Skills and Post-16 Education Bill — Clause 7 — Additional Powers to Approve Technical Education Qualifications — Consultation Before Withdrawal of Level 3 Course Approvals — 28 Mar 2022 at 18:30

The majority of MPs voted not to require public consultation, and the consent of the relevant employer representative body, before the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education withdraws approval for a level 3 course in the fourth year after the Act is passed.

MPs were considering the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill.^[1][2][3]

The motion supported by a majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That this House
• disagrees with the Lords in their amendment 15B proposed instead of the words left out of the Bill by its amendment 15.

Lords amendment 15B stated:^[4]

• Page 10, line 37, at end insert—
• “(3) Subsection (2) does not apply to the withdrawal of level three courses—
• (a) for the period of three academic years beginning with the first such year which starts after the day on which this Act is passed; and
• (b) for the fourth such year, unless the Institute has undertaken public consultation and secured consent of the relevant employer representative bodies, as defined in the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, together with appropriate quality assurance.”

The amendment would have impacted Clause 7 of the Bill titled: Additional powers to approve technical education qualifications. The subsection the amendment sought to replace originally stated:

• (3) Subsection (2) does not apply to the withdrawal of level three courses for the period of four years beginning with the day on which this Act is passed

Subsection (2) stated:

• The Institute may withdraw approval of a technical education qualification.

The Institute is a reference to the: Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

The Explanatory Notes to the Bill^[3], state in respect of the relevant element of Clause 7:

• New sections A2D6 and A2D7 allow the Institute to make any arrangements that it considers appropriate to secure that technical education qualifications are available for approval. The sections provide the supplemental powers that the Institute needs to run its scheme of qualifications approval, including the ability to withdraw approval. Section A2D6(2a) requires that the Institute’s power to withdraw approval does not apply to the withdrawal of level 3 courses for a period of four years beginning with the day on which the Act is passed.

Level 3 qualifications regulated by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education include T-Levels and Level 3 Apprenticeships.^[5]

--

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, Parliament.uk
• [2] Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, as brought from the House of Lords, 26 October 2021, Parliament.uk
• [3] Explanatory notes to the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, as brought from the House of Lords, 26 October 2021, Parliament.uk
• [4] Lords amendments to the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, 24 March 2022, Parliament.uk
• [5] Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31 March 2021, Gov.uk

Debate in Parliament |