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FURTHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACT 2007

The Further Education and Training Act 2007 has today received Royal Assent. It was introduced into Parliament on 20 November 2006 and completed its passage on 18 October 2007.

The Further Education and Training Act enables key aspects of the further education reforms described in the March 2006 White Paper Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances. The further education system will be able to increase participation and achievement still further and so play its full part in achieving the skills challenge articulated by Lord Leitch.

The Act includes:

  • powers which will enable the specification of further education institutions in England to award their own foundation degrees;
  • provision enabling the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in certain circumstances specified in the Act, to intervene in the management of unsatisfactory further education provision in England, with similar powers for Welsh Ministers to intervene in institutions in Wales;
  • new requirements on the LSC and on further education institutions to have regard to guidance in relation to consultation with learners, potential learners and employers;
  • provision for a restructuring of and new duties on the LSC to make it more responsive to the changing requirements of employers and learners;
  • provision enabling the Secretary of State to specify bodies to act as strategy-making bodies in relation to the exercise of the LSC's functions in a particular area;
  • provision enabling the Secretary of State to require all principals to achieve a leadership qualification;
  • measures which will facilitate the use of new and innovative delivery models, such as trusts and mergers;
  • detailed changes to the arrangements for demonstrating employer support for proposals for industrial training levies and to the process for levy orders;
  • provision widening the scope for the LSC to deliver shared services; and
  • an extension of the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales in relation to various education and training matters.

Most of the provision in the Act will be brought into force through specific commencement orders, which will be made at least two months after Royal Assent.