VI form colleges and Further Education colleges in England are, yet again, facing a period of major uncertainty and turbulence as the impacts of: * marketization; * funding reductions; * Area-Based Reviews of provision (leading to college mergers); * reforms to apprenticeships and the shift to levy funding; * the devolution of Adult Education Budget from central government to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and to Combined Authorities; * Institutes of Technology (new tertiary institutions); * the introduction of loans funding for post-19 level 3 plus FE; * and the complete reform (yet again) of vocational qualifications in the shape of the new T-levels (the vocational/technical equivalent of A levels)
impact on provision and institutions. These reforms are not a marginal issue. More 16-19 year olds are in VI form and FE colleges than are in traditional school VI forms, and FE provides the vast bulk of certified adult learning.
The speaker will seek to describe and analyse the latest high-stakes ‘skills revolution’, discuss whether the different policies join up, and suggest some of the likely implications that all this will have for learners, local communities, and for education providers.