But, as Joe Lepper discovers, many fear excessive bureaucracy will hinder the effectiveness of these planned changes.
The government will have to go back to the drawing board with its plans to overhaul further education funding. A consultation into the plans, outlined in the Raising Expectations white paper, ends this week amid scathing criticism from councils and colleges alike.
In principle, groups such as the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) back the plans, which will transfer control of £7bn of further education funding from the Learning and Skills Council to local councils. But, as with much government policy, the devil is in the detail.
A major concern is about the new structure that will be set up, with critics such as Surrey County Council branding it "too complex and bureaucratic" (CYP Now, 4-10 June). This structure includes the creation of a Young People's Learning Agency, with national and regional offices and local authority representatives as members. The agency will provide a suggested budget for each region, help resolve disagreements and manage national and regional contracts for providers across England.
Too complex
Another quango being created is the Skills Funding Agency, which will have the power to intervene if colleges under-perform. There will also be regional sub-groups of councils, which will be involved in planning and commissioning services.
Frank Offer, Surrey County Council's lead policy and public affairs manager, says much of the new structure, particularly the Young People's Learning Agency, is an unnecessary tier of red tape that will create extra work and barriers for councils. "We would like to see a similar system to what we have in place for schools, whereby we are answerable to government but are left to get on with running them, with no other organisations in between," he says.
The ADCS is also concerned the system may be too complex, but it still sees a need for a middle tier of bureaucracy. "When making commissioning decisions about local economic need we need to consider the whole region," says John Freeman, the ADCS council member leading on the changes. "Also, those attending college travel further and are more likely to come from a neighbouring borough. An agency with a regional focus needs to be there - the government just needs to make sure it is a simple system."
Councils used to control further education but, under the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act, it was taken out of their hands. Freeman wants to ensure mistakes made prior to 1992 are not repeated. "I don't want to see a return of the bad old days," he says. "Back then, if a pupil went to a college outside the borough it was a struggle sorting out the money. We need to make sure the money follows the pupil."
There is a tight deadline for the transfer of responsibility. By April 2009, regional planning groups need to be set up and by autumn 2010 control will be transferred.
Many councils are already at an advanced stage in setting up the groups, according to Freeman, who is also director of children's services at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. "We have a shadow strategic planning group and it is important we work closely with the Learning and Skills Council to ensure the transition runs as smoothly as possible."
Improving outcomes
Offer says, as long as the system is made simpler, switching control to councils "presents a real opportunity to improve outcomes for children, particularly vulnerable groups. For example, we have a corporate priority for improving outcomes for children in care that runs though everything we do. It would help considerably if colleges were part of that as well."
A concern raised by the Local Government Association (LGA) in its response is that the Young People's Learning Agency will have control over capital spending on further education. The LGA argues this should be devolved to councils and linked in with the Building Schools for the Future initiative to improve school buildings.
The Association of Colleges (AoC) has even greater concerns, saying that any transfer should be piloted before going nationwide to minimise disruption and highlight problems. "We have reservations about the disruptive nature of the change and the risk this could cause to the education and training of young people," it says in its response. The AoC also shares Surrey's concerns that too many service commissioners have been created and wants to see a single one in each area instead.
Freeman is optimistic his concerns will be listened to and that the system will be made simpler. However, he warns that the changes need to be made swiftly.
"This is the biggest set of changes we are facing in local government over the next two years and a quick response from government is needed so that we can plan properly," he says.
Raising Expectations: proposed plans
- The white paper gives councils responsibility for education and training for children aged 0 to 19, which will include the new 14-19 qualifications
- Councils are required to work together through sub-regional groups. These will involve the local Regional Development Agency
- A Young People's Learning Agency will be set up to develop national funding and scrutinise regional spending, while a Skills Funding Agency will monitor college performance and handle funding for adult education
- The changes come into effect in 2010 when the Learning and Skills Council, which currently manages further education funding, is dissolved.
