News

IfA appoints Dame Asha replacement as chair of subcommittee

The Institute for Apprenticeships has replaced Dame Asha Khemka as chair of the quality assurance committee, almost two months…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Ofsted watch: Three providers improve to ‘good’

Three providers – including two colleges – have boosted their grades from three to two this week, while one…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Trailblazer group alarm over funding band reviews

A trailblazer group chair has warned that its “years of hard work” in developing two apprenticeships standards could be…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

AELP appoints a devolution director to represent independent training providers

The “real fear” that independent training providers wouldn’t get “representation around the table” in adult education budget devolution has…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Asian Apprenticeship Awards: the winners

A project management apprentice and student mentor who defied his family’s wish for him to go to university has…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Damian Hinds reacts to concerns that spend on apprenticeships is soaring

The education secretary didn’t deny that the apprenticeships budget is heading for a £500 million overspend this year, when…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke


News

Flagship National Citizen Service under fire for £1m-a-year offices

The government’s flagship National Citizen Service trust has been slammed after its rent ballooned by more than ten-fold to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Union warns AoC risks ‘becoming an irrelevant voice’ after another ‘insulting’ 1% pay offer

The Association of Colleges has been warned that it risks “becoming an irrelevant voice” in the FE sector after…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE pauses publication of monthly apprenticeship starts

The Department for Education has yet to reveal how many people have started apprenticeships in 2018/19 – even though…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

IfA confirms funding cut of £5k to chartered manager degree apprenticeship standard

The popular chartered manager degree apprenticeship standard will have its funding slashed by £5,000, the Institute for Apprenticeships has…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Education secretary disagrees with Ofsted and not blaming colleges for ‘false hope’ job prospects

Damian Hinds has said he would “not blame colleges at all” in the way that Amanda Spielman did for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE urgently seeking answers to why level two apprenticeships fell by 38%

The Department for Education is urgently seeking to “improve understanding” of what’s behind the drop in level two apprenticeships,…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke

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