19 to 24-year-olds to get more funding for college under benefits overhaul

Résumé détaillé

Review into youth unemployment to fix the gap between 16 to 18-year-olds who go to college for free and those 19 and above who often pay tuition fees ...

Young people aged 19 to 24 will get more funding to go to college under proposed plans to tackle unemployment.

Alan Milburn, the author of a government-led review, will recommend addressing funding for over-19s to fuel a substantial expansion in further education – although the amount is not yet clear – in the next decade, The i Paper understands.

Sixteen to 18-year-olds study at colleges for free but those aged 19 and over typically pay tuition fees and do not have access to maintenance loans to cover their living costs.

Milburn wants to see over 150,000 additional 18 to 24-year-olds go to college or undertake other further education training over the next 10 years, with the increase concentrated among those aged 19 and over, but it remains to be seen if colleges can sustain the target despite more funding.

He is expected to recommend increasing the Adult Skills Fund, which pays for education and training for adults aged 19 and over, or expanding the 16–19 education budget to cover more older learners, making courses free or more affordable.

Under the further education plans, 16 and 17-year-olds who are “Neets” (not in education, employment or training) or at serious risk of becoming Neets will also be paired with mentors and receive targeted support while regional directories with technical training options will be created.

Milburn told The i Paper: “For too long, technical education has been treated as the poor relation to academic education. The UK is a world leader in higher education and a laggard when it comes to backing further education. If we are to solve the Neets crisis we have to put that right.”

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said additional funding to expand college attendance for 19 to 24-year-olds was a “game changer”.

But speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, was unable to confirm if the benefits bill, estimated to rise from £353bn this year to £431bn in 2032, will be lower by the…

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