What does the NUS make of the policies announced by each party for the FE and skills sector?
We support expanding apprenticeships and there being more ways to upskill and routes towards chosen careers – but there must be greater funding across the education sector, so that giving to one group of students isn’t taking funding away from another.
More flexibility around apprenticeships would be great – but the fact remains that apprentices are hugely underpaid. We’d like to see a pledge from all parties to bring the £4.81 apprentice minimum wage in line with the living wage.
We’d like the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to be reformed. Currently, regulation doesn’t work for anyone, and partnerships with apprentices themselves must be at the core of IfATE’s work.
We also need to see day release to our high-quality FE colleges as the delivery method for off-the-job training. At the moment, the government contracts private companies to provide huge amounts of training – when the money and staffing would be much better placed in the hands of colleges.
Of the policies announced, which do you think is:
a) most useful for students?
Most useful, probably increasing the supply of degree apprenticeships and boosting their use in a more diverse range of areas and among small businesses.
However, we need apprenticeships to be a feasible option in the first place. The apprentice minimum wage is nowhere near enough for anyone to survive, let alone thrive in their studies or placement. I’ve heard stories of hard-working apprentices foregoing meals, not turning on the heating and sacrificing other essentials.
Only 30 per cent of apprentices think their income covers travel to college and placements, and one in five believe it covers the cost of tools and equipment.
These learners are crucial to the future of our economy and they need to be able to have the time and money to make the most of their education.
I want to see more routes into peoples’ chosen careers. There’s no one correct path to success and every individual has preferred ways of learning and accessing education.
b) least useful?
Least useful is the establishment of 'Voxbridge' colleges. Why throw money down the drain on institutions the sector doesn’t need or want?
What are the key demands of students in the FE and skills sector currently?
The NUS Cost of Living campaign is calling for targeted support for students and apprentices across FE and HE.
A survey we ran this summer found that one in three students is living on £50 or less a month after paying rent and bills – and this was before the massive hike in energy bills. Students have been left with no option but to cut back even further, and we’re getting to a point where there’s nothing left to cut back on.
The Apprentice minimum wage is nowhere near enough for anyone to survive
Students are working every hour they can to make ends meet, and many are faced with having to drop out as they can’t afford to lose hours or meet the cost of travelling to their courses or placements.
When colleges are expected to make yet more cuts, the first thing to go is often student mental health support and supported learning. This obviously has a really negative impact on the student experience as well as achievement and retention.
Short term, students need an immediate cost of living payment to get through the immediate shock of massive inflation and soaring energy costs. Students have so far missed out on council tax rebates, energy support, and help through Universal Credit.
Long term, grants, loans and bursaries need to be overhauled. We also need to modernise the hardship funding available to students – in many cases the application process is unnecessarily complex and requires proof of an extremely high level of hardship. Not all students are always able to access these funds either, such as international students.
What areas of the sector do you want the two parties to pay more attention to?
Both parties need to pay attention to FE and apprenticeships – they are always the last to be thought about and are severely underfunded.
We need government to take immediate action to support students and apprentices. They need money now to avoid dropping out but also, just to be able to survive.