Opportunities and Choices

3... ISSUES, IDEAS AND QUESTIONS

3.1 Chapter 2 of this consultation paper identified a number of factors affecting the participation and attainment of 16-18 year olds in further education and training which suggests that post-school provision needs to be improved in a number of ways: better assessment of individual education and training needs; better assessment of personal and social needs; more targeted advice and information; more intensive support during recruitment and more ongoing support; greater relevance of the college course or training to the job market; more relevant programme design including the balance of theory and practice. more progression.

3.2 These issues are now examined in greater detail.

Objectives of Post-School Provision

3.4 The broad groupings of 16-18 year olds who are the focus of this consultation paper are likely to regard further education and training primarily as a passport to employment. Within current provision, the relatively high percentage of "early leavers", patterns of course switching and traffic between further education and training indicate that some young people have difficulty in seeing the relevance of the course or training programme to employment. While this may be the result of insufficient advice and information, it may also be that the programme design and delivery does not match their abilities and aspirations. On the positive side, the fact that young people are willing to try a different course indicates that they do have a fundamental belief that qualifications will help them to get a job.

3.4 It may be helpful to explore the policy objectives which should underpin the design and delivery of post-school education and training. The main policy objectives would seem to be: to help young people to acquire skills and qualifications; to assist young people in finding work, including jobsearch support and careers guidance; to encourage employers to support the training of young people; to provide additional support to young people who face particular barriers or difficulties in finding employment.

3.5 It is also important to understand the objectives of the young people. The evidence which we have from the Skillseekers Evaluation and the Beattie Committee consultation suggests that 16-18 year olds see the following as their main objectives: to get a job; to get a job and pursue further education and training at the same time; to improve future employment prospects; to gain more or better qualifications, possibly with a view to reentering the academic route to higher education.

3.6 There is a close correlation between these objectives of the young people and the suggested policy objectives. These objectives are not mutually exclusive but, for many of the young people, employment is likely to be at the top of any list. For some young people this may represent a wish to move away from learning (at least in the short term). For others, there may be a financial imperative to gain employment but a willingness to take up opportunities to acquire skills and qualifications.

3.7 In considering future developments in post-school education and training, it will be important to offer opportunities and choices which help young people to keep their options open. This, in turn, makes it essential that there is a range of provision which meets the range of needs, abilities and aspirations, and allows for progression.

3.8 In this context, parents, teachers and young people continue to perceive work-based training as the "lesser" choice (than staying on at school or going onto further education). But for those young people who see employment as their first priority (for whatever reason), and for young people whose aptitudes are best matched by practical skills training, a high quality work-based training geared towards the qualification would seem to offer real advantages. The development of Education for Work will mean that some pupils will already have had some experience of the work environment and, for them, work-based training may be the next steps. This raises the question of whether more should be done to promote the benefits of work-based training as a relevant and valid choice within a range of post-school provision.

3.9 There is also the important issue of progression. When a young person has completed an SVQ Level II or III through Skillseekers their choice may be to go on to further higher education rather than immediate employment. There is already an example of young people in Fife moving from a Modern Apprenticeship in Business Administration to the second year of a degree course at Napier University. If more progression of this kind is supported and recognised work-based training would more readily be seen as an integral part of a coherent framework of post-school provision.

Questions

Q1: Are the suggested policy objectives of post-school education or training the right ones? Are there others?

Q2: How can the value of work-based training be increased?

Q3: Should more be done to assist young people make the transition from work-based training to further or higher education (or vice versa)? How can progression be ensured?

Guidance and Support

3.10 There appears to be a consistent and clear message, particularly from the young people themselves, about the importance of ongoing guidance and support. We know that there is a very high level of commitment from Careers Service Companies to meeting the needs of young people, through independent advice and guidance, and through advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged young people. However, our increasing understanding of the factors affecting young people suggests that there could be considerable advantage from a strengthening of multi-agency working to address their needs.

3.11 The kind of guidance and support required by 16 and 17 year olds whose ambition is to gain a Level II or Level III qualification will be different from the support required by young people who have low educational attainment coupled with other social, emotional or behavioural problems. There are a range of needs: for good assessment of education and training needs; for good assessment of personal and support needs; for access to full and clear information and advice; for initial guidance and support; for ongoing guidance and support.

3.12 One approach to improving assessment of education and training needs may be to strengthen the flow of information from schools to Careers Service Companies, who, in turn, can pass on relevant information to colleges and training providers. More in depth assessment of other factors which might affect the young person's ability to complete the course might also be required. This might be an area for more multi-agency working and there are good examples of the Careers Service working with colleges and training providers to help more vulnerable young people including West Work in West Lothian and On Track in Dunbarton and Lomond. The Youthstart project in the Fife colleges also shows that a higher level of involvement and support for more vulnerable young people from college staff can increase retention and achievement in further education. This is also an issue addressed in the Strategic Framework for Further Education.

3.13 There are also many examples of community education workers providing support to young people who are underachieving, dropping out or have social problems through informal programmes which tackle issues such as behaviour, poor relationships, social skills; communication and encourage learning.

Questions

Q4: How can the assessment of the post-school education and training needs of 16-18 year olds be improved? What other agencies should work with the Careers Services to ensure that the whole range of needs is assessed? Local Authorities (Social Work? Education?) Colleges? Training Providers? Should there be more involvement from parents, teachers and the young people themselves?

Q5: When young people have more difficult and complex needs, how can they get the right level of guidance and support?

Q6: Once the young people have entered education or training, what mechanisms should be put in place for ongoing support? Should this responsibility lie with the college or the training provider or are there other agencies who need to be engaged to deal with external factors such as homelessness?

Training: Age Range and Eligibility

3.14 "Opportunity Scotland" ,emphasised the Government's commitment to offering opportunities to all young people and to helping young people to achieve their potential through a range of provision which matched their aptitudes and abilities. The Skillseekers programme has effectively increased the opportunities to gain qualifications through work based training. In recent years there has also been further expansion of college based courses which are more closely related to the needs of the labour market. Higher Still will now see more young people pursuing vocational courses either at school or college.

3.15 An increase in participation and attainment among 16-18 year olds will depend on recognising the range of learning styles among young people. It is also vital to recognise that the goals of 16-18 year olds may change in the immediate post-school years, and perhaps over a relatively short period. This means that there must be opportunities for young people to follow the pathway to learning and qualifications most suited to their aptitudes; and that there must be opportunities for progression within that pathway and into other types of provision. It is, for example, quite possible for a young person who has completed a Skillseekers training and achieved a SVQ Level II or Level III to want to go into further education or pursue a higher education qualification. Conversely, a 16 or 17 year old who has achieved a HNC at college may then want to pursue a Modern Apprenticeship in their chosen occupation. This suggests that there should be consideration given to key aspects of the Skillseekers programme, such as age range and eligibility criteria which affect participation and achievement.

3.16 While the Skillseekers programme aims to offer high quality training leading to a qualification to all 16 and 17 year olds who may choose that route, it must also fulfil the requirements of the Youth Training Guarantee. This means that all 16 and 17 year olds who are not otherwise engaged in education, training or employment must be offered suitable training. The young people are not entitled, with some limited exceptions, to claim Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance. Under Skillseekers, they will receive a training allowance or, if they are employed, a wage. This limits the scope of the LECs to target funding to the 18-24 year old age group, although they have discretion to do so, or to direct funding towards specific skills needs.

3.17 The majority of LECs have used their discretionary power to fund the 18-24 year old age group to encourage employers to support young people in training towards SVQ Level III or Modern Apprenticeships. More recently, however, there has been a reduction in the resources directed towards this age group in order to maintain the commitment to the YT Guarantee Group and to raise the levels of skills and qualifications among 16 and 17 year olds.

3.18 There is a case for examining the criteria for eligibility of the older age group, particularly 18 year olds, for training within the Skillseekers programme. More young people are staying on at school until 6th year. Some of these young people may not leave with the qualifications to go into higher education or they may choose - as is their right - to enter employment with a view to pursuing qualifications through employer based training. LEC funding for 18-24 year olds is usually made available according to specific criteria: that the training is towards a SVQ Level III or Modern Apprenticeship; that it is in a key skills sector; and that the young people are employed. LECs also offer funding for 18 year olds who are new entrants into the labour market from school or from college.

3.19 There is also some evidence that employers see a clear business case for supporting 18 year olds through the Skillseekers programme. In most cases the young people already have qualifications and are looking for training at the technician or supervisory level leading to SVQ Level III or Modern Apprenticeship. There are also industrial and occupational sectors e.g. the oil and gas sector, where there are restrictions on the employment of 16 and 17 year olds; and other sectors where employers are looking for a level of maturity e.g. childcare, nursery staff. One of the arguments for extending eligibility is that young people aged 18 (and above) are likely to complete the qualification more quickly and attract a bigger employer contribution. The training programme is, therefore, achieving maximum benefit for minimum cost. Given the constraints on resources, it would be helpful to have views on how to balance the potential skills benefits of funding the upper age range and the needs of the younger and more disadvantaged group.

3.20 Young people who have reached the age of 18 will become eligible to enter New Deal where they have claimed Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 6 months, or if they are in one of the special needs groups for early entry. This offers a possible route to work through the employer option or to full-time education and training. It may also be appropriate, however, for young people to enter training through Skillseekers where this can offer the progression and development opportunities that they require.   Questions

Q7: Is there a case for offering Skillseekers training to all 18 year old school leavers on the basis that this would be their first entry into labour market? Would this case also apply to young people who have pursued a further qualification at a FE college?

Q8: Should the funding continue to be discretionary but on the basis that it should be available across all LEC areas?

Q9: If so, should the funding be targeted specifically towards the higher skills levels (SVQ Level III or Modern Apprenticeship) or should the scope be widened to include SVQ Level II?

Modern Apprenticeships

3.21 Modern Apprenticeships which, in Scotland, are delivered within the Skillseekers programme are an important tool in the strategy to drive up the level of qualifications in the workplace. The Skills Audit showed that Scotland is lagging behind in the achievement of Level III qualification. Modern Apprenticeships offer a young person a structured framework to achieve the core qualification at SVQ Level III and, in addition, to obtain a range of core skills and other industry related skills. Most importantly, the Modern Apprenticeship frameworks are designed by an industry or occupational sector to ensure that young people acquire both the knowledge and skills required by that industry. MAs offer employers the opportunity to build up a skilled workforce to ensure the future of their industry.

3.22 Good progress has been made in the last 2 years in increasing the number of Modern Apprenticeships but there are a number of sectors where uptake is low. "Opportunity Scotland" identified this problem and set a target of 15,000 Modern Apprenticeships to be in place by the year 2002. Uptake in the traditional sectors, such as construction and engineering, is good but there is still scope to increase the numbers both there and especially in non-traditional sectors such as banking and insurance. Employers should encourage young people to take up Modern Apprenticeships and, in particular, the employers' National Training Organisations, who have the lead role in promoting Modern Apprenticeships, should be advocating uptake within their own sectors. The enterprise network, through the Modern Apprenticeship Implementation Group, will be working closely with NTOs in Scotland to identify ways of promoting uptake at local level.

3.23 The patterns of participation among young men and young women also give cause for concern. The traditional sectors, which already have a large uptake, are predominantly male. There is clearly scope for increasing the number of young women in some of the traditional trades. There is even more scope among the non-traditional sectors, such as early years education and information technology. There are significant opportunities to recruit more young women into this higher level of skills training.

3.24 Only a very small percentage of young people from ethnic minorities participate either in Skillseekers or in Modern Apprenticeships. Views are invited on the factors which might lead young people from ethnic minorities to reject training as a valid option when they leave school; and ideas to increase their participation in training, particularly in Modern Apprenticeships, would be particularly welcome.   Questions

Q10: How can the number of young people taking up a Modern Apprenticeship be increased? In particular, how can the number of young women in both traditional and non-traditional sectors be increased?

Q11: How can more young people from ethnic minority groups be attracted into training? And into Modern Apprenticeships? What are the factors which may create barriers to participation?

Employers

3.25 Through the Skillseekers programme, we have seen many more employers actively engaged in training and supporting young people to achieve qualifications. The increase in the number of employers willing to employ young people while training (currently over 70% of Skillseekers are employed) makes the programme more attractive to young people and, according to the Skillseekers Evaluation, has direct benefits for the employer in terms of increased commitment and productivity. However, only approximately one in ten employers are engaged in Skillseekers. Those employers are mainly large employers in the manufacturing, construction and distributive trade sectors. There is a much lower participation among small to medium companies. The Skillseekers Evaluation also found that among non-participating employers only 37% of smaller companies were providing training to a recognised qualification.

3.26 A recent research report for Robert Gordon University also sheds light on the views of employers on training. There seems to be a polarisation between companies who offer training opportunities to a substantial proportion of their staff and those who provide training for only very few, if any. There are particular concerns about the attitude of employers to offering training which leads to a formal qualification. According to the research, only 11% of employers support this kind of training compared to 44% who offer more general training.

3.27 It seems that the main reasons for employers not offering training opportunities may be because of lack of information about what opportunities may be available or uncertainties about the benefits which training could bring. It is important to find out more about why so many employers are reluctant to support training and, in particular, training towards a formal qualification. The introduction of the Right to Time Off for Study or Training will place a duty on employers to allow their 16 and 17 year old employees paid time off for study or training up to a Level II qualification. However, there is clearly more scope for employers to offer training to young people at the higher skills level. A wider range of employers must be engaged in training in order to achieve the skilled workforce needed to ensure the future of our economy.   Questions

Q12: How can more employers be encouraged to support young people in training through Skillseekers and Modern Apprenticeships? What more could the National Training Organisations do?

Integrated Provision

3.28 The objective of this consultation paper is to explore ways of extending opportunity and choice within the range of post-school provision. Some young people may benefit more from the opportunity to acquire skills through work-based training and gain vocational qualifications; others may choose college based courses to gain relevant qualifications before looking for work. The movement of young people between the work-based training route and college, (and vice versa) suggests that there may be scope for better progression, or indeed integration, between further education and training. In this way a smoother transition and more effective provision for young people whose prime goal is to achieve vocational skills and qualifications could be created.

3.29 The case for more integrated provision is that it would allow young people to combine the acquisitions of skills more effectively with the underpinning knowledge and understanding. There would also be greater scope for the development of core skills (literacy, numeracy, IT, working with others, and problem solving). It would potentially allow flexibility in the length of time spent on theoretical and practical aspects depending on the requirements of the employer or occupation, and the aptitude of the individual. It could also minimise the duplication of learning and reduce the time spent by the young person in completing their qualification(s).

3.30 There are a number of examples of colleges, LECs and local authorities collaborating to promote the development of more integrated courses which allow young people to combine attendance at college with on the job training with an employer. In a number of cases the young person achieves both a HNC and SVQ Level III or Modern Apprenticeship. There are different ways in which further education courses and training could be integrated: combine college attendance with on the job training and/or; combine theory and practical experience and/or; combine FE (NC, HN) qualifications with work-based (SVQs) and/or; promote ease of movement by students between college and employer based provision with credit transfer.

The choice of a college course or Skillseekers training should continue to be an important part of provision for 16-18 year olds on leaving school but the opportunity to pursue more integrated courses could be attractive to a number of young people and employers.

Funding and Administration

3.31 There are, potentially, a number of important and difficult questions about how such courses would be funded and administered. At the moment, integrated courses tend to be developed through collaboration by local agencies to suit local needs. If integrated courses were promoted as part of the standard provision in Scotland, there would have to be a careful examination of the implications for funding and administrative structures within colleges, LECs and possibly local authorities. There would also have to be consideration of the role of employers who may have a legitimate role in "commissioning" and funding courses .

3.32 If the idea of integrated courses is promoted there would be expectation that young people in different parts of the country should receive a similar level of provision to a similar level of quality. It would be necessary, therefore, to develop a framework for the funding, management and administration of such provision. The FastTrac project in Fife offers a model of a fully integrated funding system. The non-advanced further education budget for 16-18 year old students in the Fife colleges is channelled through the LEC. The colleges are funded by the LEC on the basis of an agreed output based funding system for "starts", attendance and outputs. This is "real time" funding rather than the retrospective funding which is the norm for colleges. It could be argued that current year funding allows the colleges to plan more effectively to meet the needs of this particular group of students.

3.33 FastTrac offers one model of funding. There will be an opportunity to discuss the operation of that model following the dissemination conference later this year. Alternative models for funding integrated courses should also be explored. One approach might be a more structured collaboration between LECs and colleges, and including employers, in a local area to fund jointly an agreed range of integrated courses.

3.34 If there was to be a development of joint funding mechanisms, this would demand a change in approach from education and training providers, and possibly employers. Ideas from all the relevant agencies and organisations are invited on whether more integrated funding is desirable and how it might be achieved.

3.35 There are 2 other important issues: the range of qualifications within integrated courses; and financial support arrangements for young people. The implication of an integrated course is that it could qualify a young person for a work-related qualification. The new Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework which is being developed should help. It will build on the existing SCOTCAT system in further and higher education and cover all Scottish qualifications - school, college, higher education, work-based and professional - including the new Higher Still qualifications. It will provide clear information on the levels and credits awarded to all Scottish qualifications, to assist progression between qualifications. In some cases credits from one qualification will be transferable towards another.

3.36 On financial support, there has been a potential inequity. Under current arrangements, a Skillseeker will receive a wage (if employed) or an allowance, usually £4550 per week. A college student may be eligible for a bursary which is administered by the college and may range from no award to £50 per week depending on individual circumstances. The Government will be piloting a system of education maintenance allowances which will encourage young people from lower income families to continue in full-time education at school or college and this should help to reduce the financial disparities among different routes to education and training.

Questions

Q13: Would the development of a bigger range of integrated provision offer a way to improve the delivery of post-school education and training for young people whose prime objective was the labour market?

Q14: How should integrated provision be managed? Should one agency take the lead? Or should there be a partnership arrangement?

Q15: Who would be responsible for funding the provision? Should there be integrated funding and would budgets be pooled? What kind of funding system should operate - output based funding or attendance funding or some combination?

Q16: What range of qualifications should be funded?

Q17 What should be the financial support arrangements for the young people?

Q18: Is it right that the main focus of integrated provision should be the labour market? How would employers be brought into the design and delivery? Should it reflect national as well as local labour market needs?

Risk of Social Exclusion

3.37 The development of more integrated provision, coupled with enhanced guidance and support, may offer a way to increase participation and improve attainment among 16-18 year olds who are underachieving. For young people who have a very low level of basic skills and lack the personal and social skills to cope with the transition to further education, training or employment, there is an urgent need to rethink our current provision.

3.38 Since April 1998, the Beattie Committee has been looking closely at the needs of young people in the 16-18 age group who are both "disaffected" and disadvantaged not just educationally, but socially, emotionally and in other ways. The consultation work carried out by the Beattie Committee is proving to be particularly influential and informative in helping us to focus on key areas of need. There are 2 other major developments which offer valuable insights into the kind of provision which may meet the needs of the most vulnerable and "hard to reach" young people are the introduction of the New Deal Gateway and the report, "Communities: Change through Learning" which recommends a new approach to community education.

3.39 This paper has identified the broad grouping of young people who have more complex needs and face a number of barriers to participation in post-school education and training. The Beattie Committee will report in June 1999 with recommendations on how to improve post-school provision for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. A wide range of organisations and agencies have already given their views to the Committee on ways to address the complex needs and it would not be appropriate to pre-empt that report. This paper focuses on the problem of underachievement but there will be an opportunity to comment on the Beattie Committee report and thus to address in more detail the problems faced by disadvantaged young people who are alienated from the education and training system.