Two Roofing Courses to Lose Out on Funding

TWO ROOFING COURSES are set to lose out on public funding as part of cuts to course numbers, aimed at making it easier for students to choose careers.

In total 5,000 courses with either low or no students are having government funding removed under plans announced by Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson.

Both of the qualifications affected are offered by the Nation Open Colleges Network (NOCN).

The provider’s Level 1 Diploma in Roof Tiling is being withdrawn having had low numbers, while the Cskills Awards Level 2 Diploma in Built-up Felt Roofing is being withdrawn as it had no students enrolled.

Move towards ‘T’ Levels

The government is seeking views from the education sector on whether any of the 5,000 qualifications on the list should continue to attract public funding from August 2021.

The move is part of the government’s plans to transform further education and training, including introducing new T Level qualifications. Alongside A Levels, new T Levels will be the standard technical course of choice for young people from 2020.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said, “Trying to decide what course will put you on the path to a great career is hard enough, but with over 12,000 qualifications available and many in the same subject – it can feel like a needle in a haystack.

“Removing funding for qualifications that have no or low numbers of enrolments will help make sure students have a clearer choice of the qualifications on offer, and ensure they get the skills they need to progress.”

David Hughes, Chief Executive of The Association of Colleges said, “Making the qualification landscape easier to navigate for students and employers is crucial for the success of technical education.

“This will help that, but at the same time I am pleased at the approach being taken which should protect highly-valued but low enrolment qualifications which provide crucial skills, often in smaller sectors of the economy. We also welcome the opportunity for colleges to feed into the process alongside the awarding bodies they work with.”