Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the widest possible access to education in the UK.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government is investing £1.6 billion through the National Skills Fund over the next three years, to help adults gain the skills that are sought by employers. The fund will make sure adults, at any age, can upskill to reach their potential and transform their lives.

As part of this investment, we have introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme, which enables learners without a level 3 qualification, or learners with any qualification level who are unemployed or earning below the National Living Wage, to gain a level 3 qualification for free.

Those who want to upskill in their role, are looking for a job, or are changing career, can take part in Skills Bootcamps. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer. Skills Bootcamps are currently available across England, offering training in digital, technical (including engineering and manufacturing), construction, logistics (HGV driving), and green skills (including heat pump engineer and electric vehicle charging point installation), and have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers.

We are on track to deliver 16,000 Skills Bootcamps training places in the 2021/22 financial year. The department will continue to significantly expand Skills Bootcamps further following the announcement of up to £550 million additional funding across financial years 2022 to 2025, including up to £150 million in financial year 2022/23.

The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. In the academic year 2022/23 this funding totals £1.34 billion.

Apprenticeships are accessible to people of all ages and can support people to re-train and upskill throughout their lives. We are increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25.

In November 2021, the department issued guidance to the Office for Students, tasking them to refocus the access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their education. Higher education providers should be working meaningfully with schools to ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged and supported to achieve the highest possible grades to succeed, whether that be an apprenticeship or higher technical qualification, or a course at another university.