YP Comment: Colleges need policy consistency

Yet precisely this has happened with further education policy. According to a landmark report by the Institute for Government, colleges have been subjected to 48 Ministers, 28 pieces of legislation and three over-arching industrial strategies in the past three decades.

Given that not one of the newfangled quangos set up by meddling ministers has ever lasted more than 10 years, it’s little wonder that there’s insufficient funding for the overhaul of vocational skills that is now a belated national priority as a consequence of Brexit.

The consequence, says this much respected think-tank, is that students and employers are faced with a confusing and ever-changing set of qualifications, with no certainty that current benchmarks will exist a few years down the line.

Yet, while this ‘churn’ might appease those ministers who feel the need to justify their appointments before being shuffled off to a new role, it means vital money is going to waste on structural change when the priority should be the needs of those students who need a solid set of qualifications in order to enhance their future career prospects.

If there’s one lesson for Theresa May’s Government, it’s the need for a robust – and properly funded – college sector with clear requirements on the type of courses offered. The Prime Minister has just one chance to get the right structure in place and she can’t afford to fail this test.