Key Facts

• The amendments aim to include specific strategies for supporting learners with special educational needs or disabilities.
• 18% of FE and skills sector learners have a recognised learning difficulty or disability.
• There is a 28.4 percentage point employment rate gap between disabled people and those without disabilities.
• LSIPs aim to improve employment prospects for people with disabilities.
• Statutory guidance will make it clear that employer representative bodies should engage with groups representing learners with disabilities.
• The disability employment rate is significantly lower compared to non-disabled individuals, with only 18% of those with severe or specific learning difficulties employed in 2019.
• The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill is under discussion in Parliament.
• Amendment 1 aims to ensure employment representative bodies have a strategy around supported internships for individuals with disabilities.
• Clive Efford will proceed to a vote on amendment 1.
• Amendment 33 requires local skills improvement plans to draw on views from Local Enterprise Partnerships and the skills productivity board.
• Amendment 38 ensures that distance learning providers are considered in local skills improvement plans.
• Amendment 39 mandates a national strategy for education and skills agreed across DfE, DWP, BEIS, and DLUHC.
• Amendment 40 calls for guidance on criteria used to determine the boundaries of specified areas.
• Amendment 41 seeks consultation with Mayoral Combined Authorities before implementation outside trailblazer areas.
• Amendment 44 allows colleges and other providers to propose revisions if plans do not reflect full diversity of priorities.
• Amendment 41 requests publication of guidance relating to implementation subject to consultation with metro Mayors or relevant local authorities.
• The MP suggests a clear duty for the Secretary of State to consult combined and local authorities before finalising local skills improvement plans in areas without metro Mayors.
• Amendment 44 allows colleges and other providers to propose revisions if they believe the plans do not adequately reflect local priorities.
• There is a 70% reduction in new part-time graduates entering higher education compared to a decade ago.
• The Open University has 72% of its students in full or part-time employment.
• Distance learning participation fell by 40% in the north-east, and 32% in the north-west and Yorkshire.
• The Open University is one of the five biggest higher education providers in 90% of parliamentary constituencies.
• It is also the largest provider in 20% (63 out of 314) English local authorities.
• Gwynne's constituency experiences divergent trends between north and south Greater Manchester.
• His local enterprise partnership, chamber of commerce, combined authority, and all 10 local councils cover the same boundaries.
• He supports coterminosity wherever possible for clarity and ease of collaboration.
• Amendment 33 requires local skills improvement plans to draw on views of LEPs and the Skills and Productivity Board.
• Amendment 38 aims for local skills improvement plans to take account of distance learning providers.
• The Government have already published a 'Skills for jobs' White Paper in January last year.
• Amendments 41 and 44 relate to consultation processes with local authorities and mayoral combined authorities.
• The Bill mandates duties on relevant providers to cooperate in developing and reviewing LSIPs.
• There is concern about defining geographical areas for LSIPs without leaving any area out or placing an area in two different plans.
• The amendment limits post-16 technical education or training about which a local skills improvement plan must identify actions to such education or training that is English-funded.
• Local authorities, 16-to-19 academies and schools in England may be subject to the duties if the Secretary of State exercises their power to make regulations under clause 4.
• The Bill places a duty on providers to have regard to local skills improvement plans when making decisions related to post-16 technical education and training.
• Amendment 45 tests how the Secretary of State will determine 'reasonably representative'.
• Amendments 36, 42, 46 aim to include local Further Education colleges, independent training providers, public sector employers.
• The amendments seek to ensure ERBs consult widely and address complaints from non-representative bodies.
• Amendment 36 aims to include colleges, independent training providers, local authorities, and LEPs in consultations.
• Amendment 46 seeks broader representation for smaller businesses and self-employed individuals.
• The amendments aim to prevent the exclusion of important stakeholders from LSIP decision-making processes.
• Amendments seek to include public and private sectors as employers on the ERB.
• HS2 project exemplifies poor regional skill coordination.
• Third sector organizations, HE and FE providers need to be included in skills strategies.
• Local health boards and primary care networks should also be part of these bodies.
• Amendment 36 would require designated employer bodies to be representative of a broad range of local stakeholders.
• Amendment 45 tests how the Secretary of State will determine the mix of employers considered “reasonably representative.”
• All eight trailblazers were chambers of commerce, with £4 million funding provided for this financial year.