Changes announced recently to the planning and funding of the Further Education (FE) sector will allow thousands more young people and adults to gain qualifications and skills for the workplace.

The two-year strategy, to be announced by Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, Bill Rammell, and outlined in a document published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), builds on the policy priorities in this years 14-19 and Skills White Papers and will see increased investment to:

  • Enable more 14-19 year olds to stay in education or training and improve their results; and
  • Train more adults without basic skills and qualifications to join the workforce

At the same time, changes will be introduced to ensure funding remains sustainable in the long term, with a greater proportion of the costs of training coming from individuals and employers.