The Government has reiterated that improving the quality of Further Education (FE) provision is a key priority as it looks to boost UK productivity.
Following a written question from David Evennett, the Conservative MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford, the Department for Education laid out various measures being put in place to improve the quality of FE in the UK.
The Government’s new T Levels are due to be introduced in 2020, with a full set of these new qualifications ready by 2022. The intention is that T Levels should have content created by leading industry professionals to ensure that students are work ready.
The Government has also approved the first fourteen grants from the Strategic College Improvement Fund, worth £15 million, enabling some of the best FE colleges to partner with those needing improvements. Seven National Leaders in FE, enabling the best college principals to actively support their peers.
The FE Commissioner’s role has also been extended to support improvement at a wider group of colleges, helping them to address any areas of weakness at an early stage. The role of governors within the FE sector has been strengthened.
Talented teachers play a vital role in creating highly skilled students. To this end, the Government is offering bursaries of up to £25,000 to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach Maths and English within the FE sector.
The Government has also committed to invest £40 million to establish FE centres for excellence in basic maths programme. This will build teaching capacity and spread high quality, new and evidenced methods for teaching of basic skills in the post-16 sector.