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Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 820: 25th October 2025. 72 Pages, 12 Mentions Of Careers: Where's The Post 16 White Paper Signposting Strategy? FE Soundbite 820
NEBOSH is sponsoring this week’s Soundbite
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.
Soundbite Sponsor Spotlight
The Changing Learner Landscape: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Tim Oates CBE unveils new research on the 13th November at 1-2pm, where he will be exploring how 16-25 year-olds want to learn in 2024.
Supported by NEBOSH and the Federation of Awarding Bodies, Tim's report combines multiple strands of evidence revealing critical shifts in learner expectations and behaviours. Discover what young people really want from skills training, which assessment strategies are working across Europe, and the key trends that will shape technical and vocational education over the next decade. This is essential for anyone working with learners or planning provision in our evolving landscape.
Gavin’s Reflective Perspective
Well, that seems like an incredibly long week! I heard about the new V Levels being launched at 9am last Saturday (being launched at 22.30pm on Sunday, not sure the logic in launching a new type of qualification on a Sunday evening)?... and that the Post 16 White Paper was coming Monday afternoon. Afternoon turned to evening and then boom, we had the Post 16 White paper... and wow, it was a beast with 72 pages.
Post 16 White Paper
Here is Dan's Deep Dive on the Post 16 White Paper (it has been very popular)... this will save you a weekend of wading through 72 pages of a White Paper.
Or if you want to see what the key influencers and sector experts thought about the Post 16 White Paper, here is our famous Sector Response to the White Paper. So don't worry, FE News has got you covered.
72 pages, well obviously there is some interesting stuff in here, from Skills Passports, Mixing and Matching V Levels with A Levels, more on the Growth and Skills Levy, especially the flexies:
Apprenticeship Units
The White Paper revealed more on those Flexies we heard about for ages on the Growth and Skills levy... from April 2026, employers can use levy funds for “apprenticeship units”, short, flexible training courses in critical skills areas built on employer-designed occupational standards. Interesting!
There was also more on Governance and Lifelong Learning interesting.
So What Wasn't In The Post 16 White Paper? The Glue of Careers Advice!
Now, I have found it is wise... when Deirdre Hughes talks, it is incredibly wise to listen! Deirdre highlighted that in the 72 pages of the White Paper, there are only 12 mentions of “careers” and zero mentions of “careers advisers”... which is slightly alarming!
How on earth are we going to signpost learners to the new V Levels, to the priority skills areas, to lifelong learners on careers transitions.. to highlight the national need for 400,000 skilled workers for the Clean Energy Jobs plan??
Will we learn the lessons from the T Level rollout for V Levels?
So, two of my fav exclusive articles this week (outside of Deirdre's Careers article) was FAB's Rob Nitsch on V Levels and learning the lessons from the introduction of T Levels (in the summer, on Level 3 results day, only 11,900 students received T Level results... our of 1.1 Million students)!?
I also loved Andy Forbes article on looking at the White Paper through a lifelong learning lens.
Solving the SEND Crisis
Now with V Levels, the post 16 white Paper... you can be excused for thinking this was the main activity this week... erm no!
Bridget Philipson responded to Education Select Committee and Helen Hayes 'Solving The SEND Crisis' report. This is really important... for all sorts of reasons... but as we covered in Soundbite last week, the shadow of not having SEND support early casts a long shadow!
How would you like to personally get involved to Fix the SEND Crisis?
Now as you know, SEND and Neuro-inclusion is really important to me. So... we are working with the Education Training Foundation and have just announced the SEND Collective on the 12th Feb in London (Tavistock Square). We are getting the gang together and we are all going to share our ideas and strategies to make immediate impact for learners and also for you to join us and shape a report to make your suggestions to fix the SEND crisis we are in. Tickets are limited... and we need your help!
Green Mindset
Talking of Collectives, we have the Green Mindset Collective next week, I can't wait to get started on this. We have set the platform, the environment and a safe collaborative space... now it is all down to the Collective to come together and share their vision of the Green Mindset. I CANNOT WAIT! The report will be coming out in mid-December!
Which has amazing timing, especially as the Government launched their Clean Energy Jobs Plan (for 400,000 skilled roles) this week!
I hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week... and if you are going to the Green Mindset Collective, I am really looking forward to working with you at the collective!
Epic Exclusives Thought Leadership Articles
Our Top 3 Thought Leadership Articles This Week
V Levels: Why Professional Careers Guidance Has Never Been More Critical By Associate Professor Deirdre Hughes OBE, University of Warwick IER and Director, dmh associates & CareerChat UK
What Could V Levels Take From The T Level Experience? By Rob Nitsch, Chief Executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB)
Investment in Skills Must be at the Heart of the Autumn Budget By Alison Morris, Director of Policy, Skills Federation
This week, we also had some other Epic Exclusives!
Navigating the AI ‘Wild West’ By Dr Evelina Galaczi, Director of Research, English, at Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Skills White Paper: “We Will Make Lifelong Learning a Reality…” By Andy Forbes, Executive Director, Lifelong Education Institute
Energy and Utility Skills: Skills, Training and Professional Development Must Fuel the Future By Paul Stannard, Senior Policy Manager at AELP
What do Education Providers Really Think about AI? By Rob Telfer, Director of Higher Education at D2L
From Performance Partners to Admins: What Happened to L&D’s Influence? By Al Bird, CEO at Instep
What’s New in the World of FE?
Announcements
New Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper Now live By the Department for Education (DfE)
V Levels To Replace 900 ‘Confusing’ Level 3 Qualifications. New ‘Mix and Match’ Qualification Model Of V Levels and A Levels For Students By the Department for Education (DfE)
Bridget Phillipson Response to the ‘Solving the SEND Crisis’ Education Select Committee Report By the Department for Education (DfE)
Opportunity, Ambition and Action: Energy & Utility Skills Group response to the Clean Energy Jobs Plan By the Energy & Utility Skills Group
Reports
Employers Call for Urgent Action to Tackle UK Finance Skills Gaps By AAT
Voices
Using Data to Unlock New Funding and Partnerships By Adam Herbert, CEO and Co-Founder of Go Live Data
In The Know
We have just launched our SEND Collective in partnership with ETF. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I would highly recommend it! This is going to be a game-changer for how our sector tackles SEND and Neuro-inclusion.
The system is broken, and we need practical solutions NOW!
Join us on Feb 12th in London for a collective intelligence event where you'll co-create strategies and policy recommendations alongside sector leaders. This isn't lectures, it's rolling up sleeves and making real change.
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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