Update on Post-16 Level 3 and below qualification with low and no enrolments in work-based learning
Changes to the timeline for the removal of ESFA funding
At the end of February 2020 we shared the ESFA’s plans to remove funding for post-16 level 3 and below qualifications with low and no enrolments, after 31 July 2021. This affects 16-18 year-olds on study programmes, and 19+ year-olds funded under the Adult Education Budget, the European Social Fund (ESF), or accessing Advanced Learner Loans.
The ESFA set up a process for awarding bodies to make a request to retain public funding where removal would have an adverse impact on specific individuals or schools, or on specific occupational or geographical areas. They are aware of the pressures on awarding bodies and schools, colleges and training providers, due to the current unprecedented circumstances, and have therefore set out revised timelines.
For qualifications with no funded enrolments: the ESFA originally required awarding bodies to inform them of any requests to retain funding by 27 March 2020. The ESFA has extended the deadline will confirm which qualifications will have a funding end date of 31 July 2021, shortly after September 2020.
For qualifications with low publicly funded enrolments: the process is being suspended. Qualifications with low enrolments will retain funding approval for 2021/22. The ESFA will re-launch the notification process for these in the autumn and these qualifications could have funding removed for 2022/23.
What does this mean for you?
Due to the revised timeline:
69 qualifications offered in work-based learning providers will now have funding approval removed from the end of July 2021. These qualifications have had no enrolments since 2015/16. We will not be submitting requests to retain public funding for these qualifications.
We will be in touch about qualifications with low enrolments when the ESFA restarts the process in the autumn. The ESFA will not remove funding for these qualifications in 2021/22.
Please see below for more information and the full list of work-based learning qualifications affected.
If you’d like to talk to us about any of the qualifications affected, please contact wblcentresupport@pearson.com.
FAQs
500/8989/4 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Diploma in Work-Based Environmental Conservation
500/9273/X Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Employment Awareness in Active Leisure and Learning
500/9521/3 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Site Inspection
500/9749/0 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Peer Education
501/0621/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Maintenance and Installation
501/1029/9 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Logistics Operations
501/1111/5 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Traffic Office
501/1766/X Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Maternity and Paediatric Support
501/1767/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support Services
501/2059/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Certificate in Traffic Office
501/2216/2 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Perioperative Support
501/2320/8 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Emergency Fire Services Operations in the Community
600/0008/9 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Award in the Delivery of Conflict Management Training
600/0070/3 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Disengagement and Physical Intervention Skills
600/0090/9 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Disengagement and Non-restrictive Physical Intervention Skills
600/0379/0 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Knowledge of Custodial Care
600/0403/4 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Award In Compartment Fire Behaviour Training
600/0404/6 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate In Compartment Fire Behaviour Training
600/0486/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Facilities Management Practice
600/0698/5 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Emergency Fire and Rescue Services Operations in the Community
600/1084/8 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Fire and Rescue Services in the Community
600/1217/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Award in Employee Rights and Responsibilities in the Logistics Industry
600/1236/5 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Sales
600/1337/0 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Sales
600/1490/8 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Providing Financial Services
600/1891/4 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Barista Skills
600/1894/X Pearson BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Aviation Studies for Air Cadets
600/2407/0 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Learning and Development
600/2642/X Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Fire Safety (Fire Auditors)
600/2696/0 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Warehousing and Storage
600/2714/9 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Certificate in International Trade and Logistics Operations
600/2933/X Pearson Edexcel Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Marketing
600/2955/9 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Activity Provision in Social Care
600/3050/1 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Improving Performance for Manufacturing Engineering Operations
600/3263/7 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Plastering (Construction)
600/3504/3 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Insurance Claims Handling
600/3576/6 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Marketing
600/3994/2 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Wall and Floor Tiling (Construction)
600/4025/7 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Wood Occupations (Construction)
600/7813/3 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Building Services Engineering for Technicians
600/7908/3 Pearson BTEC Level 1 Certificate in Teamwork, Personal Skills and Citizenship in Youth Organisations
600/7939/3 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Emergency Fire Services Control Operations
600/8242/2 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Emergency Fire Services Watch Management
600/8597/6 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Leisure Operations
600/9097/2 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Decorative Finishing - Painting and Decorating (Construction)
600/9098/4 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Formwork (Construction)
600/9602/0 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Certificate in Funeral Operations and Services
600/9666/4 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Award in Employment and Personal Learning Skills in Health
601/0116/7 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Certificate in Funeral Operations and Services
601/0117/9 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Award in Employment and Personal Learning Skills in Health
601/0121/0 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Funeral Operations and Services
601/0122/2 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Funeral Operations and Services
601/1224/4 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Trade Business Services
601/1291/8 Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Diploma in Trade Business Services
601/1292/X Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Certificate in Trade Business Services
601/2471/4 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Knowledge of Defence Policing
601/2543/3 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering Maintenance
601/2668/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Built Environment Design
601/4047/1 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance
601/5081/6 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Providing Security Services
601/5165/1 Pearson LCCI Level 1 Certificate in Bookkeeping (VRQ)
601/5230/8 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Award for Deliverers of Physical Intervention Training within the Private Security Industry
601/5379/9 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Facilities Management
601/6024/X Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Construction)
601/6188/7 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Recruitment
601/6283/1 Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Recruitment Practice
601/7389/0 Pearson BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Foundation Competence)
601/8246/5 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Policing
- 601/8682/3 Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners
As a result of the first stage of the DfE’s Review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England, the ESFA announced the qualifications with low or no funded enrolments that will have funding removed from 31 July 2021. The ESFA published the announcement along with the full list of qualifications affected. The timeline for funding removal have now been revised.
The DfE refers to this removal of funding as ‘securing early progress’ towards a simpler post-16 vocational system before the next stage of the review is released in spring/summer 2020. In the next stage, the DfE will say more about the criteria that will be used to manage the funding approval of all post-16 level 3 and below qualifications in the future. We expect the changes to the funding approval of qualifications to take place from September 2023 onwards, in line with the rollout of T Levels.
The original ESFA list can be found on the government website.
Withdrawal of funding approval from qualifications with low and no publicly funded enrolments
The qualifications affected are all post-16, vocational qualifications, at level 3 and below, and currently have low, or no, funded enrolments.
The funding removal will affect 16-18 year-olds on study programmes, and 19+ year-olds funded under the Adult Education Budget, the European Social Fund (ESF), or accessing Advanced Learner Loans.
In line with the revised timeline, funding will be removed by the ESFA after 31 July 2021 for qualifications with no enrolments. Funding will not be removed by the ESFA for qualifications with low enrollments until 31 July 2022.
Yes, in many cases qualifications that will have funding removed, have an alternative option either available to teach now or in development.
The ESFA are aware that there may be valid reasons why a qualification that has low or no enrolments should continue to receive public funding. They have therefore also published a process for awarding organisations to make a case for the qualification where funding needs to be retained.
We have reviewed the qualifications and will not be submitting a request to retain funding for any of the qualifications with no enrolments that will have funding removed from the end of July 2021.
We will be in touch about qualifications with low enrolments when the ESFA restarts the process for removing funding for these qualifications in the autumn. Funding will not be removed by the ESFA for qualifications with low enrollments until 31 July 2022.
Further information and the full list of school and college qualifications affected can be read in this update
Post-16 level 3 and below qualifications with low and no enrolments in schools and further education
The ESFA announcement applies to funded provision in England only. We will inform you as usual if we withdraw any provision you offer with us in Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you have any questions please contact wblcentresupport@pearson.com
