Faiths and further education - Church of England

41The Policy Context133This short section cannot hope to summarise the policy context forthe whole FE sector. Further education offers its students a widevariety of educational and training opportunities, underpinned by ageneral purpose to promote social inclusion.This section aims togive a brief bullet-point guide for the new chaplain. For furtherinformation, see the bibliography at Annex C.134The range of FE provision includes:• vocational provision for 16–19-year-old students• vocational courses for 14–16 year olds• GCSE and A-levels• higher education from foundation level to degree courses• adult and community learning (including leisure and health)• key skills training and learning technologies• Skills for Life (literacy, numeracy, ESOL and ICT).135The range of providers includes:• general FE colleges• sixth form colleges• other adult and community learning providers• work-based learning providers.136The range of stakeholders in further education includes:• the LSC• local LSCs• awarding bodies• sector skills councils• businesses and employers with an interest in post-14 educationand training• schools, schools with sixth forms and colleges• group training associations• HE institutions• inspectorates (HMIP,ALI and Ofsted)• learning partnerships• local education authorities• professional and trade associations• trade unions• training providers• voluntary sector bodies• regional development agencies• the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA)• the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)• the Association of Colleges (AoC)• the Sixth Form Colleges Forum.137Of course, government departments are much involved in furthereducation, the DfES in particular, but also other departments withinterests in skills and economic development such as theDepartment of Trade and Industry, the Department for Work andPensions and HM Treasury.138As in all sectors of English state-funded education, the Governmenthas made its intentions clear: to widen participation by all socialclasses, age groups, ethnic groups and from both genders. Suchwidening of participation has key performance points: recruitment,retention and achievement.139The most important governmental agency with directresponsibilities in this area is the LSC.140The LSC’s priorities for 2004/05 are to:• make learning truly demand-led so that it better meets the needsof employers, young people and adults• ensure that all 14–19 year olds have access to high-quality,relevant learning opportunities• transform further education so that it attracts and stimulatesmore business investment in training and skills development• strengthen the role of the LSC in economic development so thatwe provide the skills needed to help all individuals into jobs• strengthen the LSC’s capacity to work effectively at a regionallevel – particularly with regional development agencies andregional skills partnerships• improve the skills of the workers who are delivering publicservices.141The LSC’s main tasks are to:• raise participation and achievement by young people• increase demand for learning by adults• raise skills for national competitiveness• raise the quality of education and training delivery• equalise opportunities through better access to learning• improve effectiveness and efficiency.