White Paper fee concerns

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) published its White Paper on Further Education, entitled Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances, at the end of March. The WEA submitted a formal response to the White Paper in June.

Peter Templeton, WEA Director of Education and Strategy, responded to the White Paper with the following statement:

“We recognise the clarity provided by the White Paper and the attention it pays to the issues and proposals in last year’s report by Sir Andrew Foster. We also have noted the positive response there has been from General Further Education colleges.”

“We welcome, within the clear drive on the importance of a high quality and responsive FE system, the desire to promote specialist providers and the role intended for the voluntary sector. Within this, the proposed involvement of learners and community groups in planning provision is naturally welcomed by the WEA.”

“However, we have real concerns about what will happen to those over 25 on relatively low incomes who do not qualify for fee remission. The increasing fee contribution will discourage potential learners - many from hard-pressed families, on fixed incomes or from more marginalised communities - the very people we need to keep in education for the promotion of social inclusion and equality of opportunity mentioned elsewhere in the White Paper.”

“We must all argue that students shouldn’t have to pay for 100% of bureaucracy if they have to eventually equally share the cost of provision. By cutting this bureaucracy we could recover some of the flexibility essential to supporting and innovating in teaching and learning in thousands of venues all over the country”.

“The WEA will fit well into the specialisation proposals as a distinctive Adult and Community Learning provider - and as the largest LSC funded voluntary provider of education in England, we are well placed to contribute to the development of the newly-named area of Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL). However, the White Paper takes little account of what national voluntary organisations have to offer in education. Following discussions with the DfES the LSC has now agreed that it will work with the WEA and a number of other national charities to address this issue.”

The DfES is inviting individuals and organisations to respond to the Paper through its website (see links at bottom of this page). WEA students and volunteers are also encouraged to raise issues in the White Paper with their local MPs.

Key Proposals in the White Paper

• a clear focus for Further Education (FE) providers to concentrate on skills and employability
• funding changes to give 19-25 year-olds the same right to free education as 16-19 year-olds on recognised qualifications
• a commitment to year-on-year fee rises for learners leading eventually to a 50% fee contribution for those adults who are not entitled to fee remission
• plans for greater specialisation of each FE provider.

Links

DfES webpage about White Paper including links to summary and full version

WEA response to White Paper: PDF (44KB)