"Further education is one of the public sector's Cinderellas chronically neglected by policymakers who care more about schools. The government's latest white paper is a welcome attempt to rectify this. If the plan succeeds, it would go some way towards fulfilling Labour's pledge to break down barriers that block opportunities for too many young people. But there is no simple way to enhance the status of further education colleges while also raising the quality of job-linked training and adult education more widely."
"Overall, investment in non-academic training has dropped calamitously since 2010. The apprenticeship levy scheme introduced by the Conservatives in 2017 was a dismal failure, as employers spent the money on existing employees rather than entry-level opportunities. The take-up of new T-levels, which were meant to raise the status of technical learning to match A-levels, has been disappointing. Predictably, given what is already known about the government's priorities, the industries singled out for special treatment include defence, artificial intelligence, green energy and construction. The last even has its own target: 60,000 new jobs."
Further education colleges receive chronically less attention and funding than schools. Investment in non-academic training has fallen sharply since 2010. The 2017 apprenticeship levy largely failed because employers used funds for existing staff rather than entry-level roles. T-level uptake has been disappointing and technical learning still lacks parity with A-levels. Policy proposals focus support on industries such as defence, artificial intelligence, green energy and construction while largely overlooking social care and the creative industries. Devolving responsibility to regional authorities alongside Skills England aims to make employers more accountable and allow local political empowerment. Greater levy flexibility will require better employer offers to new starters.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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