The government has released a list of 355 “targeted high-value” qualifications that will be made available to 18- and 19-year-olds in England from September under a new government scheme.
The qualifications include courses in construction, engineering, healthcare, IT, English and maths and will be fully funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for a year.
Colleges will receive a £400 uplift per learner to cover the costs of putting on additional courses at short notice; recruiting extra students; preparing staffing and facilities; and adjustments to retention payments and job outcome payments to compensate where learners leave early and take up employment or an apprenticeship – an increased rate to fund 18-year-olds on larger programmes than the rate for 16- and 17-year-olds.
This comes after chancellor Rishi Sunak announced last week that the government would provide £101 million for the 2020-21 academic year to give all 18- to 19-year-olds in England the opportunity to study “targeted high-value level 2 and 3 courses when there are no employment opportunities available to them”.
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The DfE said: “The government is committed to supporting school and college leavers into work and enabling them to gain the skills they need to get jobs. Young people’s employment prospects are expected to be disproportionately affected by the economic fallout of coronavirus and if a young person is not employed, in education or training (NEET), it is rarely temporary.
“We are prioritising getting young people into work, an apprenticeship or traineeship. Where these are not available, we will support the sector to offer courses of up to one year's duration in high-value subjects to prevent young people from becoming NEET. Providers will need to demonstrate how courses through this offer support employment outcomes, and evidence of need for skills in their local area.”
