Skills Minister faces MPs on Govt’s plans for FE and skills
The Education Committee will question Skills Minister, Baroness Jacqui Smith, in the final evidence session of its Further Education and Skills inquiry.
Meeting details
Appearing alongside the Director General for Skills at DfE, Julia Kinniburgh, Smith is likely to be asked about the adequacy of capital and revenue expenditure announced for the sector in the Spending Review, as the population of 16-18-year-olds is set to rise.
Related to funding, the cross-party Committee is likely to ask about FE teachers’ pay, and problems the sector faces with staff recruitment and retention.
The Committee may also explore the reported high drop out rates among students taking T Levels – 29% – as well as problems with how well recognised the qualifications are among students and employers. MPs may ask how these problems will be responded to, and about the future of BTECs and other level-3 qualifications which T Levels were originally envisaged to replace.
The Minister is also likely to be questioned on the Government’s Skills Strategy and the establishment of Skills England, and how the executive agency will be able to act independently to promote apprenticeships and work with business.
The role of regional mayors and combined local authorities in shaping local skills training could also be put to the Minister.
And the Committee will want to hear how DfE plans to improve the experiences of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with special educational needs, disabilities or mental health conditions, and those who have been in care.