Updates on Apprenticeship and Adult Skills Funding

We have seen recent changes to the funding for apprenticeships and the adult skills budget. These new methodologies and allocation guidelines are designed to better align funding with the evolving needs of our workforce, ensuring that training programs are more responsive to local labour market demands.

The removal of functional skills for those over the age of 19 at the point of enrolment is designed to better support the needs of industry.

Essex County Council has been awarded £4 million for boot camp funding in Essex and is working closely with colleges and independent training providers to shape this provision. However, we must also address the 6% reduction in adult skills funding. This decrease makes it more important than ever that we work collaboratively to navigate these changes effectively.

By fostering strong partnerships between employers, training providers, and stakeholders, we can ensure that resources are utilised efficiently and that training programs are tailored to address critical skills shortages. 

As a result much more work is taking place with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to create a strategic approach to planning and designing provision, so we can best support the community back into skilled employment.

Construction

According to the DfE’s Further Education Workforce Survey, Construction rated the second highest (behind Environmental Sciences) in terms of unfilled teaching vacancies - double the FE sector average. 

Stimulating employer demand is helpful but ensuring there is adequate supply of high quality training is critical.
 
The Government have announced new training that will help deliver 1.5 million homes which will transform communities and drive growth through the Plan for Change

Here are the main skills and training aspects of the announcement:

• Construction will be one of the “key sectors” that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships. For employers involved in new foundation apprenticeships, there will be a £2k cash incentive for every apprentice they “take on and retain” - on top of fully funded training costs.
• £100m to expand Skills Bootcamp places for the construction sector – to support new adult entrants, returners, or those looking to upskill within the industry.
• All Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) areas will benefit from £20m to form new construction partnerships.
• £100m of new investment to fund 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges.
• Additional funding for 40,000 industry placements each year for all Level 2 and Level 3 learners, those studying NVQs, BTECs, T-levels, and advanced apprenticeships.

View the full announcement HERE.