Education Secretary pledges to remove barriers keeping teenagers out of college

The Education Secretary has pledged to “break down” the barriers that are keeping “far too many young people on the scrap heap” and out of college.Lucy Powell said it was “unforgivable” that tens of thousands of young people aged 16 to 18 are not in education, employment, or training (Neet) as she called on college leaders to help tackle the crisis.The Department for Education (DfE) is looking to reduce the number of hours of English and maths that young people in college are required to study for those who are Neet.Funding “uncertainties” and existing teaching requirements for English and maths are making it harder for further education (FE) colleges to engage young people who are Neet, the Education Secretary suggested.Speaking at the Association of Colleges (AoC) annual conference, Ms Powell said: “These kids aren’t doing any English and maths at all if they’re at home in their bedroom scrolling on their phones.“So while English and maths, for example, are an important foundation for every young person’s future, we cannot let the perfect become the enemy of the good.”Under existing arrangements, 16 to 19-year-olds who do not achieve at least a grade 4 in GCSE English and/or maths are required to continue studying the subjects as a condition of funding.The Education Secretary called on college leaders across the country to work with the Government to tackle the high number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) in the UK.A review into young people and work, carried out by Alan Milburn, is due to conclude this month.The DfE is also looking at providing funding certainty for enrolling young Neets so colleges are not disincentivised from giving students a second chance.Speaking at the conference in Birmingham, Ms Powell said the barriers that colleges face are “keeping far too many young people on the scrap heap”.She added: “I think it’s unforgivable that there are almost 150,000 16 to 18-year-olds today who are right now not in education, employment, or training.“Instead of sitting at home, we need to get them into college and doing an apprenticeship.”Addressing college leaders on Wednesday, the Education Secretary said: “There are hundreds of thousands out there who do need that second chance. Some of them need a third or fourth a chance.Read More“Let’s take action today together to give it to them.“I’ll break down the barriers for you, but in return I do need your help.”In her speech, Ms Powell said she wanted to make England “a technical education superpower” where FE is no longer “second best”.From September 2027, the first three V-level qualifications – a vocational qualification for pupils aged 16 to 19 – will be available in education, finance and digital.On Wednesday, the Government launched consultations on proposed content for more V-levels – which sit alongside A-levels and T-levels – to be taught from September 2028 in health, science and social care.The Education Secretary also called on college leaders to “give young people that leg up” by linking courses to the workplace, connecting with employers and putting work experience “at the heart” of their efforts.David Hughes, chief executive of the AoC, said: “[Powell] clearly recognises that colleges need certainty of funding to be able to reach out and engage young people who are not in education, employment or training (Neet).“The guarantee of funding in-year growth for young people she made before the start of this academic year has helped colleges enrol thousands of extra young people who would otherwise have become Neet.“Making that a permanent feature of the system would be a game-changer.”He added: “We’re looking forward to working with her and officials to improve policies pre and post-16 to help more young people achieve good English and maths skills and to ensure Ofsted judges colleges fairly for their inclusive learning approach.”