It’s easy to criticise the plans for post-16 provision, but the knockers are wrong

By Moira Tattersall, principal, Carlisle College

Last updated 16:26, Monday, 26 May 2008

The Government recently published a consultation document called “Raising Expectations: enabling the system to deliver”.

It follows the creation of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

This new consultation is based on plans which mean the dissolution of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by 2010 and proposes how responsibilities for funding and planning post-16 and adult education and training will work.

At present funding for 16-19-year-olds in colleges, sixth forms and in apprenticeships with training providers comes from the LSC. In future funding would go through the local authority which would be responsible for offering young people a full menu of choices.

So for 14-19 year olds this will:

put local authorities in the driving seat to deliver education and training for children and young people aged 0-19;

make local authorities responsible for delivering the full range of 14-19 entitlements;

enable local authorities to commission provision to meet demand from young people and employers; and

require local authorities to work together with national agencies and the Regional Development Agency to provide a coherent planning and funding system for FE colleges and providers.

A number of college principals have expressed apprehension at the thought of “going back to local authority control”.

I don’t see it this way.

The world and public services are very different from the 1990s when colleges were first given their freedom.

For adult learners a new smaller agency will replace the LSC to streamline the funding process to colleges and training providers to meet the demands of employers and learners.

This new agency will also:

have the lead role in sponsoring colleges and training providers;

manage the creation and management of the new England-wide adult advancement and careers service;

eventually take over from the LSC and management of the new National Apprenticeship Service, with end-to-end responsibility for the Apprenticeships programme.

It would be all too easy to criticise and cast doubt on these proposals.

My personal view is that these reforms, particularly in relation to 14-19, are to be welcomed.

They will require strong leadership from a single body that will ensure learners’ needs drive the agenda.

This approach should also make it easier to target investment and resources to support expansion of different types of provision.

When I put together my response to the consultation I will be saying:

Yes, I support the 14-19 proposals but please make sure local authorities have the capacity to take on their new responsibilities and new levels of bureaucracy are not created.

Yes, I understand the sense of a Skills Funding Agency with regional planning but please create room for the rapid responses needed to local conditions.

Oh, and there will be a PS.

Please give colleges the ability to fund short programmes of learning to engage hesitant adults without the need to go through a complex, costly and time consuming tendering procedure.