Report to the Leader of Council And to the Economic Development and Regeneration Scrutiny Commission Wards: All 13 January 2017

POST -16 EDUCATION, LEARNING & SKILLS

Report of the Provider Manager, Young People, Skills & Employability Team

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To provide the Economic Development and Regeneration Scrutiny Commission with an overview of the post-16 education, learning and skills landscape for Hull and its travel to learn geography.

2. INTRODUCTION

Post-16 education, learning and skills is a complex system comprising of many stakeholders and influences. This introduction sets out the key points that need to be considered when discussing the subject.

It is funded via two separate government departments:

• The Education Funding Agency (EFA) funds education and training for 16 to 18 year olds through institutions such as schools and academies with sixth-forms, Further Education institutions, Commercial and Charitable Providers (CCPs) and special schools. They also fund some private institutions such as those specialising in the arts such as dance and drama. Young people aged up to 25 who have an Education Health and Care Plan are funded as if they are aged 16 to 18. EFA funding pays for: o Post-16 study programme (includes A Levels and BTECs) o Traineeships (16-19 years)

• The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funds skills training for further education (FE) in , giving colleges, training organisations and employers the right funding to help adults, young people, the unemployed and people with low skill levels to get the skills they need for employment. SFA funding pays for: o Apprenticeships (all ages) o Traineeships (19+ years)

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 1 of 17 Despite post-16 education, learning and skills being publicly funded, it is important to understand that it is a competitive environment. Competition exists between institutions for learners because institutions are allocated funding per learner. The more learners an institution recruits, the more funding they attract. Institutions therefore have a minimum number of learners they need to maintain in order to be sustainable. If an institution has aspirations to grow or develop their provision this will often be linked to a plan to recruit more learners to draw in the funding required. There are only a finite number of learners within a given travel to learn area which institutions are competing for. This competition stretches beyond Hull’s local authority boundary into the East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire as learners are free to attend any provider they choose. It also not uncommon for national providers of post-16 education, learning and skills to venture into new areas to test the market and try and develop their business further afield. This can be positive in that new provision can be created. The potential downside is that it can cause disruption for existing providers.

The apprenticeship market is more complex. The essence of an apprenticeship is that it is a job first and foremost with a training and development aspect. Employers are therefore entirely free to choose who provides them with the training, which can result in national training companies delivering to Hull employers.

Sub-contracting is permitted by both the EFA and SFA. This means that any institution with a direct contract with either of the two funding bodies can commission an external organisation to deliver some or all of their provision. This is helpful in that it allows provision to be created that the main contract holder is unable to deliver.

3. THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY

Where post-16 education, learning and skills are concerned all local authorities have a series of duties placed upon them.

They have existing responsibilities to support young people into education or training, which are set out in the following duties: • Secure sufficient suitable education and training provision for all young people aged 16-19 and for those aged 20-24 with a Learning Difficulty or Disability (LDD) in their area. In fulfilling their post-16 statutory duties to ‘secure enough suitable education and training to meet the reasonable needs of young people and to cooperate with other local authorities’, local authorities should champion the education and training needs of young people in their area by:

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 2 of 17

o Influencing and shaping the provision on offer and helping to develop and improve the education and training market; o Promoting any necessary structural change in the local education and training system; o Supporting the improvement of the quality of the education and training of young people aged 16-19; o Supporting employer needs, economic growth and community development working with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as appropriate; and o Supporting the development of provider and stakeholder networks that help to deliver the RPA targets. • Make available to young people aged 13-19 and to those aged 20-24 with a Learning Difficulty or Disability, support that will encourage, enable or assist them to participate in education or training . Tracking young people’s participation successfully is a key element of this duty.

In addition to the above, the Education and Skills Act 2008 places two new duties on local authorities with regard to 16 and 17 year-olds. These relate to the raising of the participation age (RPA): • A local authority in England must ensure that its functions are (so far as they are capable of being so) exercised so as to promote the effective participation in education or training of persons belonging to its area with a view to ensuring that those persons fulfil the duty to participate in education or training.

• A local authority in England must make arrangements to enable it to establish (so far as it is possible to do so) the identities of persons belonging to its area to whom are failing to fulfil the duty to participate in education or training.

CCIS (Client Caseload Information System) is essentially a local database that provides local authorities with the information they need to support young people to engage in education and training, identify those who are not participating and to plan services that meet young people’s needs. It also enables local authorities to provide management information to DfE through the National Client Caseload Information System (NCCIS). Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to use CCIS data to: • Monitor the impact of the legislation which requires all 16 year olds to participate in education or training from September 2013 • Produce monthly performance tables for services to use to compare and benchmark their performance against others • Combine with other administrative data in the production of the Education Destination Measures and the NEET Quarterly Brief

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 3 of 17 • Produce tables relating to participation, NEET and delivery of the September Guarantee which are made publicly available on the DfE website • Evaluate national policies such as the Youth Contract • Report on the number, characteristics and activities of young people of academic years 11-14 and up to the age of 25 if the young person has LDD e.g. looked after, teenage parents, care leavers, supervised by the YOT etc.

There remains a requirement for young people leaving education/training to register with Connexions for Child Benefit purposes and to attend Connexions to satisfy Job Seeker Allowance conditions - Section 68 (4) of the Education & Skills Act 2008 and statutory guidance.

Local authorities are expected to continue to work with schools to identify those who are in need of targeted support or who are at risk of not participating post-16. They agree how these young people can be referred for intensive support, drawn from the range of education and training support services available locally. The Local Authority currently applies a ‘Risk of NEET Indicator’ to year 11 students which ensures services are targeted at those most vulnerable.

The SEND Code of Practice 2015 (page 125) states that “Local authorities must ensure that the Education Health and Care Plan review at year 9, and every review thereafter, includes a focus on preparing for adulthood.” It goes on to state that these reviews should include support to prepare for higher education and/or employment and should include identifying appropriate post 16 pathways that will lead to these outcomes. Careers Advisers employed by YPSE carry out this statutory function on behalf of the Local Authority. The view of Government is that the vast majority of young people with SEN are capable of sustained employment with the right preparation and support.

Local authorities are expected to lead the September Guarantee process, which underpins the delivery of the RPA duty. This is the process by which Local authorities aim to ensure that all 16-17 year olds receive an offer of a suitable place in education or training by the end of September each year.

The participation of young people in education and training should be actively supported through local authorities’ wider functions wherever possible and practical. Specific examples of this are:

• When developing transport arrangements and preparing their post-16 transport policy statement , local authorities should ensure young people are not prevented from participating because of the cost or availability of transport to their education or training. • Where possible, ensuring a focus on participation is embedded throughout their education and children’s services , Youth Offending Teams, Priority Families Teams and pre-16 Education Teams, social services and economic development, amongst others.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 4 of 17 • Local authorities, schools and colleges will need to set out what services they provide for young people with SEN in the area – the ‘local offer’ – up to the age of 25. The local offer will be a key tool in supporting young people with SEN and disabilities to make choices as they approach the end of school. • Local authorities should provide strategic leadership in their areas , working with and influencing partners locally to support participation.

In addition to the above, the Young People, Employability and Skills team have led, or supported the acquisition of external funding to support young people’s employability. Projects and funding include:

• ESF – CEIAG Programme – A ESF / Humber LEP funded programme delivered by IGEN with the YPSE team delivering employer related case studies to be advertised on the Humber LEP, Bridging the Gap website. Total funding is £30,000 delivered from January 2017 to July 2018. • Careers and Enterprise Company – A Careers and Enterprise Company / Humber LEP funded programme aimed at improving CEIAG across Hull and the . Hull City Council’ YPSE team have provided 50% match funding to support the provision of 1 x Enterprise Co-ordinator who is currently working with 20 x schools / colleges and 20 x Enterprise Advisors. Funding began in September 2015 with ongoing quarterly claims averaging out just under £6,000 (not including the 50% HCC match). • Building Better Opportunities – A Big Lottery funded programme which is led locally by the Humber Learning Consortium supported by a range of partners (including the four Humber Local Authorities). The programme supports vulnerable adults into employment education and training with Hull City Council’s YPSE team providing a central support worker function. Funding of £305,000 is set to commence February 2017 and will conclude in December 2019. • Springboard – A cabinet office / Humber LEP funded pilot programme delivered by the four Humber Local Authorities aimed at supporting vulnerable 18-24 year olds into Employment Education and Training. The YPSE team has provided x 7 fte staff which includes support workers, a youth ambassador and a project support officer. Total funding value is £2,032,000 delivered from July 2014 – March 2017. • Youth Employment Initiative – A DWP, ESF and European Commission funded programme led by the Humber Learning Consortium. The programme is delivered in Hull by a range of delivery partners. Hull City Council’s YPSE team is a core central partner delivering a large scale ‘Key Worker’ function, with wider council services providing multiple vocational tasters / work experience opportunities and an enterprise support programme. The overall aim of this programme is support vulnerable 16-29 years olds back into Employment, Education and Training. Total Hull City Council funding is £2,718,229 + £474,950 match delivered from May 2016 to July 2018.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 5 of 17 • Youth Contract – A joint DfE & DWP funded programme led by Prospect Services across the Yorkshire and Humber Region. Hull City Council in partnership with Prospect Services delivered across the City of Hull. This programme was aimed at supporting NEET young people aged 16 and 17 into Employment, Education and Training. Total funding claimed by Hull City Council was approximately £1,200,000, delivered from April 2012 to March 2016. • 100 Jobs for 100 Young People – A Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) funded programme delivered in Hull by the YPSE Service. This programme was aimed at supporting 16-18 year old NEET’s into Employment, Education and Training (mainly Apprenticeships). Total funding was £927,000 from October 2008 to 31 st March 2012. • ESF – Skills Support for the Workforce programme – A ESF/Humber LEP funded programmed delivered by Group with Hull City Council’s YPSE team contracted to deliver a brokerage service to three broad employment sectors in the Humber region (Ports & Logistics; Construction, Engineering & Manufacturing and Creative, Digital & Tourism). The YPSE teams focus was to engage eligible companies and promote and broker workplace learning programmes across the Humber region leading to the upskilling of individuals, employers. The project was delivered in partnership with 5 Humber FE Colleges and a number of specialist private training providers. Total funding was £45,000 delivered from October 2013 to July 2015.

4. POST-16 INSTITUTIONS

Post-16 Institutions generally speaking fall into one of the following four categories: • 6th Form College o o • 6th Form School or Academy o St. Mary’s o Sirius West o Archbishop Sentamu • Further Education College o Hull College • Independent Provider o City Council (Hull Training) o HYA Training Limited

The above list details Hull based institutions that hold a direct contract with the EFA and deliver to approximately 90% of Hull resident learners.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 6 of 17 There are other organisations funded by the EFA operating in the city under sub- contracting arrangements or as arms of organisations registered outside of the Hull local authority boundary which include: • • Hull FC • Motorvation Training Limited • North Humberside Motor Trades Group Training Association • Quality Personal Development Training • Chamber Training (Humber) Ltd

5. MARKET INTELLIGENCE

Vocational courses make up the bulk of post-16 education, learning and skills provision delivered by Hull based institutions although this has decreased over the past three years. Academic courses make up approximately 1/3 of the provision and the amount of courses have increased over the same period. This is roughly mirrored in the type of courses chosen by Hull residents. The majority of Hull’s post-16 education learning and skills provision is delivered by Hull’s Further Education College closely followed by the two independent 6 th Form Colleges. 6 th Form Schools or Academies and independent providers make up a much smaller proportion of the provision. Hull’s 6th Form Colleges have seen a growth in student numbers over the past three years from both Hull residents and non-Hull residents. In contrast, Hull’s Further Education College which has seen a decline in both cohorts. Student numbers in 6 th Form Schools or Academies have remained steady but with a slight increase in the proportion of students who are from outside of Hull. Numbers for independent training providers have fluctuated. Non-Hull residents make up approximately 1/3 of the total number of students in Hull based institutions. This has remained relatively constant over the past three years. Of this 1/3, the majority are from the East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority area which has remained constant over the past three years. The remainder are from North and North East Lincolnshire, numbers from which have grown modestly over the same period. The majority of provision in Hull is Level 3. Levels 1 & 2 are the second most prevalent but are roughly half of that of Level 3. 6 th Form Colleges and 6 th Form Schools and Academies provide mainly Level 3 provision and some Level 2. Independent Training Providers provide mainly Level 1 provision. Hull’s Further Education College provides the greatest variety with Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 plus some Entry Level provision. The Top 3 sector subject areas being provided by Hull based post 16 providers are: Arts, Media & Publishing, Health, Public Services & Care and Science & Mathematics. This is mirrored by the choices of Hull residents whose Top 3 chosen sector subject areas are the same.

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Over the past three years there has been a steady increase in the number of Hull residents who are choosing to pursue their post-16 learning outside of Hull in non- Hull institutions. However, because of the way that EFA data is reported it is not possible to determine whether this is a genuine movement of learners out of the city or whether it reflects growth in provision of a national provider delivering and recruiting in Hull.

6. LOG ON MOVE ON

>log on | move on > is an online prospectus and Common Application Process (CAP) for Hull and the East Riding. It was first introduced in 2007 and has been developed over the last nine years in response to a statutory requirement imposed by government for its implementation across local authorities. East Riding Council and Hull City Council have been jointly responsible for this and since September 2014 all stakeholders (schools, academies, colleges and training providers) have been required to make a financial contribution towards the continued running and development of the system.

All 12 Hull schools and academies have signed up to use the >log on | move on> system including the CAP allowing Year 11 learners to make post-16 applications through the system. The majority of schools and academies introduce the system in Year 10 when learners complete an application form. In Year 11 the site is revisited and learners make their formal applications to their chosen provider(s) and course(s).

32 post-16 providers, including sixth forms, colleges and training providers, based in Hull advertise their provision through >log on | move on>. A total of 1,017 opportunities are advertised by these providers. The provision available ranges from entry level to level 3 and includes study programmes, BTECs, Traineeships, Apprenticeships and “A” levels.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 8 of 17 The YPSE team analyses the website usage statistics on an annual basis. In comparison to 2014-15 the following has been noted during 2015-16:

• The number of applications made by Hull learners has increased by 3%. • The number of applications to FE colleges has continued to decrease. • The number of applications made to Training Providers in Hull has increased by 128 applications (15%). • The top sector to receive applications during 2015-16 was again Science and Maths. • Construction and the Built Environment saw the largest increase of applications, this increased by 37%. • The number of applications made by East Riding Learners to Hull providers has increased by 59 applications however statistically overall numbers remain low. • The number of new visitors to the >log on | move on> website has increased by 3%. • The following of >log on | move on> Facebook and Twitter social media accounts has grown steadily over the reporting period.

7. POST-16 ATTAINMENT

7.1 Level 2

Attainment at Level 2 or higher qualifications with English and maths relates to one of the government’s “Impact Indicators”. Level 2 in English and maths is seen as the minimum level for employability and progression to further study at higher levels. As with the Level 3 indicator, this report shows how young people in Hull are performing against the criteria.

For all young people attaining Level 2 at the age of 19, Hull has improved consistently at a greater rate than regionally and nationally since 2005. This has resulted in Hull significantly narrowing the gap against regional and national averages since 2005 bringing it within 1% and 2% of regional and national figures respectively in 2015.

For young people with a Level 2 qualification with English and maths at the age of 19 Hull has also improved consistently and at a greater rate than both regionally and nationally. However, it has not improved to the extent that it meets or outperforms regional or national figures with the exception of those who are eligible for FSM. For those eligible for FSM Hull now outperforms the regional figure.

The percentage of Hull young people attaining GCSE A*-C or equivalent in English and maths at age 19, for those who had not achieved this level by age 16 has mirrored regional and national trends by increasing significantly since last year. However, since 2005, Hull has dropped from outperforming to underperforming both regional and national figures.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 9 of 17 7.2 Level 3

Hull fares less well for young people attaining a Level 3 qualification at the age of 19. Despite Hull improving at a greater rate than regionally and nationally since 2005 it still underperforms by a significant margin. For young people with a Level 3 qualification eligible for FSM at the age of 19 the gap has actually increased against both regional and national figures.

The average point score per A Level exam entry for Hull’s young people has fluctuated since 2011 but overall has remained consistently below the national average. This shows that Hull’s young people are consistently performing below the national average where A Level results are concerned. In contrast however, the average A Level point score per student for Hull’s young people has been consistently higher (including fluctuations) than the national average. For the average point score per student to exceed the national average while the average point score per exam entry lags the national average suggests that Hull young people are doing a greater volume of courses than elsewhere in the country giving them a larger points total overall.

These trends are also evident for vocational results. The average point scores per vocational entry for Hull’s young people has remained consistently below the national average since 2013. This shows that Hull’s young people are consistently performing below the national average where vocational results are concerned. In contrast, the average vocational point score per student for Hull’s young people has been consistently higher than the national average. As with A Level statistics, for the average point score per vocational student to exceed the national average while the average point score per vocational entry lags the national average suggests that Hull young people are doing a greater volume of courses than elsewhere in the country giving them a larger points total overall. Of additional note where the vocational results are concerned is that the average point score per student has declined consistently since 2013 while the average point score per entry has increased.

8. YR 11 DESTINATIONS

Over the last 7 years the percentage of young people progressing into a learning opportunity at the end of year 11 has risen steadily from 90% in 2008 to 97.6% in 2015 reflecting the increased wealth of learning opportunities in the region.

The percentage of year 11 leavers progressing to full time further education (further education college, and school sixth form) as a whole on completion of year 11 has decreased slightly to 89.0% from 90.5% in 2014 but still remains the most popular choice.

The most popular destination for our year 11 leavers in 2015 is sixth form college (979 young people) which is 37.5% , an increase from 2014 when it was 35.4%. The percentage of year 11 leavers entering a school sixth form has increased 2.2% this year to 20.7% from 18.5% in 2014.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 10 of 17 In 2014 further education was the most popular destination at 36.6%, but has dropped significantly this year to 30.8% which is a fall of 5.8% (218 young people). The percentage of young people leaving year 11 entering traineeships, apprenticeships or employment with accredited training has increased this year to 8.6% from 6.9% in 2014.

The number of young people entering employment without training remains low with only 3 young people choosing this route ( 0.1% of the cohort), a decrease from 18 young people ( 0.6% of the cohort) 5 years ago (2010) reflecting the impact of Raising the Participation Age.

The percentage and number of young people who were classed as not participating in learning was 2.3% (59 young people).

Young people who are eligible for Pupil Premium are more likely to enter vocational related provision over academic related provision compared to those not eligible. Young people who are eligible for Pupil Premium are more likely to not participate in education, employment or training than those not eligible.

The number of young people not in employment, education or training increases from 75 young people in 2013 to 316 young people in 2015.

60% of the young people who left compulsory education in 2013 chose to remain in Hull to continue in higher education.

9. SEPTEMBER GUARANTEE

The September Guarantee is an offer, by the end of September, of a "suitable" place in learning to young people completing compulsory secondary education. The Guarantee was implemented nationally in 2007 for 16 year olds and extended to 17 year olds in 2008. The offer should be appropriate to the young person’s needs and includes: • full time education in school sixth-forms or colleges • an apprenticeship or traineeship • employment combined with part-time education or training

The ‘Offer’ aims to prevent young people from dropping out of learning by ensuring that every 16 and 17 year old has an appropriate offer of learning by the end of September that motivates them and allows them to progress. All young people who reached the statutory school leaving age in 2014 or 2015 were entitled to an offer in 2015 with Local Authorities required to fulfil their statutory responsibilities to ensure that the offer of a place is met. The ultimate outcome the Government are seeking from the offer of a place is increased numbers of young people participating in learning and reduced numbers who are NEET.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 11 of 17 A summary of Hull’s September Guarantee performance for years 11 and 12 is shown below:

Year 11 Year 12

Cohort total 2654 3084

Offer made 2619 98.7% 2934 95.1%

Offer not appropriate at this time 7 0.3% 40 1.3%

No offer made 23 0.9% 107 3.5%

Unable to contact 5 0.1% 3 0.1%

10. NEET

At the end of January 2016 both our local targets of 6.0% NEET and 4.0% Not Known were met.

For the target period (November 2015– January 2016) the percentage of NEET young people in Hull was 6.2% which was 2% above the England average of 4.2% and 1.4% above the regional average of 4.8% .

At the end of January 29.8% of these young people ( 159 ) were not available to the labour market due to reasons of pregnancy, illness etc.

When compared to statistical neighbours (Local Authorities with similar characteristics) the percentage of NEET young people in Hull is ranked 7 th out of 11 Local Authorities.

The percentage of young people in a learning opportunity ( 85.5% ) is above the average of not only our statistical neighbours ( 84.1% ) but also the regional ( 84.7% ) and England average ( 82.5% ).

At the end of January 2016 the highest number of 16-18 year olds who were NEET lived in Orchard Park & Greenwood ( 66 ) and Myton ( 47 ). That’s 21.1% of the NEET group in two wards. St. Andrews has the highest NEET percentage at 11.1% . 32 of the ward’s 287 cohort are NEET.

6 NEET young people and 20 Not Knowns do not have a current address or are of no fixed abode.

53.8% of the NEET group are in year 14 (18 to 19 years old). The number of 16 year old NEET’s has increased from 1.1% to 2.8% over the November 2015 – January 2016 target period.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 12 of 17 At the end of January 2016, 196 of our 16-18 cohort were flagged as being in Priority Families, 50 of which were NEET.

The NEET group is not static. In January 2016 we had 51 joiners to the NEET group, and 68 leavers, giving a net decrease of 17 young people from the previous month.

11. QUALITY

There are a variety of performance and quality measures used to assess the quality of education, learning and skills providers. The most commonly used and publicly visible measure is an institution’s Ofsted rating. Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.

Ofsted assessments of post-16 education, learning and skills providers in Hull shows that overall, the quality of provision in Hull is good and fairs well when compared against national statistics.

Hull’s post-16 training provision Ofsted ratings (at last inspection) at a glance: • 24% are rated as outstanding (9 out of 37) • 73% are rated as good (28 out of 37) • 3% (one provider) rated as “Requires Improvement”

12. FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS

Growth Deal • £1.8m of Growth Deal money towards a £7m infrastructure project at CATCH in North East Lincolnshire to enable specialist offshore wind training including facilities for working at height and marine transfer/offshore survival training. • £2.1m of Growth Deal money towards Grimsby Institute building a £7.8m logistics centre providing courses linked to the renewable sector including STEM subjects – Science, Technology Engineering and Maths – to develop career pathways linked to new opportunities linked to the renewables sector. • £0.8m of Growth Deal money used as part of a £1m project to expand College’s vocational skills workshop including classroom refurbishment to provide engineering and renewables technologies training which will be part of their centre of excellence providing skills training in areas such as fabrication and welding, construction and logistics.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 13 of 17 City Deal • £1.245m of City Deal funds for capital investment across the five Humber FE colleges as part of the Humber LEP’s plan for the region to become a centre of excellence for energy skills. These include:

College Summary of original target set out in City Deal agreement - £300,000 Sustainable Technologies Centre

East Riding College - £66,800 Energy Training Centre

Hull/Goole College- £435,000 Welding and Fabrication Centres of Excellence Grimsby Institute - £216,720 Fabrication & Welding; Mechanical engineering; Electrical/Electronics - £226,693 Engineering and Digital Creative Infrastructure

ESF – through SFA Co-finance • Skills Support for the Workforce – First project - £7m – Hull College and college/provider partners (up to July 2015) • Skills Support for the Workforce – Current project - £6m – Hull College and college/provider partners • Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance - £1m – Aspire Igen – working with college/provider partners • Apprenticeship Brokerage - £1m – YH Training - working with college/provider partners

13. DEVELOPMENTS

13.1 Area Based Review

In July 2015, the government announced a rolling programme of around 40 local area reviews, to be completed by March 2017, covering all general further education and sixth form colleges in England.

The reviews are designed to ensure that colleges are financially stable into the longer-term, that they are run efficiently, and are well-positioned to meet the present and future needs of individual students and the demands of employers.

The local steering group is being chaired by Peter Mucklow, the Sixth Form College Commissioner. The steering group will meet on a total of five occasions between 6 October 2016 and 23 February 2017. Additional informal meetings are taking place to consider and develop options in greater detail. Membership of the steering group comprised:

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 14 of 17 • Each college’s chair of governors and principal • Representatives from the four local authorities o York City Council o North Yorkshire County Council o The East Riding of Yorkshire Council and o Hull City Council • Representatives from o the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership o the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership o the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and o the Regional Schools Commissioners, and • Representatives from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), the Education Funding Agency (EFA), and the (DfE).

Visits to colleges and support throughout the process were provided by staff from the Further Education and Sixth Form College Commissioners’ teams. The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit (JARDU) provided the project management, administrative support and developed supporting materials and papers used by the steering group. JARDU also led on consultations with local stakeholders.

The steering group will publish the report into its findings in March 2017. This will contain a series of recommendations that stakeholders will be expected to action, with the support of the JARDU.

13.2 Ron Dearing University Technical College

University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are schools for 14–19 year olds. They deliver an education that combines technical, practical and academic learning. In doing so, they offer students more than the traditional GCSE and A Level curriculum.

They are typically smaller than traditional secondary schools. They are not academically selective and are not fee charging. The curriculum includes one or two technical specialisms which are linked to the regional skills gaps. As well as their core academic subjects, students can study GCSEs, A Levels and other relevant qualifications matched to these specialisms. Each UTC is backed by employers and a local university who work with staff to develop and curriculum that gives students first-hand experience of what life is like after school. UTCs have a special focus on science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, and all their technical, academic and practical learning is designed to be applied in the workplace. Each UTC offers around 600 places and their catchment area extends across a number of local authorities.

Hull has its own UTC currently under development. The Ron Dearing UTC campus is under construction in John Street and will have digital and mechatronics as its curriculum specialisms.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 15 of 17 Partners from industry supporting the UTC include: • • KCOM • RB • Siemens • Smith & Nephew • The Spencer Group

It is currently recruiting learners for year 10 and year 12 and will start delivering courses in September 2017.

13.3 Apprenticeship reform

The government has made a pledge to create more opportunities through apprenticeships with the aim of 3 million starts by 2020. Aims to put technical and professional routes on a par with university. Apprenticeship standards will replace frameworks and define the competencies an apprentice needs to meet in the occupation they are working in. Qualifications are not specified as part of a standard therefore some apprenticeships will not include nationally recognised qualifications. There will be an end point assessment which the apprentice must pass before being deemed as competent. Successful apprentices will be awarded an apprenticeship certificate if they pass the final assessment. Apprentices will still be employed from day one and will be expected to attend on and off the job training.

• Higher & Degree Apprenticeships - A higher and degree apprenticeship is a way to earn and learn in a real job, gaining a real qualification and a real future. Higher apprenticeships incorporate a work-based learning programme leading to a nationally recognised qualification at level 4 and above, with level 4 and 5 being equivalent to a Higher Education Certificate/Diploma or a Foundation Degree, level 6 equivalent to a Bachelor degree and level 7 equivalent to a Master’s degree. Degree apprenticeships are at level 6 and 7 and must include a Bachelors degree at level 6 and a Masters Degree at level 7. Some Higher level apprenticeships available at level 6 or 7 will contain the professional qualifications required for the sector as an alternative to the degree.eg Chartered Legal Executive Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice. • Institute for Apprenticeships – Is a new independent organisation which has bene given the responsibility for approving new apprenticeship standards . The government’s intention is that this organisation will be established and fully functional by April 2017 when the apprenticeship levy comes into force. Its remit will also expand to encompass all technical education and will deliver reforms across both apprenticeships- based and college-based routes, ensuring a more consistent approach to high-quality technical and skills-based education. • Apprenticeship levy – The apprenticeship levy is being introduced with the intention of creating more demand for apprenticeships from employers. Employers will pay 0.5% on a wage bill above £3m which will be collected through PAYE.

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 16 of 17 Where an employer does not pay the levy, they must contribute 10% to the cost of the apprenticeship training and government will pay the rest (90%), up to the maximum amount of government funding available for that apprenticeship. The employer will pay this directly to the provider and will be able to spread it over the life time of the apprenticeship. As both the employer and the government make a payment, it is termed ‘co- investment’. • Public sector apprenticeship targets - The government expects the public sector will play a leading role in delivering Apprenticeships. Through the Enterprise Bill they are introducing a target for public sector bodies. This will be 2.3% of the workforce. They have also updated the rules around public procurement so that apprenticeships must be considered in all contracts >£10m. Hull City Council already does this as a matter of course through its Social Value policy.

Contact Officer: Chris Howell, Provider Manager, Young People Skills and Employability. Telephone No.: 01482 615210

Author: Chris Howell Date: 08/02/2017 Page 17 of 17