News

ESFA appoints David Withey as next permanent chief executive

He replaces Eileen Milner who resigned last year

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

ESFA finally launches Tripadvisor-style feedback feature for apprentices

Apprentices can now give anonymous feedback and the results will appear on Find Apprenticeship Training

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Industrial action

Union targets college’s open days for strikes as ‘fire and rehire’ row escalates

Staff at Richmond upon Thames College have warned they will strike during open days as a bitter dispute over…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Industrial action

College strike called off after staff win pay rise of up to 7.5%

It comes weeks after the AoC recommended that college staff should be given a 2.25% pay rise next year

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges

ONS reclassification review: Colleges given weeks to submit borrowing and other financial data

The Education and Skills Funding Agency today asked colleges for ‘immediate assistance’ to provide a debt return

Will Nott
Will Nott
News

Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022: Who received what in FE?

Picking up the damehood was Ann Limb, who has over 25 years of experience in FE and was appointed…

Will Nott
Will Nott


Apprenticeships

SME cap on apprenticeship starts reset again to 0

The decision follows mounting pressure from the sector

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
WorldSkills

WorldSkills Shanghai cancelled again due to Covid

The global skills competition was scheduled to take place in October

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
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

Must read

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
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