News

Swithenbank’s payoff revealed as auditors confirm financial regulations breached

The former chief executive of Hull College Group received £219,000 last year, despite only being in post for 67…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Tripling traineeships: no growth yet, but new providers remain upbeat

The government has failed to boost radically the number of traineeships in the first half of the year –…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Colleges will need to do their own funding audits – ESFA rules

The government body responsible for funding assurance appears to have lost confidence in itself. The Education and Skills Funding…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Controversial adult funding threshold dropped to 68% – but only for Liverpool

A mayoral authority has set a 68 per cent clawback threshold for its devolved adult education budget, in a…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Cash-strapped college announces merger partner

A struggling college has announced plans to merge with one of the biggest college groups in the country next…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Well-known college CEO named as new FE Commissioner

The chief executive of one of the country’s largest college groups has been appointed as the next FE Commissioner….

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

BTEC Awards 2021: Deadline Extended

You now have until Friday 16 April (midnight GMT) to submit a nomination for the BTEC Awards 2021.  We…

Shane Mann
Shane Mann
News

First college in England to gain nursing course approval revealed

The first college in the country to have its own nursing provision approved for direct delivery has been revealed…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Labour claims 9.4m jobs excluded from flagship lifetime skills guarantee

Over 9.4 million people are working in sectors excluded from the government’s new adult level 3 offer under its…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Interim FE Commissioner revealed

Frances Wadsworth is set to be appointed as the interim FE Commissioner, FE Week can reveal. The former college…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Race commission shines spotlight on apprenticeship ‘disparities’

The government’s commission on racial disparities has called for a new apprenticeship recruitment campaign “highly-targeted” at young people “facing…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

ESFA rules out college pleas to soften funding clawback following Treasury intervention

Colleges will not be allowed to submit a business case to avoid adult education funding being clawed back, the…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon

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