It focuses on the next phase of UK skills development including:

• Advanced Apprenticeship with 30,000 more promised over the next two years
• developing adult skills accounts to provide online storage of credits and awards achieved via the ever important Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
• online Information Advice & Guidance
• cutting the number of public bodies involved in learning and skills by 30 which might indicate a further movement towards self regulation.

Advanced Apprenticeship funding will rise from around £17 million in 2010-11 to some £115 million in 2014-15 (by re-prioritising funds within Train to Gain.) In addition to this the paper also floats the idea of setting up University Technical Colleges (UTECs) together with the Department for Children, Schools & Families.

These UTECs will offer new opportunities for 14-19 year olds to undertake vocational and applied study. Alongside the introduction of 14-19 Diplomas, UTECs will greatly strengthen the flow of young people coming into the labour market with the skills and capabilities employers want and particularly for technician careers. The Conservatives have also included a form of 14+ technical schools in their green paper.

The BIS paper also outlines some of the key priority sectors over the ‘future years’ (page 39). These include life sciences, digital media and technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering construction and low carbon industries. £100 million will be offered in priority sectors in future years to fund some 160,000 training places at Levels 2 (GCSE) and 3 (A Levels). There is a caveat on this future gazing: ‘However, we will continue to refine our understanding of where the opportunities will be for the UK to grow in output and employment over time.’ it is not clear what future years actually means.

SEEDA will be given additional roles in the development of Skills Strategies working in partnership with the Sector Skills Councils, local authority leaders and sub-regional bodies, they will produce regional skills strategies that will articulate employer demand and more closely align skills priorities with economic development. There is also a reiteration of the power of government procurement and links to skills with the statement that the Government contracts out £220 billion a year on goods and services.

The much trailed ‘traffic light system’ for FE courses providing quality assured data about performance at course and institutional level for employers and individuals will be introduced (page 61) giving people information about each course by learner success, customer satisfaction, positive progression upon completion, wage gain and quality (via inspection results).

There is a hint that another public body may be created to develop these suggested by the sentence: ‘However, we are not committed at this stage to a particular model; we expect it to evolve in the context of an overall approach to the performance assessment of post-16 providers that is appropriately aligned with the single report card being developed to measure schools’ performance.’

Finally the paper outlines how “all commitments will be met through the reprioritisation of existing budgets” which will entail;

• Stopping the full funding of repeat qualifications within Train to Gain.
• From autumn 2010 government will progressively shift resources to medium and long term skills for those who do not yet have GCSEs or A Levels.
• Focusing on those training policies which offer biggest skills gain for individuals, rather than activity that assesses existing skills
• Increasing the volume of training that depends on matched funding either from an employer or an individual.
• Stopping funding training that does not contribute to strategic priorities

There is also a tenuous commitment to Informal Adult Learning, with a commitment (subject to spending pressures) on informal adult learning for vulnerable, low skilled learners.

To view the whole strategy document click the link below.

http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/skills-for-growth