Pathways to Success
Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, places the forthcoming Provider Access Legislation within the context of the North East Strategic Economic Plan.
From January 2023 the new, strengthened Provider Access Legislation will require all maintained schools and academies to provide six encounters with providers of technical education or apprenticeships for year 8 to 13 pupils. Key information from the Careers & Enterprise Company can be found here.
The legislation presents a timely opportunity to ensure that by working together across the North East, all of our young people understand the full range of education, employment and training pathways available to them.
Schools are being asked to open their doors wider to other further education and training providers to ensure that their pupils are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships, T Levels and other approved technical education qualifications and can consider them, alongside academic options, when making choices about their future. Providers will also need to ensure that they are producing high quality information sessions and resources that engage young people and help explain the different pathways available.
There is already lots of work being done by schools and providers working together across the North East. Embracing this new legislation offers the opportunity to build even stronger partnerships and networks that will help furnish pupils with the knowledge and understanding they need to make fully informed decisions about all available options. Delivering the meaningful encounters called for in the legislation can inspire and inform learners and help broaden their horizons.
We have made a commitment to support each and every young person in the North East LEP area to have access to good careers guidance and we see how this legislation further supports this mission.
The region shares a collective responsibility to support our young people at key transition points, enabling them to pursue the learning opportunities and approaches that suit them best.
Whilst traditional academic pathways are still a central part of the offer and will suit many of our young people, the technical pathways enhance this offer with a range of qualifications designed with employers’ input and focusing on the needs of the economy and society. The Skills for Life White Paper highlights the UK’s skills gap and states, “Redressing this will be critical to improving our productivity and international competitiveness. This is why we intend to prioritise the courses and qualifications that enable people to get great jobs and which will support our economy to compete with the world’s best.”
In summary, by helping our young people better understand all of the opportunities available to them, we will enable individuals to reach their full potential whilst contributing to the labour market our economy needs to create ‘more and better jobs’ for the North East.