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Education

England assures EU student funding fees through 2018

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Universities minister Jo Johnson

The announcement came as part of a tumultuous week for the UK higher education sector, during which Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap general election and rumours swirled that May is willing to soften her long-held stance on non-EU students being included in net migration figures.

“This announcement gives EU students the certainty they need as well as giving our universities clarity to plan ahead”

Announcing the tuition fee assurances for EU students today, Minister for Universities and Science Jo Johnson said: “We have been clear about our commitment to the UK’s world-class higher education sector.”

“This will provide reassurance to the brightest minds from across Europe to continue applying to study in the UK, safe in the knowledge financial assistance is available if needed.”

Johnson also confirmed that EU nationals remain eligible for Research Council PhD studentships at UK institutions in 2018/19.

The announcement will come as a relief to the education sector, which has been pushing for funding assurances as the UK prepares to exit from the EU. It follows a similar guarantee from the Scottish government last month.

“This announcement gives EU students the certainty they need when considering studying in the UK as well as giving our universities clarity to plan ahead,” commented Tim Bradshaw, acting director of the Russell Group.

Alistair Jarvis, deputy chief executive of Universities UK, also welcomed the announcement but stressed: “It is now vital that this announcement is communicated effectively to prospective students across Europe.”

“Moving forward, we need to see a new post-Brexit immigration policy that encourages all international students to choose to study in the UK coupled with welcoming messages from government, recognising their hugely positive social and economic impact on the UK,” he added.

Higher education stakeholders also expressed cautious optimism this week amid rumours that Prime Minister Theresa May could be softening her stance on including non-EU students in net migration targets.

The sector has lobbied for international students to be counted not as migrants, to ensure they are not targeted by the government’s efforts to reduce inbound migration.

The House of Lords has tabled an amendment to Johnson’s Higher Education and Research Bill – a sweeping package of reforms that aims to open up degree granting powers to more private providers and enable universities to raise tuition fees based on teaching quality – to remove students from net migration figures.

The amendment has yet to be discussed in the House of Commons and its inclusion in the final bill is not guaranteed.

However, there is speculation that the government will offer a “regulatory compromise” on how non-EU student numbers are calculated in order to ensure the bill passes before the general election in June, The Times reported this week.

“Any decision to take international students – not out of the statistics but – out of the drive to cut net migration would obviously be hugely welcomed and would send a powerful signal both in the UK and around the world that we really do want to welcome all those who can benefit from a great British education and to see these numbers once again grow,” commented Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs.

[Source:- Pienews]

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Education

No fees for EU students starting 2017/18 courses in Scotland

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Scotland’s Education Secretary John Swinney has told the SNP conference that students from EU countries starting in 2017/18 would pay no fees.

In July the minister said there would be no change to funding in 2016/17.

Guarantees were being sought by students after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Mr Swinney also urged the UK government to “guarantee their [students] right to stay here during their studies and work here after their studies”.

He announced the funding pledge during his keynote address to the Glasgow conference, attended by 3,000 delegates.

  • Follow the BBC’s Philip Sim who will be covering conference news
  • BBC Scotland’s political editor on the SNP’s “best and worst of time”

The MSP said: “We have already confirmed tuition fee funding to support EU students studying here, or preparing to start this year.

“Now, we will extend that guarantee to those starting next year in 2017/18.

“And, unlike Labour and the Tories, that’s tuition-free education we are guaranteeing – not the massive fees they impose on students wherever they come from.”

Classroom of childrenImage copyrightPA
Image captionMr Swinney said he wanted to “substantially eliminate” the attainment gap within a decade

He added: “We will guarantee their funding. But what I demand is that the Tory-Brexit government guarantee their right to stay here during the studies and work here after their studies.

“They are not cards to be played. They are human beings.”

Education was a strong theme in Mr Swinney’s speech.

He said his task to “close the attainment gap for our poorest pupils” was simple.

Mr Swinney added: “And our ambition is equally straightforward: we will make significant progress in closing the gap within the next parliament and substantially eliminate it within a decade.

“It may be a simple objective. It may be a straightforward aim. But it will not be easy. We do not underestimate the scale of our ambition.”

‘Democratic landscape’

He also spoke about the desire to “re-invigorate local government” by “reconnecting it with communities”.

A review is already under way on the role of councils in the delivery of education.

Mr Swinney will now review the relationships between local authorities and health boards.

He said: “We aim to achieve nothing less than to transform our democratic landscape, protect and renew public services and refresh the relationship between citizens, communities and councils.”

“We do this not because it is radical – and it is – but because we believe it is right.

“We do it not because it is easy – it’s not – but because it is in the national interest.

“We believe that national interest lies in placing power in the people of this country’s hands. It is why I believe in independence.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Diamond review: Loans ‘should replace’ tuition fees grant

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

A grant covering Welsh students’ tuition fees should be replaced with support for living costs instead, a review of university finance has said.

All students would receive £1,000 a year before a means tested grant, according to an expert panel led by Prof Sir Ian Diamond.

A student from a family on average income could receive £7,000 a year.

But the current £5,100 grant towards tuition fees would be replaced by loans.

The proposals mean:

  • All students would receive a minimum £1,000 a year before a means tested grant in then awarded
  • At its maximum level, £9,113 a year, this would cover the term-time living costs of eligible students from the lowest income households, equivalent to the National Living Wage
  • The student from an average income family could receive £7,000 a year
  • The maximum level of grant would be available to students from households earning less than £20,000 a year
  • Students from families earning more than £80,000 would eligible only for the basic £1,000 a year
  • Instead of getting £5,100 in a grant towards tuition fees – this would be scrapped and instead students would take out a loan

Education Secretary Kirsty Williams said she endorsed the underlying principles and will now look into the detail of how they can be implemented.

No date has been given as to when new arrangements would start from although it is thought that the earliest they could be introduced is 2018/19.

The changes come amid concerns the current system is unaffordable.

Prof Diamond said higher education funding needed to be a “partnership between wider society and the individual”.

He added: “In contrast to England, where maintenance support for students will be based on loans, we propose a significant universal element of maintenance support for full-time students.”

Prof Diamond, vice-chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, said it would mean students from Wales would face a “significantly lower average level of debt on leaving university than those from England.”

Ministers have maintained that living costs rather than fees – which can be paid back over time after students start work – are a bigger barrier to poorer students going to university.

Ms Williams said: “We want to make sure that those who wish to go on to university are able to.

“The fear of not being able to meet the cost of living on a daily basis puts many off, not the prospect of paying back loans after they are in work.

“This system addresses that issue head on, but will also mean making tough decisions to make sure the system is sustainable in the long-term.”

Welsh students currently leave university with less debt on average than their English counterparts.

Figures from the Student Loans Company show that the average loan balance for Welsh students who started repayments in 2015/16 was £16,120 – much lower than the £24,640 for English students.

Since 2012, a significant portion of Welsh students’ fees have been paid for by the Welsh government, wherever they study in the UK.

Universities can charge a maximum of £9,000 for a full-time undergraduate course but Welsh students only cover the first £3,900.

The rest has been paid for by the taxpayer – at a cost of £237m in 2015-16.

Universities have argued that Welsh higher education loses out on tens of millions of pounds in grants paid to English universities, through the fees of students who go over the border to study.

They had called for the tuition fee grant to be scrapped, and subsidies focused on the poorest students.

The National Union of Students (NUS) in Wales said: “We are sure that doing more to support people to get into university by helping with their immediate costs is a positive step forward”.

Universities Wales, which represents higher education institutions, said it would also allow universities to be sustainable into the future, including funding for higher cost subjects like medicine and for research.

Wales would also be the first UK nation to offer maintenance and tuition fee support for students right though into post graduate study.

“That’s extremely progressive and a unique opportunity for Wales,” Universities Wales chairman Prof Colin Riordan said.

The policy as a whole is thought to be cost neutral compared to the current system, but the changes in undergraduate study could save the Welsh Government around £100m a year.

LIne

STUDENT FINANCE: CRIB SHEET

Leah Williams

Name: Leah Williams

Age: 19

Where are you from? Cardigan

What year and what are you studying? Second year politics and international relations, Cardiff University

How are your tuition fees paid for – do you get a grant and have you taken out a tuition fees loan too? I received a grant and I’ve taken out a loan. I certainly would not have gone to university without the grant from the Welsh Government.

Do you receive a maintenance loan towards living costs? Yes

How much do you pay in rent a term? £1,020

Do you have a part-time job? Yes

If so, what is it – and roughly how much does it pay? I have two jobs – one pays £5.20 an hour and the other is £7 an hour. Living cost is a big deal. I had to pay nearly £1,000 rent over the summer, I had to work and budget because I had rent to pay.

Have you received help from your family in the last 12 months? Yes, help with my summer rent.

If so, is it a regular amount? No

Do you run a car? No

Is there anything you can’t afford but wish you could at the moment? No

Have you an estimate at how much you think you will owe in student loans by the end of your course? £20,000

LIne

All parts of the UK have different systems of student support:

  • English students do not get a grant towards their tuition fees
  • Scottish students who study in Scotland do not pay any fees
  • In Northern Ireland students pay reduced fees if they study at a home university.

University and College Union general secretary Sally Hunt said she was pleased with the proposed improvements in maintenance support.

“It is however a shame that fees are likely to rise will rise and result in increased debts for students on graduating,” she added.

The Welsh Conservatives said they have “always believed that support should be targeted at those who need it most to ensure that everyone can aspire to a university education, no matter what their background”.

UKIP’s Mark Reckless, whose party went into the election promising to keep tuition fee grants for students who study in Wales, expressed concerns that the new system for undergraduates would not be affordable.

“While we welcome appropriate support for students, and a more generous system than is on offer in England, we would question whether it’s affordable to fund maintenance grants on such a basis going so far up the income scale paid by people who are much poorer,” he said.

Ahead of the publication of the report, Plaid Cymru said it was confident that Prof Diamond would come to the conclusion that the system was “unsustainable and needs to be replaced”.

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Tuition fees heading over £9,500

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

University

A second wave of tuition-fee rises has been signalled, which will apply to all standards of university in England.

This will take tuition fees over £9,500 for students beginning university courses in autumn 2018.

The government has said higher fees will be linked to teaching quality – but plans released on Thursday suggest that all three quality bands can apply the same increase.

This will include those “significantly below benchmark in one or more areas”.

The government has already announced an increase to £9,250 for autumn 2017 – if the Houses of Parliament approve plans to lift the current cap of £9,000.

‘Quality standards’

The Department for Education says the fee increases for 2018 will be a second “trial year” before a system with different levels of fees based on teaching quality.

“Universities will not be able to increase their fees unless they pass rigorous quality standards,” said a Department for Education spokeswoman.

“We have always been clear that as the framework develops it will become increasingly robust, with additional criteria, such as university’s retention and graduate employment rates, introduced into the judging process.”

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said a further rise in fees was “unacceptable” and asked: “Where does it end?”.

The process for deciding quality will be the “teaching excellence framework” – and for the first year, while it is being set up, the government has allowed an across-the-board increase to £9,250 from autumn 2017.

The Department for Education has now published plans for how it will be implemented – and universities will be classified in three grades – gold, silver and bronze.

But the proposals say that for courses starting in autumn 2018, “all those achieving a rating of bronze, silver and gold will receive the full inflationary uplift”.

The forecast for inflation for 2018-19 from the Office for Budget Responsibility is 3.2% – which would push the cost of fees above £9,500.

The specifications for bronze standard says these universities will be of “satisfactory quality” but they are “likely to be significantly below benchmark in one or more areas”.

It says students at these universities will be “occasionally engaged with developments from the forefront of research, scholarship or practice, and are occasionally involved in these activities”.

But the universities in this quality range – which will be decided next year – will be able to charge the same basic tuition fee in 2018 as those in the higher quality bands.

Beyond 2018, there could be different levels of fees charged, based on these assessments of quality.

Universities Minister Jo Johnson said: “By setting out clear incentives for universities, the framework will drive up quality in the sector at the same time as improving student choice and crucially, graduate outcomes – so that we can be confident we have the skills employers need now and for the future.

“The framework will also give students clear, understandable information about where the best teaching is on offer and for the first time, place teaching quality on a par with research at our universities.”

But Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “Higher education needs to be funded sustainably but for Government to continue to let fees creep up year on year, so students are unable to get a clear picture of the debt they might face, is unacceptable.”

David Phoenix, chair of the MillionPlus group of new universities, said it would be important for the teaching assessments to “take proper account of the diverse range of universities and higher education students”.

But Prof Phoenix said he remained “concerned about the timetable for implementation and the link with fees”.

Dame Julia Goodfellow, president of Universities UK, said: “Universities have increased investment in teaching and learning following the funding reforms and student satisfaction rates are at record levels.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Welsh university tuition fees pegged at £9,000

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Student fees

Welsh university tuition fees will be pegged at £9,000 next year despite colleges in England being given the go-ahead to charge up to £9,250.

Students from Wales will be able to claim up to £4,954 in grants and borrow the rest, wherever they study.

The announcement comes ahead of the publication of the Diamond report into higher education and student finance.

One senior academic has warned that Welsh universities could become “second rate” if they could not increase fees.

Education Secretary Kirsty Williams said: “This decision gives certainty for those who want to go to university for the academic year 2017/18, giving people the option to study where they choose, including in England where tuition fees are set to increase.”

Currently, students from Wales pay the first £3,900 of their annual tuition fees, with the Welsh Government paying up to £5,100.

As well as the tuition fee grant and loans, Ms Williams announced a means-tested maintenance grant of up to £5,161.

‘Second rate’

She has argued that living costs are a bigger barrier than tuition fees to poorer students going to university.

The UK government linked its permission for higher fees at English universities to better teaching, with the new maximum of £9,250 possibly increasing by inflation in future years.

In August, Swansea University vice-chancellor Prof Richard Davies warned higher education in Wales risked becoming “second rate” if colleges could not increase their fees as in England.

Responding to Friday’s announcement, he claimed there had not been “enough time for the Welsh Government to look at this properly since the announcement in England”.

“I hope they find some way of allowing for inflation,” he added.

The National Union of Students president Fflur Elin welcomed the news.

She said: “We want to ensure that students from all backgrounds can access high quality courses. The cost of the courses should not be a barrier.”

Welsh Conservatives education spokesman, Darren Millar AM, said: “We welcome the move towards means-tested maintenance grants and the anchoring of tuition fee costs.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Foreign Office spends £14m on private school fees

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

foreign office

The Foreign Office spends more than £14m per year on private school fees for children of its staff, including £6m for staff based in the UK.

The figures were revealed in a ministerial response to a parliamentary question by Liberal Democrats.

It meant that last year staff stationed in the UK received school fees worth on average more than £33,000 per year.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “That is a perk of the job that needs to be looked at seriously.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said diplomats who worked overseas who might have to travel at short notice had allowances for school fees so that their children could avoid having their education disrupted.

Foreign Office ministers were asked how much the department had spent on private school fees for the children of staff stationed either overseas or in the UK during 2015-16.

Call for review

The response, from Sir Alan Duncan, said that 179 diplomatic officers stationed in the UK were in receipt of school fees of £6,005,124.

For 173 diplomatic officers stationed overseas, school fees cost £6,403.938.

There was support paid for a further 1,108 children, said the answer, with the total annual cost of fees being £14,207,444.

Mr Farron said that paying so much on private and boarding costs, particularly for staff based in the UK, was “not acceptable”.

“Why can’t staff send their children to the good or outstanding local school?”

Mr Farron said the Foreign Office should review this spending – and if there was any spare cash it should be targeted at pupil premium support for disadvantaged pupils.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that “some members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere during their career, sometimes at very short notice”.

“In some parts of the world we do not permit staff to take their children with them for safety reasons, in others local schools of an acceptable standard are not available.

“In these cases it is longstanding practice that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helps staff by providing support for their children’s education.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Brexit: Government must take ‘swift action’ to reassure EU students over fees and financial support plans

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

students.jpg

The Government must take “swift and positive action” to reassure EU students they will pay the same fees and have access to the same financial support arrangements for the duration of their courses in a post-Brexit climate.

Dame Julia Goodfellow, president of Universities UK (UUK) and vice-chancellor of the University of Kent, has said urgent action is necessary to prevent “a likely sudden decline in EU student applications” across the country. More than 125,000 EU students are currently studying at British universities, making up 5 per cent of the entire student population.

The call has come just a day after Brexit fears caused the UK’s institutions to tumble down this year’s QS World University Rankings. Thirty-eight of the UK’s 48 top-400 universities fell down the rankings, with the University of Cambridge dropping out of the global top three for first time since 2004.

Ben Sowter, head of research at QS, cited a combination of post-Brexit uncertainty and long-term funding issues which have impacted negatively on the UK’s performance this year. He added: “Uncertainty over immigration rules and the ability to hire and retain the top young talent from around the world seems to be damaging the reputation of the UK’s higher education sector.”

 UUK’s call also comes as almost a third of international students told a recent survey they are less likely to study in Britain in the wake of the Brexit result because the country feels “less welcoming.”

The survey from student recruitment consultancy, Hobsons, also found a further six per cent would definitely not choose Britain as a study destination as a result of the EU referendum result.

Hobsons’ research came at the same time around 100 EU students reportedly cancelled their places at Aberystwyth University in Wales amid concerns of the impact of Brexit. Some of the UK’s top universities also reportedly faced issues working with their European partners, including being asked to leave EU-funded projects, according to a confidential survey of the elite Russell Group universities carried out by the Guardian.

Dame Julia described how universities are currently unable to answer “two crucial questions” that are being frequently asked by prospective EU students who are considering whether to apply for to start courses in the UK in autumn 2017; what fees will be charged for any years of a course which are post the date of exit, and whether students will be able to access any financial support.

Labelling the issue as “urgent,” she continued: “Ucas applications opened this week for the 2017/18 intake, and EU students are almost twice as likely as UK students to apply very early for those courses with October deadlines.

“I urge Government to take swift and positive action to address uncertainty, prevent a likely sudden decline in EU student applications, and provide much needed reassurance to prospective EU students and universities across the UK.”

[Source:- independent]

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Education

Higher fees allowed for current students

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

graduation

The watchdog for university access has given the green light to universities to increase tuition fees in England to £9,250.

Almost all universities have been approved to charge the higher fees from 2017-18 as the new upper limit.

But more than 30 have this as a minimum – raising the prospect the increase will also be applied to current students or those starting this year.

Exeter has already announced it is raising fees for continuing students.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman John Pugh said students were being treated as “cash cows” and the access watchdog was “utterly toothless”.

“Time and again, the universities, backed by government, ask for more,” said Mr Pugh.

The admissions process for university entry for autumn 2017 has opened to applicants on Tuesday.

The Office for Fair Access (Offa) has published the agreements that show how much universities will be able charge these students in 2017-18 and how much universities will contribute to support disadvantaged students.

Widening access

Universities will spend £834m on schemes to widen access to higher education, an increase of 10% on 2016-17.

This will include £171m on outreach projects such as summer schools and events to encourage applications and £408m on bursaries and fee waivers.

Oxford University, which last week reported the highest level of state school students for decades, will spend more than £13m on outreach and scholarships.

But the Offa agreements also show that the extra spending will come alongside higher tuition fees.

The government wants to allow universities to increase fees to £9,250 if they can show they have high-quality teaching.

This will depend on Parliament approving the removal of the maximum limit of £9,000 – which both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are committed to opposing.

The Liberal Democrats have said they will timetable an amendment to the Higher Education and Research Bill that would outlaw increases for students who have already begun courses, saying such attempts were “outrageous”.

The agreements published by Offa show that almost every university has been given permission to set a new maximum of £9,250 from 2017, assuming that MPs support raising the current cap.

But a further group of 36 universities and colleges have been given approval for fees of £9,250 as a minimum, rather than a maximum.

This raises the more controversial prospect of all students paying the higher fees and not only those who are starting from 2017.

Offa says that these universities with a minimum of £9,250 will be able to apply the increase to current students.

Exeter has already told its existing students that it will increase fees to £9,250 from 2017, and Surrey intends to apply the increase to those students starting this autumn.

The Offa agreements show Sussex, Derby, Royal Holloway and Southampton among those that have set a £9,250 minimum.

The London School of Economics also has a £9,250 minimum, but says that this will not apply to current students.

Nottingham has ruled out an increase for current students and has set its minimum fee at the current £9,000.

Les Ebdon, director of Offa, said: “There are already more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education than ever before, which shows the impact that previous access agreements have had.

“But there is still a long way to go, and the government has clearly indicated that fair access is a priority, so we must all keep pushing forwards.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Private school fees soar to £160,000 per child, research finds

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

web-private-schools-getty.jpg

Parents face a bill of almost £160,000 to have their children privately educated amid the soaring cost of fees in recent years.

The average cost of a private school education for a day pupil who started reception in 2003 and left after sixth form in 2016 is £156,653, according to research by Lloyds Bank Private Banking.

Annual fees have almost doubled in that time, with the average cost of sending a child to private school for a year rocketing from £7,308 in 2003 to £13,341 today, a rise of 83 per cent.

In London parents have seen fees rise by 25 per cent in the last five years alone.

But costs have risen far more than average earnings, putting an enormous strain on families who want to choose private education for their children.

School fees rocketed by an average of 21 per cent over the last five years, up from £10,983 in 2011 – an increase that is 8 per cent above inflation.

The steep hike means that the £13,341 school fee accounts for almost 40 per cent of the average full time earnings of £34,545, a marked change from in 2003 when fees amounted for 28 per cent of earnings.

Despite the increasing financial burden on families, pupil numbers at private schools remain largely unchanged over the last five years.

Those going to senior school – between the ages of 11 and 16 – have fallen by 3 per cent, but numbers going to private sixth forms have grown by 10 per cent, and those at junior schools have gone up by 6 per cent.

Sarah Deaves, private banking director at Lloyds Bank, said: “All parents want the best for their children and a good education is no exception.

“A place at a private school is a huge financial commitment, almost an eye-watering £157,000 for just one child, from reception to finishing the sixth form as a day pupil.

“With average annual fees at £13,341 per child and the compulsory school leaving age now 18 years, many families may well feel some strain.

“It has, therefore, become increasingly important that parents, and sometimes grandparents, plan their finances as early as possible if they want a private school education for their children.”

The research, based on data from the Independent Schools Council and the Office for National Statistics, showed that private schooling in London was the most expensive in Britain, costing £179,145 to educate children from the age of five until they are 18.

Parents in the North paid the least, at £126,609 for 13 years of fees.

In London, school fees have almost doubled since 2003, rising 97% from £8,016 to £15,828 today, compared to the lowest increase over the same period in the West Midlands, a rise of 66 per cent from £6,984 to £11,580.

But there is help for parents, with around 160,000 children getting assistance for their fees – almost a third of all pupils at fee-paying schools, not just day pupils – that is worth more than £850 million a year.

The vast majority of this assistance, 85 per cent, comes from schools themselves.

[Source:- independent]

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Education

Owen Smith to propose end to university fees in bid for youth vote

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Owen Smith will make a bold pitch for young voters with a raft of youth-centred policies including the abolition of university tuition fees and a scheme to build starter homes reserved for people aged under 30.

The Labour leadership challenger to Jeremy Corbyn will announce what he calls a better deal for young people at a visit to Nottingham University on Saturday, and condemn the government for “betraying a generation” with increasing tuition fees and soaring housing costs.

The centrepiece of the announcement is a plan to replace higher education tuition fees with what Smith will say would be a more progressive and sustainable graduate tax. Graduates would pay an extra 1% to 2% rate on all taxable income above £15,000 for a specified period, with possibly a higher rate for graduates on the top rate of tax.

Another idea is to reserve 50,000 of a proposed 300,000 new homes to be built each year for first-time buyers under 30. The homes would be funded by the government and provided on long-term tenancies of five to eight years, during which time 20% of the rent would be put towards a deposit for eventual purchase.

The other two schemes involve an apprenticeship guarantee and paid traineeships. The first would guarantee all 18-year-olds with the equivalent of two A-level passes a two-year apprenticeship at the living wage, including at least one day a week of off-the-job learning. Aimed at those without the necessary grades for an apprenticeship, the traineeships would provide on-the-job experience and training.

“Young people have been let down time and time again by this government,” Smith will say, “Our failure to give the next generation the best start in life possible is the great scandal of our time.

“The promise that each generation stood a chance of doing better than the generation before has been shattered. Young people today are more likely to be unemployed, less likely to have an apprenticeship, more indebted and less likely to own their own home. They have been given a rotten deal and we must turn this around.”

Smith is the bookies’ outsider against Corbyn in the vote of Labour members and registered or affiliated supporters, which ends on 21 September, three days before the winner is announced at the start of the party’s annual conference in Liverpool.

[Source:- theguardian]

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