Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following announcement that mayors will be given control of 16-19 funding and employment support.
“Yet again this week, there is very little detail about what this will mean in practice for colleges and schools. Improved links between education, skills and local employment opportunities could be a positive step towards reducing the staggering number of young people not currently learning nor earning. However, headteachers and college principals have already raised concerns about the timescales and workload implications of delivering the Prime Minister’s new reforms, on top of a mountain of policy changes already underway. The real test will be whether there are more opportunities for young people in the postcodes where this is most needed, not fewer; and that devil will be in the detail, detail that we don’t yet have.”