Sajid Javid pledges £400m further education funding

Tuesday 03rd September 2019 17:12 EDT
 

The chancellor is to announce £400m of additional funding for further education in England, as part of his spending review next week.

Writing in the Guardian, Sajid Javid, pictured,  said the money - for the year 2020 to 2021 - would support the introduction of the new T-level qualifications. He vowed to treat colleges "with the seriousness they deserve".

It comes after the government announced billions of pounds in extra funding for England's schools.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the funding would help cover costs, including pensions, and would help young people "get the skills to get the right jobs".

T-levels are a new two-year qualification being introduced in England next September. They will give 16 to 19-year-olds a mix of classroom learning and "on the job" experience.

The qualifications, in subjects including accountancy and catering, have been developed in collaboration with industry.

The £400m sum will help fund new technical and vocational qualifications as well as "more expensive" courses such as science, engineering and mathematics, said Mr Javid.

However, the decision has been met with scepticism from Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union. He said there are already qualifications in place - such as BTECs - that are costly and require funding.


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