Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper welcomed

Community welcomes the new Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper which has been launched by the Department for Education today.

The paper aligns with the Prime Minister’s stated target of two-thirds of young people to be engaging in high-level training by the age of 25, whether in universities, colleges or apprenticeships.

Measures included in the White Paper include:

• A raft of new sector-specific skills packages, short courses and foundation apprenticeships funded through the Growth and Skills Levy and designed to support people to get into and get on at work.
• The introduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students studying courses that support the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy.
• The introduction of V Levels as the new vocational route alongside A levels and T Levels, simplifying the qualifications choices for 16-19 year olds to A, T and V levels.
• An expansion of Technical Excellence Colleges, with an additional 14 across digital, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing to accompany the 10 launched in construction and 5 to be awarded in defence.
• A national evidence-based professional development offer for FE teachers and leaders, incorporating industry exchange programmes and targeted support in priority subjects.
• An additional investment of nearly £800m into 16-19 funding next year, supporting 20,000 more students, with significant investment in college capacity.

Helen Osgood, Community’s Operations Director and National Secretary for Education and Early Years, said:

“We warmly the new Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which sets out this ambitious Labour government’s plans to transform our sector for the better. The measures laid out in the white paper show that the government is serious about tackling the skills gap, and creating a world-class system which works for learners and educators alike.”

“We look forward to working closely with government ministers to shape these much-needed reforms.”