Three more regions have been named as part of the government’s first phase of post-16 further education area reviews.

The Sussex Coast, Solent and Tees Valley regions join Birmingham, Greater Manchester and Sheffield as the government begins its evaluation of school sixth forms, sixth-form colleges, FE colleges and independent providers around the country.

And there will be more to come. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Bis) confirmed that “further area reviews will be announced shortly”.

The government published its post-16 area review guidance document on 8 September, and expects the process to be completed by March 2017. The reviews are intended to assess the economic and educational needs of each region, and the implications of these for post-16 education and training provision.

Skills minister Nick Boles said: “We are developing a further education system which creates a productive, innovative and competitive workforce for the 21st century.

“These reviews will support the hard work of FE teachers and lecturers across the country, and give local people and businesses a greater say over how and what young people are taught.”