Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 17 January 2024

Published 17 January 2024

Applies to England

1. Information: apply to take part in the Further Education (FE) funding simplification pilot   

We are launching a pilot to support Further Education (FE) colleges by testing further potential simplifications to funding, audit and reporting. This pilot is part of a wider drive within the Department for Education to simplify FE provision and increase productivity and follows on from the previous funding and accountability reforms which enable providers to:   

• deliver more high-value provision that meets both national and local economic needs
• support learners to progress into good, sustainable jobs

We are looking for a small number of FE colleges to take part in a pilot. As part of the pilot, we will:   

• give colleges more flexibility by removing several funding rules and some individual ringfences within ESFA-managed adult skills funding and 16 to 19 funding
• allow pilot colleges to deliver Skills Bootcamps, without the need to bid for funding via procurement. Colleges with an existing Skills Bootcamps contract may be able to access additional Skills Bootcamps funding
• improve how we deliver adult skills funding to improve predictability
• capitalise on the reduced funding rules and ringfences to simplify how we audit and assure FE funding as well as simplify back-end data processing
• develop options with a view to test several simplifications for apprenticeships, which could include simplifying onboarding, testing new funding approaches and streamlining end point assessment processes.

We will work with colleges selected for the pilot to finalise the proposals that we will test from August 2024.    

For further information on the pilot and how to apply, please see apply to take part in the FE funding simplification pilot. 

2. Information: 2024 to 2025 High needs place change process 

We have published the High needs place change outcomes for 2024 to 2025 that will inform ESFA-funded place numbers for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

You should review the published outcomes as soon as possible to ensure the outcomes reflect those expected. If your provider is not listed, this means we were not notified of a change by your local authority and the published 2023 to 2024 place numbers will be used as the basis of your 2024 to 2025 allocation. 

Local authorities and providers can contact us to query their 2024 to 2025 place numbers between 17 January 2024 and 2 February 2024. We are unlikely to action any changes requested after this date.  

More information about the enquiry window can be found in the high needs place change process guidance.

3. Information: market engagement opportunity  – publicly funded skills training for adults  

On behalf of Crown Commercial Service (CCS), we wanted to inform you of an opportunity to participate in this market engagement opportunity that will be of interest to suppliers delivering, or wanting to deliver, publicly funded skills training for adults.  

CCS wishes to establish a pan government dynamic purchasing system (DPS) to support Skills and Learning provisions that can be utilised by all UK Public Sector Bodies, including Mayoral Combined Authorities, devolved administrations, local authorities, educational institutions and central government departments. 

The aim is to provide access to a pre-qualified pool of regional and national providers that can be filtered by location, sector subject area and/or qualification level, who can then be invited to bid for new requirements. 
 
If you are interested in helping develop the scope of our future commercial agreement, please see RM6348 Learning and Skills DPS PIN that contains a short survey to help inform our market engagement approach.

4. Information: National Apprenticeship Week events map now live

National Apprenticeship Week is the 5 to 11 February 2024.

The National Apprenticeship Week events map is now live for 2024 and we are starting to see the amazing events that are being held across the week.  

Last year we had over 1,300 events with over 120k users visiting our website.

We will be showcasing some of the best events, videos and activities in our newsletters and across our social media channels so that we can share your commitment with the wider apprenticeship community. Add your event to the map now.  

To find out the latest news on all things National Apprenticeship Week, please read the National Apprenticeship Week newsletter.

Keep up to date with National Apprenticeship Week 2024 by following Apprenticeships on X (Twitter) and Apprenticeships on LinkedIn. And don’t forget about T Level Thursday, when we’ll be sharing the experiences of employers, training providers and students to celebrate T Level success.  Be sure to use the hashtags #NAW2024 and #SkillsForLife on social media and you can contact us at The.Week@education.gov.uk. 

5. Reminder: FE workforce data collection – don’t forget to submit a mandatory return  

Please cascade to all relevant colleagues. The FE workforce data collection is currently open and will close 26 January 2024.  

If you are in scope and haven’t already done so, please submit a provider response. This will ensure data findings represent the entire sector. Your contribution is vital to help us identify key gaps and challenges across the sector including:

• provide a better understanding of the implications of government policy reforms, including their impact on the composition of staff and their specialisms
• provide a greater understanding of contracts and pay in the sector
• reveal skills gaps in the sector.

The online form is available for providers in scope to submit their data. 

Staff Data desktop application is also available to help providers prepare their FE workforce data and produce an XML file. 

We have released guidance documents for the collections to support staff who are completing the collections. You can find information about Further education workforce data collection - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). 

If you require further assistance, we are running daily provider surgeries until the collection closes. For details of how to book on these please see the post on the FE community page.

To access the collection, use the Submit learner data sign in process.

Submit Learner Data now uses DfE Sign-in method for authenticating users. Existing IDAMs users should have been migrated to the DfE Sign-in account in July 2023. If you require an account, please follow this guidance to create a DfE Sign-in account.