Simplifying the regulatory landscape
The Single Voice will ensure that the FE sector is not overburdened with unnecessary bureaucracy and information requirements from government and its agencies. It will also ensure that communications to the sector are fit for purpose. It will take responsibility for functions dealing with the monitoring and policing of government agencies. Its initial concern will be to bring within its remit the Information Authority, the Bureaucracy Reduction Group and the Communications Practitioner Panel.
The Single Voice will influence emerging thinking on rationalisation of data collection and its efficient use by working with the Information Authority and the Bureaucracy Reduction Group to establish what information is needed, when and to what standard; the underlying principle being the production of consistent information which is submitted once and used many times. The Single Voice will act as Secretariat for these groups which will enable streamlining to take place. It is assumed that existing budgets will transfer with each of these functional groups.
Future work will include consultation about where the Information Authority and wider ‘data service’ functions would best operate, either within the Single Voice or independently (like HESA – Higher Education Statistical Agency). The Single Voice will need to consider, in due course, how the Information Service and the Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP) initiatives regarding the development of the Unique Learner Number, Learner Registration Service and the UK Register of Learning Providers can eventually enable data sharing (from the single source) across partners (including the LSC and Ofsted).
To ensure that the sector is regarded as a trusted partner of government delivering high quality provision and meeting the needs of learners, employers and communities, it will, through the Single Voice, take responsibility for improving and maintaining the reputation of the further education sector. The Single Voice will take responsibility for the FE Reputation Group and steer its programme of work. It will assume the secretariat functions and associated budget.
