The Labour government appears to have taken a more cautious approach to embracing lifelong learning than its predecessors originally envisaged, with new guidelines linked to the industrial strategy seen as setting the tone for the party¡¯s wider approach to higher education reforms.?

Documents published on 9 July outline how the long-awaited new?Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will work, with only specific subjects aligned with skills needs being eligible for funding as 30 credit modules.

New learners will be able to apply for student finance equivalent to four years of higher education, currently up to ?38,140, but most are likely to continue to study traditional three-year full time courses under the new system instead of the more radical flexible approach that the LLE was intended to ignite.

Level 6 courses outside the priority areas will not be eligible for funding if broken down to smaller modules, as the government focuses on a gradual approach to the roll-out.

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Given the level of ambition in the former Conservative government¡¯s original plans for the LLE, ¡°it was inevitable it was going to be restricted in some way,¡± said?Nick Hillman, director of the ÌÇÐÄVlog Policy Institute.

The subject groups listed by the Department for Education include computing, engineering and mathematical sciences, as well as healthcare-related courses, such as nursing and midwifery and allied health.?

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¡°I¡¯m unsurprised that they¡¯ve put subject guard rails on to the level 6 modules,¡± said Helena Vine, lead policy officer for England at the Quality Assurance Agency for ÌÇÐÄVlog. ¡°A lot of what¡¯s in there is both things that we know have really high employment outcomes in terms of earnings¡­but, similarly, ones that have real social values.¡±?

Since their election win last year, Labour ministers have been clear that they expect universities to support their key missions ¨C something that is likely to be reflected in forthcoming policies.?

Simon Ashworth, deputy chief executive and director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said the new LLE guidelines were a ¡°signal¡± from the government of what is to come in the post-16 White Paper, due to be published later this year.?

¡°I think the government is going to be a lot more directive about what it wants [higher education] to do,¡± he said, pointing to the focus on key sectors highlighted in the industrial strategy.

However, worries remain across the sector about demand for the new scheme, as earlier trials of short course programmes highlighted a lack of interest from students.

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Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of the University Alliance, said she was ¡°concerned¡± that the government¡¯s ¡°build it and they will come approach¡± will not ¡°generate significant demand for this new model¡±.

¡°It is a complicated proposition,¡± agreed Andy Forbes, executive director of the Lifelong Education Institute, ¡°so it¡¯s going to take some selling, I think, to get people engaged with it¡±.

However, Vine said the question of demand for flexibility was more ¡°nuanced than it necessarily looks on the surface¡±.?

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¡°The system¡¯s just not really set up for it, so it¡¯s hard to know whether we¡¯re not seeing demand because the system¡¯s not set up for it or the system¡¯s not set up for it because there¡¯s limited demand,¡± she said.?

¡°I wonder when things are a bit more flexible whether we will see students value that ability to chop and change and move about a little bit more than they necessarily do in the current system.¡±?

A requirement for providers to have a silver or gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework to be able to offer funded modules was also causing some concern.

Brooke Storer-Church, chief executive of GuildHE, said the move ¡°undermines the OfS register as a threshold for high quality provision¡±.

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Given the exercise, which appears unlikely to be repeated in its current form, is intended to assess teaching quality above baseline requirements, she said the approach was a ¡°risk to the success of the LLE¡±.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com