Highlights of the week ending 2 October
Further education took centre stage this week as the Prime Minister announced a Lifetime Skills Guarantee, providing fully funded courses to those without a level 3 qualification (A levels or equivalent).
He also promised to make HE loans more flexible, allowing adults to space out their learning. These announcements, whilst light on detail, form an important part of the government’s levelling up agenda and moves to prepare people for a post-Covid economy. Expect more in the coming months as consultations and the FE White Paper are published. This also marked a step in the direction of implementing recommendations from Sir Phillip Augar’s review of HE finance. Again, watch this space as the government prepares its full response to the report. In a statement to MPs, Gavin Williamson reserved the right to halt in person teaching at universities, should the need arise. And it became law that schools have to provide education to children at home, as they do when children are in the classroom. To support this further resource towards remote education is being promised, though a move out of the classroom remains a last resort for ministers.