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PART 4. VOICES FROM THE SECTOR AND DISCUSSIONS FROM THE T20
The dearth of systematic evidence in an under-researched FE Sector led the authors to add
two additional layers of evidence directly from the Sector and from international T20
discussion on the pandemic and education. While this evidence is perception based, these
'voices' can be help both to understand and to triangulate the documentary evidence to
reinforce messages particularly in relation to COVID harms affecting vulnerable student
populations and the effects of lockdowns on licence to practice provision.
Voices from the Sector
We interviewed 11 key actors from the FE Sector (college leaders and representatives of
sector bodies) in April 2021. Their voices provide a unique and nuanced insight in real
time into the effects of the pandemic on colleges, students and their families. The main
themes arising from the interviews are as follows:
• Increase in reported mental health problems with reports of increased domestic
violence.
• Access to technology for adults and those with high levels of need has been difficult.
• Major restructuring of economy is affecting young people.
• Major attendance and engagement issues, particularly concerning learners on
vocational courses, and disadvantaged and SEND students.
• Real problems for LTP provision because of the absence of practical learning.
• Colleges looking to ways to remediate learning disruption, but staff suffering burn-out.
• Biggest social impact on the 'precariat' - vulnerable adults - who are suffering multiple
impacts.
• College cannot delay the incoming cohort, so it will be tight on space. Catch-up will
take 10 years - 'it's a massive crisis'. Over summer there will be childcare issues for
staff - exacerbated need for child-friendly hours.
• Areas which have experienced multiple lockdowns are showing lower participation
than others but more regional data are needed. These need to include data on
efficiency - areas with high levels of college competition achieve lower OFSTED grades
(AoC, 2020).
• Fears for young people - lacking skills for life - economic, social, educational, cultural
- needed to support the fabric of society.
There were also important insights into the scale and nature of 'vocational disruption'.
'Colleges are having to cover content normally assessed in the workplace (e.g. care homes).
All accreditation authorities working with OFQUAL to ensure 'fairness', but lots of stuff can't
be assessed at home, including functional skills. Lots of concern about the long-term impact
of gaps, about a lack of competency'.
'LTP has been 'strangled' and this will play out in apprenticeships (there are 100,000
students stuck in the system). Last year 700,000 came in on time, but do they really
understand 'competence'. There are now 2 years of stagnated completions'.