The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has now published information on additional funding that will be available for one-year for the delivery of high value subjects to prevent young people from becoming NEET. Subjects include maths, English and digital.
On 8 July the Chancellor announced exceptional funding as part of the wider COVID-19 skills recovery response to support 18 and 19-year-old young people leaving school or college this summer. The priority will be to get young people into work, an apprenticeship or traineeship. Where these are not available, the government will support the sector to offer courses of up to one year duration in high value subjects to prevent young people from becoming NEET. Providers will need to demonstrate how courses through this offer support employment outcomes, and evidence of need for skills in their local area.
The one-year offer will enable 18 and 19-year-olds leaving education and training who are unable to find employment or work-based training, opportunities to be fully funded to undertake specific level 2 and level 3 qualifications that have been identified as relevant to higher wage returns and economic growth opportunities. The ESFA has now published the list of qualifications included in the high value courses for school and college leavers skills offer and the criteria for selecting courses.
The one-year offer will include:
- a £400 uplift per learner to cover the costs of putting on additional courses at short notice, recruiting extra students, and preparing staffing and facilities
- adjustments to retention payments (16 to 19 funding) and job outcome payments (ESFA AEB) to compensate where learners leave early and take up employment or an apprenticeship
- increased rate to fund 18-year-olds on larger programmes at the rate for 16 and 17-year-olds
- ESFA will administer the additional funding via 16 to 19 funding and ESFA AEB to support delivery from 1 September 2020
