News

Bolton pilots new college-university merger model

A college is joining a university using an “innovative” new merger model that’s acting as a pilot for future…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Government departments falling short on public sector apprenticeships target

Widespread failure has been exposed across Whitehall with hitting the government’s own target for apprentices employed by public bodies….

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Ofsted watch: A week of contrasts in apprenticeship provision

National Apprenticeship Week has proved to be a time of contrasting grades for this type of provision – with…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Barnfield College suspends its recruitment of apprentices

Barnfield College has suspended its recruitment of new apprentices, after it received an ‘inadequate’ rating for this provision from…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Milton not budging on 20% off-the-job training rule

The 20-per-cent off-the-job training rule is the biggest barrier to apprenticeship recruitment according to an FE Week survey –…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Thirteen providers added to RoATP after appeals

Thirteen organisations, including a Welsh college and the furniture retail giant DFS, have been unexpectedly added to the register…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

ESFA temp staff jeopardised almost £8m of non-levy cash

Nine training providers nearly missed out on almost £8 million of non-levy funding because officials mismarked their bids in…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

NOCN Group taking over One Awards

NOCN Group is taking over awarding organisation One Awards, which specialises in access to higher education, FE Week can…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Government cashes in on levy brokerage

Providers training apprentices for the civil service will be subject to a controversial new brokerage charge from the top…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

New 20% limit for management fees in best-practice guidance

The management fees charged by prime FE providers should not be more than 20 per cent of the programme…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Sheffield College retains its grade three despite achievement-rate worries

Sheffield College has held onto its grade three rating following a recent Ofsted visit – despite concerns that falling…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

How Bletchley Park IoT could host a new generation of computer wizards

A consortium lead by Milton Keynes College has bid for £18 million-worth of funding to launch an Institute of…

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