News

EuroSkills 2018: ‘Awesome’ finish to competitions for Team UK

It’s been a tiring and testing week but Team UK are feeling “amazing” and “awesome” to have today finished…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Struggling Stoke-on-Trent College gets cash ‘boost’ from DfE support fund

A cash-strapped college which was almost £16 million in the red has received a “major boost” to its finances…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

ESFA ready to roll-out Trip Advisor-style review feature for apprenticeship programmes

Employers will soon be posting scores and reviews of their apprenticeship provider in an online review tool similar to…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Ofsted watch: Mega apprenticeship provider to high-profile employers hit with grade three

A major financial services training provider has been found to ‘require improvement’, in the only full FE and skills…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

What Labour plans for further education could mean for colleges

The shadow skills minister has refused to rule out bringing colleges back under local authority control, as part of…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

In pursuit of parity: degree apprenticeships expand into the Russell Group

Although seen by some as controversial, degree apprenticeships are central to the government’s plans to put technical education on…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke


News

Re-levelling of first aid course boosts level 3 qualifications

An extra 400,000 people taking level three qualifications this year, and a corresponding fall at level two, can be…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Ofsted says sorry for carrying out wrong kind of inspection

Ofsted has been left red-faced after carrying out the wrong kind of monitoring visit and incorrectly publishing a report,…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Revealed: DfE damning investigation into 3aaa

Crisis-hit Aspire Achieve Advance was given a £7 million apprenticeships contract increase two years ago despite an investigation that…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

EuroSkills 2018: FE grandees fly out to support Team UK

Two grandees of the FE sector landed in Budapest today to witness “the best of the best” and cheer…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

IfA and Open Awards reach deal on EQA contract extension

The Institute for Apprenticeships has reached a deal with the organisation that delivers external quality assurance on its behalf…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

EuroSkills 2018: Team UK’s flag-bearer Elizabeth ‘confident’ after day one

Last night she was specially selected to be the flag-bearer for Team UK, today Elizabeth Newcombe was focused on…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

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