Provider Access Legislation (PAL)
The Department for Education’s Careers guidance and access for education and training providers: Statutory guidance for schools and guidance for further education colleges and sixth form colleges, includes information for governors, school and college leaders and Careers Leaders. The importance of the Gatsby Benchmarks are included, as well as information about Provider Access Legislation, and guidance on making provider encounters meaningful and high quality.
What is Provider Access Legislation (PAL)?
PAL is a requirement placed on schools to ensure they are promoting all pathways available to young people, including apprenticeships and technical education. The purpose of PAL is to help students understand the breadth of options available to them, and to consider how different types of study and training might suit their interests and skills.
What are the requirements of PAL?
Schools must provide at least six encounters with providers of apprenticeships and technical education for all their pupils:
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘first key phase’ (Year 8 or by 28th February of Year 9) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘second key phase’ (Year 10 or by 28th February of Year 11) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘third key phase’ (Year 12 or by 28th February of Year 13) that are mandatory for the school/college to put on but optional for pupils to attend
The February deadline for PAL compliance is to ensure that learners have ample time
to receive an appropriate encounter and consider their next steps for transition.
What must be included in the encounter?
To be PAL compliant, encounters should be delivered during the school day and include:
- Information about the provider and the approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships that the provider offers Information about the careers to which those technical education qualifications or apprenticeships might lead
- A description of what learning or training with the provider is like
- Responses to questions from the pupils about the provider or approved technical education
qualifications and apprenticeships
What counts as an approved technical education qualification or apprenticeship?
Technical pathways offer qualifications designed with employers that will give pupils the skills the economy and society need. There are a number of high-quality options available to your pupils. Options in full-time education are Vocational Technical Qualifications, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). Options that combine work and study are apprenticeships, and supported internships. You can explore all the education training choices on the National Careers Service: Skills for Careers page.
What makes a provider ‘compliant’?
In the context of PAL, a compliant provider is an organisation that offers approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. Examples include:
- FE Colleges
- Independent Training Providers (ITP’s)
- Institutes of Technology
- Studio schools
- University Technical Colleges (UTC’s)
- Sixth forms
- Employer partners
This can include representatives of the provider, employer partners, or alumni who have taken the route.
PAL Policy Statement
Schools must prepare and publish a policy statement setting out the circumstances in which education and training providers will be given access to pupils. The policy statement must include:
- any procedural requirements about requests for access
- grounds for granting or refusing requests
- details of premises or facilities available to a person who is given access
- the times access can be given
- how they will meet the legal requirement to put on 6 provider encounters
The careers leader should review the policy statement annually and agree it with the governing body. An example of a suitable policy statement can be found on the CEC resource directory.