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Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 814: 13th September 2025 | How Do We Ensure That Provision and Learners Don’t Fall Through The Gaps of Local and National Government? FE News is 22 years old this week! New data shows NEETs going 'off-grid' while MPs highlight a patchwork of services. Could the recent Cabinet reshuffle make things worse?
This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here's a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles from sector influencers and thought leaders across FE and Skills this week on FE News.
Gavin’s Reflective Perspective
So another busy week. But a lot of uncertainty is in the air! Particularly on the split of provision between DWP (which has now inherited Skills) and DfE, which has FE and HE. Now FE is a blurry term to me… we had an opportunity last Friday to put everything under the same roof and as someone who messaged me on Friday said.. ‘there is a real danger of joined up thinking happening in Government here’… I was sooo hopeful.
Is Jacqui Smith going to end up wearing too many hats?
Then, came the potential silos and splits. Jacqui Smith is under DWP as Skills Minister, but also DfE looking after FE and HE? ... and the Minister for Women and Equalities. I mean, when push comes to shove, where will her number 1 priority be and to which department?
What Sits Where?
So where does Skills England fit (it has skills in the title, surely DWP)? Where does adult skills and lifelong learning sit? T levels, A Levels and Level 3, is that still in DfE? Who looks after Skills Bootcamps? How about careers advice and guidance?
One thing to highlight is that, from my understanding, DWP works across the UK... so a joined-up approach, but DfE, for example, is England only. So what does this mean for Skills England and joined up thinking... could we have a Skills UK (no, we have Team UK in Denmark at the moment), but surely putting all of this inside DWP, with a UK-wide view and then looking at local mayors (if they have one)!? For local, is the way to go?? But hey, what do I know?
MPs Highlight A Patchwork Of Services, Where Responsibilities And Services Often Fall Through The Cracks Between Government Departments
MPs on the Commons Work and Pensions Committee released their findings this week on the new jobs and career service… but highlighted a ‘Patchwork’ of services in England where responsibilities have too often fallen through the 'cracks’.
The MPs have highlighted that responsibilities and service have often fallen between the cracks between Government Departments and local Government (eg devolution). They also highlighted who is going to be responsible for Adult Careers Guidance after the Cabinet Reshuffle!?
The committee also found that Only A Third Of People Are Aware That The Careers Service Exists?! So talk about a patchwork of services and people falling through the cracks! Given the uncertainty and division of Skills, employability is likely to increase the chances of more people being failed by the system that should support them.
NEETs Falling Through the Cracks So Much They Are ‘Off The Grid’
This really nails home when you look at the Learning and Work report that also came out this week called Off the Grid. This is a brilliant bit of analysis and research… the timing couldn’t be better: Learning and Work's research reveals the scale of the problem: only 1 in 4 NEETs get employment support, and half aren't even claiming benefits! Talk about falling through the cracks and failing to access the necessary (and available) support and provision!
Only 1 in 4 NEETs Get Employment Support, And Half Aren't Even Claiming Benefits!
So when you look at the new structures being formed (I mean for NEETs.. half of all NEETs are aged 22-24… but the support structures in place to address NEETs.. eg Youth Guarantee is a prime example, Apprenticeship funding will be up to 21 years old... those NEETs aged 22-24 had already fallen through the provision and support gaps!
Is there a risk that more people could fall through the cracks of support and provision due to the new splits in DWP, DfE, and Local Government?
Ironically, on the same day as the NEETs data came out from Learning and Work, ONS released their data on suicide rates of students in HE. Now interestingly, the rate for students in HE is lower than the rest of society, but the data isn’t as intelligent to compare like for like to NEETs and suicide rates for peers not in education, training or work... I wonder if there is an increase in tragic suicide rates from NEETs compared to students in HE and other establishments (who no doubt should have more access to support)?
Ofsted also released their final consultation findings this week … when you take into account that Ofsted reforms were actually prompted by the tragic death of a head teacher over the pressures of Ofsted inspection... again, it rams home the importance of not letting people fall through the cracks of support and services!
DTECs Announced
The five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) were also announced this week with a £182m Investment
OECD’s Education at a Glance 2025 report highlights that despite the Government’s best efforts: The UK Is World’s Second Largest Destination For International Students
NCUB gave a fantastic piece of analysis on the OECD Education at a glance report. Now the Government couldn’t really have made it more difficult for international students to come to the UK to study… but despite this… The OECD have found that the UK is the World’s second-largest destination For International Students.
The OECD also highlighted: Nearly 60% of 25–34 year-olds in the UK now hold a higher education qualification, compared to the OECD average of 48%. So fantastic result on the UK progression routes (notice the OECD are tracking the UK, not the individual nations).
The share of 25–34 year-olds with tertiary qualifications has risen between 2019 and 2024 in almost all OECD and partner countries with available data. While the OECD average increased by 3% over this period, the UK recorded an 8% rise, from 52% to 60%, the most significant increase among G7 countries, matched only by the United States.
Completion Rate Benchmarking Compared To International Partners:
Completion rates in the UK are among the highest in the OECD, with around 80% of bachelor’s students graduating on time or shortly after, compared to the OECD average of 59%.
… and the why…The OECD found that Tertiary-educated young adults (aged 25-35) in the UK earn on average 35% more than those with only upper-secondary education, with the premium rising to 57% for master’s and doctoral graduates.
So.. as you can see a busy week! It's a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of massive announcements!
My favourite exclusive article this week was from Dr Vikki Smith from ETF. The Role of Further Education and Skills in a Sustainable Future
This is a fantastic piece from Vikki about driving the sustainability agenda through skills. Check it out!
Celebrating 22 years Of FE News and FE Careers
Also... this week is the 22nd anniversary of FE News! Thank you all so much for all of your help and support over the years. I’ve had loads of lovely messages on this LinkedIn post, so thank you everyone!
What an amazing 22 years it has been… we have had just short of 65,000 pieces of content live on FE News (at the time of writing, it is 64,895… by the time this is live, it will no doubt be 65,000 articles)! We set up FE News just a month after MySpace, four years before the iPhone was launched (and this week, we're expecting the iPhone 17 to be launched)! So thank you for all of your help and support! Time flies, but we wouldn't be here without you... Thank you!
I hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week.
Epic Exclusives Thought Leadership Articles
Our Top 3 Thought Leadership Articles This Week
Firstly, Why Retrofitting Keeps Going Wrong, and What to do About it By Charlotte Ravenscroft the author of ‘Closing the Retrofit Skills Gap’ (2025)
Secondly, College Leadership for the AI-Native Generation By David Geaney, Founder at Brava Education
Finally, The Role of Further Education and Skills in a Sustainable Future By Dr Vikki Smith, Executive Director, Education and Standards, Education Training Foundation
This week, we also had some other Epic Exclusives!
Rethinking Careers Advice In An Ever-Evolving World By Jon Kingsbury, Vice Chancellor, Ravensbourne University London
Unlocking Potential: Rethinking FE and HE for Neurodiverse Learners By Imran Mir SFHEA, FSET, CMgr MCMI, FRSA
Addressing The Critical AI Skills Gap for UK Employability via Digital Credentials By Imran Ali-Farzal, Co-CEO at KEATH.ai
What’s New in the World of FE?
Announcements
Jacqui Smith Confirms New Skills Role Across both DWP and DfE By the Department for Education (DfE)
Ofsted Clarifies Inspection Reforms Following Final Consultation Results By Ofsted
Jobcentres Shakeup Needs More Detail and Ambition, Says Work and Pensions Committee By the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
MPs Praise ‘Exciting Opportunity’ of Career Service Reform While Demanding End to ‘Patchwork’ of Services Between Government Departments By the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
£182m Investment to Build Five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges By the Ministry of Defence
Reports
New ONS Data Reveals 160 Higher Education Students Lost to Suicide Each Year, But Rates Lower Than General Population By Office for National Statistics (ONS)
OECD: The UK Is World’s Second Largest Destination For International Students By NCUB
‘Off the Grid’: Just one in four young people who are NEET get help from the employment support system to find work By the Learning and Work Institute
Voices
How to Use AI without losing trust in B2B Marketing By Adam Herbert, CEO & Co-founder, Go Live Data
In The Know
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Will you be joining us on the 30th of October in Manchester for the Green Mindset Micro Collective? This is in partnership with our friends at the Education and Training Foundation.
We hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week. Stay curious, keep innovating, and let's shake up the world of FE together, and catch you next week!
By Danny O’Meara, Digital Project Manager, FE News
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