Further education colleges should put a greater concentration on skills to ensure students succeed in the workplace, a government-commissioned report has concluded.
The comprehensive review by Sir Andrew Foster, former chief executive of the Audit Commission, said for Britain to stay competitive in the face of challenges posed by emerging economies in the East, there needs to be a 'crystal clear' focus on skills.
Colleges are key in helping people return to education and get a fresh start at life, he said, but too many institutions are failing to meet students' requirements. Foster claimed that up to 10% of institutions across the UK are consistently underperforming.
Foster called for greater government support of further education colleagues, less regulation and better cooperation with local businesses to increase the employability of students.
To help sharpen the focus, he suggested that some institutions should face closure or, alternatively, be taken over by private firms.
"Time should be called on those institutions that have relentlessly failed their learning communities," Foster said in his report.
The findings were welcomed by education secretary Ruth Kelly who called them a 'once in a generation opportunity' for change.
"Colleges need a clearer purpose, improved leadership and a sharper focus on the specific needs of learners and business," she said.
"It is right that we prioritise college funding on these priority groups and ask those who can afford to pay to contribute more to the cost of their courses.
"There need to be tougher penalties for colleges which fail their students and a new approach to assisting students to complete their courses."
