Apprenticeships

English and maths rule scrapped for adult apprentices, DfE confirms

Ministers also reveal the apprenticeship minimum duration will be reduced from 12 to 8 months

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Skills reform

Tech exec and ex-DfE perm sec to lead Skills England

Phil Smith and David Bell named chair and vice chair respectively, while two senior civil servants will jobshare as…

FE Week Reporter
Anviksha Patel and Josh Mellor
Apprenticeships, Ofsted

Public relations training firm rated ‘outstanding’

Apprenticeships provision at international PR company lauded for ‘exceptional’ leadership

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

Legal win fails to spark Catholic sixth form academy bids  

A suggestion that sixth forms could form their own trust faces barriers from bishops who aren’t used to power…

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
News

Sir Ian Bauckham confirmed as permanent Ofqual chief

The former academy trust CEO has served in an interim capacity for over a year

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Ofsted

Ofsted report cards: We’ll face more pressure, not less, say FE staff

Leaders warn of ‘greater risk of error’ which is likely to lead to more complaints

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


Ofqual, Politics

£16k legal bill blow as apprentice assessor’s £50k fine upheld

EPAO refutes Ofqual allegations that the company deliberately breached rules for financial gain

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

DfE to relax functional skills rules for apprentices

Ministers expected to announce major rule change imminently

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Adult education

Fury as DfE cuts adult education budgets

Combined authorities told to expect reductions in ‘already deeply diminished’ adult skills funding

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
safeguarding

Prevent referrals to be ‘routinely’ escalated

Major review comes after teenager who murdered three girls in Southport was referred to the programme three times

Rosa Furneaux
Rosa Furneaux
Sponsored post

Apprenticeships are for life, not just National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week is one of the awareness events that we all mark in our calendars. It’s a hive…

Advertorial
NCFE
Colleges

Intervention lifted at pandemic-hit City Lit

Principal praises staff and FE Commissioner as college finances recover faster than planned

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter

Must read

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
T Levels

NAO reveals enormity of T Level take-up failure

Forecasts missed by 75% and secret DfE estimates show staff and employer shortages could limit places to 48,000 students

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Adult education, ITPs

Mayors dump adult education cuts on independent training providers

Up to two-thirds axed from devolved procured budgets

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Bootcamps, Skills bootcamps

Coding firm caught charging students for free bootcamps

Ed tech provider ‘regretful’ after complaints and promises full refunds as bosses try to sue DfE over non-payments

Billy Camden
Billy Camden and Frances Read
Apprenticeships

Entrepreneur chased for millions after apprenticeship collapse

ESFA uncovers ‘fake’ taxi apprentices as liquidator reveals intercompany payments days after firm decided to shut

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Adult education

Fury as DfE cuts adult education budgets

Combined authorities told to expect reductions in ‘already deeply diminished’ adult skills funding

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen