In her speech, the Education Secretary calls on colleges to work with government to get today’s 16-18s not currently in education back in and re-engaged.
Thank you, Sameena, for that lovey warm welcome. And thanks for having me here today.
Thank you to the students from West Nottinghamshire College for that moving Act of Remembrance parade.
And can I also take this opportunity to thank you, David…
not only for inviting me to speak here today but for your leadership of the AoC and the sector over the last 10 years.
I know you’ve seen one or two education secretaries come and go in that time…
you’ll have to let me know your secret to longevity, and I hope I’ll serve a little longer than some of the others.
But we’ve worked well together before and I look forward to building our relationship for years – hopefully – to come.
The theme of your conference is collaboration – and that is the message I bring you as well.
That’s why I was determined to be here in person.
Because I want us to have a meaningful partnership, not just today but from here on out.
Because what you do and the impact you make is absolutely critical to my agenda and to the Prime Minister’s agenda as well…
of leaving no young person behind, giving every young person a chance to succeed.
This conference also comes at a timely moment…
Alan Milburn’s final report on the NEETs crisis is coming later this month.
His seminal findings will shape our agenda for young people for years to come.
We know the scale of the challenge we face.
Almost one million young people not in employment, education or training.
Practically a whole generation completely let down.
And let’s not forget, this is the generation whose education was harmed by covid,
and who didn’t get the catch up they were promised.
This is the generation whose Sure Start was cancelled…
And they were educated in a one-size-fits-all system.
It’s worked for some, but it’s left far too many behind.
The NEETS crisis has deep and complex causes…
but we all know in this room that the cuts and de-prioritisation of Further Education and colleges is also part of the picture.
Understated and underrated, FE has too often been treated as the poor relation…
even though the evidence for investment all points the other way.
But despite being marginalised, you and your teams change lives every single day…
from teenagers right through to lifelong learners.
I know it’s not been easy, and I know how hard you work.
And I know your work certainly hasn’t been valued enough.
I will back you. I’m going to back you all the way.
I know you can’t tackle the NEETs crisis alone and without support, but together we can set ourselves up better to do so.
But Alan Milburn’s report is a clarion call for the whole of government, for the whole of society, for business.
He is clear that while college and training create strong pathways into work and success, the journey begins much earlier.
So, no child left behind, that’s the call for us all.
giving every child the best start in life and supporting them and their families through every step and every transition.
An education that faces the future not the past…
That means a new, exciting, more engaging National Curriculum coming soon.
Ending the endless cycle of English and maths GCSE resits with new level 1 qualifications to break down the barriers to progression.
It means devolving funding to mayors to work with you, schools and employers to unlock opportunities and more pathways in every local community.
It also means changing how schools, colleges and others are measured, recognised and rewarded.
And reforming SEND to prioritise earlier support for children and their families.
Those wider reforms are coming, but we’ve also got to provide the key finding of Alan Milburn’s work, more quality vocational and technical routes.
Together I want us to make England a technical education superpower…
in which FE is not second best but first choice.
That’s the motivation for rolling out T Levels and V Levels – and putting them on par with A Levels…
It’s also why we’re introducing new vocational GCSEs to create those clear pathways from 14-19…
to offer young people different options to success, blending academic and vocational, training and work experience…
and to close the gap between education and work.
As you know, we’re delivering three V Levels starting next September…
publishing the content for four of the V Levels to be taught from September 2028, covering health, science and social care.
I’ve also made clear that rules of combination won’t apply so courses can be designed to teach V Levels together.
I want you to create exciting courses with clear lines of sight into work.
But I also want to be clear, I’ve very much heard the call to make sure that the new science V Levels will adequately fill the gap of applied science.
I want us to work together to ensure the Science based V-levels and other specifications provide the skills and pathways needed.
So shortly, Jacqui Smith will host a roundtable with college leaders, including our Qualification Pioneers, to discuss in detail the design and rollout of the next phase of V Levels.
And I want to thank all of you who have helped shape the V Level content this far, together with employers like NHS England and universities like UCL, and many others.
These new routes must include exposure to the real world.
A young person’s first taste of the workplace shouldn’t come on their first day on the job.
To show them the opportunities within reach and the skills they’ll need, proper work experience is essential.
And I know many of you deliver that everyday.
The evidence tells us that it lowers their risk of becoming unemployed and raises the future earnings for young people.
As college leaders you can help give young people that leg up by linking your courses to the workplace…
and putting work experience at the heart of all you do.
Together, these major reforms will have a big long-term impact on the NEET rate in the coming years ahead, making sure no child or young person is left behind.
But we’ve also got to help this generation…
and we’ve got to help them before more damage is done.
Frankly, I think it’s unforgivable that there are almost 150,000 16-18-year-olds who right now are NEET.
Instead of sitting at home, we need to get them into college or doing an apprenticeship.
I want us to reach them with an exciting, new and engaging offer.
But you’ve told me the barriers you face to do this.
the lack of a guarantee on funding for every student who enrols during the year…
and how late you find out the funding rate for the following year.
I know that makes it harder for you to plan with confidence and to engage this important cohort of young people.
Another barrier for NEETs is the requirement for high levels of English and maths teaching which disengages the very young people we are trying to reach…
and the disincentives for enrolling students at risk of not staying the course.
So, my commitment to you today, is that we will break down and remove these barriers so we can work together to take immediate action on today’s 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds not in education or training.
I know that many of you do the right thing anyway…
taking young people on at your own risk, even losing funding or as a loss leader.
but it tells me that something is going badly wrong.
It tells me that each of those barriers might on their own be rooted in good intentions…
but taken together they miss the bigger picture and they’re keeping far too many young people on the scrapheap.
Funding uncertainties and disincentives stopping you engaging people, that’s just not right.
After all, let’s not forget, kids aren’t doing ANY English and maths if they’re in their bedroom scrolling on their phones.
So while English and maths are an important foundation for every child’s future…
we cannot not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Colleagues, I will take immediate steps to create the right incentives not the wrong ones…
to help you re-engage young people in exciting courses, that are practical and work-based…
to re-engage those who have checked out on education, school and college altogether.
And I think if we work together to create the right conditions, I think we can also work together to meet this moment with a big joint effort.
Every single one of us is the room have the power and ability to give today’s 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds new hope.
Because there are hundreds of thousands out there who need a second chance.
Some of them need a third or fourth chance.
Let’s take action today together to give it to them.
So I’ll break your barriers down for you but in return I need your help.
Let our response to the Milburn Review be big and immediate.
Not just changes up the track – which are important and which we will do.
But from here, let’s set ourselves the mission to get these young people back into college.
And that’s what you do best – engage, support, train, educate… and most of all give hope and give purpose.
So bring me your ideas, bring me your plans that can make this a reality.
And you know what doesn’t, so tell me that as well.
So in the theme of this conference, let’s collaborate.
We need to prove the model, show our worth.
Most importantly we are here to give every young person opportunity and hope.
And my promise to you is to put colleges not at the back of the queue but at the heart of that new mission.
And in return I ask you to meet this moment and make hope real for the next generation.