Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 5 April 2023

Published 5 April 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: new guidance for 16 to 19 tuition fund 2023 to 2024

Please read the new guidance for the 16 to 19 tuition fund and note the deadlines to opt-in for funding.

We’ve updated the layout of the guidance to make it easier for you to understand. We encourage all eligible institutions to opt-in to the funding to enable you to deliver tuition support to your students. If you do receive funding it is important you return your reports on time.

We’ve changed the:

• eligible spend criteria to provide more support for costs in addition to the actual delivery of tuition and essential record keeping
• eligibility criteria where we will auto-renew your allocation

If you have feedback or questions after reading the guidance, please contact our customer service team.

2. Reminder: college Managing Public Money (MPM) return due by Friday 28 April 2023

On 29 March 2023 ESFA wrote to the principals/CEOs of all FE colleges in their capacity as accounting officers to obtain assurance in respect of certain financial transactions where restrictions or limits apply following the reclassification of the sector from 29 November 2022.

Accounting officers are required to complete a College MPM Return covering the period 29 November 2022 to 31 March 2022. Once completed the return should be emailed to PMO.Reclassification@education.gov.uk by Friday 28 April 2023.

Colleges should use the naming convention ‘UKPRN_college name_ MPM RETURN 31-03-23’ as the file name and in the email subject title.

Following receipt of returns ESFA will contact colleges if further information is required.

Any questions about the College MPM Return (31 March 2023), may be sent to ESFA using the email address above.

3. Information: removing reservation limit for employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy from 3 April 2023

From 3 April 2023, employers who do not pay the levy will no longer be limited to a maximum of 10 new apprenticeship starts – they will be able to recruit as many high-quality apprentices as their business needs.

These employers will still use the apprenticeship service to reserve funding for each apprentice and can continue to do so up to 3 months before an apprenticeship is planned to start.

The government recognises the important role smaller employers play in creating apprenticeship opportunities, particularly for younger people and those in disadvantaged areas. Removing the reservations cap will give smaller employers funding certainty and support their recruitment plans, ensuring they can access the apprenticeships they need to meet their ambitions, fill their skills gaps, and grow their business.

The Department for Education (DfE) will continue to monitor the number of reservations to help us manage the government’s overall spend on apprenticeships.

Further information is available on GOV.UK.

4. Information: final deadline of 31 March 2025 for completing and certifying apprenticeship frameworks

DfE has updated the our gov.uk guidance on withdrawal of apprenticeship frameworks to confirm that:

• all apprentices studying on apprenticeship frameworks must complete by 31 March 2025
• the last date on which providers or apprentices can apply for certification by an issuing authority to certify frameworks is 31 March 2025. This includes all apprentices who are or have been on a break from learning
• DfE will not fund any framework programme or framework completion payments after that date.

As this guidance is applicable to all remaining apprentices on an apprenticeship framework, including those on a break in learning, and their apprenticeship training provider, it should be considered with immediate effect.

5. Information: provider guide to delivering high-quality apprenticeships

DfE has refreshed the provider guide and checklist to delivering high-quality apprenticeships. This guide is for:

• new and existing education and training providers offering apprenticeships at any level
• education and training providers who are planning to offer apprenticeships in the future

It focuses on the essential steps required to provide high-quality apprenticeships. The guide is supported by the apprenticeship checklist. The checklist is a self-assessment tool to help all providers of apprenticeships:

• plan and identify areas for improvement
• access further relevant guidance and information

6. Information: apprenticeship standards 67% achievement rate ambition

Following the publication of the 2021 to 2022 qualification achievement rates for apprenticeships, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP, has sent a letter to thank the sector for the ongoing efforts to improve quality and raise achievements, and to announce further measures to support this.

DfE has also published an additional data bulletin bringing together a range of key data into one place to support a better understanding of the factors influencing apprenticeship achievements and to provide a more detailed update on progress. This includes apprentice feedback on the quality of their experience and exit feedback from apprentices who withdrew from the programme, published for the first time.

7. Information: update to qualifications that overlap with waves 1 and 2 T Levels to include Health and Science

The post-16 qualifications review is continuing to make significant progress in the government’s ambitious technical education reforms to streamline and strengthen the post-16 qualifications offer.

On 29 March, DfE published the updated final list of qualifications that overlap with waves 1 and 2 T Levels. This list now includes qualifications that overlap with Health and Science T Levels, as well as those published previously:

• Construction and the built environment
• Digital
• Education and childcare.

These qualifications will have funding approval withdrawn for new starts on the 16-19 study programme offer from 1 August 2024. Around 30 qualifications in health and social will remain funded until 2025, when cycle 1 of the new funding approval process will commence. After this point, we will fund small alternative academic qualifications in health and social care that can be taken as part of a mixed programme.

Further information is available in our guide to the post-16 qualifications landscape at level 3 and below for 2025 and beyond.

If you have any queries, please email: qualifications.approval@education.gov.uk