TES - 12 December 2015

Government say less is more as qualifications fall (47) – the overall number of qualifications being awarded has fallen by 7%, linked to cuts to funding for qualifications that the government said did not offer ‘quality education.’

654,100 fewer vocational qualifications were awarded in 2013-14 than in 2012-13, and there was a drop of 10.7% of adults undertaking Further Education, with the government stating that "we feel the rigour and relevance of vocational qualifications is more important than numbers [achieved] alone." The government wish to focus on those qualifications 'which deliver most benefit to learners and are of the most value to employers.’

TES - 2 January 2015

National Colleges must ‘join in or burn out’ (p38) – the government’s planned network of ‘National Colleges’ must not undermine existing provision if it has any chance of succeeding, the Association of Colleges (AoC) and 157 group of Colleges have warned.

Business Secretary Vince Cable recently announced the unveiling of a further 4 National Colleges specialising in advanced manufacturing, digital, wind energy and the creative industries. However, overlap with existing college provision is a concern, with Martin Doel of the AoC stating that "we need to look at how we embed this in the FE system…It must compliment other activities rather than being seen as entirely separate. If [National Colleges] stand aside from the system they have the potential to burn brightly and then burn out." He also called for more detail on the next stages of development for National Colleges.

Jenny Williams of the Education and Training Foundation stated that National Colleges "must acquire a national reputation for excellence if they are to be more than ‘the latest initiative."

The National College initiative is one of the Business Secretary’s key ways of creating new opportunities for vocational study in areas of key skills demand. However, more detail and the vision to support the policy in the longer term is needed for it to succeed.

Providers £65m out of pocket on adult training (p39) – it looks like FE providers delivered £65 million worth of Adult Skills training in 2013-14 for which they weren’t paid.

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has published figures showing that in 2013-14 providers overspent by £65.72 million, paying for classroom based training that funding has been diverted away from. The article details how colleges have faced the choice of ‘turning learners away or recruiting them but making a loss.’

Other factors contributing toward overspends are the new funding formula for centres and the introduction of the 24+ learning loans.

The challenge facing Colleges was outlined by an AoC Spokesperson: "[it's] difficult for colleges to cut back quickly on public spending…colleges deal with lots of stakeholders such as employers, councils, local enterprise partnerships and Jobcentre Plus, who want them to do more. It’s sometimes difficult to for Colleges to say no."

FE Week - 12 January 2015

SFA hits providers with shock funding clawback warning (p1) – over 700 Colleges and Training Providers have been warned by the Skills Funding Agency that they may face a ‘clawback’ of funding that has been issued to them after it was identified providers had ‘incorrectly claimed’ some provision.

Una Bennett, the Deputy Director for Funding Systems at the SFA stated in correspondence seen by FE week that "The problem claims included […] apprenticeships that did not meet the minimum duration criteria and learners aged 24 and over studying at level two and below where full funding had been claimed but data had not been submitted identifying the learner as eligible — meaning they therefore should have been co-funded."

Providers are stating that a lack of clear guidance is responsible for the data errors, and that they’re waiting to see the detailed breakdowns from the SFA soon as the largest immediate problem, according to Julian Gravatt of the Association of Colleges, is "that they don’t know how much the SFA will request as repayment."

Two-thirds of providers fail to hit allocations (p3) – 2/3 of FE and skills providers failed to deliver on their Adult Skills Budget allocations in 2013/14. Given the story above, the number of providers paid less than their allocation could rise as the SFA releases its figures.

The 3 colleges with the biggest shortfalls were "Newcastle College Group (NCG), which failed to deliver £4.3m, Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) with £3.5m, and Hull College with £2.4m."

The worrying thing is that these shortfalls could affect future funding allocations a centre receives, and only add to the ongoing confusion around the current funding and contract management systems.

TES 9 January 2015

Why the ‘sober and responsible’ shall inherit the earth (p8) – it turns out that England’s teenagers are more studious, ambitious and engaged in education than ever – according to the second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE).

Teenagers are more likely to want to go to university, less likely to drink (less than a third of year 9’s having tried alcohol, down from just over a half a decade ago) and 93% of them think that ‘school work is worth doing.’

However, the study reveals a darker side to modern teenage life, with significant numbers seeking additional private tuition outside school, 40% being bullied and in the main they are less likely to socialise with friends and more likely to play computer games than in the past.

AoC urges Colleges to pile on the pressure (p44) – the next 12 months ‘will be critical to the future of colleges in England’ as the General Election looms.

Martin Doel, CEO of the Association of Colleges, has said that the sector will face uncertainty both before and after the election on 7 May, as well as challenges such as funding black holes within the Department for Education when the ‘demographic bulge’ of a larger number of primary learners enter secondary education.

He’s called for Colleges to put themselves across as the solution to the generating economic recovery (for example, did you know that ‘Colleges generate a return of £2.90 for every £1 invested in them’?).

His comments were supported by figures across the sector, with Principal of Leeds College Peter Roberts stating: "this year is perhaps going to be the one when…the sector will be under the spotlight like never before,’ and Jatinder Sharma OBE, Chief Executive of Walsall College warning that Colleges are in for an ‘incredibly turbulent time."