| |
Home
News Centre
Popular
Questions
Publications
FoI
Publications Scheme
Research
Consultations
Our
Strategy
Speeches
Statistics
Inside
the Department
Cymraeg/Welsh
Links
Contact Us
Help
User guide
|
|
Ed Balls announces regional funding for ‘School Leavers Guarantee’
27 July 2009Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Apprenticeships Minister Iain Wright will today call on school leavers to stay in learning during the recession, as they set out how investment of over £6.9billion in the education and training of 16-18 year olds will be distributed across the country. This record investment, which has now been allocated across the country, will ensure that every school leaver who wants to stay on in education or training will have a place at school, college, in training or an apprenticeship guaranteed this September and next September. To fulfil the Government’s ‘September Guarantee’ for school leavers during the recession, £655m of extra funding was announced in the Budget to provide an extra 55,000 places in sixth forms, colleges and training for 16-18 year olds this year and next year. The commitment to the September Guarantee is a crucial part of the Government’s ‘Backing Young Britain’ campaign, being launched this week. Backing Young Britain is a series of initiatives across Government to support young people in the choices they make, giving them the advice and guidance they need and helping them through the recession.As part of this drive, last week’s Cabinet meeting in Cardiff agreed that the Government would step up its efforts to increase the number of public sector apprenticeships. In total more than 1.5 million young people will have a place in education and training this September. The increase in planned places for 16-18 year olds in 2009/10 compared to last year includes: • more than 34,000 extra places in school sixth forms and colleges to over 1.2 million places • more than 25,000 extra apprenticeships to over 130,000 apprenticeship starts this year• and an expansion of the Entry to Employment training programme by over 13,000 places to more than 88,000 places Mr Balls is also setting out the extra funding and places in sixth forms and FE colleges for each local authority, as well as the additional number of apprenticeships and training places in each region.Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, said: “All school leavers this summer should consider staying on in learning so they have extra skills to get a job once we are through the recession – whether that’s at school, college, in training or an apprenticeship. “Our September Guarantee for school leavers means there will be a guaranteed place in education or training for everybody who wants to stay on. With the extra funding announced in the Budget and now allocated across the country, an extra 55,000 young people will be able to take up a place in education and training this September and next. This means a record number of young people - 1.5million – will be able to stay on in education or training this year. “Every young person should have the opportunity to get the skills and qualifications they need to get on in life and get a good job, whether their strengths are practical, academic or both. That’s why we’re expanding apprenticeships and training places, as well as places in sixth forms and colleges for different courses like Diplomas and A levels, with an overall investment of £6.9billion in the education and training of 16-18 year olds across the country."School sixth forms, colleges and training providers now have their increased allocations for the 2009/10 academic year. We have delivered funding to match that growth and, where there is evidence of further demand, even more funding has been given to enable us to tackle those most at risk of becoming Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).Schools, colleges and providers worked with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) during April and May to determine where young people might be at risk of becoming NEET. The added bonus of 22,500 learners above their March plans from Budget 09 can therefore be targeted on those hot spots. Thanks to this quick work, the LSC has now distributed the full increase in learner places.
Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. The 2009/10 regional investment announced today includes the Government’s additional allocation of £655million for 2009-10 and 2010-11, announced in April 2009. 2. The allocation investment of over £6.9billion EXCLUDES Education Maintenance Allowance and other discretionary financial support to learners, Offender Learning and learning for 16-25 young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. 3. The recession will continue to have an impact on the choices being made by young people over the summer and may increase demand further for learning and training places. Ed Balls has therefore asked the Association of School and College Leadership, the Association of Colleges and the Learning and Skills Council to monitor the situation and report back after the bulk of the recruitment for the 2009/10 Academic Year has taken place this September. 4. This will also inform plans for the 2010/11 Academic Year and will be crucial as we make the transition from the LSC to local authority led commissioning. The Government will then make a further assessment of the situation to ensure all young people who want one, can have a place at school, college or training provider, as per the September Guarantee.5. The Government expects the Connexions Service, schools, colleges and other providers will work with the local authorities to deliver the September Guarantee.6. Entry to Employment (E2E) is a learning programme for young people aged 16 - 18 who are not yet ready or able to enter Apprenticeship, employment or further learning opportunities. E2E comprises three strands: basic and key skills; personal and social skills; and vocational learning. The mix of these three strands depends on the needs, interests and aspirations of the learners. 7. A small number of local authorities have a fall in the number of planned places this year and in some cases a fall in overall funding too. However, this is simply a reflection of local demographics or infrastructure changes (e.g. new providers opening in neighbouring authorities or mergers of institutions across authority boundaries). The funding simply reflects the likely choices of young people in those areas.8. The attached tables set out regional allocations for 16-18 education and training and 16-18 participation in school sixth forms and colleges by local authorities in England for 2009/10. Apprenticeship tables are shown as the number of STARTS. The number in training is expected to be 215,000 young people in 09/10 – an increase of 31,000 since 08/09. Allocations for 2010/11 academic year will be made in Spring 2010.
[CLICK HERE FOR TABLE]Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2009/0141
|
|
|
|
