The upcoming FE White Paper must be flexible enough to respond to the vast changes that the UK economy will face in the next 10 years, a new report warns. 

A report published today by NCFE and the Campaign for Learning, Revolutionary Forces, urges the government to take immediate action to allow further education to respond to the economic recession and mass unemployment while also implementing long-term reforms to improve post-16 education.

The report is a collection of essays penned by FE experts which cover all aspects of post-16 education, explore the key challenges facing the country and consider what the government should include in the White Paper expected this autumn. 

Speaking in front of the Commons Education Select Committee in May, education secretary Gavin Williamson promised that the White Paper would be “revolutionary”.

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David Gallagher, chief executive at NCFE, said that the government needed to “act fast” to enable the education and skills sector to meet the needs of employers, adults and young people. 

“We find ourselves in unprecedented times,” he said. “While the government rightly prioritised short-term fixes to support the economy through the height of the coronavirus outbreak, now is the time where we need to start looking forward at what needs to be done to restabilise the economy, taking all factors into account.

“The challenge facing the government is twofold. With the imminent threat of job losses, mass unemployment and huge shifts in how the UK does business in light of both Covid-19 and our impending withdrawal from the European Union, the government needs to act fast to enable the education and skills sector to respond to meet the needs of employers, adults and young people in the 2020s.

“At the same time, in order for the sector to play an active role in the longer-term economic recovery effort, assurances must be made to improve the post-16 education and skills system.”

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Apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan welcomed the findings of the report. 

She said: “We are absolutely committed to levelling up opportunity across the country, and will continue to do all we can to make sure no one is left behind as a result of coronavirus.

“Further education will play a vital role in delivering the high-quality skills employers need and that will support our economic recovery. We will announce more detail in the White Paper this autumn.”

Toby Perkins, shadow minister for apprenticeships and lifelong learning, said that the government’s skills package must “safeguard the sector and ensure it is equipped to provide the courses required to enable learners of all ages to adapt to the post-Covid-19 opportunities and challenges that exist.”

Last night, the Treasury revealed that chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to announce £111 million to expand the traineeship programme and tackle the rise of youth unemployment post-coronavirus.