Now is a time of great change for everyone in educational and skills. The Conservatives gained an outright majority in May’s general election, and no longer have to make compromises with their coalition partners. It's therefore perhaps no surprise that the government have used the summer to announce huge reform in education and skills.
The big surprise in the summer budget this year was the introduction of an Apprenticeship levy on large employers. This is intended not only to ensure adequate funding, but to incentivise employers to take on and train apprentices. It appears to be a response to evidence put forward in Prof. Alison Wolfs’ report, Fixing a Broken Training System: The case for an apprenticeship levy, which was released a week earlier.
Wolf’s report made it very clear that the government target of having 3 million Apprenticeships starts in the next five years would be impossible without additional funding, and the creation of a levy will ease the pressure on government spending. Consultation on the proposed levy is open until 2 October, and the plan is to start enforcing contributions from large employers in April 2017.
The proposal to scrap maintenance grants for university students in favour of loans certainly captured headlines, and could have a significant effect on further education and skills. The National Union of Students (NUS), amongst others, has warned that some poorer students may be put off going to university by the prospect of graduating with even more debt. This may mean that learners decide to take alternative routes. This is an interesting opportunity to promote alternatives to university, particularly vocational routes and Apprenticeships, but the scale of the issue is very difficult to predict at this stage.
The government also announced a review of Further Education; it’s actually a series of area-based reviews of FE colleges and Sixth Form colleges, with the stated aim of a “transition towards fewer, larger, more resilient and efficient providers, and more effective collaboration across institution types.” The first reviews will take place in three areas; Birmingham and Solihull, Greater Manchester and Sheffield.
Cynically, one could see the reviews as a forced academisation of FE colleges and Sixth Form colleges, in a drive to save costs. We must also look for the positives; a chance to look at local skills needs and greater collaboration could give us opportunities to do things differently and improve outcomes for learners. The outcome of the first reviews will give us a good indication of how the future will look for Further Education.
By 2020, we’ll be looking at a very different landscape. We have to hope that any changes have a positive impact on our learners and our society. By working together we have a chance to influence the changes, which are set to be the most radical in a generation.
