News

AAC Awards 2019 winners crowned

The country’s best apprenticeship providers, employers and champions have been honoured at the Annual Apprenticeship Awards 2019. More than…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Grade one college chief executive says sorry after dodgy data exposed

The chief executive of a grade one college has apologised after an audit exposed data manipulation that resulted in…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Monthly apprenticeships update: January starts up 15% but down 21% on 2017

Apprenticeship starts for January are up 15 per cent on last year but down 21 per cent on the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Revealed: The 16 members of the ‘College of the Future’ commission

The 16 people that will form an independent commission to set out a “new vision” for colleges in England,…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Apprenticeship quality not improving, says Ofsted chief inspector

The quality of apprenticeships is “sticking” instead of moving forward, according to Ofsted’s chief inspector who today urged the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA says 30 hour cap to off-the-job calculation has always been in funding rules

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has insisted that an apparent change it made to the off-the-job training policy…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

Annual Apprenticeships Conference 2019 gets underway

Colleges, training providers and employers have flooded to Birmingham for the Annual Apprenticeships Conference (AAC) 2019 which officially gets…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Proportion of apprenticeships delivered by subcontractors falls dramatically

The proportion of apprenticeships delivered by subcontractors fell 15 points to just 11 per cent last year, according to…

Simon Kay
Simon Kay
News

ESFA appears to have changed the apprenticeship off-the-job calculation – again

The government appears to have changed the off-the-job (OTJ) training rule again, and is now telling providers they should…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Providers of management apprenticeships to be increasingly audited for proof they are ‘additive’, MPs told

The boss of the Education and Skills Funding Agency has promised MPs that management apprenticeships will be “increasingly” audited…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Top DfE official tells PAC of difficult decisions to avoid apprenticeship levy overspend

The Department for Education’s top civil servant has admitted “hard choices” will need to be made in the face…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

HMRC investigations into levy underpayments more than doubles in a year

The number of HMRC investigations into the underpayment of the apprenticeship levy at big employers has more than doubled…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

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
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