Colleges

Major review launched to bring colleges back into public sector

After ten years in the private sector, the ONS are now considering whether to reclassify colleges as public sector…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships

New DfE employer and apprentice surveys reveal reasons behind huge drop-out rate

Complex and wide ranging contributers to withdrawals found by researchers

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
FE Week Podcast

The FE Week Podcast: New college, new country – Refugees in FE

After travelling thousands of miles, facing extremely dangerous situations, often stuck in legal limbo – refugee and asylum-seeking students…

Jess Staufenberg
The FE Week Podcast
Colleges

MBE for AoC’s Mary Vine-Morris

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the MBE was ‘testimony to Mary’s long-standing support for further education…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
News

Skills and Productivity Board and Unit for Future Skills: a one-stop shop of what has been published so far

The SPB has now wound up and been replaced by the Unit for Future Skills. The research conducted over…

Will Nott
Will Nott
Apprenticeships

ESFA ditches 20% off-the-job requirement as part of 2022/23 apprenticeship funding rule changes

The government has ditched its controversial 20 per cent requirement for off-the-job training in apprenticeships and replaced it with…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


Colleges

Plans to de-merge Lewisham College from NCG revealed

NCG and London South East Colleges are understood to be in discussions about the future of FE in Lewisham.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
AEB, Devolution

Controversy as Liverpool City Region hands adult education budget contracts to ‘out-of-area’ providers

16 providers won procured contracts in the Liverpool City Region’s latest AEB tender

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
T Levels

Pre-T Level course flops in first year

Just 1 in 7 students on the first transition programme progressed on to a full T Level

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Skills reform

Who’s deciding the future of BTECs? Secrecy surrounds DfE’s ‘independent assessors’

Transparency demanded as DfE refuses to publish details

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges

AoC raises college staff pay recommendation – but only to 2.25%

The recommendation is well below the call from unions for a 10% rise

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Ofsted

City and Guilds-owned apprenticeship provider falls two Ofsted grades

Gen2 is no longer ‘outstanding’ after a decade without inspection

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

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