Sainsbury Review and Post-16 Skills Plan

‘Post-16 skills plan’: the government’s plan to support young people and adults to secure skilled employment and meet the needs of the economy

Lord Sainsbury has been committed to the cause of better technical education for decades. The Sainsbury panel’s membership included experts from both further and higher education, and from industry. The panel consulted widely, its deliberations were non-political and its conclusions are pragmatic.

The Post 16 Skills Plan, developed in response to “Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education“, from an expert panel chaired by Lord Sainsbury, proposes replacing the current outdated system of more than 20,000 courses provided by 160 different organisations‎ with 15 high-quality routes, with the content for those streamlined routes and standards developed and respected by employers.

The key points from the 34 recommendations in the Sainsbury Review 

1. At the age of 16, students will have to choose between the “academic option” – comprising A-levels leading to an undergraduate degree – or the new “technical option”. This will signal the end of 16-18 students being able to opt for a mixture of academic and vocational qualifications, and is likely to lead to greater specialisation in individual providers and schools. For learners, however, there will be the option of switching between the two routes after completing A-levels or equivalent qualifications.
2. In the “technical option”, students will embark on one of 15 technical education routes
   1. Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care
   2. Business and Administrative
   3. Catering and Hospitality
   4. Childcare and Education
   5. Construction
   6. Creative and Design
   7. Digital
   8. Engineering and Manufacturing
   9. Hair and Beauty
   10. Health and Science
   11. Legal, Finance and Accounting
   12. Protective Services
   13. Sales, Marketing and Procurement
   14. Social Care
   15. Transport and Logistics

3. Within each route, learners can – following a transition year or traineeship for those “not ready to access a technical education route at age 16” – choose between a two-year, college-based programme (including compulsory work experience), or an employment-based programme, such as an apprenticeship (including at least 20 per cent college-based provision). Older learners will also be entitled to take these programmes.

4. Each college programme will include a “common core” of English, maths and digital skills, as well as “specialisation towards a skilled occupation or set of occupations”.

5. After this, the pathways lead on to either level 4 or 5 higher technical education programmes, degree apprenticeships or higher apprenticeships. There will also be the option in some cases of taking “bridging provision”, leading to an undergraduate degree.

6. The new Institute for Apprenticeships will see its remit expanded to encompass “all of technical education at levels 2 to 5”. It will be responsible for bringing together expert groups to set the content and standards for each of the 15 routes.

7. The report calls on the institute to review all existing apprenticeship standards “at the earliest opportunity” to ensure there is “no substantial overlap”.

8. Each qualification at levels 2 and 3 will be awarded by a single awarding body or consortium “following an open competition”, rather than the current market, which sees awarding bodies competing with one another. There will be one qualification for each occupation (or cluster of related occupations).

9. There will be a single set of “exit requirements” of minimum standards in maths and English for both college and work-based provision. Each college student will be required to complete a “high-quality, structured work placement”, and complete a logbook to demonstrate what tasks they have undertaken and what they have learned.

Mr Boles called on employers and training providers to embrace the exciting plans and help turn this country’s highly able young people into the most skilled workforce in the world.