Skills Minister Matthew Hancock recently unveiled £214m investment in 47 colleges across the country, alongside plans for a more rigorous and responsive skills system.

These measures form part of the Government’s new skills strategy, Rigour and Responsiveness in Skills, which also includes action to support good and outstanding colleges and step in where colleges are failing learners.

According to Ofsted figures, two-thirds of colleges are rated Good or Outstanding, while four percent are judged to be inadequate.

The new strategy will also appoint an FE Commissioner to protect learners by intervening as soon as colleges fall into the inadequate category, or struggles financially.

The FE Commissioner will also report to Ministers on key interventions, such as:

• ‘Administered College’ status, whereby colleges will lose freedoms to take actions, such as changing staff, expenditure or asset transfers.
• Replacing some or all of the college’s governing body
• College dissolution

Colleges that require improvement will also receive enhanced support from Ofsted.

This is good news for HR managers looking to build more efficient talent pipelines. As the battle for key talent intensifies across the globe, businesses must increasingly be proactive in seeking out where potential value can be found.

Knowing where investment is occurring, and therefore where resources could be funnelled most efficiently, can help businesses create strong links to emerging talent.

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said: “I will publish Rigour and Responsiveness in Skills which sets out how we are reforming our skills system to help people reach their potential to compete in the global race.

“It is wholly unacceptable that nearly one and half million learners are not receiving teaching that is rated as ’Good’.”