Written Evidence by The King's Trust (FES0070)

Education Committee

Further Education and Skills

About The King’s Trust

1. The King's Trust believes that every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter what their background or the challenges they are facing. We help those from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence they need to thrive.
2. The courses offered by The King's Trust help young people aged 11-30 to develop essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities. We support them to find work because having a job or running a business can lead to a more stable, fulfilling life. Since The Trust was founded by HM The King in 1976, when he was HRH The Prince of Wales, we have helped more than a million young people across the UK. Three in four of those we supported over the last five years have moved into work, education, or training.
3. As we look to the future, we are pleased to have changed our name to The King’s Trust, reflecting our Founder’s continued dedication to our work. We remain committed to enabling even more young people to create a better future for themselves and, by helping them today, know the benefits will be felt for years to come – not just for those we support, but for their communities and the wider economy.

This Response

4. In this response, we draw on our experience as both a delivery organisation and an awarding body. The King’s Trust works in both schools and colleges to deliver personal development courses and qualifications through our Achieve and Team programmes. Our Team programme supports 16–25-year-olds to develop their skills and confidence – helping to prepare them for their next step. Individuals on this programme complete a qualification in Employment, Teamwork and Community. The Prince’s Trust Achieve programme supports young people aged 11-19 to engage and succeed in education – and participants can work to achieve a qualification in Personal Development and Employability. Our qualifications are offered in varying sizes at different levels starting at Entry Level 3. In the last academic year, we awarded a total of 16,520 qualifications across the UK.
5. This response sets out the following key points:

      The post-16 skills system must be set up to deliver support to learners at all stages of their education journey – with a high-quality route at Level 2 and below alongside higher level skills development.

      Funding for both 16-18 and adult learners must continue to increase to reflect increasing costs, changing skills needs and growing student numbers.

      An effective FE and skills system must have employer engagement at its centre, ensuring individuals are supported to develop the skills that will help them succeed in the labour market.

      The apprenticeship system must be rebalanced to provide more opportunities for young people and support them on a pathway to success.

6. We would be pleased to discuss any of the issues raised in this response in more detail.

The post-16 skills system must be set up to deliver support to learners at all stages of their education journey – with a high-quality route at Level 2 and below alongside higher level skills development

7. All young people must have access to a high-quality FE and skills offer that suits their needs and level of education – for both 16-18 learners and those aged 19+. The priority that has been given to creating a high-quality Level 3 offer is the right one but cannot be the only focus. For this to provide benefits for as many young people as possible, attention must also be given to below Level 3 provision for post-16 learners to ensure progression routes are in place.
8. Statistics show that in FE colleges, the majority of 18+ learners are participating in courses at Level 2 and below[1]. Many of these learners will be facing additional barriers to success in education and employment, and continued investment in programmes at this level is critical – not only to ensure their quality, but also their accessibility.
9. Many learners will move from lower-level qualifications straight into employment, may struggle to complete a qualification at Level 2, or may leave education for some time before returning to complete a qualification at a higher level – so a high-quality offer at Level 2 and below should also be seen as a priority. This is important not only for technical and vocational qualifications, but also for Personal, Social and Employability (PSE) qualifications that we know can engage learners in their education, boost confidence, and provide recognition of skills that learners may not have previously achieved. The King’s Trust Team Programme is an example of this, with a long track record of re-engaging young people who are struggling to find a job or to start a career (see below). Courses for many individuals at this stage of life can have a transformative effect, re-engaging individuals in learning opportunities and setting them on the pathway to employment
10. Vocational education is a critical part of our education system, and rightly has seen attention in recent years with the introduction of new T Levels and a drive to ensure quality in the qualification offering at this phase of education. While these continue to evolve and the reforms continue, it is important to also focus on the L2 and below pathways. Qualifications and training routes must offer the chance for progression either to employment or higher levels of study for as broad a range of learners as possible – including through shorter courses that can be more accessible to older learners or to those with other personal responsibilities.

Funding for both 16-18 and adult learners must continue to increase to reflect increasing costs, changing skills needs and growing student numbers.

11. The Further Education and Skills system is critical in supporting young people to achieve and thrive – and it is important that they are supported to develop not only core knowledge and skills, but also the personal and employability skills that are so important to progression in life and work.
12. While an additional £300 million was allocated to FE for 2025-26 in the autumn Budget, the sector has raised concerns that this will not be sufficient to address demand as a result of the growing cohort of 16–18-year-old learners, staff costs, or to address longer-term challenges of underfunding.
13. As the Government looks to plan budgets for 2026-29, additional funding is needed to put our FE system on a sustainable footing and to ensure that young people can access the training courses that are required to build the workforce of the future. We support calls from the Association of Colleges and others to increase per student funding to account for not only inflation, but also rising student numbers, staffing challenges and other investments to boost outcomes for disadvantaged young learners. This is vital to ensure that young people are able to access the support they need to build the technical and personal skills that are required for them to thrive in work and life.
14. It is also vital to ensure that the Adult Skills Fund is sufficient to provide life-changing courses for those individuals who perhaps were less successful in their time in formal education. This has become even more important as the cohort of young people who had their education journey disrupted by the pandemic attempt to enter the labour market, with many more young people presenting with additional needs, and barriers to employment.
15. For many, an intervention after age 18 is necessary to set them on the right path. This could be helping them to retrain in a new field, developing higher level skills aligned to the needs of the economy, or re-engaging them in education and training. Without an increase to funding, providers will continue to struggle in the face of rising costs and increasingly complex needs of learners. This will result in fewer opportunities for 18+ learners to develop the skills needed in key sectors of the economy.
16. Funding for these learners continues to be a challenge. While we have seen increases for the 16-18 learner budget, the adult funding rate has faced years of stagnation, meaning that colleges and providers cannot sustainably continue to deliver vital courses for older learners, and there is a real risk that potential learners will be turned away. Funding should be made available to both maintain per-student funding in real terms and to increase the number of places available – enabling the sector to support more people with skills development.
17. Given that many geographies now have their Adult Skills Fund devolved, it is imperative to ensure that people who need this support can access it no matter where they live. As such, increases will be required for the Adult Skills Fund available to Mayoral Combined Authorities as well as non-devolved areas of England.

An effective FE and skills system must have employer engagement at its centre, ensuring individuals are supported to develop the skills that will help them succeed in the labour market.

18. The UK economy requires an enhanced skill base in key growth sectors. With the Government pledging workforce plans for sectors such as the creative industries, health and care, construction, IT and engineering, the recruitment of young people will be crucial – and employers must be involved in supporting this training and creating job pathways. As the new Industrial Strategy is developed and published, close working between employers, government and the FE and skills sector will remain critical to ensuring that the economy has the skills it needs to grow and that young people have a stake in future investments.
19. Working with the new body, Skills England, the Government must ensure that any targeted investment in sectors comes alongside specific plans to boost workforce numbers and skills, focused on young people. Not only will this support with a reduction in youth unemployment and inactivity, but also secure the future of the workforce for these important industries. It is also important for this to happen at a regional level, alongside ongoing devolution of skills funding to combined authority areas.
20. While apprenticeships should undoubtedly play a role, other forms of training and engagement will be needed. We know that many young people need pre- and post-employment support to develop key workplace skills, to navigate often complex application processes, and to stay in work once they secure a role. Employers should be supported and encouraged to work with organisations like The King’s Trust who can successfully deliver these interventions. 
21. To meet the skills needs of the economy, it is also important to excite and inspire young people about the opportunities available to them. Our “Generation Green Jobs” research showed that young people are less likely to be interested in many of the green jobs that will be most in demand in the future, even in areas of the country where we know there will be high levels of investment in these sectors. Work is needed to engage with young people to inform and inspire them about these roles and the opportunity they present for well-paid and skilled career pathways, and to encourage and support employers to take on young people into these positions. Without these interventions, there is a risk that growth will be limited by ongoing skills shortages in this vital sector – and others facing the same challenges.
22. In line with this, the provision of work experience placements remains a challenge – particularly given the range of demands on employers to offer these for different purposes – whether inspirational opportunities for younger learners, placements as a part of a vocational course such as a T Level, or as part of employability schemes. Evidence has shown the value of work experience opportunities, and as well as supporting young people access these, employers need to be supported to make these as valuable as possible. A review of different government and education demands on work experience placements would help to provide clarity for employers on where they can best offer support through this route – and potentially support in reducing the competing pressures that can be faced in decision making. Alongside this, employers should be encouraged and supported to engage with expert organisations to make work experience opportunities as effective and accessible as possible for all young people who can benefit from these.

The apprenticeship system must be rebalanced to provide more opportunities for young people and support them on a pathway to success.

23. Apprenticeships can be a great route to success for young people, but the system is not currently aligned to making this a priority. Data from recent years shows a reduction in opportunities at intermediate level apprenticeships which we know can be the gateway for many into employment. In the 2023/2024 academic year, just 21% of apprenticeship starts (70,840) were at intermediate level compared to 53% (260,700) in 2016/17[2]. The system must be rebalanced to ensure that apprenticeships are an accessible route for all young people to build skills and enter excellent career pathways.
24. The current development of Foundation Apprenticeships is a positive step in this regard and is set to create new opportunities for young people who have been losing out in the current system. We continue to engage with the Department for Education, underlining the need to engage specialist youth organisations as a part of this programme. Our experience of supporting young people to succeed in apprenticeships, including through our new “Power Up” programme, has shown the value of interventions which include a focus on personal and employability skills development, and wraparound support and mentoring. This can help those early in their careers to develop core skills to support progression, engagement, and ultimately boost retention. Our current pilot has shown a retention rate of 93% at week 9 of the partner’s apprenticeship scheme, compared to a usual retention rate of 47% at week 4[3].
25. As Skills England and the Department for Education continue to develop proposals for the design and operation of the new Growth and Skills Levy, we believe the following could make a material difference in creating opportunities for young people:
• The messaging from Government on ensuring young people are a priority for apprenticeships has been positive, but this should be underlined by clear targets to focus action. We believe Government should set an ambition for 75% of apprenticeship starts to be for under-25s – in the 22/23 academic year this was 52%[4].
• As a part of Growth and Skills Levy reforms, employers should be empowered to invest in pre-employment and pre-apprenticeship interventions that open up pathways to young people from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who have not succeeded in traditional academic pathways. The proportion of funding available to spend on this wider training should be limited (e.g. up to a set percentage of an employer’s levy pot) to ensure that the provision of apprenticeships is not damaged.
• Government should consider the benefit of introducing incentive payments to boost employer engagement and help guarantee the availability of apprenticeship opportunities for inexperienced young people. Similar mechanisms have been effectively employed previously – for example during the pandemic, or the payments made to small businesses hiring young apprentices. Clear parameters to support the hiring of younger apprentices (e.g. 16–24-year-olds), could refocus attention on ensuring apprenticeships are a genuine vehicle for upskilling and social mobility.
26. With increasing levels of demand on the overall funding pot for apprenticeships and other training that will be funded by the Growth and Skills levy, caution will be needed to ensure that smaller employers (including those who do not pay the levy) have equal access to investment in training. If levy-paying employers are able to spend more of their funding through upcoming reforms, Government must ensure that the budget set for SME apprenticeships and training is not reduced, and must make provisions to ensure that the Department for Education received an uplift in the overall apprenticeship budget to account for this.
27. As well as rebalancing the system to provide opportunities for young people, it is important that they are paid at a rate which is not only fair, but also ensures that apprenticeships remain an attractive route for young people. Low pay rates for apprentices – and often just the perception of low pay – can act as a barrier for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who cannot rely on family support, closing off this route for this group. Assumptions are often made about the profile of typical young apprentices, but we need to recognise the diversity within this cohort and make sure that the system works to support all people to earn a good wage, progress, and thrive.

28. The low apprentice wage rates can also make taking on these opportunities less appealing when a young person can achieve a higher rate of pay by taking on a job elsewhere – even if it does not offer as many training or progression opportunities. While there have been positive steps taken to increase the apprentice minimum wage, the rate should continue to be increased to avoid young people having to make these decisions about their futures- sacrificing the potential to develop their skills where pay does not allow them to support themselves. We believe that the minimum apprenticeship wage rate for adults (i.e. age 18+) should be increased to be equal to 80% of the NLW for adults (18-21 and 21 and over respectively) – acknowledging the non-productive time that apprentices spend on off-the-job training, while still fairly recognising their contribution. This would help to ensure that these opportunities are fairly paid across all sectors and regions, and they remain accessible to individuals from all backgrounds.

29. As apprentice pay is likely to remain lower than other minimum wage rates, it is important to consider what other support could be given to these individuals – especially as living costs increase. Subsidised or free travel, or additional benefits support should be considered alongside apprentice pay if the aim is to create an accessible pathway to higher skills for all young people.

March 2025