This is a summary of the findings of a consultation conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) for ETF into the nature of provision of STEM subjects in further education
The aim of the consultation was to gain an understanding of the challenges facing the further education and skills sector around provision of STEM subjects, and what support the ETF should aim to provide in the light of this
The key findings of the consultation included the existence of a range of challenges, including decreases in funding and associated lack of staff time, difficulties in engaging with employers, reduced demand for STEM vocational courses and apprenticeships, changes to A-levels and vocational courses and the reform of apprenticeships, and a significant degree of variability in the mathematics skills and practical abilities of the FE sector's intake of students