From August 2020, the department introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge. The new entitlement mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths, and puts essential digital skills on an equal footing in the adult education system, as a third basic skill. The department introduced new Essential Digital Skills qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1 from August 2020, funded under the digital entitlement. EDSQs are based on the new national standards for essential digital skills and are designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills, reflecting different learning needs, motivations and starting points.
To further enhance the essential digital skills offer for adults, from August 2023 the department introduced new digital Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs), which have replaced FSQs in Information and Communication Technology. Digital FSQs have standardised content and assessment, providing a benchmark of digital skills for employers. The department published the final subject content for digital FSQs in October 2021.
The government recognises that formal qualifications are not appropriate for everyone. That is why the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the Adult Education Budget. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.
More information about essential digital skills and other government funded training opportunities can be found here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life.
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The department provides a range of financial support for students who need it to enable them to participate in further education. This includes free meals, bursaries to help with the cost of education, such as travel, books, equipment, and trips, plus support for childcare and residential costs where required.
Disadvantaged English domiciled 18-year-olds are now 74% more likely to enter higher education than they were in 2010.
In the 2023/24 academic year, over £160 million of bursary funding has been allocated to institutions to help disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds meet costs, which is nearly 12% higher than published allocations for last year. Institutions decide which young people receive bursaries and determine the level of financial support they receive. They can develop their own eligibility criteria for access to the discretionary bursary fund, including setting a household income threshold appropriate to their area and must publish information on this for students.
In November 2021, the department asked the Office for Students (OfS) to refocus the access and participation regime in higher education to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their education. This regime should include support for disadvantaged students before entry to higher education (HE) and be set out in new access and participation plans. Providers should be working meaningfully with schools to ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, including young carers, are encouraged and supported to achieve the highest possible grades and move up the ladder of opportunity whether that be an apprenticeship or higher technical qualification, or a course at university.
Furthermore, in March 2023, the OfS launched an Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, which can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/promoting-equal-opportunities/equality-of-opportunity-risk-register/. It focusses on students least likely to experience equal opportunity in HE with references to young carers in six of the key sector risks set out in the register.
HE providers are expected to refer to the register when writing access and participation plans.
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Academic year | Level 4 | Level 5 |
2018/19 | 70 | 50 |
2019/20 | 40 | 60 |
2020/21 | 50 | 60 |
2021/22 | 60 | 70 |
2022/23 | 80 | 60 |
2023/24 reported to date | 50 | 30 |
Total | 340 | 330 |
Note:
(1) Figures for 2023/24 are provisional and cover the first two quarters (Aug 2023 to Jan 2024). All other years are final, full-year figures.
(2) Apprenticeship start volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.
(3) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record.
Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.
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The department participates in the OECD’s International Survey of Adult Skills, which was last conducted in England and 24 other countries in 2011-12. The results show that 16% of 16-65-year-olds have the literacy skills of an 11 year old, or lower. The next survey is due to report in late 2024. A link to view the OECD adult skills surveys can be found here: https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.
The government has also conducted the Skills for Life survey in 2011 which provided a national profile of adult literacy, numeracy, and ICTskills, and assessed the impact that different levels of skills had on people’s lives. The survey findings were published in 2012 and reported that, in England, 15% of the working age population have the literacy skills of an 11 year old, or lower (an estimated 5 million people).
The department also gathers data annually from providers delivering government funded adult further education (FE) and skills provision in England. The latest statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/further-education-and-skills-march-2024.
To improve essential literacy and numeracy skills, a legal entitlement was introduced through the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Sections 87-89).This legal entitlement can be viewed here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/22/part/4/chapter/1/crossheading/education-and-training-for-persons-aged-19-or-over-etc.
Through its legal entitlement, the department provides fully-funded study for adults who do not have essential literacy skills up to the equivalent of a GCSE grade 4/C or higher. In the 2022/23 academic year, around 223,000 learners participated in a literacy course funded through the entitlement.
The department supports all adults for whom English is not their first language to secure the English language skills they need. Adults are fully-funded or co-funded to study English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses and qualifications up to and including GCSE 4/C equivalent. The number of learners participating in ESOL courses and qualifications continues to grow, with around 144,000 learners in the 2022/23 academic year. Already, round 120,000 learners have participated in ESOL courses in the first two quarters of this academic year.
The department recognises that community learning within its Adult Education Budget (AEB) can play a valuable role in helping individuals improve their literacy, particularly for learners where a qualification is not the most appropriate first step.
Currently 60% of the AEB has been devolved to 9 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and delegated to the Mayor of London, working where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of adult education and allocation of the AEB in their local areas, including funding of English and maths statutory entitlements. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas where colleges and other training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB to best meet the needs of their communities.
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The government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system that is employer-focused, high quality and fit for the future. The department’s reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives; and to improve national productivity and economic growth. The department’s reforms are backed with an additional investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this parliament to strengthen higher and further education.
In the 2023/24 academic year, the department is investing nearly £7 billion for education and training places for 16 to 19 year olds, and up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This funding is allocated to education providers to deliver study programmes and T Levels to young people.
The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which totalled £1.34 billion in the 2023/24 Funding Year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to Level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes funding going to Boston College, which includes the Spalding Campus in the South Holland and the Deepings Constituency.
The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. Around 400 qualifications are available on the offer, chosen specifically as they offer good wage outcomes and address skills needs in the economy. There have been over 61,000 enrolments since April 2021.
Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks in priority skills areas, with a guaranteed interview upon completion. The department is expanding Skills Bootcamps through increased national procurement and grant funding to 30 Mayoral Combined Authorities and local areas to meet national and local skills needs in the 2024/25 financial year. The department granted Great Lincolnshire LEP, in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council, £2 million for Skills Bootcamps across Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland in 2023, and a further £3 million for courses starting after April 2024.
The department is increasing investment in the apprenticeships system in England to over £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year to support more high quality apprenticeship opportunities across the country, including in South Holland and the Deepings. There have been over 11,000 apprenticeship starts in South Holland and the Deepings since 2010.
The department has introduced employer-designed T levels, which are equipping thousands of young people with the skills, knowledge, and experience to access employment or further study in some of the most in-demand skills areas. 18 T Levels are now available, being delivered through over 250 providers across all regions of the country. University Academy Holbeach in South Holland and the Deepings currently offers seven T Levels and is planning to offer three more from September 2024.
Multiply is the government’s programme for improving adult numeracy. Multiply is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is the government’s flagship fund for supporting people and places across the UK. Up to £270 million is directly available for local areas in England to deliver innovative interventions to improve adult numeracy. Lincolnshire County Council has been allocated £4.02 million of Multiply funding from the 2022/23 to 2024/25 financial years to improve adult numeracy in their area.
]]>The Community Security Trust has reported an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents, which is totally unacceptable.
To support Jewish students, the Secretary of State for Education and I wrote to all universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. I wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, emphasising that they must use disciplinary measures wherever appropriate, highlighting the importance of police engagement, and reiterating that student visas could be suspended where a foreign national is found to have committed or incited acts of racial hatred. This was one of the key actions set out in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November 2023. The plan also involves:
On 22 November 2023, the government announced in the Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education. The Quality Seal will be the cornerstone of this package for universities, providing a framework of measures that will make clear what good practice is in tackling antisemitism in HE, and making sure that universities are a safe and welcoming space for Jewish students and staff, as for all students and staff.
Anti-Muslim hatred is equally abhorrent and has no place in our society. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their religion or belief and the government is continuing to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it.
This government is proud to have funded Tell MAMA, a service that supports victims of anti-Muslim hatred, with over £6 million since their inception in 2012. Tell MAMA’s work has been recognised internationally as a good practice model in recording and monitoring anti-Muslim hate. The organisation has documented 2,010 Islamophobic incidents in the UK between 7 October 2023 and 7 February 2024. This represents a steep rise from the 600 it recorded for the same period the year previously. The government will not tolerate religious hatred towards Muslims and that is why the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities put in place an extra £4.9 million of protective security funding for Muslim mosques, faith schools and communities.
The new Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides physical protective security measures (such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing) in both mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres. Protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools. Headteachers of eligible schools were contacted directly by the Home Office in January 2023 to register their interest.
Lastly, as my right hon. Friend, Minister Buchan stated on 4 March 2024, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities plan to appoint a new independent adviser on anti-Muslim hatred, and it will update the house shortly.
]]>Apprenticeships are for people of any age and are crucial in driving growth and social mobility. To support growth, the department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, encouraging more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices.
The department has introduced employer-designed T Levels which are equipping thousands of young people with the skills, knowledge, and experience to access employment or further study in some of the most in-demand skills areas. 18 T Levels are now available, which are being delivered through over 250 providers across all regions of the country.
The department has invested £300 million to establish 21 Institutes of Technology across England to significantly increase the number of learners with higher level technical skills, offering an alternative route to high paid jobs. They bring education and industry together to deliver world class technical education and training in key STEM subjects aligned to the skills needs of the local economy they serve.
The department is delivering reforms to increase the profile, prestige, and uptake of higher technical education. Central to these reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which are Level 4/5 qualifications approved against employer-developed standard and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. This means students and employers can have the confidence that HTQs provide skills employers need. To date, 172 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across seven occupational routes and over 140 providers are approved to deliver HTQs.
The Adult Education Budget (AEB) of £1.34 billion this year funds skills provision for adults to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes entitlements to free first qualifications at Level 2 and 3 and English, mathematics and digital qualifications for those adults who do not have them. Community Learning plays a vital role within AEB provision by supporting those furthest from the workplace. It is an important stepping stone for learners who are not ready for formal accredited learning, or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way.
In addition, the department has introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme, which enables eligible adults to gain a high value qualification for free and Skills Bootcamps. These Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer.
]]>The department recently increased funding by 54% so apprentices receive more support in gaining these vital skills. It is important that providers maintain the flexibility to plan how and when this provision is delivered in the most effective way possible during the apprenticeship.
]]>It is important that every apprentice gets the maximum value from their apprenticeship. and the department has focused its efforts on supporting apprentices to stay on their programme and achieve. The department is investing £7.5 million in a workforce development programme for teachers and trainers of apprentices. In addition, the department has increased the apprenticeship funding rate for English and mathematics by 54%, providing targeted support to employers and Ofsted are inspecting all apprenticeship providers by 2025.
The department is now seeing the positive impact of these actions. There were 162,320 achievements reported for the 2022/23 academic year, which represent the highest number since 2018/19, up 18.3% compared to the 2021/22 academic year. Furthermore, 37,400 people have achieved their apprenticeship so far this academic year, up by 22% compared to the same period last year.
On 21 March, the department will be publishing the apprenticeship national achievement rates for 2022/23 academic year as well as the latest data on the number of achievements so far this year. This will be accessible through the apprenticeships statistical publication found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.
]]>There are now 42 FJAAs supporting the delivery of apprenticeships across every region in England in sectors such as the creative industries, construction, and education. SMEs interested in hosting apprentices can contact a flexi-job apprenticeship agency directly. The current register of FJAAs can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships/flexi-job-apprenticeship-agencies.
More widely, the department has made it easier for SMEs to grow their businesses by removing the limit on the number of apprentices they can take on and cutting by a third the number of steps needed to register to take on an apprentice. The department also continues to pay 95% of training costs for SMEs and has recently launched an expert provider pilot which will give additional permissions to providers within the apprenticeship service so they can take on more administration from SMEs. This will inform development of a wider offer next year.
]]>The government has strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have access to independent and impartial careers guidance, and pupils in years 8-13 have at least six opportunities to hear directly from providers of technical education and apprenticeships.
Since September 2012, schools have had a statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance. For pupils of compulsory school age, this must include information on the full range of 16-18 education and training options, including apprenticeships.
The Careers and Enterprise Company will ensure that Careers Hubs increase young peoples’ exposure to employers and more in-depth workplace experiences. These experiences give young people a real feel for work and the skills they need to succeed.
The National Careers Service provides free, impartial high-quality careers information, advice and guidance. Young people aged 13-18 can access information and advice through the service website and local community-based careers advisers via a web chat service and a telephone helpline.
The Careers Pathway Dashboard allows users to see which are the most popular and best qualifications needed to gain successful employment in a specific sector within a local area. This is a first attempt to create information to support careers advice for young people exploring their career options or starting their career. The Careers Pathway Dashboard can be found here: https://department-for-education.shinyapps.io/education-to-employment-dashboard/.
Careers Leaders work to develop careers programmes that will improve the quality of careers advice in schools and give more aspirational careers advice for children and young people.
The department actively promotes apprenticeships in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme. During the 2022/23 academic year, ASK engaged over 2,400 schools and colleges, with over 625,000 student engagements and more than 45,000 parent/carer engagements.
Jobcentre Plus school advisers work closely with schools and colleges to support their statutory duty to deliver careers education and guidance, assisting young people to make informed choices about which path they can follow when they leave secondary school or reach 18.
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The government is proud of the UK’s world class higher education (HE) sector and recognises the contribution made by international students to our universities. The department is proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition, as set out in the International Education Strategy in each of the past two years.
The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sustainability of HE providers. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the impact of international student recruitment.
]]>UCAS have reformed the academic reference for 2024 HE admissions to provide clarity and improve fairness for applicants. UCAS have also consulted on reform of the applicant personal statement to simplify the process and ensure that universities hear from applicants in their own words.
The department will continue to work with UCAS and sector bodies to improve transparency of the university admissions process, enhance student choice, and to improve fairness for applicants of all backgrounds.
]]>The maximum loan available has continued to increase each year, by 2.8% for the current 2023/24 academic year, with a further 2.5% increase announced for 2024/25.
Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.
Overall, support to households to help with the high cost of living is worth £94 billion over 2022/23 to 2024/25, an average of £3,300 per UK household. The government believes this will ease the pressure on family budgets and will in turn enable many families to provide additional support to their children in HE to help them meet increased living costs.
Students in private rented accommodation who are provided energy through a commercial entity may also benefit from the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) which provides a baseline discount on energy bills for non-domestic users locked into high fixed price tariffs. Any non-domestic user who benefits from the EBDS must ensure the benefit is passed through to the end user, such as students in private rented accommodation. The EBDS runs for 12 months from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
]]>Each apprenticeship standard covers a distinct occupation. Although learners do not need to have completed an apprenticeship at a lower level to start a higher-level apprenticeship, the department is continuing to promote career progression through apprenticeships.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education publishes occupational maps which show how apprenticeships and technical education support progression in each sector. This is available at: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.
To help more people benefit from the high-quality training that higher-level apprenticeships offer, the department is investing £40 million over the next two years to expand degree apprenticeships and students can now see apprenticeship vacancies on their UCAS Hub alongside undergraduate courses.
]]>Students can now see apprenticeship vacancies on their UCAS Hub, and our Career Starter Apprenticeships campaign is promoting apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3 which offer great opportunities for those looking for their first role after leaving full-time education. The department also continues to invest around £3.2 million annually in the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme which ensures students are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships, with over 620,000 student interactions across 2,300 schools and further education colleges in the 2022/23 academic year.
In addition, the department continues to pay £1,000 to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16-18, and the care leavers bursary has tripled to £3,000 to help even more young people to access and complete apprenticeships.
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