The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is working to ensure that planning, funding and performance are aligned to the QCF. Funding decisions are made by the government and the LSC and its successor organisation, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). Public funding is therefore, being progressively aligned to those vocational qualifications which do most to raise demand from individuals and employers. The LSC has committed to ensuring that funding can support and drive forward qualification reform, including by increasingly focusing public funding on reformed vocational qualifications as they become available.
Unit funding
The LSC is currently taking forward two unit funding trials as part of its work on the QCF. The unit funding trials in the Adult Responsive model are examining whether unit funding can incentivise the completion of full qualifications. In Train to Gain, and as part of the SME flexibilities package unit funding has been introduced as part of the package of support for SMEs in Train to Gain across ten critical business areas.
Identifying priorities for public funding
Public funding is being aligned to Sector Skills Councils’ Sector Qualifications Strategies and Action Plans and those vocational qualifications which are fit for purpose for their sector and which should be a priority for public funding are being identified.
Shift in funding towards the QCF
The LSC anticipates that there will be a significant shift in funding to vocational qualifications within the QCF by August 2010. It is seeking to actively focus funding on QCF qualifications, particularly those meeting the interim definitions of full Level 2 and full level 3 qualifications. For more information about these definitions see the LSC website.
Some qualifications will no longer be eligible for funding from August 2009, increasing from August 2010 with QCF qualifications and units becoming the core offer of all LSC funded programmes. Where a provider is delivering training which becomes ineligible for funding, plans should be in place to switch to alternative or new QCF provision.
More information about funding and the QCF is available in the LSC’s regular QCF policy updates.
For more information about funding UK VQRP in England, see http://qfr.lsc.gov.uk/ukvqrp/.
