Blog posts for author:Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Together with the Campaign for Learning, we launched our new report: “Reforming Technical and Professional Education: Why should it work this time?” in Westminster yesterday, in a roundtable session that was attended by further education industry bodies, colleges and employers. In launching the paper, the author Mick Fletcher set out nine recommendations, to ‘promote technical education as a strong and prestigious alternative to the academic route, and to succeed where earlier attempts have failed’. The recommendations for the government are:

The conversation surrounding funding for 16-18 year olds has hit both peaks and troughs in a matter of weeks. Widely covered announcements from The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), a timely press release from the Treasury and the Spring Budget that followed have served to highlight the ongoing need for investment in the education of this age group. As we move into unchartered territory with the UK preparing to leave the European Union, the focus has shifted towards this age group and how the UK might prepare itself for a potential skills shortage.

The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy is now just one month away, and discussion about this measure is at an all-time high. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of all the key things you should know about the Levy. The Apprenticeship Levy is of course part of the government’s plans to increase the number of businesses taking on apprenticeships, as it continues its drive to reach three million apprenticeship starts by 2020. From next month, all employers with an annual wage bill of over £3m will be required to pay a 0.5% tax, which they’ll be able to spend on training new apprentices or existing employees.

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has now released its invitation to tender for adult education and training services. We look at what this means for the tendering landscape and the specifics of your contract that might make your tender more likely to succeed. After much delay, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has now released its invitation to tender for adult education and training services. The much anticipated document sets out what training the SFA is looking for from providers for the 2017/18 funding year.

On 7 April, the government will take the historical step of charging all UK employers (with a pay bill of £3 million or more) a 0.5% tax on that pay bill. Branded as the Apprenticeship Levy, this is a central component of the apprenticeship reform programme that began back in 2012 with the Richard Review of Apprenticeships. A fundamental driver of the coalition – and Conservative – governments’ ideology to increase the profile and uptake of apprenticeships has been employer ownership, or, as a former skills minister put it: ‘for employers to have skin in the game’. In order to achieve this, the Levy was proposed and will be enacted this year to ensure that employers have a stake (their own payroll) being invested in apprenticeships, with the ultimate intention that employers will be looking to recoup this tax through negotiating a price with providers to offer apprenticeships in their industry. According to the Department for Education, ‘the levy will allow us to double investment in apprenticeships by 2020 from 2010 levels, to £2.5bn.’

Today, Theresa May set out her overarching vision for Britain as it leaves the European Union. After receiving criticism for a number of general statements about her negotiation strategy, the Prime Minister set out a ‘truly global vision’ of a British future of working outside of Europe.

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has published its annual funding letter, providing an update on how 16-18 learners will be funded on a Study Programme from August 2017. The key points in the letter are as follows:

This year’s Autumn Statement included very little about education, despite calls from the sector to safeguard the Adult Education Budget (AEB), increase the levels of funding available for 16-19 year olds, and increase the amount the government will spend on English and Maths in the delivery of apprenticeships. Chancellor Philip Hammond opened by talking about the state of the economy. He said that the UK has the ‘fastest growing major economy this year’, but growth will be downgraded next year to 1.4 % from 2.2%. He confirmed that there would be no surplus in 2019/20 – which was in the Conservative manifesto. Instead, the government budget is to be balanced ‘as early as possible’ in the next parliament – bringing the welfare cap back – and debt is to fall as a share of national income by 2020. The deficit is now projected to be £21 billion going into the next General Election.

The thorny issue of GCSE resits has come to the fore recently, with stories of colleges and training providers having to hire out huge venues to house the numbers of students retaking the examinations. Whilst I support the aim of ensuring learners that are able to, achieve their A-C (or 9-5) grade in GCSE maths and English, I feel that the focus on driving those learners who are unable to achieve the GCSE to retake the examination serves no purpose other than to frustrate these learners.

As we all know, the announcement that the UK had decided to leave the European Union has had a huge impact, with so much happening in the 4 weeks since the news was revealed. We now have a new Prime Minister, brought in due to the lack of other viable candidates remaining in the standing for the role. We have a new Cabinet, and a somewhat revolving door Shadow Cabinet, as well as an ongoing leadership challenge within the Labour party, reflecting the political and economic turbulence that took hold in the days following the referendum result.