Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
What steps his Department is taking to support take-up of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
From 1 April the government is supporting any adult who does not have A levels or equivalent to access almost 400 fully funded level 3 courses as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.
We are investing £95 million over the current Spending Review period, which includes a funding uplift to give providers the support they need, to scale-up provision and meet the needs of adult learners as we build back better from the COVID-19 outbreak. We have been working closely with local areas and providers to support delivery of the Free Courses for Jobs offer from 1 April.
We have also worked with the National Careers Service to ensure Careers Advisers can provide information about the training available to customers and we will publicise the offer, including through social media and stakeholder channels, to ensure we reach adults that can take advantage of this offer.
There are a number of shorter courses that can help adults progress in the labour market, so they can pick a course that fits their life. We are continuing to work with the sector and potential learners to understand barriers to learning and how we can support adults to take up this offer.
Furthermore, we have introduced Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving adults aged 19 and over the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Skills Bootcamps are employer-led initiatives which aim to meet local demand.
Wave 1 Skills Bootcamps have been oversubscribed due to high demand. So far, nearly 2,800 adults started courses on over 80 different Skills Bootcamps across the 6 areas where we rolled out the trailblazers.
We are investing £43 million as part of the National Skills Fund to expand the digital and technical Skills Bootcamps across all regions of England. With this funding, we can assist employers across England to fill their vacancies.
Following a competitive application process, successful bids for the second wave of Skills Bootcamps will be announced in due course and we are anticipating that this second wave of Skills Bootcamps will train approximately 20,000 individuals across England.
Local areas are working closely with Skills Bootcamps to advertise them and encourage learners to take up this opportunity. This includes encouraging learners from underrepresented groups to ensure a diverse cohort, reflective of the local population.
We have worked with Department for Work and Pensions to align the employment and skills support offer. Later this month, the Department for Work and Pensions’ Train and Progress campaign will be further enhanced by an increase in the amount of time Universal Credit claimants can take part in full-time training to 12 weeks, up from the current 8 weeks, helping them gain the skills and qualifications needed for good jobs.
The change will ensure Universal Credit claimants can access sector-specific training provided as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, including Skills Bootcamps and some of the free level 3 qualifications while receiving the financial support they need.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of resources available to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England to support enterprise and entrepreneurship education.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Entrepreneurship education is an important component of high quality careers provision. The careers statutory guidance, updated in 2018, requires secondary schools in England to provide opportunities for pupils to develop entrepreneurial knowledge relevant for self-employment.
The Department provides resources and support to secondary schools through the Careers & Enterprise Company’s Enterprise Adviser Network, Careers Hubs and online resources, to make links to employers and increase young people’s exposure to the world of work. The Department also funds training for Careers Leaders to develop the knowledge they need to embed and deliver a successful careers programme in their secondary school.
There are now more than 4,000 schools and colleges in the Careers & Enterprise Company’s Enterprise Adviser Network working with business volunteers to strengthen employer links. Careers Hubs now include 45% of all state-funded schools and colleges across England and funding has been provided for 1,950 Careers Leaders training bursaries.
The result is that 3.3 million young people now have regular encounters with employers, including entrepreneurs and 84% of secondary schools and colleges are satisfied with the support they receive from their Enterprise Adviser. 92% of Careers Leaders state they have become more effective as a result of the training. The Department will continue national roll-out of this support as announced in the Skills for Jobs White Paper published in January 2021: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/1244_careers_ed_2020_report18_0.pdf.
Over the last 18 months, the Department has focused on testing what works at a primary level. In partnership with the Careers & Enterprise Company, the Department has developed and launched an online Primary Careers Resources platform which includes free to use tools and resources from 15 organisations, including Primary Futures.
Financial capability is a key component of successful entrepreneurship and in 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the Citizenship National Curriculum. Pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk. The computing curriculum prepares pupils to apply existing digital technologies confidently and effectively but will also provide them with the fundamental knowledge needed to create new digital technology products and to create their own tech start-ups.
Schools can also cover enterprise and entrepreneurship within their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Teachers have the freedom to design lessons and resources in PSHE that meet their pupils’ needs, and they are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations, such as the PSHE Association.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the enterprise and financial education aspect of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education a mandatory requirement of the curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Financial education is part of the mathematics and citizenship curriculum where pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk. The mathematics curriculum ensures pupils are taught the necessary knowledge and the need to make financial decisions. The computing curriculum should prepare pupils to apply existing digital technologies confidently and effectively, whilst also providing them with the fundamental knowledge needed to create new digital technology products.
The Department will continue to work closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and other stakeholders, such as Her Majesty’s Treasury, to consider what can be gained from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of investing the Soft Drinks Industry Levy revenues for the coming year 2021-22 in healthy eating initiatives in schools.
Answered by Vicky Ford
In 2016, the government announced investment in several children’s health initiatives alongside the introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, including doubling the primary PE and sports premium to £320 million a year from September 2017, and introducing the National Schools Breakfast Programme from March 2018.
The Spending Review 2020 confirmed the department’s overall budget for the 2021/22 financial year. We are committed to funding breakfast clubs and have extended the programme until July 2021. We are considering options for breakfast provision beyond this date and expect to say more shortly. The Healthy School Rating Scheme will also continue during the 2021/22 financial year.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children eligible for Free School Meals are assessed as children subject to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions in (a) Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department collects and publishes information on the number of children eligible for free school meals and the number who claim a meal on school census day, but does not collect information on the proportion of them who are subject to ‘No recourse to public funds’ conditions. We are currently working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility for free school meals will continue with the current temporary income threshold, until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children currently receiving Free School Meals are assessed as children subject to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions in (a) Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department collects and publishes information on the number of children eligible for free school meals and the number who claim a meal on school census day, but does not collect information on the proportion of them who are subject to ‘No recourse to public funds’ conditions. We are currently working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility for free school meals will continue with the current temporary income threshold, until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the temporary provision of Free School Meals to children with No Recourse to Public Funds on a permanent basis.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility will continue with the current income threshold until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.