Apprenticeships, Party Conferences 2023

Keegan ‘focussed’ on ‘wasteful’ apprenticeship drop outs

‘I can’t understand why they [completion rates] are not 99%. Who would give up that opportunity?’

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
News

Email attacks: Don’t lock down unless police say, DfE tells colleges

The message comes after schools in three counties locked down over emails threatening violence to pupils and staff

Amy Walker
Amy Walker
investigation, Long read

Why young asylum seekers and refugees are struggling to access college courses

Young people fleeing conflict, oppression and destitution in their home countries are arriving in England in record numbers. In…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
News

Keegan has not met any LGBT+ groups to discuss trans guidance

Education secretary had said delays to advice would allow more time ‘to speak to stakeholders’

Jack Dyson
Jack Dyson
Skills reform

What happened to college business centres?

College business centres featured as a key policy pledge in the 2021 skills for jobs white paper, as ministers…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, Teacher training

‘Shocking’ teacher training proposals could force provider closures

DfE also criticised for questioning ‘quality and value for money’ at private provider

Joshua Stein
Joshua Stein


Teacher training

DfE takes control of FE teacher training scheme mid-round

Taking Teaching Further programme brought in-house after one year into two-year scheme

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Prison education

Prison education: Treasury drags heels on pension guarantee

Private providers could pay ‘considerably less’ in pension contributions under new contract, unions warn

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
News

Marples vs DfE trial set for 2025

DfE ordered to release ‘key’ evidence related to sales of other providers

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship levy turns into Treasury ‘cash cow’

Transparency demands mount amid skills crisis

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, Higher education

1 in 3 colleges challenge TEF rating

Teaching excellence framework results revealed for first time since 2019

Joshua Stein
Joshua Stein
News

Four things we learned from the Employer Skills Survey 2022

Government mass survey of employers finds training investment continuing to ‘flatline’

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Colleges on the frontline of a divided nation

As social media algorithms fuel intolerance and binary thinking, college staff increasingly find themselves dealing with the fallout. Jessica…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read

Alun Francis, chair of the Social Mobility Commission

Deprived areas need vision – not victimhood – to level up, and Social Mobility Commission chair Alun Francis is…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, Prison education

The prison that’s offering hope for a new life upon release

‘We’re saving people’s lives as well as turning them around’

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Apprenticeships, Politics

Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe

Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, FE Commissioner

Weston chair felt powerless over £2.5m payments to former principal

Ex-Weston college chair gives tell-all interview following FE Commissioner probe

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

Weston College governance failure allowed ‘concealment’ of £2.5m payments to former principal

Paul Phillips was paid £1.8m in 2023, including a ‘significant’ six-figure retention payment which his COO son ‘resisted’ paying…

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel