will be announced at the ATA Gala Dinner on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, following a Parliamentary reception for finalists in early February. For more information on how to submit your nomination and the full list of award categories, visit the Apprenticeship and Training Awards website.

Skills England must embrace sports for a policy conversion

In challenging times, we must have the courage to think differently. The UK’s skills gap has been giving British businesses a headache for some time now; we will need to call on different approaches to solve it. Apprenticeships have a crucial role to play, as does the sports sector. 

If we zoom out and look at things globally, the view is pretty gloomy. Over the next decade, across the G20 countries, £11.5 trillion of potential economic output could go unrealised if we fail to address the skills deficit.

On top of this, rapid technological advancements and ever-changing net zero requirements mean that skills can become redundant fast. For some skills, it only takes 24 months for the world to have moved on without them.

Here in the UK, things aren’t much brighter, with three out of four companies struggling to find the talent they need. UK training budgets have shrunk by 26 per cent since 2007, reducing the UK’s per-head investment to the lowest in Europe. 

All in all, the issue is pretty acute. We’re at a crossroads: we can shake up our approach or carry on with the same strategy that has not taken us very far. 

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. The government, with their unveiling of the Skills England Bill, are assembling a taskforce to close the gap. The initiative also includes reforms to the apprenticeship levy and will free up funding so that it can be used more flexibly.

I wholeheartedly support any plans to boost apprenticeships; they will be crucial in fixing the skills gap. And they don’t just benefit businesses but communities up and down the country, too. They empower young people, regardless of background, and are a lever for reducing inequalities across society.

I want to see Skills England succeed. But it will need a properly considered mandate and the right leadership to deliver a cohesive national skills strategy and pave the way for a 21st-century workforce. 

The time for policy revisions is behind us. It’s crunch time

Beyond this, Skills England will need to prioritise action. The time for revision after revision of policies is behind us. It’s crunch time. We need well-delivered, tangible solutions to fix the skills gap.

The sports industry undoubtedly has a role to play in this. Sports businesses are societal stakeholders; they know how to bring communities along with them on the road to success.

Having worked in the sports sector for decades, I may be biased. But don’t just take my word for it. The example from South Devon College in these pages earlier this year shows how deep the community impact of marrying sports and skills can go, and it is far beyond the pitch.

I’ve seen it through my own company, too. I have been fortunate to work with some of the most exciting sports brands, helping them to maximise the apprenticeship levy and deliver social impact. When sports businesses open up job opportunities and bring on young talent, they have an astounding effect on the local community.

At their core, sports organisations know how to combine business objectives with community impact; this could be a powerful tool for Skills England. 

Sport has long been a cultural cornerstone in Britain, deeply woven into the fabric of our communities. You can’t witness the energy outside your local sports ground on matchday and tell me that sport doesn’t have a unique power to unite. Even more importantly, sports organisations are close to the people they serve; they know their challenges and aspirations.

Skills England must reframe the debate around skills so that they are seen as a pillar of economic growth. Every single stakeholder needs energising; we must inject passion into the topic.

And passion is one thing that’s never in short supply at sports organisations. With its unifying power and extensive local reach, sport can play a vital role in this effort. 

We need innovative thinking to fix our skills gap. Skills England could have long-term, locally relevant impact. But if it wants to turn up the dial and multiply its power to affect change, it should bring sports organisations on board.

How PARS is putting apprenticeships on course for genuine recognition

The first 100 applicants have now been awarded professional recognition throughthe brand-new Post-Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme (PARS). So what have we learned, and how will we turn early success into systemic improvement for apprentices?

PARS is a unique collaboration between the Chartered Institution for Further Education and the Association of Apprentices. It marks the first time apprentices from all sectors and industries can receive an award and the right to use post-nominal designations (CSA, CAA, CHA or CGA, depending on level).

These post-nominals are designed to demonstrate apprentices’ commitment to continuous development and their attainment of professional standards. And it’s working.

More and more apprentices are applying for PARS once their apprenticeship certificates are in hand. This signals a broad acknowledgment of how helpful the awards are in helping them take the next steps in their post-completion journeys.

So far, we’ve seen 100 apprentices from levels 2 to 7 and from industries such as IT, engineering, hospitality and finance among the first to receive their award. It’s hugely exciting to see them share their certificates and proudly use their post-nominal letters, fully supported by their employers in reaching this standard.

Of course, there are well-established recognition ladders in some professions which have been mapped to apprenticeship standards. But these are limited. Instead, PARS focuses on the cross-cutting skills and experiences that individuals are deriving from this form of learning with employment.

It is an important step in elevating the professional status of apprenticeships as a trusted and powerful skills pathway, and that matters greatly. Apprenticeships are critical to the country’s productivity and growth ambitions and essential for any industrial strategy to be effective.

This an important step in elevating the professional status of apprenticeships

They are also vital in supporting social mobility and spreading opportunity, which makes them central to not one, but two of the new government’s core missions.

In this context, improving apprenticeship retention and achievement is imperative, as is reversing the decline in apprenticeship starts at lower levels.

A rise in the availability of apprenticeship standards across a wider range of occupations is welcome, but boosting their currency and visibility is an important means of building momentum and incentivising full completion.

So far, the support from the apprenticeship sector has been amazing. From the time we announced the development of PARS, employers, training providers, awarding organisations and others have been right behind us, recognising this as a game-changer for achievement rates.   

As we start the new academic year, many providers are embracing PARS, including it in their recruitment campaigns and embedding it into their induction programmes. Others are supporting recently completed apprentices and those who have completed since 2019 to apply.

And so are employers. Coca Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is the first employer in the country to sponsor their apprentices to obtain a PARS award.  At a graduation ceremony in July, Sharon Blyfield OBE, head of early careers and apprenticeships at CCEP announced that their completed apprentices will be the first to have this opportunity, and it will be embedded for future apprentices as part of their offer.

Meanwhile, awarding body NCFE is the first organisation to offer a bursary to eligible apprentices. With a committed initial £5,000 bursary pot, NCFE will support level 2 and 3 apprentices from underserved backgrounds across a range of sectors with their applications. 

One of the many by-products of PARS is its ability to provide useful insight into the apprentice experience and its return on investment (ROI). This data can be challenging for the sector to monitor consistently, but we have already learned a lot.

For example, the top skills and behaviours apprentices say they’ve gained on their programmes are communication (87 per cent), confidence (80 per cent), and problem-solving (also 80 per cent).

Furthermore, PARS collates information on the apprentices’ immediate destinations post-completion. From this, we have learned that 85 per cent have stayed with their employer and, of these, one-third have already been promoted.

For these reasons and more, PARS has significant potential to integrate into the apprenticeship journey. Reaching our first 100 graduates so quickly represents an early milestone, but the road ahead will require support from the whole sector.

To get involved or find out more, visit www.associationofapprentices.org.uk or www.fecharter.org.uk , or register for our live webinar on 1 October

Building consensus will be crucial to the growth and skills levy’s success

Eight years ago, as a special advisor in Number 10, I took representations – positive and negative – from businesses on the incoming apprenticeship levy we were about to introduce. This week, at Multiverse, we asked 1,405 employers for their perspectives on the levy and how it should change.

We are no closer to consensus. Words like ‘bureaucratic’, ‘limiting’ and ‘outdated’ came up as frequently as ‘clear’, ‘opportunity’ and ‘beneficial’. Perhaps the response that best sums it up? ‘Untapped potential’.

The challenge for the apprenticeship levy was that in addition to the complexities of the policy, its purpose was always multifaceted and up for debate.

The additional wages generated by apprenticeships may have risen by 44 per cent while the graduate premium has fallen, but the initial reduction in starts is easy ammunition for sceptics.

The many indicators of quality improvements should be applauded, but we should look seriously at what it takes to restore apprenticeships at SMEs and in the trades.

In short, this is not a debate that lends itself to easy conclusions.

The definitional challenge is one that the new government should look to solve. Indeed, they already have. Introducing a growth and skills levy is more than just a re-brand. It is a clear and conscious signal that the chief priority for the new policy should be the cause of economic growth.

As a new NFER report revealed this week, the nature of work and business is undergoing a radical transformation. Skills are the means of safeguarding individuals and their employers amid this transformation.

Apprenticeships, driven by the current skills needs of employers and solved through combining work and learning, ought to be the natural solution – if they can be made to work.

Recent polling commissioned by Multiverse and conducted by Public First shows a strong public appetite for making training more flexible. Eighty per cent said they would be more likely to take a course if it could be completed in stages, and 74 per cent preferred courses that could be completed in less than 12 months.

Flexibility alone is not going to solve the growth conundrum

Employers, too, often desire more flexibility. Being able to spend a portion of the growth and skills levy on non-apprenticeship training would support these calls. As would the ability to undertake training in smaller, more manageable chunks. This would make it easier for individuals to upskill or reskill while balancing their other responsibilities.

However, flexibility alone is not going to solve the growth conundrum. It requires clear guardrails and growth-orientated purpose.

The growth and skills levy should make high-quality training accessible to everyone, regardless of location. Like the apprenticeship levy, there should be a national approach to avoid a postcode lottery where some areas receive better support than others.

Many large UK employers already struggle to offer apprenticeship programmes to colleagues in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Adding in further complexity in the English regions would be a step backwards.

To be successful, the system should remain employer-led. Employers are best placed to identify the skills gaps within their organisations and select the training to deliver the greatest return on investment. This approach would mean the skills people develop are closely aligned with the economy’s demands.

The new levy should also guarantee high-quality provision. This means maintaining rigorous standards for training providers so that investment in skills training delivers value for money.

Precise levels of regulation should be appropriate to the courses being provided too. Shorter courses, for example, may not require the same level of inspection and end-point assessment as multi-year apprenticeships, but the presumption should be that quality matters.

Implementing these reforms will not be without challenges. Their success will depend on careful design and execution, with input from employers, workers, and policymakers. And the whole sector will have a role to play in demonstrating where and how learners can benefit from new forms of training.

This moment represents a significant opportunity to reshape skills in the UK and meet the pressures and opportunities fast-moving technologies represent, and an opportunity for the training sector and providers too.

With proactive engagement and optimism about policy change, we can help ensure the skills ecosystem is finally, rightfully seen as the engine room of sustainable, longer-term economic growth.

WorldSkills day 4: Competitions come to an emotional conclusion

UK competitors battling for gold and glory at WorldSkills 2024 have done all they can to secure their place in the history books. 

Competitions in the 27 skills disciplines have each now come to rapturous conclusions. 

Friends, families and Team UK officials spent much of the day running around the vast Eurexpo Exhibition Centre in Lyon to support each competitor as their four-day slog came down to a final 10-second countdown. 

Marion Plant, the chief executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and chair of WorldSkills UK, Mandy Crawford-Lee, chief executive of UVAC and Nicki Hay, chair of AELP, were spotted among sector big names gallantly battling through the crowds to cheer on Team UK members as each individual competition came to a close. 

Now the 31 members of Team UK, and their fellow 1,400 competitors from around the world, must wait until tomorrow evening’s closing ceremony to find out if they’ve done enough to secure bronze, silver or gold medals. 

Crossing the finish line

Rosie Boddy, aircraft maintenance at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, finishing her competition

22-year-old Rosie Boddy, the UK’s aircraft maintenance competitor, was the first to finish her tournament last night.

She was lucky to have most of Team UK, family, and team leaders gathered round the workshop to celebrate her final moments of WorldSkills as day four entailed many overlaps between skills.

The former apprentice from Coleg Cambria told FE Week after she composed herself that finishing felt “absolutely amazing”.

“It’s been really challenging, it’s been a lot of hard work and it’s been a long process so for it to be finally over feels a little bit insane but I’ve enjoyed every minute,” she said.

When asked what her biggest challenge, she said she wouldn’t pinpoint it on one thing.

“I think obviously competing in front of a big crowd, distraction control, things like that, it’s something we don’t have on this scale at national level,” she said.

But she added competing has built her confidence “like no other.”

“If I’d told myself two years ago that I’d be standing where I am right now, I would not believe me.”

And her favourite moment?

“I’d say that moment just then. It’s bittersweet obviously.”

Among the first to complete today was Lincoln College’s Dior Regan in painting and decorating. 

Regan toiled right up to the last second before an eruption of applause, cheers and tears signalled the end of her competition in Lyon.

In each of these competitive conclusions, the culmination of months, sometimes years, of training and perfecting their craft was emotional to witness for the assembled crowds.

Traversing across the venue to catch the precisely timed conclusions of each competition wasn’t easy. Crowds from each nation gather around their national competitor’s workstation for those final moments, proudly waving flags, sporting mascots and cheering loudly.

One UK official tells me the dramatic final day of WorldSkills isn’t just a highlight of the competition, but a career highlight too.

From aircraft maintenance to hairdressing, cooking to 3D game art, your author can confidently say every member of this Team UK has done themselves and their country proud.

Show us the medals

All that remains is for competition scores to be tallied up and verified before tomorow’s closing ceremony. Our competitors have been closely observed over the last four days, their techniques put to the test and their work scrutinised by independent experts.

Over night, they will be benchmarked against agreed international standards, with the highest scoring competitors called up to the mainstage to be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals at the ceremony tomorrow evening.

Here’s everything you need to know about tomorrow’s all-important closing ceremony.

Former competitors fly out to support

Every training manager, ambassador, expert that I’ve spoken to since covering WorldSkills has been involved in the organisation since competing their skill way back when.

It’s not hard to deduce that WorldSkills fosters a type of camaraderie that cannot be described, unless you’re part of it.

“This stressful environment does bring you together,” said Alex Whitemore, this year’s competitor in CNC milling. Trauma bonding perhaps?

“Yeah, exactly,” he chuckled.

Former competitors stay in touch with each other after their respective competitions. Some, once established in their careers, return as experts or training managers. Once you enter WorldSkills, you’re in it for life.

On day two, I met two former champions on the tram to Eurexpo Lyon who had come to cheer on this year’s participants.

These were former Moulton College student James Boyes, who won gold in cabinet making at the WorldSkills Special Edition in 2022, and Carlisle College alumnus Ross Fiori, who won a medallion of excellence for Team UK in joinery in 2022.

Boyes and Fiori became close after venturing on a road trip together to compete in the special edition in Basel, Switzerland.

Both were on their way to the exhibition centre to have a gander at how Team UK’s cabinetmaker Isaac Bingham and joiner Harry Scolding were getting on.

I also spotted Craig Kennedy, a bronze medallist from 2022 in car painting, hanging around the workshop to see how this year’s competitor Miguel Harvey was doing.

Yesterday, hairdressing contender Charlotte Lloyd said her colleagues at Reds Hair Company were supportive and understanding of her training schedule and reduced work hours.

“They’re all really supportive because they understand what I’m doing,” she said.

Phoebe McLavy, a bronze medallist from WorldSkills Kazan 2019, who has also come out to Lyon to watch had previously told Lloyd to just enjoy herself.

“She said, ‘enjoy yourself. As long as you do your best and you’re happy then there’s nothing else that really matters. Anything else is a bonus.’ I’m going with that mentality, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Stay on top of the latest by following @feweek on Twitter for live updates. You can tweet your support by using the hashtag #TeamUK.

FE Week is the media partner of WorldSkills UK and Team UK.

Adult training axed to avoid court fights, authority admits

Skills training contracts targeted at some of West Yorkshire’s most needy people were ditched last month to “minimise the risk” of legal challenges after a botched procurement process, FE Week has learned.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) took the rare step of abandoning its £7 million adult skills fund (ASF) tender in late August.

The authority, which controls a £67 million devolved adult education budget, has now revealed it will re-run the procurement, with the aim of starting contracts in January, as any potential legal challenges could cause even longer delays.

“This will allow all issues with the previous procurement to be addressed and any loopholes closed,” the authority wrote in a briefing to local politicians seen by FE Week.

“It will also help us to reset the relationship with bidders and minimise the risk of legal challenge.”

Issues with the way the procurement process was run surfaced in June when WYCA decided to re-evaluate bids, claiming that providers had raised concerns about “perceived or potential errors” with its scoring methodology.

However, the results of the second round of evaluation meant two providers who won in the first round were replaced with two who had originally lost out.

WYCA, led by Labour metro mayor Tracy Brabin, said this “inadvertently undermined confidence in the procurement” and meant continuing with the awards, with the “high” risk of delays from legal challenges, would not be “expedient or in the public interest”.

Some providers are also understood to have questioned whether the authority’s rules over bids from separate companies with the same owner were correctly applied.

Providers who spoke to FE Week said they had never experienced procurement evaluations being re-wound or re-run.

Impacting the poorest?

The loss of training is likely to impact some of the region’s most needy people, including the unemployed and low paid.

The adult education budget, now rebranded as the ASF, is currently devolved to 10 mayoral authorities and aims to help adults – particularly those on low salaries – increase their skills and achieve the equivalent of GCSE and A-level qualifications.

Through the fund, unemployed learners would be referred to basic skills courses via return-to-work schemes such as the sector-based work academy programme.

Other training should have helped those in lower-paid jobs gain digital, social care, construction or warehousing skills.

Around £60 million of WYCA’s ASF cash is distributed to colleges and local authorities as grant-funded contractors, while the remainder is dished out to private training providers through tenders.

The region’s largest city, Leeds, is already facing a “capacity crisis” in further education, with a lack of spaces for 16 to 18-year-old students due to a “perfect storm” of a lack of strategic planning, limited capacity and growing numbers of young people.

A WYCA spokesperson said that while the delay to commissioning was “highly regrettable”, the contracts accounted for only 10 per cent of its total provision.

They added: “Agreements held with colleges, local authorities, wider grant holders and our responsiveness contracts – those designed to address the most acute shortages in the regional labour market – remain unaffected.”

The authority said it was “rapidly assessing” options to fill the gap by “flex[ing]” existing contracts, but exact plans are yet to be confirmed.

‘an absolute shower’

The impact of contracts being cancelled at the last minute is likely to impact the business of some providers who had hired staff and started enrolling students.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one provider called the contracting mishap “an absolute shower” while another said many would begin “planning for redundancies”.

WYCA said it had always been explicit that award letters to contractors “did not constitute a contract” and that any work carried out before the contract was awarded was taken “at providers’ own risk”.

Colleges ordered to fill out schools wellbeing survey

The children’s commissioner has used her statutory powers to order every college in England to complete a survey about the wellbeing needs of young people and the services on offer.

Dame Rachel de Souza (pictured) said her survey, which will run until December 20, aims to “better understand the role schools play in children’s development”. It will help to shape her recommendations to the government and has been extended to colleges.

The survey, named “the children’s commissioner’s school survey” will ask whether they provide breakfast clubs, food banks or sexual health clinics, and who pays for such provision.  

It will also ask college leaders to state, to the best of their knowledge, how many of their “pupils” vape or use e-cigarettes.

Leaders will also be asked if they have been unable to provide the required support to students with additional needs, and about mobile phone policies. 

Colleges will be advised to only provide answers to questions that are directly relevant, FE Week understands, as most are schools-related.

‘No legal ramifications for non-response’

The children’s commissioner’s office clarified that colleges that did not participate would be chased up, but would not face legal ramifications.

De Souza insisted the survey was “not a ranking exercise or an accountability measure: it is the best way to build up a proper picture of what’s happening on the ground”. 

“Responses will be analysed carefully and anonymised before publication next year. It isn’t intended to be burdensome, nor will it be a judgement on the quality or content of their response.”

Colleges will be asked if they employ staff such as counsellors, “school nurses”, therapists and educational psychologists, and whether they have one or multiple staff for roles such as designated safeguarding lead and mental health lead.

The survey will check if there is outdoor space, enrichment activities, a nursery, on-site alternative provision, breakfast provision, food banks and “student participation”, such as student councils. It also wants to know who pays for it.

‘Full scale of the challenge’

“If we are to create a system that is as ambitious for children as they are for themselves, we need to know the full scale of the challenges and opportunities school leaders, teachers and support staff face daily,” de Souza said.

Leaders will be asked if there are “barriers” to providing additional support for students, such as parent and carer engagement, funding availability, lack of local services, national policy or staff capacity.

And they will be asked if they can make adjustments for young people with SEND, such as access to counselling, adaptation of resources, mentoring, specific equipment and adapted timetables.

They will also be asked if there are any reasons why they are unable to meet the requirements of an education, health and care plan. Examples include funding not matching need, a lack of specialist staffing or accessible facilities.

Leaders will also have to say how many of their students vape or use e-cigarettes.