When combined authorities and councils work well together, they can make a real difference. Local knowledge paired with broader regional views help ensure decisions are practical as well as strategic.
This co-operation is especially valuable in making sure young people access post-16 education and training that meet their needs. But in many places it rests upon combined authorities going beyond statutory responsibilities.
The challenge is becoming urgent. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of 16 to 18-year-olds in England is rising, peaking at around 900,000 in 2030, compared to 775,000 three years ago.
Combined authorities, while not legally responsible for all elements of sufficiency, hold unique assets - research teams to analyse data, links to regional public transport governance, influence over broader funding streams and responsibility to act regionally.
In many areas this population increase has coincided with FE colleges attracting a rising share of post-16 students, shifts in learner choices towards subjects demanding large amounts of floorspace (such as construction and arts courses), and substantial demand for classrooms driven by requirements for young people without GCSE 9-4 grades in English and maths to study these subjects in further education.
FE college feedback suggests many struggle to meet learner demand. Places on courses are filling up earlier in the application process, resulting in more missing out on first choices, or travelling further afield to access desired s courses.
Those likeliest to miss out on first-choice courses apply late in the application cycle. These are often young people providers consider a higher risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).
Local authorities carry the statutory duty to secure sufficient education and training provision to meet needs of young people aged 16 to 18 (and 19–25s for those with an Education, Health and Care Plan). But councils often lack the levers required to address gaps in provision when they arise. This includes cross-boundary flows of post-16 learners (whereby a high proportion of young people live and study in different boroughs), a common feature of many combined authority areas.
Combined authorities, while not legally responsible for all elements of sufficiency, hold unique assets - research teams to analyse data, links to regional public transport governance, influence over broader funding streams and responsibility to act regionally.
Together, council and combined authority partnerships can provide stronger, more coherent responses to post-16 capacity challenges. Here are key areas where combined authorities can go the extra mile to help young people access the post-16 provision and help councils meet statutory duties.
• Better data and insight. Combined authorities usually feature research teams who could undertake high-quality, consistent desktop analysis of how post-16 education and training demand has changed. They can model how demand might change in future, drawing on population projections, travel-to-learn patterns (showing where young people are willing and/or able to travel to study), plus subject-by-subject enrolment trends.
• Coordinating across council boundaries. Post-16 learners often travel outside home council areas to study in neighbouring districts. Without cross-boundary planning, one council may expand capacity, only for residents of neighbouring councils to largely fill it, or conversely, for multiple councils to under-invest in the same geographic zone, leaving learners underserved. Combined authorities are well placed to map travel-to-learn geographies and understand where spare capacity exists. They can host joint planning forums, broker shared funding bids, and support work by providers and local authorities to address public transport barriers that restrict learner mobility.
• Protecting and expanding flexible provision. Some young people benefit from flexible provision which includes smaller class sizes, mid-year starts, tailored support, smaller providers or voluntary/community organisations. Combined authorities with devolved budgets can support alternative providers to fill gaps, particularly for NEETs or those at risk of becoming NEET. Ensuring provision offers start throughout the year (not just September) helps learners whose circumstances shift. Budgets for such activity have not kept pace with demand in many areas, but combined authorities may have more influence than most to coordinate investment across multiple districts to address gaps.
• Strategic capital investment. Capital funds are critical to ensuring sufficient space to meet learner demand. But workshops, labs, specialist facilities (e.g. for construction, health sciences, digital tech), and buildings designed for modern educational delivery are expensive to build or refurbish. Combined authorities have extensive experience of managing skills capital funding. While availability of such funds is far from consistent, where combined authorities control or influence decisions, they can prioritise investments that unlock additional post-16 capacity.
• Better advice and guidance. All young people – particularly those considered to be at higher risk of becoming NEET post-16 – must have enough clear information about what is on offer, application deadlines, requirements, and demand. Late applications, misconceptions about entry criteria, or being unaware of alternative providers contribute to avoidable post-16 education and training dropouts. The goal is to reduce learners missing out simply because they lack useful information.
Meeting post-16 capacity challenges will demand more than good intentions. It requires political will, shared intelligence, and strategic investment. Mayors and combined authority leaders are already building trusting relationships with FE providers; senior officers must get sight of both the statutory duties that sit with councils and the levers that combined authorities control.
By partnering with combined authorities, pooling insight, shaping capital and skills strategies together, local councils can ensure more young people successfully embark on their next learning chapter, and that the regional economy can draw upon the skilled workforce it needs. The first key step is collaboration.
James Farr is director of post-16 skills and training consultancy Think
