Minister of State for Skills wants ‘ladder of opportunity’ at post-16
Former chair of the education committee, Robert Halfon MP, gave evidence to the committee’s inquiry into post-16 qualifications, in his new role as Minister for State for Skills in the Department for Education.
Current chair of the committee, Robin Walker MP, asked Halfon if there is sufficient data on future skills and if that data is rigorous enough to be used as the basis for future curriculum change. Halfon said he often talks about a ‘ladder of opportunity’, which consists of careers, quality qualifications, apprenticeships and skills, lifelong learning, and finally job security. He said it was vital to invest in resources, mentioning the £1.6 billion increase on 16 to 19 education, and £3.8 billion on skills in general, over this Parliament.
Walker noted that this is a broad agenda with a range of initiatives. He cited the IFS annual report on education spending, published this week, which highlighted that colleges and the FE sector have seen a reduction in funding over the past decade. The extra funding that it is now receiving does not make up the real-terms gap in that space.
The minister responded that the balance has been redressed by the previous Secretaries of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP and Nadhim Zahawi MP. While the system is not perfect, Halfon said, the government is offering a range of investments, such as ‘£490 million for HE and colleges, to build state-of-the-art facilities in various colleges around the country, from Northumbria all the way down to Yeovil’.
Labour MP for Gateshead, Ian Mearns, asked about T-Levels and BTECs, seeking assurances that as a minister Halfon would not do away with BTECs. In response, Halfon set out how he wanted to see qualifications develop. He said that quality qualifications must be employer-led, give chances for progression, ensure good outcomes and good jobs, and finally level the playing field for disadvantaged young people.
Halfon said that they would not be getting rid of BTECs, but would be ensuring there was quality over quantity. He wanted to avoid a situation where there are qualifications that only disadvantaged students do and qualifications that everyone else does.
Through Schools North East’s regular roundtables with school leaders, feedback has highlighted the challenging financial situation in the education system. This is particularly true for the post-16 sector. The IFS report on education spending said that between 2010–11 and 2019–20, spending per student aged 16–18 fell by 14% in real terms in colleges and by 28% in school sixth forms. For colleges, this left spending per student at around the level it was in 2004–05, while spending per student in sixth forms was lower than at any point since at least 2002. It is crucial that the government recognises these challenges.
