National Vocational Qualifications: Costs

Question

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to Level 3. About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London and these authorities are now responsible for, and determine, the funding rates for the provision in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas. Within the ESFA AEB, the department funds qualifications on the programme weighting of the qualification and its size. It is up to providers to decide what provision they offer and then claim the funding rate and therefore the department does not hold the information regarding the cost of delivering specific National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).

For 16 to 19 year olds, the department calculates funding for institutions using national funding rates, which depend on the overall size of students’ programmes, rather than funding based on specific qualifications. Therefore, the department does not hold information regarding the costs of delivering specific NVQs.