Further written evidence to be reported to the House
Education and Skills Bill
10:30 am
Paul Head: The key element here is the partnership between schools, training providers, employers and colleges working on that final 10 per cent. It has to be about partnership and college’s role within it. I think that we are well placed to do that. I think colleges have responded well to efforts to tackle those currently categorised as NEETs, and as Ioan says, building up beforehand with 14 to 15 year-olds. The reason I welcome compulsion is that it changes the nature of the terms of the debate. You no longer ask, “How do we work our way up to 85 or 90 per cent.?” You actually start asking, “Why are we not at 100 per cent.?” That is a mindset difference that schools, colleges, local authorities, employers and private training providers need to get their heads around. We have to do it for 100 per cent. For me, it is an investment in 20 years down the line: if we can get it right with this generation coming through, we will not have the skills gaps identified by Leitch for adults.
You mentioned the adult element, which has to be welcomed, particularly the level 3 entitlement for the 19 to 25-year-olds. I did my stats before I came and we have 250 19 to 25-year-olds doing full level 2 and 250 doing full level 3 this year. There is real demand there, and I think recognition for that entitlement has to be welcomed because what frightens me is, we cannot afford to end up in 20 years’ time having missed the opportunity to tackle a systemic problem. It will be tough and it will sometimes be a bit more expensive to deal with them, but my college is certainly well placed to work with the local authority and schools to do that.
The part of yesterday’s announcement that I really welcome was of more flexibility on apprenticeships, which should enable us to bring on board those employers that currently look at apprenticeships less enthusiastically than the really big ones. We will be able to say to them that the flexibility is there and if we work together, we can make a real difference.