Below we set out the national partners' outline plans to take forward the recommendations in Lord Leitch's report. During spring 2007 QIA and the national partners will work with employers and colleges and providers to ensure the detailed plans reflect the needs of colleges and providers, learners and employers.
Proposed actions for the Improvement Strategy Partners to respond to the recommendations of the Leitch review of skills, Prosperity for all in the global economy - world-class skills
Leitch Recommendation: a demand-led system driven by individuals and employers, influenced by collective employer voice. [Paragraph 4.11]
Proposed actions
L.1.1 Improvement Strategy partners will work with colleges and providers to develop a shared understanding of the implications of the Leitch report. This will provide the basis for the development of a coherent and co-ordinated programme of support to help the system become more market-driven.
An early priority is to engage sector leaders in developing a clear analysis of the leadership and leadership development implications of the proposals in order that they can be supported to lead strategic change in their organisations. This process has been initiated by CEL on behalf of the national partners in order to inform the Improvement Strategy. 1 Detailed proposals to support change across the system will be developed in the context of the 2007 Budget and the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement in summer 2007.
Early analysis of the proposals suggests that support will need to:
Leitch Recommendation: 95% of adults achieving functional literacy and numeracy (an increase from 85% literacy and 79% numeracy in 2005). [Paragraph 3.6, bullet point 1]
Proposed actions
L.2.1 QIA will consider how it can extend its Skills for Life Improvement Programme and will embed Skills for Life across all relevant QIA programmes, including the Development Programme for Train to Gain and the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme
L.2.2 LLUK will plan for increased capacity in the Skills for Life workforce and include it in their workforce strategy
L.2.3 CEL will consider the leadership and management implications of these revised Skills for Life targets and revise its programmes as appropriate
L.2.4 Improvement Strategy partners will consider how they could work with Ufi to identify the lessons learnt and build on the successful Ufi Skills for Life offer
Leitch Recommendation: exceeding 90% of the adult population qualified to at least Level 2 (an increase from 69% in 2005) with a commitment to reaching 95% as soon as possible. [Paragraph 3.6, bullet point 2]
Proposed actions
Improvement Strategy partners will work together to:
L.3.1 research the variations in quality and success rates at Level 2 geographically, by subject, by learner group and by provider, and identify problem areas, barriers to success and critical success factors
L.3.2 consult with colleges and providers to identify the support they need to improve Level 2 provision
L.3.3 develop coherent and integrated action plans to ensure their programmes address the quality issues in provision at Level 2, including leadership implications, workforce capacity, teaching and learning
L.3.4 ensure their programmes support provision below Level 2 and improved progression routes to Level 2
L.3.5 ensure effective practice in delivering Level 2 provision is shared via the QIA Excellence Gateway
Leitch Recommendation: shifting the balance of intermediate skills from Level 2 to Level 3, improving the esteem, quantity and quality of intermediate skills with 1.9 million additional Level 3 attainments over the period to 2020 and boosting the number of apprenticeships to 500,000 a year. [Paragraph 3.6, bullet point 3]
Proposed actions
Improvement Strategy partners will work together to:
L.4.1 research the variations in quality and success rates at Level 3 geographically, by subject, by learner group and by provider, and identify problem areas, barriers to success and critical success factors
L.4.2 consult with colleges and providers to identify the support they need to improve Level 3 provision
L.4.3 develop coherent and integrated action plans to ensure their programmes address the quality issues in provision at Level 3, including leadership implications, workforce capacity, teaching and learning
L.4.4 ensure their programmes can support improved progression routes to Level 3
L.4.5 ensure effective practice in delivering Level 3 provision is shared via the QIA Excellence Gateway
Leitch Recommendation: exceeding 40% of the adult population qualified to Level 4 or above (up from 29% in 2005) with a commitment to continue progression. [Paragraph 3.6, bullet point 4]
Proposed actions
L.5.1 Improvement Strategy partners will agree with colleges and providers, the DfES, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the Higher Education Academy the roles and responsibilities in supporting colleges and providers delivering Level 4 provision
L.5.2 Improvement Strategy partners will work with HEFCE, QAA and the Higher Education Academy to agree coherent action plans to ensure programmes are in place that address the quality and improvement issues in Level 4 provision, including leadership implications, workforce capacity, teaching and learning and the sharing of effective practice across both sectors
L.5.3 QIA will continue their discussions with the QAA, the Higher Education Academy and HEFCE about FE in HE and HE in FE to ensure effective practice is shared across sectors and that effective progression routes are developed between the FE and HE
Leitch Recommendation: increase employer engagement and investment in skills. Reform, re-license, and empower SSCs to: lead qualifications reform; collate and communicate sector labour market data; raise employer engagement, demand and investment; and consider the introduction of collective measures such as levies or licences to practise. [Paragraph 4.27, bullets 2, 3 and 4]
Proposed actions
QIA will:
L.6.1 extend and strengthen the Development Programme for Train to Gain (including responsiveness to employers) to all relevant providers, and ensure it supports the roll out of the 'New standard'
L.6.2 develop relationships with SSCs to ensure they feed sector-specific requirements into improvement programmes - LLUK will work with the other SSCs to ensure sector-specific requirements are fed into its workforce development planning
Leitch Recommendation: deliver more economically valuable skills by allowing public funding for vocational qualifications where the content has been approved by SSCs. [Paragraph 4.27, bullet 1]
Proposed actions
L.7.1 QIA will ensure the Commission for Employment and Skills and the Skills for Business network inform future phases of the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme and other activities.
Leitch Recommendation: launch a new programme to improve basic skills for those out of work, embedding this support for disadvantaged people and repeat claimants. [Paragraph 7.43]
Proposed actions
L.8.1 QIA will continue discussions with Jobcentre Plus/DWP about how QIA's programmes can be extended to cover Jobcentre Plus/DWP providers; QIA will aim to ensure that materials and approaches developed through its programmes including Skills for Life programmes are appropriate and relevant to adult lives, including adults with disabilities/learning difficulties and health/mental heath difficulties.
L.8.2 LLUK will identify the skills required for community-based Skills for Life interventions and embed them within its training and CPD qualifications' frameworks.
1. A discussion paper can be found on the CEL website at www.centreforexcellence.org.uk/UsersDoc/LeitchReviewCELanalysis.pdf