More, Different and Better

I was interested to read in FE Week yesterday that there have only been 338 mature loan applications for the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans in the three weeks since the new payments launched on 8 April 2013. The article expresses concerns from the Association of Colleges (AOC) and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) about the take up of the new loans.

Interestingly, at a recent NIACE training event, one college provider stated that their applications for level 3 and above provision from 24+ adults had remained constant this year in comparison to this time in 2011/12. It appears that there is a mixed picture out there, with some providers who are pragmatically embracing the new system, finding it is possible to maintain, and even increase, learner numbers.

There are categories of learners, however, for whom the new loans may represent a real barrier to engaging in learning.  Learners aged 40+, Muslim learners, apprentices and learners with disabilities have been identified by BIS commissioned research as being potentially reluctant to fund their future learning via the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans.

To try and make the new loans a success, NIACE has been working with colleagues from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). We undertook research last year that showed that contrary to many professionals’ initial impressions, a large cross-section of learners were broadly in favour of the new loans. For many employed learners, for example, the new scheme provides a mechanism for funding their vocational learning at level 3 and above, that is significantly more attractive than what has gone before.

We’re also working together to promote the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans to providers and to offer practical support around how to effectively engage learners and assist them to make a successful loan application. We are actively supporting a national event being organised by AELP on behalf of the SFA, so that providers can explore how best to implement the new loans system.

In addition, NIACE is delivering a one day training event in London on 26 June. It will help providers that have been given a loan facility to explore practical strategies for ensuring that they maximise take up from 24+ Advanced Learning Loans and generate as much income from this source as possible. The training event has been sponsored by the SFA and is offered ‘at cost’ on a first come first served basis.

While recognising that the challenges presented by the shift from the current system to the introduction of the new 24+ Advance Learning Loans are substantial, NIACE also recognises that there are simultaneously great opportunities for providers to maximise their income from this initiative. NIACE’s training event is designed to assist providers to realise these opportunities, and to pragmatically maximise adult learners’ participation in level 3 and above learning activities, so their life chances are enhanced.

NIACE will continue to work with the sector to monitor the impact of the new loans policy and whether it does lead to a reduction in adult participation in level 3 programmes.