AELP Spotlight - October 2024

Welcome to AELP's monthly newsletter showcasing the work we carry out on behalf of the skills sector. I hope you find this month's edition informative - it includes AELP at the party conferences, Ofsted's response to their Big Listen exercise, details of our Autumn Conference and more.

AELP at the party conferences

We were delighted to host fringe events at both Labour and Conservative Party Conferences this year, both of which focused on forthcoming flexibilities in the Growth and Skills Levy and what they might look like. The panel session at Labour turned out to be a very timely discussion as in his first speech to conference as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, put apprenticeships front and centre of government plans to fill our country’s skills gaps.

AELP supports the majority of the PM’s reforms to apprenticeships – including the introduction of Foundation Apprenticeships and revisiting the 12-month minimum duration. However, we believe that the mechanism for paying for these improvements – by no longer funding certain level 7 standards – could have been avoided if the ￡800m shortfall between the amount raised through the Apprenticeship Levy and the programme budget was removed.

You can read our full response to the PM’s speech here.

Ofsted responds to ‘The Big Listen’ consultation

Last month, we saw Ofsted respond to The Big Listen, its conversation with the education sector. This was one of the biggest consultations Ofsted has ever run, and I was encouraged that so many FE and skills providers, including many AELP members, engaged in the process – with 23% of all responses coming from FE and Skills.

Overall, the view of further education and skills (FES) providers is more positive than that of Schools. Over half (56%) said they trusted Ofsted but only 29% of respondents from schools did. Seven in 10 also said inspections accurately identified strengths and areas for improvement; and 6 in 10 (59%) said this helped them understand how to improve provision.

There are some really important ideas coming through, and we are pleased that there is a strong commitment to work with the sector to develop a new inspection framework and a new 'scorecard'. That work goes two ways though and AELP will continue to play a role in helping Ofsted improve its relationship with the skills sector, including encouraging more practitioners to become part-time inspectors. AELP is committed to improving quality across the FE sector, and our relationship with Ofsted is a big part of this.

We are currently making arrangements to run our ever popular A Day With Ofsted event, and have this scheduled for early 2025. Keep an eye out for more details soon!

An exciting agenda lined up for our Autumn Conference

We have a fantastic line up for this year’s Autumn Conference taking place on 7 November. Due to a high-level of demand, in-person tickets for Manchester are now sold out, but fear not, this year we have a new online setup to allow you to dial in remotely to access the packed agenda.

Not only do we have some great panels on important topics, and sessions led by high-profile officials – we will also be joined by both Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills, and Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

This year’s AELP Autumn Conference takes place the week after the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, so we will be in the privileged position of hearing directly from the minister about how this will impact the skills sector. Meanwhile, I am sure that Andy Burnham will use his speech to talk about the power of devolution and how he’s working alongside the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to deliver significant changes to technical education in the region.

Given this is the first important skills conference since the government's reforms to apprenticeships were announced, this will be a crucial event for anyone working within post-16 education. AELP Autumn Conference is sponsored by City and Guilds, and you can register for your online ticket today on our dedicated conference website.

AELP Employer Forum

One of our big priorities is to work closely with employers so we engage with all types of organisations shaping and delivering the country’s skills system. One of the ways we do this is through our quarterly AELP Employer Forum, the latest of which took place in Canary Wharf last Wednesday.

This was an important opportunity to discuss burning issues with a range of employers – from the creation of Skills England, the potential for increased levy flexibilities and how functional skills can be made more relevant within apprenticeships. We also had a good discussion about how AELP can continue to support employers to upskill and reskill their employees, with lots of good ideas identified that we can take away and work on.

We hope to set the date for the next forum shortly so keep an eye out for that – all employers welcome whether AELP members or not.

October's AELP Spotlight: Live

Have you signed up for this month’s AELP Spotlight: Live? This is your chance to hear from AELP about the burning issues of the day alongside updates of our work to help improve the skills sector.

October’s AELP Spotlight: Live will focus on how we can build a skills sector fit for growth. Taking place on 16 October, our webinar will take a holistic view of the sector and include a discussion on where we go next. From apprenticeships, to 16-19 study to DWP programmes and beyond, we will set out our latest thinking on what a skills system fit for the modern economy looks like. You can sign up here.

By the way, if you missed September’s Spotlight: Live you can watch a full recording here and catch up on our discussion about what the Prime Minister’s announcement on apprenticeship reforms means for the skills sector.