50.Section 8 gives the LSC powers to secure provision of work experience for those in their last two years of compulsory schooling and those in education up to the age of 19; and to provide for ‘education business links’ between, on the one hand, the world of work and, on the other, all pupils of compulsory school age, young people in education or training up to the age of 19 and teachers. The Secretary of State intends that the LSC will have a key role in ensuring that local partners (such as Education Business Partnerships) work closely together to provide opportunities of a high quality for young people which meet the needs of schools and the business community.
51.In section 9 the LSC is given the power to assess the quality of the provision it funds, and take judgements about quality into account in deciding which providers it will continue to fund. This will form part of the LSC’s quality improvement strategy. The intention is that the LSC secures value for money and that learners are offered provision of a high quality. Findings from the two inspectorates, OFSTED and ALI, may inform these judgments, but their input will not provide regular, comprehensive information on all providers. Therefore, it is intended that the LSC will take steps to investigate on its own behalf the quality of the provision it funds, through for example, visiting providers, putting arrangements in place for investigating complaints and acting on those which are well-founded. It will also have clear published performance indicators and benchmarks against which to measure quality of provision. The LSC may also draw up a list of accredited provision which meets certain quality thresholds, and cease to fund provision which does not.
52.Section 9 also provides for the LSC, when making resources available to individual students, to calculate the amount made available by reference to fees and charges and also to other expenses associated with education and training such as transport or childcare.
53.Section 10 provides for the role of the LSC in relation to Individual Learning Accounts (for details of the nature of the scheme known as Individual Learning Accounts and how this Act provides for the scheme see sections 104 to 109). The LSC is given the power to be involved in the promotion of Individual Learning Accounts and to be involved in the administration of qualifying arrangements under section 105. It is also given power to enter into arrangements with the Secretary of State to make grants, to specify the kinds of learning provision which qualify for the grants and to approve providers so as to make them eligible to offer learning provision which qualifies.
54.Section 11 provides a power for the LSC to appoint up to two additional governors to the governing body of an institution in the FE sector which mainly serves the population of England. It may wish to use this power, for example, where it considers there might be mismanagement or potential mismanagement by the governing body, or where there are signs that the educational provision at the institution is failing.
Commentary on Sections Sections 1 to 29 and Schedules 1 to 3 Sections 8 to 11: other main powers of the LSC