For the 2025/26 academic year, a total of £7.1 million has been allocated to five academies within the Gillingham and Rainham constituency, for the education of 16 to 19 students. This figure will increase to £7.9 million for the 2026/27 academic year, and includes funding for an additional academy, with new 16 to 19 provision.

In the 2025/26 academic year, of the funds allocated to further education institutions delivering within the Medway Local Authority area, we have released around £10 million for learners resident within Gillingham and Rainham constituency.

The government is seeking to improve qualification levels and employment outcomes for young people through reforms to post‑16 education and skills.

These include expanding technical and vocational education, strengthening apprenticeships and higher‑level technical training, and creating clearer pathways into skilled employment.

The department does not set GCSE grade requirements for progression to post-16 education. Decisions about entry requirements are made by schools and colleges.

We are creating coherent post-16 pathways, with V levels, T Levels and A levels at level 3, and new occupational and further study pathways at level 2.

The further study pathway is aimed at supporting progression to level 3 for those who might not have the prior attainment and study skills necessary for what they want to do.

The 16 to 19 maths and English Condition of Funding requires institutions to continue teaching students who have not yet achieved GCSE grade 4 or above in English and/or maths (or equivalent), helping them to work towards these important qualifications. We have also just consulted on introducing new Level 1 qualifications in English and maths to support progression towards GCSE grade 4.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice emphasises the importance of supporting young people with SEND to make a successful transition into further education (FE). Planning should begin early and involve the young person, their family, schools, colleges, and local authorities. The focus is on helping learners access and progress within FE by identifying their aspirations and ensuring appropriate support and reasonable adjustments are in place.

FE providers are required to use their best endeavours to meet learners' SEND needs, provide tailored support, and ensure equal access to learning opportunities. For learners with more complex needs, education, health and care plans can continue up to age 25, providing continuity of support through transition and participation in FE.

The government's 2026 SEND reform proposals aim to strengthen pathways into FE through earlier intervention, improved multi-agency working, enhanced mainstream provision and more consistent support, enabling young people with SEND to achieve positive post-16 outcomes.

Further education (FE) providers are responsible for assessing the impact of staff vacancies and turnover in light of their local circumstances.

The government is taking action to strengthen recruitment and retention across the FE workforce and is committed to recruiting 6,500 additional teachers across FE colleges, secondary schools and special schools during this Parliament.

We recently announced additional funding of around £120 million in 2026/27, rising to around £365 million in 2027/28, to help colleges recruit and retain excellent teachers.

Our national recruitment campaign promotes careers in FE, while targeted retention incentives of up to £6,000 after tax are available for early-career teachers in priority shortage subjects. We also offer teacher training bursaries worth up to £31,000.

In addition, the Taking Teaching Further programme supports industry professionals moving into teaching. We will continue to monitor workforce recruitment and retention trends through the FE Workforce Data Collection.

While VAT is a matter for His Majesty’s Treasury, the department recognises that the VAT status of further education (FE) providers remains an issue of interest to the sector. The government continues to look into the VAT position of FE colleges, noting my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s commitment to look into this issue when it was raised at the Liaison Committee in December 2025. The government keeps all taxes under review and any changes would be announced at a fiscal event.

The department has regular engagement with higher and further education providers and their representative bodies to discuss matters of mutual interest.

The department engages with these representative bodies as part of the development of policy to increase the flexibility of Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) approvals, as set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper. This engagement has included, and will continue to include, discussion on raising the awareness and profile of HTQs. The list of available government approved HTQs can be found at: https://gov.uk/government/publications/approved-higher-technical-qualifications.

While VAT is a matter for His Majesty’s Treasury, the department recognises that the VAT status of further education (FE) providers remains an issue of interest to the sector. Analysis indicates that VAT receipts for FE colleges are around £200 million per annum. The government continues to look into the VAT position of FE colleges, noting my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s commitment to look into this issue when it was raised at the Liaison Committee in December 2025. The government keeps all taxes under review and any changes would be announced at a fiscal event.

The government is supporting providers across the country, including in South Holland and the Deepings and across Lincolnshire, with over £18 billion per year of programme funding in post-16 education and skills, delivering record investment this Parliament.

This includes nearly £800 million extra into 16 to 19 education in 2026/27, compared to original plans, enabling providers to grow high quality pathways for thousands more learners.

Through the £1.4 billion Adult Skills Fund for providers/areas, we are continuing to invest in high-quality training for adults.

The department oversees the further education (FE) sector through its regulatory and stewardship role, setting funding and quality expectations and monitoring performance via data, inspections and structured engagement, intervening where standards, financial management or delivery fall short.

Tiered (universal, targeted and intensive) support is available from the FE Commissioner’s team for FE colleges and local authority providers using a risk-based approach. If an intervention trigger is met the FE Commissioner’s will undertake an intervention assessment and publish their findings with recommended actions to improve.

The department recently consulted on the post-16 level 3 and below pathways reforms and have considered views from specialist institutions on what is best for qualifications and building skills in the creative sector.

The department intends to develop V Levels and Level 2 qualifications in the creative sectors for first-teach in 2030/31.

Working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we are engaging with employers and providers in the creative sectors, who will be invited to contribute to the design and development of these qualifications and all content will be consulted on before it is confirmed.

The department are conducting exploratory work on content for potential creative T Levels, with extensive engagement with employers, providers and higher education institutions, including specialist performing arts providers, as well as testing delivery models to support the sector.

The reforms will have a positive impact on disadvantaged students, as these qualifications will better support progression into relevant work and study, and make the qualification landscape simpler to navigate.

What steps she is taking to improve further education pathways.

Every time I have been to Buckinghamshire College Group in Aylesbury I have met fantastic staff who bring decades of professional experience to their roles and have a deep commitment to the young people. However, many further education colleges, including ours, are struggling with staff recruitment and retention, in part because staff pay is higher in schools. As we do this brilliant work to expand technical education opportunities through FE colleges, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that FE staff salaries are competitive and that FE colleges can continue to attract the best talent out there?

I recently met Alex Miles, managing director of Yorkshire Learning Providers, and heard a worrying tale that differs greatly from what the Minister has told the House today. I heard that established apprenticeship standards are being defunded and that new product foundation apprenticeships that no employer in Yorkshire has asked for are being rolled out. Yorkshire Learning Providers has no partisan points to make; it just wants to ensure that young people can get into work with an apprenticeship standard that works for them and for employers. Does the Minister accept that the Government are not getting this right and that he needs to look at this again?

As detailed in “Post-16 pathways: implementation plan”, we are creating coherent pathways, aligning learning with the skills that employers need and improving progression. New V-levels, the expansion and improvement of T-levels, and clearer level 2 pathways will support young people’s progression to higher study, apprenticeships or employment.

Access to higher education (HE) diplomas remain an important pathway to support adults to go into HE.

These qualifications are designed for those over 19 years old. We are not removing funding for students aged 19 or over, who remain funded through Advanced Learner Loans (ALLs). Students who take out an ALL for an Access to HE diploma will have the outstanding balance written off if they complete an eligible HE course, such as an undergraduate degree.

Following the completion of our post-16 pathways qualification reforms, students aged 16 to 19 will have a clear choice between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels at level 3. The department is working in close partnership with the sector to support the development and implementation of the reforms and will continue to engage widely with providers, representative bodies and employers to share learning, respond to feedback and refine delivery over time.

The government offers support for a range of level 2 and 3 courses through existing funding streams such as the Adult Skills Fund, Advanced Learner Loans and Free Courses for Jobs. The Adult Skills Fund fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 or older from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Individuals can also take out an Advanced Learner Loan for level 3 courses.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will offer support for higher level courses. Subjects in scope for LLE modular funding are aligned to the priorities set out in the Industrial Strategy and informed by the work of Skills England.

Further education (FE) teachers are central to delivering high-quality technical education. Last year, the department announced an additional £190 million for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers for the 2025/26 financial year to support them with key priorities, including recruitment and retention of excellent teachers. This was broadly equivalent to the funding provided to support the pay award in schools. We are providing nearly £9 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding for the 2026/27 academic year.

In addition, our targeted retention incentive offer is designed to retain eligible FE teachers in technical subjects with payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In its first year, nearly 6,000 teachers received a payment.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills have regular engagement with FE stakeholders including the Association of Colleges (AoC) on a range of issues, including matters pertaining to funding. The setting and negotiating of FE pay remains a matter for individual colleges in line with their local circumstances and is supported by the National Joint Forum, the AoC’s sectoral bargaining arrangement.

Further education (FE) teachers are central to delivering high-quality technical education. Last year, the department announced an additional £190 million for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers for the 2025/26 financial year to support them with key priorities, including recruitment and retention of excellent teachers. This was broadly equivalent to the funding provided to support the pay award in schools. We are providing nearly £9 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding for the 2026/27 academic year.

In addition, our targeted retention incentive offer is designed to retain eligible FE teachers in technical subjects with payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In its first year, nearly 6,000 teachers received a payment.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills have regular engagement with FE stakeholders including the Association of Colleges (AoC) on a range of issues, including matters pertaining to funding. The setting and negotiating of FE pay remains a matter for individual colleges in line with their local circumstances and is supported by the National Joint Forum, the AoC’s sectoral bargaining arrangement.

Further education (FE) teachers are central to delivering high-quality technical education. Last year, the department announced an additional £190 million for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers for the 2025/26 financial year to support them with key priorities, including recruitment and retention of excellent teachers. This was broadly equivalent to the funding provided to support the pay award in schools. We are providing nearly £9 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding for the 2026/27 academic year.

In addition, our targeted retention incentive offer is designed to retain eligible FE teachers in technical subjects with payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In its first year, nearly 6,000 teachers received a payment.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills have regular engagement with FE stakeholders including the Association of Colleges (AoC) on a range of issues, including matters pertaining to funding. The setting and negotiating of FE pay remains a matter for individual colleges in line with their local circumstances and is supported by the National Joint Forum, the AoC’s sectoral bargaining arrangement.

The department is supporting providers across the country, including in West Dorset with over £18 billion per year of programme funding in post-16 education and skills, delivering record investment this Parliament.

This includes nearly £800 million extra into 16 to 19 education in 2026-27 compared to original plans, enabling providers to grow high quality pathways for thousands more learners.

Through £1.4 billion investment in the Adult Skills Fund, we are continuing to invest in high-quality training for adults.

The department oversees the further education (FE) sector through its regulatory and stewardship role, setting funding and quality expectations and monitoring performance via data, inspections and structured engagement, and intervening where standards, financial management or delivery fall short.

Tiered support is available from the FE Commissioner’s (FEC) team for FE colleges and local authority providers using a risk-based approach. If an intervention trigger is met, the FEC will undertake an intervention assessment and publish their findings with recommended actions to improve.