Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 30 June 2021

Published 30 June 2021

This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2022

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

Applies to England

1. Latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Department for Education has published guidance about COVID-19 in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students on GOV.UK.

Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.

2. Action: deadline extended for survey to review the funding rates for high cost and high value provision

On 26 May we have launched an online survey across all 16 to 19 and adult funded providers. Thank you to all the providers that have responded to date.

We are extending the original deadline to the survey by another 4 weeks to Friday 30 July to enable more providers to submit a survey response. You can complete the survey online.

The purpose of the survey is to gather evidence to review the programme cost weighting uplifts, and the value premiums used in FE funding. We want to ensure the funding rates are suitable for supporting high cost and high value provision.

The information collected from the survey will inform the Spending Review and implementation of the Skills for Jobs White Paper. We need your input and evidence from completing this survey to help shape this work.

3. Information: webinars for FE and sixth form colleges on completing the College Financial Forecasting Return (CFFR)

We are hosting Q&A sessions for FE and sixth form colleges each week, between now and the submission deadline for the CFFR.

These sessions will give colleges the opportunity to ask questions about the CFFR model or share best practice and methods for completing it. Questions asked during seminars will be used to update and improve online guidance about the model.

You can book via Eventbrite for the following sessions:

• Tuesday 6 July 2 to 3 pm
• Tuesday 13 July 11 am to 12 pm
• Wednesday 21 July 11 am to 12 pm
• Wednesday 28 July 2 to 3 pm

The deadline to register for each session is COP the day before. You will receive a link to the meeting separately after registration.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please complete our enquiry form (select college type, then select ‘College Financial Returns’ before completing your enquiry).

4. Information: R10 in-year qualification achievement rate

In-year qualification achievement rates (QARs) for 2020 to 2021 are now available via the View Your Education Data portal.  Please ensure you have the correct IDAMS user access and the IDAMS user guides provide detail for creating access or checking your user permissions. 

This in-year release is based on R10 data and provides indicative QARs for apprenticeships, education and training and traineeships. We will also update these in-year data extracts following R12 data.

This in-year data gives providers the opportunity to identify and resolve potential data issues prior to the ILR R14 hard close on 21 October 2021.  On the qualification achievement rates 2020 to 2021 webpage we have also published guidance for reviewing data based on the common data issues that arise. 

To coincide with the release of the data we will also be hosting a Q&A thread through the further education and training providers community from Monday 5 July to Friday 16 July 2021. Further details will be shared via the forum shortly.

If you have any queries in relation to QARs, please contact us via our online enquiry form, select the QAR query type, and ask us to assign your query to ‘ESFA Business Operations QAR’.  Where the enquiry relates to specific learner queries, please also complete and submit the data query form which can be downloaded from GOV.UK.

5. Information: temporary suspension of the requirement for level 2 apprentices to work towards and attempt level 2 Functional Skills

The duration of this rule suspension has been extended to include level 2 apprentices with a planned end date on or before 31 December 2021. For all apprentices with a planned end date beyond 31 December 2021, providers must plan and deliver level 2 English and maths in accordance with the normal published funding rules (pre-COVID).

6. Information: Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers

Following our update informing the sector of the requirement for active providers to reapply to the Register, please can all active providers ensure their contact details are up to date on the Bravo portal as this is the email address we will use to inform you of your invitation window.

Please monitor the email address you provide regularly as you will receive an invite 6 weeks prior to your one month window.

Please note that failure to reapply to the Register in your given window may result in removal from the Register.

7. Information: find employers that need a training provider

You can now review a list of employers struggling to find a provider offering the apprenticeship training they need.

If you are interested in supporting one or more of these employers, you can share your details so they can get in touch with you. Employers’ contact details will not be shared.

7.1 Benefits:

• gain key insights into employers’ apprenticeship training needs
• grow your client base by easily sharing your details with employers

7.2 How to review:

• sign in to your training provider account
• select ‘Find employers that need a training provider’ on the home page

As this is a new service it may take some time for employers to begin submitting requests. We recommend you review this section of your account regularly, so you don’t miss any opportunities.

8. Information: new functionality in your apprenticeship service account

We have introduced an additional training provider permission for the recruit an apprentice function. Employers now have 3 permissions available:

• Allow
• Allow, but I want to review job adverts before they are advertised
• Do not allow

The new permission allows employers to review all job adverts created by their training providers before they are advertised.

Employers can select this new permission by:

• logging into their apprenticeship service account
• selecting ‘your training providers’ from the home screen
• selecting the training provider they would like to change permission or set a permission for
• selecting the ‘allow, but I want to review job adverts before they are advertised’ permission
• selecting confirm
• new permission has now been assigned

Training providers with this new permission will be able to create job adverts but these will be sent to employers for review.

Employers will be able to see these in the new ‘review adverts’ section in the apprenticeship adverts page and will need to click on the ‘review link to approve or reject the advert.

Training providers with this new permission will now see a ‘pending review’ section in their apprenticeship service account and will be able to view a read only version of the job advert.

For further queries please contact the Apprenticeship Service.

9. Information: updates coming to the apprenticeship service

Over the coming months we’ll be introducing new features to the apprenticeship service, to help you manage apprenticeships easily and effectively.

We’ll keep you informed about what you can do and when.

9.1 Improvements to apprentice onboarding

New apprentices that you add to the apprenticeship service will receive an email requesting them to review and confirm the details of their apprenticeship. Apprentices will be able to refer back to these details during their apprenticeship. They will also have access to guidance on what is expected of them, their employer and you as their training provider. These changes will help to make their apprenticeship a quality experience.

9.2 Improvements to apprenticeship training and assessment

Within your account, you will be able to select which version of an apprenticeship standard you have agreed to deliver. This will ensure training matches employers’ needs and apprentices receive the right training and assessment.

9.3 Improvements to transferring and accessing funding

Employers who pay the apprenticeship levy (those with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million) will be able to pledge unspent levy funds (up to their 25% transfer allowance) to support apprenticeships in other businesses.

All businesses will be able to see these pledges on a public website and employers will be able to apply for funding to pay for 100% of their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum).

10. Information: graduate employment and skills guide

We would like to make sure you are you are aware of the recently published Graduate employment and skills guide.

While Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan, introduces the guide, it is relevant for both FE and HE students completing their studies and about to start their career journey.

It has been produced with those finishing college or university courses in 2021 in mind, but current students and recent graduates and leavers may also find it helpful. It signposts sources of advice for employment and jobs and will help your students think about what they want to do next, by identifying and developing skills, gaining experience, finding work, and maintaining wellbeing.