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<p>The government believes that students with special educational needs and disabilities
(SEND) must get the support that they need to benefit from the Lifetime Skills Guarantee
(LSG).</p><p>Preparing all young people with SEND for adulthood is a key part of the
SEND system and should begin from the earliest point. Colleges have a duty to use
their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision that the young person
needs, regardless of whether students have an education, health and care plan.</p><p>We
believe that our measures in the Skills for Jobs Bill will support those with SEND.
The cross-government SEND review, which is currently underway, will consider how children
and young people with SEND can be supported effectively. We will continue to work
closely with the SEND sector and system leaders at pace over the coming months, to
ensure we are in a strong position to publish proposals for public consultation as
soon as possible.</p><p>The adult education budget supports the delivery of flexible
tailored provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3
qualifications. The provision is either fully or co-funded, depending on the learner’s
age, prior attainment, and circumstances, and helps learners to gain the skills they
need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Under the LSG, the government
is now supporting any adult (aged 19 and above) who does not have A levels or equivalent
qualifications, to access around 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with free courses
for jobs. Complementing this, skills bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up
to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and
fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Both offers are funded through the
National Skills Fund. We will be launching a consultation on the fund in due course
to ensure that we use this investment to help adults, including those with protected
characteristics, to gain the valuable skills they need to improve their job prospects.</p><p>Finally,
the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE), will be introduced from 2025, providing individuals
with a loan entitlement to the equivalent of four years of post-18 education to use
over their lifetime. We believe students with SEND must get the support that they
need to benefit from the LLE. The government has not yet determined what form this
support will take, and plan to use our consultation this year to build our evidence
base on how people with protected characteristics might access or benefit from the
LLE offer. We do not want to prejudge the information we receive and outcome of the
consultation.</p>
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