AELP sets out proposal for skills devolution combining local flexibility with national strength

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has today published a new proposal for skills devolution, calling for greater local flexibility while protecting the national standards, employer choice and learner mobility that underpin England’s skills system.

AELP says the Government’s drive to devolve further powers provides a major opportunity to make the skills system more responsive to the needs of local economies, employers and learners. However, it warns that simply devolving more responsibilities will not automatically lead to better outcomes and that reform must avoid creating a fragmented skills system that becomes more complex for employers, learners and training providers.

AELP’s Skills Devolution Proposal sets out a new Core, Flex and Innovation model for deciding which parts of the skills system should remain national and where greater local control could deliver better outcomes. Under the model:

Core would cover the elements of the skills system that should be available consistently across the country, including national standards and entitlements.
Flex would allow devolved authorities to adapt and enhance the national system to reflect local economic and skills priorities.
Innovation would give areas greater freedom to develop and test new approaches to unique local challenges.

The proposal applies these principles across three broad areas: statutory education, work-based skills programmes such as apprenticeships, and interventions designed to help individuals and employers participate in skills and employment opportunities.

AELP argues that apprenticeships should continue to operate within a national framework, with national standards and a national funding foundation, while devolved authorities should have greater scope to use incentives, top-ups, brokerage and other support to increase participation according to local needs. There is a strong case for devolution of employment support and targeted interventions, where local leaders are often better placed to bring together services and respond to the particular barriers facing their communities.

AELP also argues that further skills devolution should take place at a measured pace, recognising differences in the capacity and experience of devolved authorities and allowing new approaches to be tested, evaluated and improved.

The proposal comes as devolution moves further up the Government’s agenda, with the Prime Minister’s experience as Mayor of Greater Manchester bringing renewed focus to the role local and regional leaders can play in driving economic growth.

Ben Rowland, Chief Executive of AELP, said:

“Getting skills devolution right is about recognising that different decisions are best made at different levels. Some challenges require local knowledge and flexibility, while others benefit from the consistency, scale and certainty that only a national system can provide.
“Employers operate across boundaries, learners move around the country, and providers often work across multiple regions. We need to retain the benefits of a national skills system while creating much greater flexibility for places to shape provision around their own priorities.
“Our Core, Flex and Innovation model is designed to achieve that balance. It is not about arguing that everything should be devolved or that everything should remain in Whitehall. It is about asking where decisions are best made to achieve the strongest outcomes for learners, employers and the economy.
“This proposal is deliberately a starting point. We want to work with government, devolved authorities, employers, providers and the wider sector to develop an approach to devolution that delivers genuine local flexibility while maintaining national strength.”

AELP will now engage with its members, employers, government and devolved authorities on the proposals and how the framework could inform the next stage of skills devolution.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) is a national membership body, proudly representing organisations operating in the skills sector. AELP members deliver a range of training and vocational learning – including the majority of apprenticeships as well as Skills Bootcamps, 16-19 Study Programme, Adult Education Budget and more.

For further information or interviews please contact Matt Strong, Head of External Communications, AELP, on 07920 161685 or [email protected]