DfE publishes updated guidance on the National Skills Fund
|
The Department for Education has published an overview of the
National Skills Fund which aims to help adults to train and gain
the valuable skills they need to improve their job prospects and
support the economy. Contents Overview Free level 3 qualifications
for adults Skills bootcamps Further information Overview Starting
this year, the government is investing £2.5 billion in the National
Skills Fund. The National...Request free
trial
The Department for Education has published an overview of the National Skills Fund which aims to help adults to train and gain the valuable skills they need to improve their job prospects and support the economy. Contents Overview Starting this year, the government is investing £2.5 billion in the National Skills Fund. The National Skills Fund will help adults to train and gain the valuable skills they need to improve their job prospects. It will support the immediate economic recovery and future skills needs by boosting the supply of skills that employers require. At the Spending Review in November 2020, the Chancellor announced £375 million from the overall investment for the National Skills Fund to cover the financial year 2021 to 2022. This includes £95 million of additional funding to give adults free access to level 3 qualifications. Hundreds of courses have been carefully selected to support adults to gain skills leading to jobs in sectors such as construction, healthcare and digital. The announcement also included £43 million to expand skills bootcamps, which have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers. Free level 3 qualifications for adults Any adult aged 19 and over who wants to achieve their first full level 3 qualification, which is equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A levels, can now access hundreds of fully-funded courses. This offer is part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee announced by the Prime Minister in September 2020. It represents a long-term commitment to remove the age constraints and financial barriers for adults looking for their first level 3 qualification so that they can access training to enable them to progress. Courses are available in a variety of lengths, to support adults to get the skills they need to boost their careers. 19 to 23 year olds can also access additional courses for free through their legal entitlement to a first full level 3 qualification. Sector subject areas and courses available The qualifications have been carefully chosen to help adults improve their job prospects. They have good wage outcomes and will address skills needs in the economy, delivering a wide range of skills in many jobs and sectors. See the list of the qualifications included in the offer for more information. You can also find them by using the ‘qualifications offer’ filter in the qualifications search service. Qualifications are currently available in:
We will keep the qualifications list and sector-subject areas in scope under review to ensure this offer responds to changing labour market needs. Awarding organisations, Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority can suggest additions to the list through the qualifications funding approval process if they meet the criteria. Funding arrangements for providers Funding for the level 3 adult offer will be routed via Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority for residents in those areas of England. Funding for the level 3 adult offer for residents in all other areas of England will be routed via the adult education budget and administered by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). More information on funding for the level 3 adult offer for 2020 to 2021 is available in:
Funding uplift The government has provided an uplift for each qualification delivered as part of this offer, to support providers to scale up the delivery of level 3 provision for adults. The following uplifts have been applied to the funding rates for all qualifications included in this offer:
We want to enable providers to deliver these qualifications for adults, even if there is a higher demand than expected. ESFA-funded providers are able to over-deliver on their level 3 adult offer allocation by up to 50% from April to July 2021. Arrangements are also in place to ensure Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority can fund additional demand in April to July 2021. Details about arrangements to enable providers to expand capacity in line with demand from August 2021 will be provided in the funding rules for the academic year 2021 to 2022. Course materials for providers Jisc have published a detailed reading list for organisations delivering level 3 adult courses as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee. Skills bootcamps As part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the Prime Minister also announced the skills bootcamp programme. Skills bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of just 12 to 16 weeks for adults aged 19 or over and who are either in work or recently unemployed (some skills bootcamps have additional eligibility criteria). They give people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. There has been a high demand for places on the trailblazer skills bootcamps. An investment of £43 million from the National Skills Fund will enable greater availability across the country and a wider range of course subjects on offer to meet the skills needs of local areas. New skills bootcamps will be announced later in the spring and information will be added as soon as it is available. Subject areas Skills bootcamps are developed in partnership with employers, colleges and local authorities, to help people develop the skills that are in demand in their local area and get a better job. They include a range of digital courses and technical skills courses. Trailblazer skills bootcamps have included courses in:
Locations Trailblazer skills bootcamps have been delivered in:
New skills bootcamps will be announced later in the spring and information will be added as soon as it is available. Eligibility The courses are open to adults aged 19 and over who are either in work or recently unemployed. Some skills bootcamps may have additional eligibility criteria. Further information Information is also available for:
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced a temporary extension to the length of time people can undertake training to develop work-related skills and qualifications, whilst still receiving Universal Credit, to support their living costs. This extension will run for a 6 month period, after which time the impact of this change will be reviewed. Adults who are in the Universal Credit intensive work search regime are now able to train full time towards a work-related qualification for up to 12 weeks, or up to 16 weeks on a full time skills bootcamp, in England. This change will run for 6 months, building on the 8 weeks claimants are already able to train full-time. Provided that an adult is referred to the training course by their Work Coach by 26 October 2021 they will be permitted to complete it whilst claiming Universal Credit, subject to complying with Universal Credit eligibility requirements. |