Latest news on FE policy for 2014/15 and the impact on student services

1. Latest news on FE policy for 2014/15 and the impact on student services 17 March 2014 Nick LinfordDirector at Lsect

2. FE summary of changes for 2014/15 Study programmes Changes for 2014/15: > English & math funding requirement > 17.5% rate cut for full-time 18 year-olds > Rates to be announced end of March £ £ £ £ > Piloting the Level 3 Tech Bacc http://tinyurl.com/28gyxba http://tinyurl.com/mpxvrh2 CEO, Peter Lauener 16-19 (young) 19+ (adult) College/training provider Matthew Hancock, Minister for Skills and Enterprise Adult Skills Budget Changes for 2014/15: > No significant change to rules or rates, but big cull of fundable quals > New ‘business rules’ for qual approval http://tinyurl.com/q7qrgou Interim CEO, Barbara Spicer http://tinyurl.com/b2efr77 > Apprenticeships prioritised, with likely 20%+ reduction in everything else > Piloting HMRC-led employer funding for apprenticeships

3. EFA funding changes for 2014/15 18 year-olds on 540 or more planned hours to be funded at Band 4 (17.5% less than full-time) English and math becomes a condition of funding Extend eligibility for free meals to disadvantaged students in FE and sixth form colleges (awaiting detail) For students starting in 2014 to 15 onwards, re-takes will not generally be eligible for funding unless there are exceptional circumstances outside the control of the student or institution (e.g. a period of long term sickness or other good educational reason) Funding rates may change for 2014/15 (confirmed along with allocations at the end of March) We await the EFA funding guidance, but subcontracting likely to face greater scrutiny (particularly when out-of-area)

4. Adult funding for 2014/15 recap Allocations likely to be about 10% cut (including 16-23 apprenticeships protection & FE loan growth) Very little change to rules, and no change to rates(although monthly funding cap unknown) Huge reduction in which quals are fundable(although which ones, if any, will be given exceptions still unknown) Collection of destination data critical(although what they call it still to be decided)

5. The future of funding? Employer-led? Incentives for, or minimum level of, online learning? More funding for positive outcome (eg employment) than for passing the qualification? SFA introducing a new outcome collection method 

6. Learner Outcome New data entity (name to be finalised!) • Will collect details of what the learner does next after finishing current learning aim – employment / apprenticeship / further learning etc • Reported for learners who stay with provider and continue with further study as well as leavers • Can report beyond the end of the year in which learning is delivered

7. Learner Outcome • In year after learning activity has completed, return only outcome data but not the Learner or Learning delivery records • Data will be joined together across years to obtain information needed for reporting • Consultation with providers in January

8. Learner Outcome To be collected for: • all unemployed learners • all 16-19 year old learners and high needs students • other learners for which a provider already collects it

9. Learner Outcome • Data to be collected: • Outcome Type and Code • Outcome Start date (mandatory) and End date (if there is one) • Outcome collection date • Plus UKPRN, LRN, ULN to link to existing learner data sets

10. Learner Outcome

11. Impact on Student Services? • Collecting learning outcome information • Who? • How? • When? • Resources? • What to use if for?

12. Q&A Register for training and workshops on www.lsect.com