News

Employers lose £11m apprenticeship levy after missing first monthly deadline

Employers lost access to £11 million of their apprenticeship levy funds in May – the first sun-setting period for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

College leaders unite – all 203 of them – to demand an end to funding bias towards higher education

Every college leader in England has joined forces and written to the chancellor and the education secretary, demanding the…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Revealed: The first providers added to refreshed apprenticeship register

The first organisations to be added to the government’s refreshed apprenticeship provider register have been revealed. An update to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Government warns colleges as email ‘phishing’ scams inflict financial losses

FE colleges and other “educational institutions” are being warned about new cyber-attacks which have already claimed some victims and…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Government says they will fail Conservative manifesto commitment to 3 million apprenticeship starts

Education secretary Damian Hinds has admitted the government will miss its target of 3 million apprenticeship starts by next…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Apprenticeship quango to introduce secret grading of assessment organisations

Apprenticeship end-point assessment organisations are to be graded by quality assurance providers and given a “risk rating” – but…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

Apprenticeships quango reveals extra £40 per learner charge

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education will start charging £40 for every apprenticeship external quality assurance check it…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Pre-apprenticeship salary cap ‘palatable’ to limit demand, says skills minister

One of most “palatable” decisions the government could make to constrain the apprenticeship budget is introducing a pre-apprenticeship salary…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA to consider scrapping levy transfer funding restriction for 16-18 year-old apprentices

A funding rule that is preventing large employers from transferring levy funds to smaller employers to train 16 to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Fourth consecutive grade three Ofsted report for college surviving on bailouts

A college that is dependent on government bailouts to survive has been hit with a fourth consecutive grade three…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

AELP chair accuses DfE of ‘institutional bias’ in T-levels policy

T-levels policy is the latest example of “institutional bias” from the Department for Education that “ignores all evidence”, the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Minister calls on IfA to ‘collaborate’ and be ‘more responsive to training provider needs’

The government’s apprenticeship quango needs to start viewing training providers as their “clients” and become “far more responsive” to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

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