The Government announced in September 2020 that the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will make funding available to pay for college or university courses. This will support individuals to train, retrain and upskill over the course of their working lives.
As the Department for Education (DfE) set out in its LLE consultation response, for an Ofqual regulated technical qualification to receive LLE funding it will need to go through an Approval Gateway run by IfATE. The IfATE approval process will make sure only high-quality qualifications that give people the skills employers need receive LLE funding. The qualification gateway will open in September 2025.
The consultation ran from 16 January 2024 to 8 April 2024. IfATE invited views from anyone with an interest in levels 4 to 6 of the technical qualifications system on how IfATE approve qualifications through the new gateway.
The purpose of the consultation was to help IfATE create a simpler skills system and join up with the way they already approve Higher Technical Qualifications, T Levels, and level 2 and 3 technical qualifications.
Our response
IHE welcomes the introduction of further categories of qualifications. Many IHE members offer, or have the potential to offer, qualifications in the technical and skills space which meet student and industry demand. These have been restricted from gaining recognition and funding in the current HTQ model. As such, the broader definition of technical qualifications proposed in the consultation is a welcome development. There is an opportunity through the new model to maximise the potential of small and specialist institutions.
A key strand of our response, which reflects the priorities of the members we represent, is the issue of student choice and equality of opportunity. We welcome in particular the recognition of smaller, specialist qualifications and those which will enable students to change pathways, reskill, or try out an area of learning. We call on IfATE to consider how to make the most of the opportunity this new model presents to create more joined-up learning pathways.
In our response, we also highlighted:
- How the current occupational maps are a barrier to the development of innovative, industry-focused technical qualifications.
- That recognition needs to be given to the resource and funding required to develop new qualifications.
- The potential risks in the new approach and our proposal to introduce a ‘provider test’ as part of the approval process, to ensure that qualifications are high-quality and delivered in students' interests.
Read our full response using the download link below.