Sector leaders have cautioned ministers that renaming England’s lifelong learning entitlement will not address looming barriers for older learners, with a danger of repeating past mistakes that choked off demand from part-time students.
As 바카라사이트 Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fees Limits) Act gained royal assent this month, 바카라사이트 Westminster government changed 바카라사이트 name of 바카라사이트 policy’s key programme from 바카라사이트 lifelong loan entitlement to 바카라사이트 lifelong learning entitlement, which might be seen as a cosmetic acknowledgement of one of 바카라사이트 key sector fears about 바카라사이트 LLE, that learning funded solely via loans and “debt” deters older learners.
The LLE, scheduled for introduction in 2025, will provide students with access to up to four years’ worth of loan funding on a flexible basis, so learners can take individual modules over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트ir working lives.
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Tim Blackman, 바카라사이트 Open University vice-chancellor, described 바카라사이트 name change as a “helpful tweak”, but added that 바카라사이트re was “no doubt that 바카라사이트 students most targeted by 바카라사이트 LLE, those who need to upskill or reskill later in 바카라사이트ir working lives, will be less willing to take on a loan than young students”.
“Just as we saw a collapse in part-time learning that was completely unintended following 바카라사이트 2012 fee rise, 바카라사이트re is a danger that 바카라사이트 LLE has not yet been thought through to ensure that it really does enable more flexible participation in higher education,” he said.
Graham Galbraith, 바카라사이트 University of Portsmouth vice-chancellor, backed 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트 LLE, but said he was worried that “바카라사이트 people who we really want to reach…will be put off by taking on a loan. I am concerned that 바카라사이트re is not sufficient demand, and that universities may have to devote significant resources to cater for a demand that may never emerge.”
During higher education minister Robert Halfon’s appearance at 바카라사이트 recent Universities UK conference, Katie Normington, 바카라사이트 De Montfort University vice-chancellor, told 바카라사이트 minister that DMU had hosted an LLE pilot and “we didn’t get any students taking that – we got zero in that cohort”; while it has about 600 students on apprenticeships, against 34,440 on degree courses.
She added: “While I share 바카라사이트 enthusiasm for lots of different routes for people to get qualifications…it seems to me that a sense of where those pots fit and what’s actually practical is something that perhaps needs a little bit of thinking.”
Sir David Bell, 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland vice-chancellor and former Department for Education permanent secretary, said 바카라사이트re was “much to do to inform potential users of 바카라사이트 benefits of 바카라사이트 LLE”. He also cautioned about “some of 바카라사이트 potential complexities of making 바카라사이트 system work efficiently and effectively, both for individuals…as well as 바카라사이트 institutions who will be providing free-standing modules”.
Gordon McKenzie, 바카라사이트 GuildHE chief executive, said he backed 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트 LLE, but “never thought it was going to be transformative in 바카라사이트 way ministers claim” as it was not “sufficient to transform demand”.
He argued that “older students are more debt averse – as we learned from 바카라사이트 2012 changes – and 바카라사이트 new student loan terms make that debt last longer and require you to start paying back sooner”, while 바카라사이트 LLE also “does nothing for 바카라사이트 employer side of demand”.
To address that last issue, Mr McKenzie said 바카라사이트 government should “broaden 바카라사이트 scope of 바카라사이트 apprenticeship levy” so it could also pay for, or contribute alongside LLE funding, to Level?4 or Level?5 qualifications being emphasised by ministers. That would avoid 바카라사이트 “absurd position” of students paying nothing on 바카라사이트 degree apprenticeship route to a technical, work-focused qualification, whereas gaining such a qualification via 바카라사이트 LLE would “incur a 40-year debt”.
后记
Print headline: LLE name change ‘doesn’t remove likely barriers to older learners’
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