Apprenticeships, Devolution

Liverpool City Region targets over 50s for apprenticeships

Combined authority says it could help those who have been made redundant, the unemployed and career changers

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
WorldSkills

UK hosts special WorldSkills competition this week

Competitors visit ex coal mine and Welsh villages ahead of competitions

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Ofsted

Ofsted faces another legal challenge over lack of Covid consideration

UKTD is the third provider recently to complain Ofsted hasn’t considered the impact of Covid.

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Training Providers

New ESFA chief plans financial handbook ‘bible’ for ITPs

ESFA’s new chief says he wants to improve partnership working between the agency and the sector

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
T Levels

‘Crushed’: 1 in 3 health and science T Level students turn their backs on flagship qualification

FE Week investigation unearths extent of the fallout from the ‘diabolical’ exams fiasco

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
Politics

The ‘galling’ pay-offs for DfE ministers on political merry-go-round

19 politicians earn more than £100k in severance pay in a year

John Dickens
John Dickens


News

College troubleshooter resigns over PM race row

DfE national governance chief claims ‘I’m not racist’ and blames ‘wokerati’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Politics

Lord Blunkett backs away from Labour’s pledge to use 50% of apprenticeship levy on other training

Labour clarifies its 50% apprenticeship levy plans for other types of training is only an ‘indicative’ figure

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
Training Providers

City & Guilds buys third training provider

Trade Skills 4U joins from private equity firm Palatine

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Ofsted

Online apprenticeship provider lauded as ‘outstanding’ in first inspection

Apprentify Ltd celebrates after scoring top Ofsted marks

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Ofsted

Online provider bites back at Ofsted after scathing report

Inspectors claimed to have found a series of funding rule breaches

Billy Camden
Jason Noble and Billy Camden
News

NUS sacks president Shaima Dallali after antisemitism investigation

Significant breaches of the student union’s policies were found

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

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
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