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APPENDIX 4: SPECIFIC POLICY INTERVENTIONS - ENGLAND
Employability
1. The following 3 programmes are common to Scotland and England / Wales. They have been described earlier in this Chapter:
- New Deal for Young People (18-24) (Jobcentre Plus);
- New Deal for Lone Parents (Jobcentre Plus);
- New Deal for Disabled People (Jobcentre Plus).
Modern Apprenticeships ( MAs)
2. In England, the MA enables pupils (16-19) to progress from GCSEs towards their chosen profession and provides quality work-based learning for young people to achieve qualifications at Apprenticeships ( NVQ level 2) and Advanced Apprenticeships ( NVQ level 3) together with Key Skills at the appropriate levels. The principles for the Scottish model are broadly similar, although the target qualification is higher.
Enterprise Education Entitlement (from 2005/6) ( DfES) £60m
3. Enterprise Education Entitlement ( EEE) provides 14-16 year old pupils with 5 days' enterprise activity to develop their enterprise capability - creativity, innovation, risk management and risk taking.
Information, Advice and Guidance
Connexions Service
4. The Connexions Service is intended to provide impartial integrated information, advice and guidance for all 13-19 year olds in England to help prepare for future careers and also provides guidance on barriers to employment/training/education e.g. teenage pregnancy, youth offending, and substance abuse. The 49 Connexions Partnerships in England bring together key local providers and stakeholders in local areas (including Careers Services, Youth Services, and Local Authorities) to provide the Connexions Service through Connexions Personal Advisers ( PAs). They are responsible for providing advice for all 13 to 19 year olds and have specific targets to identify and engage the NEET group.
Youth Service ( LEAs)
5. LEAs and other voluntary organisations provide the Youth Service which supplies information, advice and counselling services aimed at 13-19 year olds to help young people (namely those at risk from alcohol or drug misuse, or drifting into crime) to reach their full potential through informal education e.g. youth clubs, projects or study support centres.
Children's Trusts
6. Children's Trusts are due to be introduced across England (currently pathfinders are being delivered in some local areas). They will seek to integrate key services for children within a single organisational focus. Services should include LEA, children's social services, community and acute health services and Connexions. Trusts are due to be rolled out by 2006.
Financial Support Policies
Educational Maintenance Allowances ( DfES)
7. A means-tested payment of up to £30 a week with periodic bonus payment, the EMA helps to overcome financial barriers to participation in learning. The programme is being rolled out from September 2004 and will reach a steady state in 2006/7. The EMA is expected to increase participation in education at Year 12 by 3.8 percentage points, and by 4.1 percentage points amongst Year 13s, across the full cohort and in 2004/5. The national EMA is expected to encourage an additional 35,000 young people to participate in further education, and reduce the number in NEET by 9,000. When fully rolled out in 2006/7, EMA is estimated to lead to an additional 72,000 young people participating in further education over that time.
Learner Support Funds (Student Support Office at the LEA)
8. LSF provides help to 16-19 year old disabled students, those with learning difficulties, individuals living in high deprivation areas, and students from ethnic minority groups in England. It covers a range of study costs such as books, equipment, transport, and childcare. The scheme has had a significant impact on student retention and attendance.
Residential Allowances ( RAs)
9. RA funding is available for those students needing to attend specialist courses beyond the local and affordable travel-to-work-area at one of the Specialist Residential Colleges or Centres where courses are offered in Agriculture, Horticulture and Art and Design. Funds are also available if there is no other similar provision available locally and is arranged via the Student Support Officer at the college or institution the student wishes to attend.
Connexions Card
10. Offered to 16 to 19 year olds, the Connexions Card seeks to encourage young people to remain in learning and motivate them to fulfil their potential by rewarding their attendance and application through the provision of points which can be exchanged for a range of discounts and rewards. The Card also seeks to help young people remain in learning by reducing some of the financial barriers to learning by giving access to discounts for, for example, transport, and study-related costs such as books and equipment.
Policies Removing Practical or Logistical Barriers
Vulnerable Children Grant (Teenage Pregnancy Unit)
11. VCG supports attendance, integration or reintegration into school particularly for those who have been missing from education for a significant period of time. It provides additional educational support to enable vulnerable children to achieve their potential. The grant focuses on school-age children but LEAs have discretion to support children aged 0-19 years. Key groups include: children who are unable to attend school because of medical needs; Gypsy/Traveler children; asylum seekers, young carers, those refusing to attend, teenage parents, and young offenders.
20 Sure Start Plus Pilots - in 35 local authority areas, (Teenage Pregnancy Unit)
12. Personal advisers provide support to pregnant teenagers in making a well-informed decision about the outcome of their pregnancy. Local agencies work together to provide a comprehensive support package for teenage parents and support other professionals and agencies in their work with young people. The pilots aim to improve health, education, and social outcomes for pregnant teenagers, teenage parents and their children.
Care to Learn? (Teenage Pregnancy Unit) ( DfES)
13. Care to Learn? supports teenage parents with the costs of childcare (up to £5,125 per child per year) to enable them to pursue education, training or employment opportunities. The scheme is targeted at under 19s and offers a dedicated teenage parent reintegration officer to support, guide and encourage participants. Learning Providers receive an admin fee of £80 for each successful start made by a Care to Learn student.
Widening Choices at Pre-16
Increased Flexibility ( IFP) for 14-16 year olds programme (Local Learning and Skills Councils)
14. Increased Flexibility enables schools and colleges to form partnerships to create improved vocational opportunities including vocational GCSEs for young people. The scheme aims to raise the attainment and increase the retention in education and training after 16, as well as improving participants' social learning, and skills and knowledge. Targets include:
- one-third of the young people involved in IFP should gain at least one GCSE in a vocational subject at Level 2 (over and above their predicted GCSEs);
- one-third of students should gain at least one NVQ at Level 1 (over and above their predicted GCSEs);
- three-quarters of IFP participants should progress into further education or training;
- attendance rates of the young people involved should match that of the average key stage 4 cohort.
14-19 Pathfinders ( DfES and the LSC), £46m available between 2002/03 and 2004/05 for the 14-19 pathfinders
15. Thirty nine Pathfinders will run for three years to test models of collaborative working in a range of settings to secure greater choice of curriculum pathways e.g. extending work-related programmes, providing enterprise education, vocational GCSEs and e-learning.
Entry to Employment (National Scheme) ( LSC)
16. Entry to Employment is aimed at 16-18 year olds who are disengaged, whether as a result of school exclusion or low levels of school achievement, disadvantaged circumstances or personal circumstances such as homelessness, offending behaviour, health issues, care history or family difficulties. The scheme is a work-based learning programme helping young people to be better prepared for transitions and/or apprenticeship, employment and further education.
Young Apprenticeships (Pilot) ( LSC working with DfES)
17. Under the Young Apprenticeships pilot, school pupils follow the core National Curriculum subjects, and work towards nationally recognised vocational qualifications delivered by their local Young Apprenticeships Partnership two days a week (or equivalent). The scheme aims to encourage more and better vocational learning in schools and colleges. Targets include:
80 per cent of those enrolled to achieve Level 2 industry-specific qualifications appropriate to their chosen sector;
50 per cent to progress onto a post-16 Apprenticeship..
Key Stage 4 National Curriculum
18. From September 2004, there is a new requirement for work-related learning for all pupils.
Neighbourhood Support Fund ( NSF) (available in 40 areas) (local community and voluntary organisations)
19. Targeted at the hardest to reach people aged 13-19, living in 40 of the most deprived areas in England. This initiative is seen as a key NEET intervention reaching those who are in danger of, or have already dropped out of, mainstream education training or employment. NSF projects give young people the opportunity to engage in activities helping them to develop their confidence, skills and knowledge, thus overcoming barriers to participation in education, training and employment. The programme is delivered on behalf of the DfES. Projects receive their funding through the three Managing Agents, Community Development Foundation ( CDF), the Learning Alliance (made up of four members, Community Service Volunteers ( CSV), NACRO, Rathbone and YMCA Training) and National Youth Agency ( NYA).
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