focus on quality A clear focus on quality is essential - at both local and national levels. At local level: - Under performance by courses and a persistent minority of colleges can not be tolerated.
- A staged approach to intervention, including contestability, is needed.
- Clarity at local level will be served by a clear and separate commissioning role built around local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs).
- Greater collaboration among local providers to operate in the best interests of learners.
- Specialisation, as in Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) and Skills Academies (SAs) should improve retention, results, value for money and industry support.
- The benefits of specialisation can be passed on to learners through a 'hub and spoke' approach to delivery.
- The development of learning centres, initially located in regeneration areas, where competitive providers can provide training in disadvantaged communities following competitive processes.
At national level: - Seeing further education (FE) as a purposeful system rather than as a bounded sector is important.
- Within government, the disadvantaged 'middle child' experience of FE between schools and higher education (HE) needs to be changed.
- As the strategic architect of UK education, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) should provide a coherent and managed framework spanning schools, FE and HE.
- A national learning model is needed so that FE's role is constructively located alongside HE and schools and the effect of new initiatives is anticipated.
- The funding methodology should draw on the national learning requirement and its local components, ensuring that learning activity is rewarded for meeting those needs.
- Less centralisation and moves towards greater self-regulation is necessary.
- LSC's Agenda for Change should be supported.
- Simplified inspection should be achieved through the merger of the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) and the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).
- An improved inspection methodology that focuses on learner experience, value for money and the coherence of what is on offer and what effect the locality is having on learning is vital.
Click here for further information on the Foster Report. Click here to view the Fosters Report online at the Department for Education and Skills website.
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