Technical Education: the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
In the government’s view, reforming the skills system is crucial to the economic success of this country and to improving the life chances of millions of people.
An independent panel, chaired by Lord Sainsbury, undertook a review of the post-16 skills system and advised Government on measures which could improve technical education in England. The panel found that, despite a number of improvements made during the last Parliament, serious flaws remain. It also found that the system is over-complex with a confusing array of courses and qualifications that are insufficiently linked to the world of work and the needs of employers. The government accepted the Panel’s recommendations and published a Post-16 Skills Plan setting out its vision for the reformed system.
These provisions extend the remit of the new "Institute for Apprenticeships" to cover college-based technical education in addition to apprenticeships, and rename it accordingly as the "Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education".
The Institute will oversee employer-led reforms and bring together its apprenticeships and wider technical education functions in one place. It is intended to put employers and others at the heart of the skills system, ensuring that technical education courses and apprenticeships undertaken by individuals develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that meet the needs of employers and improve overall productivity.
It is intended that the Institute will support the Government’s commitment to delivering 3 million high quality apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. It will help regulate the quality of standards and assessment plans, ensuring a sustainable, employer-led governance arrangement to uphold high quality apprenticeships.
The Secretary of State will retain strategic oversight of the technical education reforms (see section A2DC) and will have responsibility for the overall national system. The Institute will have wide-ranging autonomy for ensuring that employers agree the content of standards for both apprenticeships and college-based technical education.