Highlights of the week ending 17 March
This week the Chancellor delivered his first full Budget, with a number of announcements around education and skills. This included the establishment of ‘returnerships’, a new offer promoting existing skills interventions to the over-50s; the enhancement of the existing Mid-life MOT strategy, which covers careers guidance; the delivery of 12 new investment zones which will have access to funding for skills and apprenticeships; investment in childcare; and increased devolution to Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. Following the Budget, the Government published details of the new ‘trailblazer deeper devolution deals’ for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Speaking at the Annual Apprenticeship Conference, UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant said they are currently working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to enable apprenticeships to qualify for UCAS points. Marchant told the conference they hoped to be able to make an announcement on this at the end of the calendar year.
Also this week, Kate Osborne (Lab, Jarrow) has been replaced on the Education Select Committee by Mohammad Yasin (Lab, Bedford), and membership of the public bill committee for the Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill has been confirmed.