News

First Ofsted subcontracting visit report criticises Wigan and Leigh College

The first ever report of an Ofsted monitoring visit into subcontracting has found that governors and senior management at…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News
Exclusive

More traineeships are leading to apprenticeships

The proportion of young people who complete a traineeship and move on to an apprenticeship has risen but it…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Ofsted Watch: Encouraging week for adult and community learning providers

A strong week for adult and community learning providers saw three climb up from ‘requires improvement’ ratings. Slough Pitstop…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Financial warning notice for UTC found to owe government £500k

A university technical college which was found to have owed the government over half a million pounds after it…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Inaugural AAC Awards: Worthy winners step up

The nation’s best training providers, employers and apprentices have been enshrined at the inaugural Annual Apprenticeship Awards at a…

FE Week
FE Week
News

‘Deliver on apprentice travel cost pledge’, urges Robert Halfon

The chair of the Commons education select committee has urged the government to “deliver” on its election promise to…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Apprenticeship provider register won’t reopen until September

The register of apprenticeship training providers will not open again until September – nearly a year after the last…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Marsden: Labour would look at devolving apprenticeships and other skills funding

Labour’s proposed National Education Service would look at devolving apprenticeships and other skills funding, and not just the adult…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

20% off-the-job rule divides opinion again

The director of the National Apprenticeships Service has mounted a strident defence of the controversial 20-per-cent off-the-job training requirement….

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Ofsted appears to back colleges in Progress 8 battle

The credibility of a major new government progress measure is at stake after a college labelled as one of…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Merger bulletin: the colleges in need of a partner

The area reviews of post-16 education and training ended last March. They were designed to establish “fewer, often larger,…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News
prison

Ofsted to ‘expose’ rip-off subcontracting top-slices

Ofsted will expose training providers who rip-off apprentices by collecting subcontracting management fees without taking “responsibility for quality”, the…

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
Long read

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
Exclusive

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
Exclusive

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