Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Post-16 Education

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Clarkson questioned the practicality of the lifetime skills guarantee for adults without level 2 qualifications, highlighting potential barriers in accessing funding and support. He asked how people can afford to study if they lack access to maintenance grants and loans.

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Simmonds asked about the timeframe and implementation of the new funding system for higher technical courses, and whether it would allow part-time study options.

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Hayes questioned the sufficiency of apprenticeship levy transfers from larger employers to smaller ones and whether this would be enough to encourage SMEs to take on new apprentices.

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Expresses gratitude to the Secretary of State but criticises previous cuts made by the Government to further education funding, questions the eligibility criteria and support for level 2 qualifications under the lifetime skills guarantee, highlights insufficient investment levels compared to past funding cuts and lack of maintenance support parity between higher and further education learners. She raises issues around funding allocation and timelines for implementation in light of projected high unemployment rates.

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Welcomes the lifetime skills guarantee but urges targeted policies to address skill shortages in construction, engineering, quarrying, telecommunications and broadband infrastructure delivery.

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Welcomes the move towards skills education but criticises the Government for neglecting further education, asks if FE students in England will be saddled with massive debts due to lifetime loan entitlement and questions why tuition fees have not been addressed. Also asks about investment in infrastructure and funding for retraining.

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Welcomes reform progress on higher-level technicals and T-levels and asks about how lifetime schools guarantee fits with national retraining scheme.

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Expresses worry about rising unemployment in east Hull and questions why new money will not come through until April next year.

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Asks if new gold standard of T-levels will be available to adults taking up lifetime skills guarantee.

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Highlights severe cuts faced by Lewisham and Southwark Colleges over the last 10 years, asks for real-term funding to match ambition.

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Asks how the Government will ensure world-class education and training is available to all students, no matter where they come from or which college they go to.

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Welcomes the serious look at post-16 education, highlights the importance of independent learning providers and staff pay and conditions.

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Asks what more the Government will do to ensure opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable people taking advantage of lifetime skills guarantee.

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Welcomes many measures but expresses concern about potential duplication with existing adult skills policy in Greater Manchester. Asks for cooperation with the combined authority to ensure a joined-up approach.

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Welcomes announcement but inquires about support for final year GCSE and A-level students affected by the pandemic. Asks for an announcement on exams next year.

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Welcomes new skills pathways but seeks more detail on flexible loans and training. Asks about apprenticeship levy reform to aid SME recruitment.

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Welcomes ambition but seeks more detail and discusses Independent Commission on Lifelong Learning recommendations.

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Expresses personal background in seeking education despite challenges, criticises measures announced as not ambitious enough for the scale of opportunity.

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Praises Government measures promoting social mobility and providing skilled workforce, highlights local initiatives like the Loughborough towns fund.

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Draws attention to fee waiver anomaly affecting post-16 students like Linus.

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Welcomes lifetime skills guarantee and highlights importance of Newton Rigg College for delivering the agenda in Cumbria.

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Welcomes improvements but expresses concern about first-year students' physical and mental health due to isolation during online learning.

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Welcomes the Secretary of State’s statement on the Bucks Skills Show, an initiative that brings employers into classrooms to demonstrate how curriculum subjects can be applied in real-world jobs. Commends Buckinghamshire Business First and the Bucks careers hub for their efforts in supporting young people post-virus through partnerships with business, the LEP, council, and Careers and Enterprise Company.

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Highlights Langley College's role in helping young people reach their full potential but criticises underfunding of colleges. Questions the Secretary of State’s commitment to retraining by pointing out that integrating training into job support schemes, as Labour suggested, was not pursued.

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References her father’s route to engineering qualifications through night school, asking whether the lifetime skills guarantee will open similar paths for young people.

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Asks how the Secretary of State plans to engage employers in training their workforce and provides access to good-quality career advice for adults looking to retrain.