Apprenticeships

Small employer apprenticeship starts rise for first time in 5 years

But the numbers are still way off pre-pandemic and levy reform levels

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
SEND

SEND review consultation may be extended as accessible versions delayed

BSL and easy-read versions of the green paper were promised almost a month ago

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth
Qualifications

Post-16 qualifications inquiry: 5 interesting things we learned from former education ministers

Witnesses were quizzed on degree apprenticeships, BTECs and getting the policy balance right between vocational and academic education

Will Nott
Will Nott
Higher education

IfS: 1 in 4 poorer pupils could lose out under proposed student loan grade thresholds

Around 1 in 10 recent education undergrads would also have been excluded, think tank warns

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Ofsted

Ofsted to review how it inspects FE and skills, new strategy states

In its new five-year strategy, Ofsted says it will inspect every college to check it’s meeting skills needs.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships

Help boost apprenticeship starts among young people and fix the drop-out rate, skills minister tells IfATE

Alex Burghart issues tasks to the institute in new ‘strategic guidance’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


FE Week Podcast

The FE Week Podcast: Is there a device crisis in FE?

Is device use seriously negatively affecting student learning? How can devices be used well? And what is the situation…

Jess Staufenberg
The FE Week Podcast
Apprenticeships

Deadline to claim apprenticeship cash incentives extended by 5 days

The change has been made in response to employer complaints that the deadline was on a weekend

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Sponsored post

British Army seeks ITPs to support their apprenticeship programme – contracting launch 

An upcoming event will cover how ITPs can tender for these support contracts

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Politics

How the education select committee looks now

The parliamentary education committee has welcomed five new members in the past year after several MPs stood down or…

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Training Providers

Boss of England’s largest apprenticeship provider steps down

He has led the firm for 10 years

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Skills reform

Local skills improvement plans: What the trailblazer reports look like

Spanning over 500 pages in total, the “trailblazer” local skills improvement plans – a key plank of the government’s…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen

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