1. Policy and Practitioners
October 2016
SHANE CHOWEN, HEAD OF POLICY & PUBLIC AFFAIRS

2. Policy and Practice in Further Education
What’s going on a the moment?
Who are the players that decide what goes on in your colleges, providers, classrooms, workshops, lecture theatres?
Influence from the front line

3. SOME FACTS

4. Some facts
Half of FE learners come from the poorest fifth of the population
41% level 3 FE learners classified as living in an area of educational disadvantage
Gaining FE qualifications improves earnings, employment chances and progression: you earn 11% more with a level 2, increased likelihood of employment and reduces likelihood of benefits claim

5. SOME POLICY

6. Policy context 16-19 Apprenticeships 19+ Further Education and Skills
Employment Support

7. Policy context 16-19 Apprenticeships 19+ Further Education and Skills
Employment Support
There’s a new Prime Minister with a new agenda
There’s an Autumn Statement on 23 November

8. 16-19
Budget 2016
< 16: All schools will be academies by 2020 and a levy on sugary soft drinks (raising £500m a year from 18/19) to pay for doubling school sport premium, longer schools days and breakfast clubs.
Sir Adrian Smith will conduct a review of the study of maths at to report in 2016 with view to how all students learn maths up to age 18
A northern powerhouse schools strategy, +£80m in funding from 16/17 to 19/20
Big Issues
English and maths: Condition of funding, larger GCSE cohorts

9. 16-19

10. 16-19
Couriers Advice 😬🙈

11. 16-19
Budget 2016
< 16: All schools will be academies by 2020 and a levy on sugary soft drinks (raising £500m a year from 18/19) to pay for doubling school sport premium, longer schools days and breakfast clubs.
Sir Adrian Smith will conduct a review of the study of maths at to report in 2016 with view to how all students learn maths up to age 18
Big Issues
English and maths: Condition of funding, larger GCSE cohorts
Careers advice: Poor quality in schools, careers strategy expected ‘Autumn 2016’,
Sainsbury Review & Skills Plan: Alignment of fifteen technical routes (one awarding body per route; division of academic/technical at 16, college or employment based tech routes, regulatory role for new IfA, transition year,

12. Apprenticeships Conservative Party Manifesto
Commitment to three million apprenticeship starts by the next election in 2020
Budget 2016
Apprenticeship Levy, a new tax on employers with payrolls of >£3million set at 0.5%, – with 10% top-up on monthly levy contributions from Gov. Expected to raise £2.7 billion from 19,000 employers
June – draft funding rates
October – confirmed funding rates
Big issues
Trailblazer groups replacing ‘frameworks’ with Standards (currently about 140 signed off between levels 2 and 6)
End Point Assessment - Independent assessors, synoptic.
Quality – Everyone is concerned
Funding – Fifteen new price groups, 10% cash contribution from all (except smallest) employers
Access – People with disabilities and BME people under-represented
Levy – employer representative groups calling for delay, AoC and AELP also hinted that it looks unlikely employers will be ready.

13. 19+ further education Budget 2016
Cash protection for the Adult Education Budget (now including Community Learning + Adult Skills Budget)
This Budget announces direct government support will be available to adults wishing to study at any qualification level, from basic skills right the way up to PhD. During this parliament, loans will be introduced for level 3 to level 6 training in further education, part-time second degrees in STEM, and postgraduate taught master’s courses.
Review gaps in support for lifetime learning, including for flexible and part-time study.
Big issues
Post 16 Area Reviews: mergers, collaborations.
Funding: Loans are beginning to perform slightly better (budget this year is £260 million)
Skills gaps and productivity: UK poor at productivity, employers reporting skills gaps, exacerbated by Brexit.
Basic skills: Nine million adults basic literacy, numeracy or both, UK 2nd and 3rd lowest in literacy and numeracy (OECD), digital now the third basic skill, but is unfunded.

14. Employment support Conservative Party Manifesto
Achieve full employment (highest employment rate in G7)
Halve the disability employment rate gap (1.2 million more disabled people in work)
Big Issues
Halving the disability employment gap will take 200 years to achieve at current rate of progress (Learning and Work Institute)
Green Paper expected ’later this year’

15. Employment support

16. Employment support Conservative Party Manifesto
Achieve full employment (highest employment rate in G7)
Halve the disability employment rate gap (1.2 million more disabled people in work)
Big Issues
Halving the disability employment gap will take 200 years to achieve at current rate of progress (Learning and Work Institute)
Green Paper expected ’later this year’
Work Programme and Work Choice to be replaced by Work and Health Programme, but with 80% less money and a cap.
Readiness of sector and JCP for potential rise in unemployment post Brexit (revised forecast +150,000)
Uncertainty around programmes funded by ESF
Youth Obligation – April 2017 (intensive skills support from day 1, mandatory programme at six months)
Universal Credit – In-work conditionality & progression

17. Devolution Big Issues Greater Manchester Liverpool City Region
Nine signed devolution deals with some element of skills devolution. Combined Authorities will control local Adult Education Budget and commission ’outcomes’ from 2018
More devolution deals expected
Metro Mayor elections in May 2017 (Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, West Midlands, West of England
Greater Manchester
Liverpool City Region
Sheffield City Region
Tees Valley
West Midlands
West of England
Apprenticeships Grant for Employers
Adult Ed Budget
Post 16 FE system
Adult Education Budget

18. The Players

19. The Players Policy Consultation Planning Delivery Assurance
Learners and employers and society
State
Funders
Regulators
Providers
Practitioners
Representative Organisations

20. The Players
State

21. The Players
State

22. The Players

23. The Players Learners, employers and society Department for Education
Funders
Regulators
Providers
Practitioners
Representative Organisations

24. The Players
Funders
£7.4 billion
£3.2 billion

25. The Players The Minister In his first letter to the sector (Thursday):
Recognises ‘good work’ of FE on social mobility
Encourages sector to tackle bullying of transgender students
Leading further developments from Sainsbury
Address issues ‘holding back progress of students in securing the basics’ re GSCE English and maths
Encouraged by Area Reviews progress

26. Employers Learners The Players Funders
Full cost| Co-funding | Apprenticeship levy
Funders
Learners
Full cost | Co-funding | Loans

27. The Players
£800 million (ESF)

28. The Players Learners, employers and society State Funders Regulators
Providers
Practitioners
Representative Organisations

29. The Players Learners, employers and society State Funders Regulators
Providers
Practitioners
Representative Organisations

30. The Players
Regulators

31. The Players
Regulators
Institute for Apprenticeships

32. Influencing Individual MP – surgery appointments
Submit evidence to a HoC Committee Inquiry
Collective
Institutions
Trades Unions
Communities
Society of Education and Training
Learners, employers and society
Providers
Practitioners
Representative Organisations

33. Responding to Robert The Minister
In his first letter to the sector (Thursday):
Recognises ‘good work’ of FE on social mobility
Encourages sector to tackle bullying of transgender students
Leading further developments from Sainsbury
Address issues ‘holding back progress of students in securing the basics’ re GSCE English and maths
Encouraged by Area Reviews progress
The Minister

34. THANK YOU shane. chowen@learningandwork. org. uk @Lwshane www
THANK YOU @Lwshane