In NAFE, we are actively promoting the idea that courses should be designed or adapted to meet the needs of the young people. We are inclined to the view that there may be greater benefit to a greater number of young people if the additional funding was made available to colleges. Colleges could then apply for funding on behalf of the young person based on the individual's assessed needs. This is similar to the approach to additional support funding for learners in colleges in England. The Further Education Funding Council for England assesses need and allocates funding within 8 different bandings.
Funding is made available for equipment or other kinds of personal support.
The issue of how to allocate funding most effectively to young people in colleges who require additional support is an important one but difficult to resolve. There may be merit in the introduction of a specific funding mechanism, such as DSA, but further work needs to be done to agree the most effective approach. The Committee has also given specific consideration to ideas about improving access to equipment earlier in this section. In addition, we have considered the idea of a broader national fund to support all young people with additional support needs. However, this would be a longer-term exercise.