At NCFE, we’re eagerly anticipating the publication of the Sainsbury Review of Technical and Professional Education (TPE), which was delayed until after the EU referendum. This delay has been welcomed by some, as it allows more time for properly thought-out and tested qualifications to be created.
The review is expected to present radical plans, meaning a revolutionary change for post-16 TPE provision, and it’s rumoured that it will recommend that the changes are piloted in 2019-20, which will at least give all of us some time to align ourselves with them.
So far, we know that the wide-ranging reforms put forward will include a significant reduction in the 13,000 16+ vocational qualifications available for funding, with the creation of 15 sector pathways – clear routes to employment with an Apprenticeship or substantial work experience element – set to replace them.
There are of course some concerns around these proposed changes. It appears that the government intends to separate TPE and academic education and, if this is the case, learners may no longer be able to study a mix of TPE and academic qualifications. The government had previously pledged to bridge the gap between 16-19 learning and higher level studies, as well as simplifying TPE routes so that they were as straightforward and easy to understand as the traditional academic path of A Levels and university. We support this aim, but believe learners should still have the choice to study TPE or academic qualifications, or both if it suits them best.
In addition, we have to ask the question of whether these changes will or will not help to improve the reputation of TPE, which I’m sure we all agree is essential and is still not as highly regarded as we would like.
We’ll be keeping a very close eye on the developments of the Sainsbury Review once published, as well as on the wider changes that affect colleges, training providers and your learners, and we’ll be working hard to ensure that our provision supports the findings of the review.
