Skills reform

FE White Paper In-Depth | Webcast recordings

Access all the recordings of our FE White Paper In-depth series.  A free webcast update series from FE Week,…

Shane Mann
Shane Mann
News

College closes all campuses for a week following ‘major’ cyber attack

A Birmingham college has closed all its campuses to students for a week following a “major” ransomware cyber attack…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Revealed: The most popular Skills Toolkit courses

The government has for the first time revealed the most popular courses being taken through its “Skills Toolkit” –…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ex-skills minister criticises lack of T Level targets

A former skills minister has criticised the Department for Education for moving away from T Levels student recruitment targets….

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

‘Absurd’: Small employers blocked from apprentice cash incentives

Small employers are being blocked from the government’s apprentice cash incentives due to a “bonkers” cap on starts, an…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Turing scheme opens for bids

Colleges and training providers can now apply for funding to send students and apprentices to study or work internationally…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


Skills reform

Revealed: Complex allocations for the ‘targeted level 3 adult offer’

Just over £118 million has been set aside to pay for the new “targeted level 3 adult offer” across…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Skills reform

FE white paper: Employer casts doubt on chambers of commerce leading role

Chambers of commerce are “not close enough to industry” to play a leading role in the skills system as…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

2022 exams may need similar ‘adaptations’ as those proposed for 2021, warns Ofqual chief

The government is considering making “adaptations” to exams in 2022 similar to those proposed for this summer’s assessments before…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted to end progress monitoring visits next week to prioritise new provider inspections

Progress monitoring visits of grade three and four FE providers will end from March 15 as inspections of new…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Feature, News

How does the Turing scheme compare to Erasmus?

The Turing scheme will open for applications this month. We spoke to sector professionals to compare the newcomer with…

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
News

DfE was aware of bootcamps gender issue but has plans to tackle it

The Department for Education knew its flagship skills bootcamps could be flooded with male learners but has a raft…

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