Making further education fit for the future – MPs launch new inquiry

How the post-16 education system could provide better vocational and skills-based learning and qualifications will be the focus of the Education Committee's new inquiry. 

Launched today, the inquiry will see MPs investigate how the entire further education system could better equip young people with skills and qualifications for a range of sectors experiencing labour shortages, from hospitality and agriculture to health and care. 

The cross-party Committee will explore pressures currently facing sixth forms and colleges, including the pay gap between school and college teachers, maths and English GCSE resits, and students' mental health.  

It will also examine the role of apprenticeships, the future work of Skills England, and how the Government could reform post-16 qualifications including T Levels and BTECs. 

The inquiry follows the review of post-16 qualifications, which concluded that the Department for Education (DfE) will continue to fund 157 qualifications – which the previous Government had planned to withdraw funding from – until at least 2026. The Government's ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review will make recommendations on what reforms could happen after 2027, but the Committee will ask industry and further education (FE) sector experts for their views on the future of post-16 qualifications. 

College teachers' pay has declined in real terms by 18% since 2010, and salaries are on average £7,000 a year lower than school teachers' as of 2024/25, according to the IFS think tank. The Chancellor's 2024 Autumn Statement saw £300 million of new funding for colleges, without specification of how this should be spent, prompting union leaders to call on colleges to use the funding for staff pay. 

In July 2024, the Government announced that Skills England will replace the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, subject to a Skills England Bill which is currently being scrutinised by Parliament. Ministers also want Skills England to look at skills gaps in sectors across the economy and work with the Industrial Strategy Council and the Migration Advisory Committee to address these. The DfE is also in the process of hiring Skill's England's first permanent Chief Executive. 

Education Committee Chair Helen Hayes MP said: 

“In recent years I have seen a political consensus develop that technical education deserves parity of esteem with A levels and routes into university. But on the ground we are a long way off from this being a reality, and the further education sector has instead experienced real terms funding cuts and continued uncertainty about the qualifications they can offer. 

“In this inquiry, we will listen to both the education sector and figures from industry and public services to investigate how DfE could design a new way of doing FE that helps young people into the careers they desire, serves vital sectors that struggle to recruit, and catalyses growth across the country. 

“We will also look at how FE settings can support students with mental health and SEND to deliver better outcomes, particularly for the young people who are the most at risk of falling out of education, training and employment.” 

Terms of reference 

The Committee welcomes written evidence submissions responding to the following terms of reference. Submissions can be made via the Committee's website until 11.59pm on 7^th March 2025. 

Curriculum and qualifications in further education:   

·       The post-16 curriculum.  

·       The assessment system.  

·       Driving better standards in further education; the quality and consistency of provision and outcomes.  

·       Post-16 numeracy and literacy, including GCSE resits.  

·       The strengths and weaknesses of T Levels as the main qualification option for students wishing to pursue a technical route into further education.  

·       The reform of Level 3 qualifications.  

Delivering further education:  

·       Funding for further education, including whether the additional £300 million announced by the Chancellor in last year's Budget is sufficient and how it should be distributed.   

·       The effectiveness of current funding arrangements in tackling the attainment gap in further education.   

·       Workforce pressures, including college teachers' pay and the recruitment and retention of staff in all further education settings.  

·       Funding arrangements for specialist colleges.  

·       Quality of facilities and capital investment strategy.  

Skills and apprenticeships:   

·       How to resolve the skills shortage and narrow the gap between the skills that employers want and the skills that employees have.  

·       The level of collaboration between the further education sector, local government and employers in responding to the skills shortage.  

·       The role of Skills England in meeting the Government's industrial strategy and boosting economic growth.  

·       Current challenges for apprenticeships, including employer engagement, funding issues, and apprentice pay.  

·       The role of devolution in addressing regional skills needs and apprenticeships.  

·       The quality and availability of work placements within vocational courses.  

Supporting young people, widening access, and narrowing the attainment gap:   

·       The difficulties facing further education students, including mental health issues and access to mental health support, and cost of living pressures.   

·       The specific barriers to accessing and pursuing further education for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and children and young people in care across specialist and mainstream settings.   

·       Access to higher education, other qualification levels, and employment; career and course guidance.   

·       Disparity in attainment, including by gender, area of the country in which a student lives, ethnicity, and between disadvantaged students and their peers.