Lawrence Rowley, Funding Manager, City and Guilds, discussed the current funding landscape for training programmes that may incorporate IT work experience, training and certification at CompTIA’s EMEA Member & Partner Conference this year.
Rowley said that the UK government’s priorities for skills growth are currently centred around traineeships, apprenticeships and programmes for the unemployed.
We’re now seeing a return to protected funding channels for each of these strands, losing some of the flexibility that was initially brought in by the coalition from a single funding pot approach.
Local Education Partnerships will take increasing responsibility for commissioning funding at local levels. It will become important for colleges in particular to have a strong relationship.
For courses aimed at 16- to 18-year-olds, a fixed £4,000 will be available and this should be used to plan 540 to 600 hour courses. All such courses must include a substantial vocational or academic qualification, relevant work experience, and a math and English component.
For the 19+Adult provision there is now a fixed allocation based on a funding matrix and the size of programme affects funding.
Traineeships are a big government priority, and are aimed to prepare young people for the working environment. These include work placements, work preparation skills (CV writing, office etiquette, etc.), math and English and a vocational qualification. These are a relatively new innovation and provide an opportunity for trainers to work in partnership with employers to deliver them.
Apprenticeships are expected to shortly undergo a big change. A new bill proposing to abolish the Specification of Apprenticeship Standard will simplify the funding of apprenticeships, allowing more flexibility.
Employers will soon take on responsibility for development of apprenticeships. Funds are likely to start going directly to the employer, who will then appoint the training provider to deliver the programme and an external organisation to provide assessment.
A recent innovation into the funding mix is the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan. These are made directly to the learner and are available to anyone doing level 3 or 4 approved qualification. These loans will usually be in the region of £2,000 for a year of study – and the student won’t start paying back until they earn £21,000. Students are taking on debt so trainers should advise them carefully about what that might mean, but used sensibly this opens up a new avenue for people to further their career.
All of which marks a general move towards an increased focus on employability. Ofqual, the qualifications regulator, will in the future want to ensure courses lead to employment or higher education. Trainers will increasingly need to have a bigger focus on employment and on training and qualifications that are recognised by employers, to guarantee their funding.
