Commenting on the Government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, Jude Hillary, NFER’s Co-Head of Policy and Practice, said:
“This White Paper comes at a key moment as NFER prepares to publish the final report from our Skills Imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow's workforce programme. Our research underlines many of the challenges and opportunities highlighted by government, particularly the need for a more coherent, evidence-informed approach to developing skills that meet the needs of employers and local labour markets.
"We are encouraged by the White Paper's focus on aligning education and skills provision more closely with employer demand - an objective strongly supported in our report findings. Our work has consistently shown the partnerships between public and private organisations, underpinned by robust labour market intelligence, are key by enabling effective decision-making and responsive local systems.
“We also welcome the commitment to clearer information and guidance for learners on the outcomes of different education and training pathways, alongside a stronger emphasis on practical experience. These measures reflect recommendations from previous NFER reports calling for better progression data and real-world learning opportunities that help learners transition into the world of work.
“However, we would urge greater attention to essential employment skills, beyond the limited reference to essential digital skills. Our research continues to show that communication, teamwork, and problem-solving remain vital for employability and progression at all levels, now and especially in the future when we will need more people with a higher level of these skills due to large projected growth in professional and associate professional jobs which utilise these skills more intensively.
“We cautiously welcome the introduction of new V Level qualifications, which could help simplify the complex Level 3 landscape and provide a much-needed vocational alternative to T Levels. However, it is important they build on the best of Applied General Qualifications, particularly BTECs, for example, maintaining their breath, flexible learning style (including the option for continuous assessment) and entry requirements.
“On English and maths re-sits, for too long, young people have been forced to continue to re-sit these subjects where they have not achieved a good pass, often with damaging effects on their morale and confidence. We strongly support the government’s proposals for a more flexible approach to students continuing to study English and maths post-16, including a study and work pathway.
“We welcome the government’s recognition of the FE workforce’s vital role through its commitment to invest an additional £1.2 billion a year in skills by 2028-29. This funding, which will help recruit and retain expert FE teachers, reflects the recommendation made in our FE workforce report, for increased investment to enable colleges to better compete with schoolteacher pay. This is an important step towards valuing and sustaining the professionals who drive excellence across FE.”