AQW 17193/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 13/04/2021
Answered On Date: 06/05/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy for an update of when students in further education will return to face-to-face teaching, given sixth-form students in schools have already done so.

Answer:

The Further Education (FE) sector has had a different delivery model to that of the school sector since the start of the pandemic. The risk based approach to planning for the safe resumption of on-site educational provision and related activity at FE colleges is based on two metre social distancing due to clear and unequivocal advice from the Public Health Agency (PHA) that two metres is the optimum distance required in FE colleges to protect staff, learners and public health.

The social distancing advice provided to schools, and consequently their ability to return all learners to face-to-face provision, is based on the nature of the school environment. This includes the age profile and characteristics of those in that environment and the vulnerabilities, or otherwise, they demonstrate. The different advice my Department received from the PHA, was based on a combination of complexities unique to the FE college environment that are not found within that of schools

The full return to face to face learning at the Further Education (FE) colleges will be subject to the phases set out in the Executive’s ‘Pathway out of Restrictions’ which was published on 2nd March 2021.

The current arrangements are that colleges can remain open to their learners by delivering distance learning to the maximum extent possible, with essential face-to-face learning taking place only when it is a necessary and unavoidable part of the course. Learners and staff have been permitted on-site to undertake examinations and assessments in line with relevant government issued industry and workplace restrictions and guidance for occupational settings.

For many learners, online learning will not be sufficient to enable them to achieve their qualifications by the end of the academic year. Students undertaking licence to practice and competency skills based programmes will need to return on-site for the opportunity to undertake skills training and associated assessment activities if they are to successfully complete their programme and progress to employment or further education or training.

In particular, learners studying in ‘close contact’ subject areas, such as hair and beauty, sports studies, and service elements of hospitality, were unable to receive any face-to-face on-site education whilst the wider sector was under occupational operating restrictions which impacted the ability of these learners to gain enough practical experience to allow them to undertake their assessments and subsequently gain employment or move into the next stage of their training.

At the Executive meeting on 15 April it was agreed that those learners who are training in close contact subjects can return to on-site training at FE premises from Friday 23 April 2021 (to coincide with the lifting of restrictions in the sectors), subject to strict adherence to conditions set out in (i) a specific guidance note for close contact training services, (ii) the principles in the Framework for the Safe Resumption of On-Site Educational Provision and Related Activity which was published in August 2020 and regularly reviewed with up to date advice and guidance from the NI Executive and Public Health Agency, and (iii) site specific risk assessments.

The second phase of the ‘Pathway out of Restrictions’ will see a partial return to practical face-to-face learning for increased numbers of FE learners, apprentices and Training for Success (TfS) participants. This will enable those learners to undertake skills training and associated assessment activities to enable them to successfully complete their programmes. There will be no change to FE delivery in the third phase, but by the end of phase four increased face-to-face teaching will be permitted for FE learners and apprentices. Finally by the end of phase five, FE colleges will move to a full return to face-to-face learning.

This staged and gradual approach to the easing of restrictions will be kept under review and will be informed by a range of evidence and data, which will determine the dates at which we can progress.