The secretary of state called for government and business to work together on driving a skills revolution and in supporting the t-levels roll out. At yesterday’s British Chambers of Commerce Business and Education conference Greening spoke to business leaders to set a collective challenge to develop home grown talent.
“Great companies need great people. And my Department has a mission to give our young people the very best start – to become those great people.
It’s about social mobility. Something that’s been part of my life – and I’m sure many of your lives.
It’s about opportunity.
It’s about reducing inequality.
It’s about making the most of ourselves as a country.
And we can only succeed in that mission if we work together.”
Greening explained that any skills revolution would need a technical education. One that lifts the quality of further and technical education, one that promotes opportunity through apprenticeships and through technical routes available.
Greening called for a mindset change to recognise opportunity, opportunity that she believes  businesses have to spread.
Recognising that the further education sector needs more support, allowing for smarter decision making on the ground and to raise standards – to ensure that everyone attending receives quality provision. The department will continue to support the Area Review Recommendations and take those first steps to ensuring that all colleges are on firm financial footing.
Greening announced the introduction of a Strategic College Improvement Fund to help weaker colleges to up their game – with focused support. Pilots for this fund will begin in the Autumn Term with £15 million set aside over the next two years.
FE Commissioner – Richard Atkins – will take on an expanded role to support colleges in raising standards.
Greening will establish a programme for National Leaders of Further Education – to badge the best principals and senior leaders across FE. Through this according to Greening, more of the sectors top talent will be able to contribute, as well as mentor and support weaker parts of the system.
Over the next year a package of support of teachers in FE will be bought forward to do more for teachers in technical education, this will include a dedicated programme to help industry experts join the profession – building an ever close link between business and education.
Greening will also explore options for investing in further research into teaching methods – research that is beginning to reap dividends for our school teachers.
T-levels : 15 Routes
The next stage of the skills revolution, explains Greening is move to a streamlined set of just 15 technical skills routes. Each route will be a pathway to skilled employment. The new certificate or “T-level” will be a gold standard for technical and professional excellence. Offered alongside apprenticeships, they will form the basis of our new technical education system.
Acknowledging that reforms will be a challenge Greening pushed for a genuine partnership between business, government and education professionals.
“This means we need a collective plan. One plan. One team for skills.”
Laying out the plans, Greening explained that she will bring together top leaders from the business community – to agree the overall shape of the reforms in the Autumn. One of the main areas of focus will be the high quality work placements – that are a component of every T-Level. These will help to prepare young people for skilled work.
Greening explained that business involvement is vital,
“T-Levels will only work, only be successful, if we can deliver these work placements together”
We made a public commitment in the Spring Budget to fund work placements – and we will draw on the £50m we received – to start this work in April 2018.
T-Levels are college based technical routes, but they follow on from our reforms to apprenticeships. The launch of the apprenticeship levy this year – together with wider apprenticeship funding reforms later this year – are important next steps.
I want to get the roll-out of this new system right – particularly so that small and medium sized businesses are properly supported to provide apprenticeships.
Explaining that we are on our way to 3 million apprenticeships Greening announced that apprenticeship starts had reached over one million starts since May 2015.
“So for the first time, we now have the building blocks of a potentially world class technical education system. Coming on the heels of our apprenticeship reforms. Strong work based routes. Strong college based routes. Investment in colleges and their staff – to fulfil their potential – and unlock the talents of all our young people.”
Greening went on to exclaim that there is more to do, a collective mind-set shift. A cultural change.
An army of skilled young people
Greening explained that we need to be thinking of what more we can do to create opportunity for young people which government can not do alone.
“I want to create an army of skilled young people for British business”
This skilled army is good for social mobility, for productivity and important for society Greening explains. Not just on skills, but also on social mobility.
To lift up areas of the country with a strong tradition of technical education and skills. To level the playing field – and provide skilled workers for companies who can’t find them.
And it’s important for our politics.
“Getting companies that are happy to take great workers to realise that they must play a role in skilling them up further.
You know as well as anyone the potential of taking rough diamonds and polishing them up. And none of us want to waste that potential
So I want every company to step forward to help. Offer an apprenticeship. A work placement. Or support the fantastic work of the Careers Enterprise Company. To add your knowledge and expertise to the skills revolution”.
This speech is encouraging for collaboration, it comes as the Department for Education publish their commissioned research undertaken by The Learning & Work Institute in partnership with Fair Train indicating that employers might be experiencing ‘fatigue’ with the amount of requests they get for work placements. The report provides encouraging reading but a strong indications that support and guidance will be needed by all parties to ensure quality placements are provided.
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